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In the NoCo

The new podcast ‘Senseless’ looks at life after a mass shooting in Boulder

Erika Mahoney, a woman with long blonde hair wearing dark slacks, a light pink sweater and tan shoes, sits on a sidewalk in front of a brick wall painted purple with blue lines.
Photo of Erika Mahoney by Emma Stensaas
Erika Mahoney lost her father in the Boulder King Soopers shooting in 2021. Her new podcast, Senseless, explores the lingering impacts of gun violence, and how survivors and communities heal and move forward.

How does a community heal from the shock and grief of a mass shooting? And how can people who have lost loved ones find a way to move forward?

That’s the subject of a new podcast called Senseless. In it, journalist Erika Mahoney explores the aftermath of the mass shooting at a Boulder King Soopers grocery store in 2021. And it’s a deeply personal show, because Erika's father, Kevin Mahoney, was one of the ten people killed in that shooting.

Over the course of the eight-part series, Erika speaks with others who lost loved ones that day, as well as police, prosecutors, and members of the community.

Erika has been a guest on In The NoCo before to talk about the trial – which ended in guilty verdicts and ten consecutive life sentences for the gunman.

She spoke with Erin O’Toole about why she felt driven to make this podcast, and about some of the impacts of gun violence that linger after the news coverage has faded away.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.