In 2021, a large-scale shooting incident occurred at a grocery store in Colorado, United States, resulting in the deaths of 10 people. On Monday, September 23, the 25-year-old suspect Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
In the Boulder District Court, the jury found the defendant, who was born in Syria, guilty of 10 counts of first-degree murder, as well as multiple counts of attempted murder and illegal possession of weapons.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement, “While this guilty verdict cannot heal the wounds of many of us or bring back the victims, I hope it can bring some peace.”
On March 22, 2021, Alissa entered a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder carrying a legally purchased Ruger AR-556 semi-automatic rifle. He shot and killed two people in the parking lot, then proceeded to the store where he killed eight others, including a responding police officer.
Alissa previously pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The focus of the case was on the mental state of the suspect at the time of the shooting. Under Colorado law, a person must be deemed unable to distinguish right from wrong to plead insanity.
During the trial that began last month, psychologists and psychiatrists unanimously confirmed that the suspect was diagnosed with severe schizophrenia. However, this diagnosis alone was not sufficient to legally establish his insanity defense.
Local prosecutor Michael Dougherty told the jury in his closing arguments on Friday, September 20, “He was deliberate, he was cruel.”
According to eyewitness accounts, Alissa appeared focused during the shooting, injuring at least two victims with the first shots before shooting them at close range.
Alissa did not speak in his defense in court. Defense attorney Kathryn Herold told the jury, “This tragedy was caused by illness.”
(Translated and rewritten based on a report by Reuters)