Hundreds of people lined up along a three-mile stretch of Foothills Parkway Wednesday afternoon to bid Officer Eric Talley a final farewell.

Officer killed in King Soopers mass shooting was father of 7

Some people sat in their cars, while others stood on the side of the road saluting, waving flags and waving goodbye as Talley’s body was being escorted to an Aurora funeral home by over 20 patrol units and a fire truck.

The procession in #Boulder is underway pic.twitter.com/J6Zl2pgfjW

— David Mullen (@mullen_david) March 24, 2021

Boulder High School Senior Jai Bergstein stood alongside Foothills Parkway waving his “Back The Blue American Flag” and said he had to show respect to his friend.

“I just want to show my support, you know, he’s a great man, super strong and he has seven kids,” Bergstein said. “I just want to come out here and show my appreciation for what he’s done and hopefully we don’t have to have another one.”

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Talley was one of the 10 people killed during a mass shooting at a King Soopers in south Boulder on Monday. He was the first to respond to the incident and lone officer to lose his life.

For Longmont resident Alana Davis-Delaria, Monday’s shooting hit close to home in multiple ways as she works in Boulder and is married to a police officer. Davis-Delaria said she wanted to show her support to the community and Talley’s family. 

“I just wanted to show my support for the community, and as someone who cares a lot about law enforcement, I had to pay my respects for an officer who has served Boulder really well, as he leaves the city for the final time,” Davis-Delaria said. 

Although the day was a somber farewell to Officer Talley, Longmont resident Rebecca Rademacher said she needed to bring herself and her kids to give the police department some uplifting during a tragic time.

Procession to be held for fallen Boulder officer; vigils planned in wake of King Soopers mass killing

“It’s depressing, it’s sad, and if I’m feeling like this, I can only imagine what his family and other officers are feeling,” Rademacher said. “(BPD) need all the uplifting they can get, so we decided to show our support and say ‘we’re here for you.'”

Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said the support the department and community has received has been unbelievable.

“I’m overwhelmed by the support not only the police department is getting, but the families of the victims, and it just goes to show you that when it’s all said and done, a sense of community is probably one of the most important things you can have,” Herold told The Denver Gazette alongside Foothills Parkway Wednesday.

“I can’t thank everybody enough, it just means so much.”