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BOULDER, Colo. — Ten people were killed in a mass shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado on Monday.

One of those who lost their lives was Boulder police officer Eric Talley, a graduate of Ball State University. Talley was a student there from 1997 to 2004, earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Center for Information and Communication Sciences.

In 2010, after his best friend was killed in a DUI crash, he decided to be a police officer.

On Monday, “Officer Talley responded to the scene, was the first on the scene, and he was fatally shot,” said Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold.

Many are calling Talley a hero, including Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

“That’s exactly what Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley was doing as he lost his life in the line of duty — he was heroically trying to save others,” Polis said in a Tuesday press conference.

Talley was 51 years old. He leaves behind a wife and seven children.

Boulder Police have identified the shooter as 21-year-old Ahmad Al Issa of Arvada, Colorado. He’s being held on ten counts of murder.

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