Who is Ahmad Alissa? Boulder shooting suspect, 21, identified and charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder
BOULDER, COLORADO: The identity of the alleged Boulder supermarket shooter was revealed on Tuesday, March 23, by Colorado authorities. The suspect for the Monday massacre is Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21. He has been accused of opening fire and killing 10 people on March 22. Boulder Police in a statement said Alissa, who is a resident of Arvada, Colorado, has been identified as the injured suspect seen in a video following the deadly mass shooting at a King Soopers supermarket. The suspect allegedly opened fire on customers and killed a Boulder police officer, 51-year-old Eric Talley, during the shooting.
Alissa has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, according to Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold, who was speaking at a press conference on Tuesday. Hours after the shooting, police had already confirmed that a suspect had been taken into custody and was being treated for unconfirmed wounds. The suspect being detained by the cops was seen in a video taken right after the shooting. Another video of the shooting shows a body lying on the ground as gunshots are heard nearby.
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The victims killed in the attack range in age from 20 years old to 65 years old. A law enforcement press release identified his full name as Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa. A Facebook page appearing to be that of the suspect features posts with quotes from the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.
Ali Aliwi Alissa, the suspect’s 34-year-old brother, told The Daily Beast that his brother was “very anti-social” and paranoid, adding that, in high school, he would describe “being chased, someone is behind him, someone is looking for him.” Admitting that he believes his brother is mentally ill, he added, “When he was having lunch with my sister in a restaurant, he said, ‘People are in the parking lot, they are looking for me.’ She went out, and there was no one. We didn’t know what was going on in his head.”
Alissa was shot during an exchange of gunfire with responding officers and was transported to a local hospital where he is said to be in a stable condition. "The man who gunned them down will be held fully responsible. We don't have the answer for that yet," said Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty during the Tuesday press conference update about the shooting.
🚨🚨Breaking: Boulder mass-shooting suspect identified as Ahmad Alyssa, 21, of Arvada. Suspect was shot in firefight with police, taken into custody, and transported to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/lw3tysVVmC
— CIA-Simulation Warlord 🇺🇸🦈🇺🇸 (@zerosum24) March 23, 2021
Alissa will soon be transported to Boulder County jail to await court proceedings. Boulder's assault weapons ban, which was implemented in order to curb mass shootings, had been blocked just 10 days before the attack at the King Soopers grocery store.
All victims of the shooting have been identified. They are Denny Strong, 20, Neven Stanisic, 23, Rikki Olds, 25, Tralona Barkowiak, 49, Suzanne Fountain, 59, Teri Leiker, 51, Eric Talley, 51, Kevin Mahoney, 61, Lynn Murray, 62 and Jody Waters, 65.
Officer Eric Talley, one of the victims, was called to the scene with fellow officers at about 2:30 p.m. at 3600 Table Mesa Drive and was fatally wounded. The deceased officer had seven children.