'We're Here For You': Community Gathers To Mourn Boulder Shooting Victims
FREDERICK, Colo. (CBS4) - Tributes to the 10 victims of Monday's shooting in Boulder continue all around Colorado this weekend. On Saturday evening, dozens gathered outside a church in Frederick for a prayer service and candlelight vigil.
Heather Gunter and Danielle Hoff organized the vigil. Both are married to Denver metro area police officers and say they worry about their husbands not coming home every single day.
Through planning the vigil, they hoped to show the family of Officer Eric Talley, as well as the families of the nine other victims, that the community is still here for them.
"We wanted them to be able to turn on their TV and see that there's other police wives out here and that we are surrounding you, that your fire department surrounds you, these churches are amazing," Gunter said.
The vigil took place outside Rocky Mountain Christian Church Saturday. It started with a prayer from one of the church's pastors, as well as a performance by a band, and then opened up to speakers.
"Words cannot express the sadness that we are experiencing," said one woman from the crowd who went on stage.
At the center of the event was a group of tables with pictures of each of the ten victims from the shooting at King Soopers. Displayed most prominently was a photo of Talley, accompanied by blue roses, candles, and thin blue line decorations.
"We just wanted that family to know, in particular, this evening that we're here for you," Gunter said.
Throughout the open mic portion of the vigil, pastors, community members and first responders from the community shared their feelings and support for the families of the victims, as well as those who responded to the scene.
"All the training in the world doesn't prepare you for what these guys went through that day," said Jeff Martinez, a lieutenant with the Boulder Fire Department.
Toward the end of the vigil one of the Boulder Police officers who responded to the scene at King Soopers Monday came up to thank the crowd for its support.
"I just want to say thank you from the bottom of all our hearts for the support you've shown us, Eric's family, and all the victims in this because it's not just us, it's all 10 families," the officer said.
The vigil ended with the band's performance of "Amazing Grace" as well as a bagpipe rendition of "Flowers of the Forest." Later, the crowd lit candles and held a moment of silence after a speaker read the names of each victim.
"We know what that heartache is and we're a big family," said Gunter. "It doesn't matter if you're in Colorado Springs or in Fort Collins, police wives come together and when we do, we can move mountains."
