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Boulder DA details new charges for King Soopers shooting suspect; no motive known yet

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Posted at 10:46 AM, Apr 22, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-22 21:21:34-04

BOULDER, Colo. — The Boulder shooting suspect faces dozens more charges in the March 22 shooting at King Soopers, though authorities are still investigating a motive in the case, Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said at a news conference Thursday.

Dougherty detailed the more than 50 charges that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, faces, which already included first-degree murder for each of the 10 victims in the shooting and now includes 33 counts of attempted first-degree murder for the other people in and around the store.

The suspect also now faces one count of first-degree assault for a woman who was fleeing the store and fell and fractured a vertebra. He additionally faces 10 counts of carrying prohibited large-capacity magazines, though Dougherty said the magazines are believed to have been sold legally.

Authorities found 10 magazines on the suspect and in his vehicle, Dougherty said.

Read the full updated charging document here.

The charges include criminal attempt to commit murder for shooting at two responding officers, Bryan Capobianco and Pam Gignac, Dougherty said.

Dougherty said all nine civilian victims were killed before police officer Eric Talley arrived. Talley was shot and killed within seconds of entering the store, and then more police entered the store about 30 seconds afterward, Dougherty said.

Dougherty praised the Boulder community for its support in the wake of the shooting.

"The response since March 22 has been absolutely incredible," Dougherty said. "Our community has come together and united for all the victims in response to this crisis. It’s why believe we’ll move forward together."

According to an affidavit for the suspect’s arrest, he started shooting around 2:40 p.m. local time on March 22 and was taken into custody at 3:28 p.m. Officers recovered a tactical vest, a rifle that the affidavit says was a “possible AR-15,” a semiautomatic handgun, a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve shirt.

The suspect made his first court appearance March 25. The suspect's attorney, Colorado Public Defender Kathryn Herold, asked for a status conference before the proof evident, presumption great hearing and preliminary hearing to evaluate the suspect's mental health.

The suspect would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if he is convicted, as Colorado repealed the state’s death penalty last year.