The King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive in south Boulder will be closed on March 22, one year after a mass shooting at the store in which 10 people died.
All other stores will remain open but other King Soopers and City Market stores will pause for a moment of silence at 2:30 p.m. that day, according to a news release from King Soopers.
The Table Mesa store is set to close at 11 p.m. March 21 and will reopen March 23 at 6 a.m.
“The anniversary of this tragedy will undoubtedly impact each of us differently,” Joe Kelley, president of King Soopers, stated in the release. “Closing the store to honor the tragic loss of life and to provide our associates space to process their emotions as they continue to navigate the healing process allows us to continue to deliver on our commitment to support our associates and our community as we all heal and grieve together.”
Mayor Pro Tem Rachel Friend acknowledged that impact as well in Tuesday’s Boulder City Council meeting, during which the Council designated March 22 as the citywide Day of Remembrance.
“I’m pretty sensitive to the amount of trauma that we’re still experiencing and processing,” she said.
The Boulder Strong Resource Center, a hub run by Mental Health Partners, remains open and is free for any community member affected by the shooting.
Council also heard about a variety of events the city has planned for March 22.
Boulder will park a police patrol car outside of the Boulder Police Department, 1805 33rd St., on Friday for people to leave messages or items of condolence. Any items left will be given to the family of Boulder Officer Eric Talley, a 51-year-old officer who died in the shooting, or saved at the department. The car will remain outside of the police department until the evening of March 22.
A Line of Duty Death commemoration will be held at 2 p.m. March 22 at the Boulder Police Department at 2 p.m. on March 22. This event will be livestreamed.
The city also intends to hold a moment of silence at 2:30 p.m. that day.
Lastly, a communitywide Day of Remembrance gathering at the Glen Huntington Bandshell, 1212 Canyon Blvd., is scheduled from 4:30 to 6 p.m. March 22. This event will not be livestreamed.
In Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Aaron Brockett noted the importance of continuing to preserve the memories of the 10 people who died.
“March 22, 2021, is a date that will be forever seared into the collective memory of our community,” he said.
In addition to Talley, Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Teri Leiker, 51; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65, were killed in the shooting.
