The arresting officers cuffed the Boulder supermarket shooting suspect using the handcuffs of their slain colleague Eric Talley, the police department said Thursday. 

The Boulder Police Department said the arresting officers informed the shooting suspect, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, that the handcuffs used to restrain him formerly belonged to Officer Talley.

This week several Boulder Police officers & others responded to a local hospital to formally place Monday’s shooting suspect into custody. As they did, officers informed him the handcuffs used that day were those of Officer Eric Talley. The suspect was then taken to jail 1/2 pic.twitter.com/fSjuw0hr6G

— Boulder Police Dept. (@boulderpolice) March 25, 2021

“It was our distinct honor to use Officer Talley’s handcuffs to formally process him into the jail,” the department said. “Though this was a small gesture, we hope it is the start of the healing process that so many of us need at this time.”

It was our distinct honor to use Officer Talley’s handcuffs to formally process him into the jail. Though this was a small gesture, we hope it is the start of the healing process that so many of us need at this time.
Officer Talley’s handcuffs are seen here 2/2 #BoulderStrong

— Boulder Police Dept. (@boulderpolice) March 25, 2021

Talley was the first officer to respond to 911 calls about an active shooter at the Boulder supermarket on March 22. He was 51 years old when he was shot and killed along with nine others during the mass shooting attack.

His actions were called “heroic” by officials on the scene. Talley’s father, Homer Talley, told ABC that his son took his job “very seriously,” and that he was the father of seven children. (RELATED: Family Of Eric Talley, ‘Heroic’ Police Officer Killed In Boulder Shooting, Responds To His Death)

“The youngest is 7 years old,” Talley told ABC. “He loved his kids and his family more than anything. He joined the police force when he was 40 years old. He was looking for a job to keep himself off of the front lines and was learning to be a drone operator. He didn’t want to put his family through something like this and he believed in Jesus Christ.”

Rest In peace Officer Eric Talley. Your service will never be forgotten #BoulderShooting pic.twitter.com/FVximvhS2E

— Boulder Police Dept. (@boulderpolice) March 23, 2021

President Joe Biden praised Talley as an “American hero” following the shooting.

“When he pinned on that badge yesterday morning, he didn’t know what the day would bring,” Biden said Tuesday. “I want everybody to think about this. Every time an officer walks out of his or her home and pins that badge on, a family member that they just said goodbye to, wonders … subconsciously, will they get that call, the call that his wife got.”

“He thought he’d be coming home to his family and his seven children. Well, in the moment the act came, Officer Talley did not hesitate in his duty, making the ultimate sacrifice in his effort to save lives. That’s the definition of an American hero,” Biden said.

Alissa was accused of killing ten people and appeared in district court Thursday morning for his first hearing. He is facing counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Alissa will be held without bail and evaluated for mental illness. (RELATED: Boulder Shooting Suspect Appears In Court For First Hearing, To Be Held Without Bail)