ARVADA, Colo. — Three years have passed since a Good Samaritan who had just killed an active shooter in Olde Town Arvada was mistakenly identified as the suspect and fatally shot by a police officer.
Dozens of community members gathered at Olde Town Arvada Square on Friday afternoon to memorialize the life of Johnny Hurley and his heroic acts on June 21, 2021.
On that afternoon, Arvada Officer Gordon Beesley responded to a call about a suspicious incident near the Arvada Library in Olde Town. About 15 minutes later, the department received calls reporting shots fired and that an officer had been hit. Police later learned that the shooter, a 59-year-old from Arvada, had shot and killed Beesley. Hurley, who was at a nearby store, heard the shooting and ran toward the danger. He had his firearm on him, and opened fire on the shooter.
While he stood near the body, more officers arrived at the scene, including former Officer Kraig Brownlow. Believing Hurley was the active shooter, Brownlow shot at him. Hurley was transported to a hospital, where he died.
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Arvada officer 'ambushed' in Olde Town Arvada attack, Good Samaritan hailed 'hero'
Three years later, the pain remains fresh for Hurley's mother, Kathleen Boleyn.
“Knowing that he was a hero gives me comfort," she said Friday. “I cling to the fact that I can be so proud... I was lucky to have been his mother.”
She has found comfort watching the community pool together to remember her son every year.
This year, Hurley's friends performed songs and read poems about his final moments. Church bells rang out at the time he was killed, and the crowd honored a moment of silence.
Boleyn is working with the owner of the Army-Navy surplus store, where Hurley had been shopping when the shooting started, to make a a memorial plaque for Hurley in the store. She said that the Arvada Police Department also put up a plaque, but erected it without showing it to her first.
Friday's memorial was hosted in part by "Friends of Johnny Hurley," a group commemorating his life.
Boleyn said she is not sure if there will be another organized event next year, but she will always return to Arvada on June 21.
“I will be here every year to remember my son, whether other people come or not," she said.
In September 2023, Boleyn and the estate of her son reached a settlement with the City of Arvada after she filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in June 2022 against Arvada Police Chief Link Strate and Brownlow.
Watch that video below.
The Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC lawfirm said in a joint statement with Boleyn that all parties agreed to settle the matter while recognizing the "horrific set of circumstances for all involved." The total amount of the settlement was $2,775,000 and included a memorial to commemorate that day.
