Gunman Convicted of Murder for Killing 10 at Colorado Supermarket in 2021, Reports Reuters

By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) – A Colorado jury on Monday found a man diagnosed with severe schizophrenia guilty of first-degree murder for a 2021 mass shooting at a Boulder grocery store that resulted in the deaths of 10 people, including a police officer.

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 25, had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. However, jurors in Boulder District Court convicted him on 10 counts of first-degree murder and also found him guilty of numerous counts of attempted murder and weapons offenses.

In Colorado, a conviction for first-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.

"Today, justice is served," Colorado Governor Jared Polis stated. "While I know this verdict won’t heal the pain many feel or bring back those who were lost, I hope it can provide some sense of peace."

Alissa’s actions during the shooting were not contested; the trial centered around his mental state during the incident. Under Colorado law, a successful insanity defense requires a finding that the defendant was unable to distinguish right from wrong at the time of the crime.

Authorities reported that Alissa entered the King Soopers grocery store on March 22, 2021, armed with a legally purchased Ruger AR-556 pistol, which resembles an AR-15. He fatally shot two individuals in the parking lot before proceeding inside, where he killed eight others, including a responding officer.

"He is methodical and he is brutal," Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty remarked during closing arguments.

During the trial, psychologists and psychiatrists testified that Alissa had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was profoundly mentally ill. However, this diagnosis did not equate to legal insanity.

"This tragedy was born out of disease, not choice," defense attorney Kathryn Herold told the jury.

Eyewitnesses described Alissa’s demeanor during the attack as focused. One pharmacist recounted hearing him express excitement while shooting, stating, "He said, ‘This is fun, this is so much fun,’" as he fired his weapon.

Alissa’s roots trace back to Syria; his family moved to the United States when he was a young child, eventually settling in a Denver suburb. His parents testified that he began to display troubling behaviors in high school, becoming withdrawn and acting paranoid.

"It’s shameful in our culture if we say our son is crazy," his father, Moustafa Alissa, said. "We thought he was probably possessed by spirits."

Alissa opted not to testify in his defense, and mental health professionals who had interacted with him since his arrest noted that he never clearly articulated a motive for the attack.