Colorado Politics

Boulder shooting: What we know and don’t know

What we know:

Overview: A gunman fatally shot 10 people inside and outside a King Soopers store at 3600 Table Mesa Dr. in Boulder between 2:39 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday.

Victims: The 10 victims have been identified as Denny Stong, 20; Nevin Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Teri Leiker, 51; Eric Talley, 51; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65.

Suspect: Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, was arrested by police at the store Monday afternoon. Alissa, an Arvada resident, has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder.

Weapons: Police describe two firearms used in the shooting, resembling a rifle and handgun. According to the arrest affidavit, one was a Ruger AR-556 rifle that Alissa had bought six days prior to the shooting.

Arrest: According to the arrest affidavit, Alissa was shot through the upper right thigh by police and then appeared to willingly surrender, removing all of his clothes except for his boxers and putting down his weapons before walking backwards toward a SWAT team.

Next steps: Alissa is scheduled to appear in court Thursday at 8:15 a.m. Numerous officials including Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser have promised to use every possible resource to achieve justice in the legal process.

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What we don’t know:

Motive: Police have not released any information about Alissa’s possible motive, or if he is connected to King Soopers or any of the victims. Witnesses reported Alissa did not say anything before firing.

Why that King Soopers: Alissa lives in Arvada, blocks away from grocery stores, including another King Soopers. It is unknown why he chose to drive to this particular King Soopers in Boulder to carry out the attack.

Timeline: The order of events has not been made clear. However, according to witness statements, Alissa shot multiple victims in the King Soopers parking lot before entering or reentering the store. The arrest affidavit said he was spotted in the refrigerated section and then exiting toward Broadway. Some witnesses said Alissa shot one victim at the self-checkout and another in line at the pharmacy.

Potential sentence:  Colorado eliminated the death penalty in 2020, but the federal government still maintains capital punishment, which could become a factor if U.S. prosecutors bring charges against Alissa. In Colorado, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence.

Alissa: Little is known about the alleged shooter. On his now-deleted Facebook page, Alissa claims to have attended Metropolitan State University but representatives from the Denver school said he has never been a student there. His Facebook posts mentioned praising Allah, kickboxing, UFC fights and wanting a girlfriend. Court records show he was arrested in Arvada in 2017 for third-degree assault after punching one of his classmates for allegedly making fun of him and calling him racial names. Some of Alissa’s former classmates have described him as a normal kid. His older brother told The Daily Beast he is anti-social, paranoid and mentally ill.

Federal investigators set up and use measurement devices to record the crime scene at the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder on March 23, 2021. A gunman killed 10 people in a mass shooting at the store the day before. (Forrest Czarnecki/The Gazette)
Forrest Czarnecki
Wooden crosses for each of the victims stand in front of a #BoulderStrong banner outside the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder on March 23, 2021. A gunman killed 10 people in a mass shooting at the store the day before. (Forrest Czarnecki/The Gazette)
Forrest Czarnecki
A woman sits in the median of the road outside the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder on March 23, 2021. A gunman killed 10 people in a mass shooting at the store the day before. (Forrest Czarnecki/The Gazette)
Forrest Czarnecki
People share an embrace while visiting the makeshift memorial outside the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder on Tuesday. A gunman killed 10 people in a mass shooting at the store the day before.
photos by Forrest Czarnecki, The denver gazette
A couple of kids walk past a sign referencing an AR-style rifle outside the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder on March 23, 2021. A gunman killed 10 people in a mass shooting at the store the day before. (Forrest Czarnecki/The Gazette)
Forrest Czarnecki
A sign with the names of the victims rests among bouquets at the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder on Tuesday.
Forrest Czarnecki
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