Shortly after 2:30 pm MDT, gunman Ahmad Al Aliwi Al-Issa entered the parking lot at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, and opened fire, killing four people before entering the store and continuing to shoot at employees and patrons, killing five more. Authorities began receiving calls at 2:33 pm and within two minutes, the first responding police officers arrived on the scene. Three officers entered the store shortly after arriving, and one officer, Eric Talley, was shot and killed by the gunman. Additional officers arrived on scene, and at 3:22 entered the store and exchanged gunfire, eventually striking Al-Issa in the thigh. He was arrested and has been charged with 115 counts including first-degree murder, attempted murder, first-degree assault, use of a high-capacity magazine, and violence (NYT). In total, 10 people were killed in his rampage.
Only six days prior to the event, Al-Issa had legally purchased the pistol used in the shooting, passing the universal background check in place. He had no prior felonies but had a misdemeanor assault charge on his record (AP). As of June 26, 2012, no motive had yet been determined.
Date of event: March 22, 2021
Impact:
- 10 fatalities; 1 injured
Related Resources:
- Domestic Mass Shooters: The Association with Unmedicated and Untreated Psychiatric Illness
- Monitoring the Unpredictable: What Can Law Enforcement Do to Track Potential Active Shooters?
- Prepare to Fight: Is the National Active-Shooter Response Model Due for an Upgrade?
- Firearm Background Checks Under H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446 [March 4, 2021]
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