Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder after a mass shooting left 10 people dead at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, Monday, March 22nd.
Boulder Police confirmed Alissa, who lives in Arvada, Colorado, was the suspect in the shooting in a statement released Tuesday morning, March 23rd. The statement also contained the names of the 10 victims: Denny Strong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Eric Talley, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65.
“Our hearts go out to all of the victims killed during this senseless act of violence,” Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said. “We are committed to a thorough investigation and will bring justice to each of these families. The Boulder community is strong and compassionate, and I know we will come together to take care of each other during this time.”
The shooting took place at around 2:30 p.m. MT, with law enforcement confirming Alissa used an AR-15 assault rifle, per the New York Times. One of the victims, Talley, was an officer with the Boulder Police, who was one of the first to respond to the 911 calls that came in after the shooting started. After arriving on the scene, officers entered the store and “engaged the suspect,” the police statement read. Gunfire was exchanged and the suspect was shot.
Video filmed outside the grocery store showed police escorting a man in handcuffs with blood all over his right leg. Chief Herold confirmed that Alissa had suffered a leg injury but was in stable condition; he will be taken to jail later today.
Little is known about the suspect. Speaking with The Daily Beast, Alissa’s older brother, Ali Aliwi Alissa, described Ahmad as “very anti-social” and paranoid. Denver news outlet KDVR also reported that Alissa had previously pleaded guilty to an assault charge in 2018, after he was accused of punching a classmate at school, with Alissa claiming the victim had previously made fun of him and called him “racial names.”