The suspect who killed 10 people last month during a mass shooting at a supermarket in Colorado faces additional charges. Prosecutors reportedly filed an amended lawsuit that includes 40 new felony charges against Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa.
Back in March, Alissa — a resident of Arvada — drove 20 miles to the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder where he rang fire and claimed 10 lives. He was brought to a hospital and treated for a wound he endured during a gun exchange with officers, and was later transported to the Boulder County Jail, where he is being held without bond.
Alissa was initially charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder — which carries a maximum life sentence — and one count of attempted murder, but prosecutors warned that additional charges would be filed. On Wednesday (April 21), roughly one month later, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty amended the criminal complaint to include 32 more counts of attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault and 10 counts of using a prohibited large-capacity magazine while committing a crime.
Though new charges have been filed against Alissa, authorities are still not sure what his motive was in the shooting. Dougherty told reporters that it’s possible for deliberation to proceed without knowing but said that authorities were committed to finding out the shooter’s intention for the public.
“I understand the community and certainly the victims’ families want to know why that King Soopers and why Boulder?” he said. “I know that in other mass shootings that have taken place across the United States, there’ve been times when they’ve been unable to ever identify a motive. And you don’t need motive to prove that someone acted with intent and after deliberation in court. But for our community and especially for those families, they want to know why. So we’re going to keep working as hard as we can to uncover that.”
Alissa’s next court appearance on May 25.