Ahmad Alissa, Boulder Shooting Suspect: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa is a 21-year-old Colorado man who was identified as the suspect in the mass shooting at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder that left 10 people dead, including Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley.

Police were called for an active shooter inside 3600 Table Mesa Drive about 2:40 p.m. on Monday, March 22, 2021, and found a grocery store that had been turned into a bloodbath during the country’s most recent mass shooting. Alissa of Arvada exchanged gunfire with officers, killing Talley, police said in a Tuesday morning press conference. Alissa was also injured in the gunfight and taken to a local hospital, where he was in stable condition Tuesday morning. He was later released Tuesday afternoon to the Boulder County Jail, according to the inmate roster.

Alissa was born in Syria and spent most of his life in Colorado, he wrote on Facebook. He wrote about Islam on social media, saying, “Muslims might not be perfect but Islam is.” According to court documents, Alissa bought a Ruger AR-556 semi-automatic rifle on March 16, days before the shooting. Police said in an arrest affidavit Alissa did not say anything to officers at the scene but did ask for his mother. According to police, Alissa stripped off his clothes inside the store and was bleeding from his leg when he was arrested. The rifle, a handgun, body armor and his clothes were strewn about where he was taken into custody along with a substantial amount of blood, according to the arrest affidavit.

The victims have been identified by police as Denny Stong, 20, Neven Stanasic, 23, Rikki Olds, 25, Tralona Bartkowiak, 49, Suzanne Fountain, 59, Teri Leiker, 51, Officer Talley, 51, Kevin Mahoney, 61, Lynn Murray, 62, and Jody Waters, 65. Photos and details about the victims are available here.

Here’s what you need to know about Ahmad Alissa: