One of the victims of the mass Boulder, Colorado grocery store shootings that killed 10 people on Monday, March 22, has ties to West Liberty, it was learned late last week.
Teri Leiker, 51, an employee of the store for more than 30 years, was one of the victims of the senseless killings that included a local police officer who arrived on the scene to help at the King Soopers grocery store.
Leiker is the step-daughter to 1958 West Liberty High School graduate Tom Whittington, who moved to Colorado that same year with Jack Kirby, a best friend who graduated the same year and later in his life moved to Kansas, where he now resides in Witchita. Kirby said he conversed with his friend Tom nearly every day and planned to attend the funeral if at all possible.
Deb Butler of West Liberty is a niece of Whittington.
The daughter of Tom’s wife, Margie, Leiker was a dedicated King Soopers employee who had worked at the store for 31 years, said to be a Colorado University “Super Fan” who loved going to work, her friend Lexi Knutson stated in an Instagram tribute, calling her “the most selfless, innocent, amazing person I have had the honor of meeting.”
Knutson, who said she had “sort of a sisterhood” with Leiker, pointed out working at the store was Miss Leiker’s “favorite thing to do. She also was a big fan of the University of Colorado’s Golden Buffalo Marching Band, which gathers every Friday night before home football games to rally fan support in the heart of Boulder. “Nobody loved the Pearl Street Stampede quite so much as Teri Leiker,” Knutson reported.
“She was there even before we started gathering, which is half-an-hour before the stampede started,” CU marching band director Matt Dockendorf said. “She was just a staple. She was kind of a personal cheerleader for the band.”
She had started dating a colleague-turned-friend in 2019, who also worked at the store, but survived the shooting.
Knutson said the two met in 2017 through the University of Colorado Boulder chapter of Best Buddies, a program that aims to create one-on-one friendships between students and members of the community with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She said the two spoke every week.
According to information obtained through the Denver Post, “Teri’s capacity for love was immense,” the Leiker family wrote. “They say she was the most joyful person to be around. Everyone loved her and she loved them back. She was known as a big hugger with a big smile, was sweet, caring, had a memorable laugh, and an incredible memory.
“During the floods and fires, she would cry and be so sad for the people affected. She always wanted to donate to them,” the family continued. “She loved watching Disney movies and comedy on television. She had a great sense of humor.”
The family added that Leiker was diagnosed with cognitive disabilities at three years old, but she later graduated from Longmont High School’s special education program.
Leiker started her job at King Soopers on May 23, 1989, and had worked at the grocery chain for the next three decades.
“In 31 years (Teri) was absent from work only due to minor health issues,” the Leiker family wrote. “She called her mom every day when she got home from work to let her know she was safe.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the victims were people of all ages "who started their day with a cup of coffee or reading the morning paper, perhaps getting their kids ready and putting on a winter coat to go out."
"None of them expected that this would be their last day here on the planet," Polis said at a news conference. "A simple run for milk and eggs, you know, getting ready to shop. Going in the regular way we all lead our lives, something that we can all identify with, led to a complete tragedy here."
The "senseless tragedy" hit close to home, noting he lives in the community and has shopped at the King Soopers store.
Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, of Arvada, near Denver, is accused of opening fire Monday afternoon at the King Soopers store in the university city of Boulder, killing people ranging in age from 20 to 65, authorities said. He will face 10 counts of murder.
Police took the suspect into custody at the store Monday afternoon, less than an hour after panicked 911 callers told dispatchers of the killings unfolding.
Three other employees of the store were killed in the shootings as well as a Boulder police officer, Eric Talley.
Editor's note: Much of this information for this article was gleaned from on-line stories in the Denver Post. Please see statement from Teri's family on page 4.