Two police officers from Boulder, Colorado, were attending a training session at the Aurora Police Department on Monday when they received news about the mass shooting in their hometown, according to Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman.
Ziman said she witnessed the visiting officers scrambling to book a flight back to Boulder and saw panic in their eyes as more information about the incident unfolded.
“They knew in that moment that they had an officer down and several people shot and an automatic weapon was involved, but they had no other information,” Ziman said. “I saw the emotion on their face and it was very painful to watch and of course I remember experiencing that myself.”
Ziman said she knows how the Boulder police chief is feeling because Aurora experienced a mass shooting at the Henry Pratt Company on February 15, 2019. Six people, including the perpetrator, died and five Aurora police officers were shot and injured.
“We’re always reminded of when another incident happens,” Ziman said. “It floods the emotions back once again.”
Ziman said she feels very strongly that weapons should not be in the hands of people that should not have them.
“That’s my stance on that,” Ziman said. “But this is a humanity issue. It’s not a political issue.”
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
