For some valley police, ‘devastating’ Colorado mass shooting ‘hits close to home’
One night after a man opened fire at a grocery store in Colorado, killing 10 people including a police officer, police departments in the Coachella Valley are honoring the victims.
For some local departments, it's a tragedy they say feels all too familiar.
"This always hits close to home," said Palm Springs Police Lt. William Hutchinson. "We understand. Our hearts and prayers and thoughts are with the Boulder Police Department."
Hutchinson said his department is thinking of all 10 victims, including one of their brothers in blue.
A makeshift memorial arose Tuesday outside the Boulder Police Department in honor of Eric Talley, a 51-year-old patrol officer, a father of 7, and the first to respond to the scene.
Officer Ben Guitron with Indio Police said that's one of the riskiest positions to be in.
"A lot of things are going through that officer's mind – a lot," Guitron said. "In a matter of seconds, as they're driving as they're traveling, as they're observing – maybe even thinking of their loved ones, thinking of their partners, thinking of the safety of the public when they arrive."
In front of the Palm Springs Police Department, Memorial Plaza serves as a solemn reminder of one of Palm Springs' darkest days – the 2016 murders of two PSPD officers.
It's a symbol of the dangers police officers face every day heading to work, but Lt. Hutchinson pointed out that 9 other victims were not police officers and still lost their lives doing something as everyday as grocery shopping.
"This has a tremendous impact on the first responsders," Hutchinson said. "But we've got 9 other lives here that have all been impacted the same way."
And while a mass casualty incident is something police prepare and train for, in reality, there's no training for tragedy.
"We are there to save people and we are there to put an end to the chaos," Hutchinson said. "(Talley) tried that and at some point in this incident he lost his life. So did 9 other people in that incident."
At several valley police stations Tuesday the flags were flown at half-staff, a tribute to one of their own, and the nine ther innocent people whose memories are now all that live on.
