BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Holden Nimmer was receiving a shipment of Giant bikes Monday afternoon when he heard the gunshots.
Boulder Cycle Sport's South location, where Nimmer is the service manager, is located in a shopping center adjacent to the King Soopers grocery store where 10 people were shot and killed Monday. Close enough to hear the shots.
"We are all kind of shaken by the whole experience. (The grocery store) is where I, at about that time of day, tend to go and grab a snack or a drink," Nimmer said.
After hearing the shots Nimmer and the rest of the staff locked the store doors and "hunkered down," he said. Soon, dozens of law enforcement vehicles arrived on the scene, locking down the shopping centers and adjacent roads.
"It did shut down our operations, for a very good reason. Everyone felt pretty safe here; the response was pretty enormous," he said. After awhile some staffers decided it was safe to leave the store and go home. "Me and another mechanic decided to just keep the doors locked and build some bikes," Nimmer said. The store was open as normal Tuesday.
Across the parking lot, the Neptune Mountaineering outdoor store is even closer to the King Soopers. Neptune said on social media Tuesday that all its staff were safe but that the store and its cafe would open a few hours late on Tuesday. A nearby Play It Again Sports location also was unaffected and opened as usual Tuesday, an employee told BRAIN.
BRAIN and its parent, Outside, are headquartered in Boulder, about 4 miles from the incident. All staff are safe. Those who would like to donate to help victims can visit coloradogives.org.
