BOULDER: A 21-year-old man faces 10 counts of murder in connection with Monday’s mass shooting at a Colorado grocery store, but his motive remains unclear, authorities said on Tuesday. The suspect, identified by police as Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa of Arvada, Colorado, was in stable condition after suffering a leg wound in an exchange of gunfire with responding police officers at the King Soopers outlet in Boulder, about 45 km northwest of Denver.
The suspect used an AR-15 type of assault rifle — a weapon that has been used in many shootings, NYT reported.
The 10 victims, ranging in age from 20 to 65, include Eric Talley, an 11-year veteran of the Boulder police force. Talley, 51, was the father of seven children and had recently been looking for a less dangerous job, according to his father. The bloodshed marked the country’s second mass shooting in a week. On March 16, a gunman killed eight people at three spas in Atlanta before he was arrested.
Investigators said they were confident Alissa had acted alone, though they did not offer any details on what might have motivated the massacre. “It would be premature for us to draw any conclusions at this time,” Michael Schneider, the agent in charge of the FBI’s field office in Denver, said. Alissa is expected to be released from the hospital later on Tuesday and transported to jail. Monday’s attack, which began 2.40pm (local time), drew hundreds of police officers to the scene and sent terrified shoppers and staff fleeing for safety.
Witnesses described the frightening scene inside the store. Ryan Borowski, 37, had picked out a 12-pack of soda and a bag of chips when he heard shots, sending him scurrying for the store’s back exit. “It was pretty terrifying,” he said. “Fastest fire drill I’ve ever been in.” Sarah Moonshadow, 42, was at the checkout line with her adult son, Nicholas, when the gunfire began. “I said, ‘Nicholas, get down.’ And Nicholas ducked. And we just started listening… just repetitive shots …,’” she said. Moonshadow said she tried to attend to a victim lying on the pavement outside the store, but her son pulled her away. She broke down, recounting their ordeal: “I couldn’t help anybody.”