SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ RE A
day. One of his direct reports,
Officer Eric Talley, was killed in
the rampage.
A frenzy of activity followed:
coordinating with other first re-
sponders, assisting prosecutors,
delivering Talley’s eulogy. But af-
ter the dust settled, he had to
grapple with the loss of his friend.
“He was incredibly social, al-
most to a fault,” recalls Drelles.
“That vibrant, enthusiastic per-
sonality doesn’t get replaced.”
Drelles, who grew up in Boul-
der, was not surprised by the
outpouring of love that followed
the shooting. But he wishes peo-
ple outside of the community
could recognize that each mass-
-casualty event creates holes like
the one Talley left behind.
“While the rest of the world go
on, the people involved will never
be whole again,” he said. Even so,
he said, “the community is ready
to move forward. They want their
neighborhood back.”
Chris DiGiano
Boulder resident D iGiano
knows something about that. Af-
ter the shooting, he wanted to
find a way to channel grief into
community-building. So he put
out a call via social media for a
neighborhood meeting.
The nonprofit SoBo Rising
grew out of that gathering. The
organization has supported the
Museum of Boulder’s preserva-
tion of artifacts left at the memo-
rial fence around the store, and
helped the city’s public art pro-
gram with an art installation at
the site in July.
In September, it threw a com-
munity sidewalk social at the
shopping center where the shoot-
ing occurred.
While DiGiano said it’s too
early to talk about healing, he has
discovered that there’s plenty of
hope to be had in South Boulder.
“We have the ability to lean on
each other,” he said, “and find
some thread to hold onto.”Phil Fountain
Since his older sister Suzanne
was killed at the store, Fountainhas found meaning in fighting for
tougher gun-control laws.
His advocacy with the Giffords
Law Center to Prevent Gun Vio-
lence has given his life a new
focus. But at first, he said, he was
paralyzed. “What’s the [expletive]
point of getting out of bed if youcan’t go to the grocery store and
be safe?”
Fountain thought again and
again about his last communica-
tion with his sister — a voice mail
she left him on his birthday in
February 2021. “I never called her
back,” he said. “But she wouldn’thave held that against me.”
“Part of me wants to say life is
for the living and we have to keep
on living,” Fountain said. But he
struggles. He doesn’t live in Boul-
der, and he isn’t sure he’ll ever go
back. It’s too saturated with mem-
ories of Suzanne — an actress,Medicare counselor and “scrap-
py” life force.
Phil’s grief has brought him
closer to his family. It also
brought him to the steps of the
Supreme Court in Washington,
where he and others who lost
loved ones to gun violence pro-
tested an attempt to overturn a
New York gun-control law.
For Fountain, pushing to tight-
en gun laws is a way to keep his
sister’s legacy alive. “We don’t
have to live like this,” he said. “It’s
in our power to change this.”The reopened store is unlike any
other King Soopers — it was
designed with input from the
community and staff members.
It offers skylights, large win-
dows and wider aisles. This sum-
mer, a memorial garden will com-
memorate those who were lost.
As Banich and her wife, Laura
Edwards, entered the renovated
store, they paused to look at the
mural, the shelves stocked with
food, the rows of meticulously
arranged fruit and vegetables.
They were delighted to find that
the flow of the store is mostly the
same as before the tragedy.
“Like an old friend,” says Ban-
ich. “You know they’ve changed,
but they’re sort of the same.”
Customers greeted neighbors
and familiar staffers. Exclama-
tions of recognition and surprise
echoed through the store, punc-
tuated by the steady beeps of
grocery scanners. Edwards
wrapped her arm around Ban-
ich’s back as they walked.
They decided to buy some
food: a box of tea and a bottle of
peanut sauce. Before they left, the
cashier pushed her fingers
through the plastic screen that
separated them and squeezed
Banich’s hand. “Thanks for com-
ing in,” she said.Jen DouglasA survivor. Douglas, then a University of Colorado
student, was in the parking lot of the King Soopers
when the gunman opened fire.“You definitely kind of have a kinship with[survivors of other mass shootings] where you’relike, I know what you’re going through. I knowthis is hard, but you will ... learn how to live withthis.”Chris DiGianoA longtime Boulder resident. After the shooting, he
started a nonprofit to support members of the
community impacted by the shooting.“I don’t think I realized how ... how important itwas for me to be able to walk down the street andget a cup of coffee or get my groceries and what aprivilege that was to have that in walkingdistance.”4 'X 5 '^6 " SALE$ 199 6 '^7 "X 9 '^6 " SALE$ 499
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