On March 22, a gunman happened to kill a total of 10 people at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. Although a suspect is in custody, the reason behind the massacre is unknown.
Police were called to the King Soopers supermarket because of reports of gunfire around 2:30 p.m. MT. The gunman, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa (21 years old), opened fire and killed people in the parking lot and inside the store. An arrest affidavit says police received many 911 calls. One caller told dispatchers someone shot at a car window and chased a man. Others said the shooter was wearing an “armored vest.”
According to the affidavit, grocery employees “observed the suspect shoot an elderly man in the parking lot” as they watched through a store window. The affidavit also reads, “The suspect then walked up to the elderly man, stood over him and shot him multiple additional times.”
Witnesses said that after firing in the parking lot, Alissa entered the store. In scanner traffic, officers reported via radio that they were involved in a gunfight. They reported that they were being shot at till at least 3:21 p.m. local time. According to the affidavit, Officer Eric Talley lost his life after getting shot in the head, and SWAT officers removed his body.
Alissa then walked backward toward the SWAT team to be taken into custody. The affidavit says the shooter “removed all of his clothing and was dressed only in shorts.” While the gunman didn’t answer questions about whether there were other suspects, he asked to speak to his mother.
As per the affidavit, Alissa was taken into custody at 3:28 p.m., and there was no indication of drug or alcohol use. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said Alissa has “lived most of his life in the United States.” While there’s no information about Alissa’s motive behind the shooting, investigators believe he was the sole perpetrator. Alissa bought a Ruger AR-556 pistol, which was used in the shooting, on March 16. Alissa was scheduled to have his first court appearance at 8:15 a.m. MT on March 25.