Journalist shares tribute to father killed in Colorado shooting

Ten families have been shattered forever by the monstrous actions of one man who showed up at a Boulder, Colorado grocery store and started shooting.

Erika Mahoney, an NPR journalist and the daughter of one of the victims so senselessly taken, shared a moving tribute to her father Kevin Mahoney, 61, on Twitter, The Hill reported.

Journalist shares tribute

Mahoney, who is the news director for NPR’s Pacific Grove, California station KAZU, called her father her “hero” and expressed gratitude that he was able to walk her down the aisle last summer. “I am heartbroken to announce that my Dad, my hero, Kevin Mahoney, was killed in the King Soopers shooting in my hometown of Boulder, CO. My dad represents all things Love. I’m so thankful he could walk me down the aisle last summer,” she said.

I am heartbroken to announce that my Dad, my hero, Kevin Mahoney, was killed in the King Soopers shooting in my hometown of Boulder, CO. My dad represents all things Love. I’m so thankful he could walk me down the aisle last summer. pic.twitter.com/SLS2bdm5Hc

— Erika Mahoney (@MahoneyEb) March 23, 2021

Mahoney said that she is pregnant and that her father would want her to be strong for his granddaughter. “Thank you to the @boulderpolice for being so kind through this painful tragedy,” she tweeted. “I love you forever Dad. You are always with me.”

Families shattered

Eric Talley, a 51-year old cop and dad of seven who bravely rushed to confront the suspect as the massacre unfolded Monday at King Soopers, is being honored as a hero. The youngest victim, Denny Stong, 20, was an employee at King Soopers and was training to be a pilot.

Rikki Olds, 25, was a manager at the store and was remembered as a cheerful and ebullient person. Neven Stanisic, 23, a child of Serbian refugees born in America, was described as a hard-working man of faith. Teri Leiker, 51, worked at King Soopers for more than 30 years and was a fan of the University of Colorado Buffaloes.

Tralona Bartkowiak, 49, was an art lover and avid traveler who owned a clothing store in downtown Boulder. Suzanne Fountain, 59, was a financial counselor and actor in the local theater scene.

Lynn Murray, 62, was a retired photo director and former New Yorker who worked for magazines like Cosmopolitan and Glamour. Jody Waters, 65, was remembered as a stylish boutique owner with a gregarious personality.

Suspect charged

There aren’t enough tributes and words to capture the heartbreak these families will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

The 21-year-old suspect, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, has been charged with 10 counts of murder. There is still no motive for the atrocity.

Colorado abolished the death penalty in 2020.