Boulder ‘shooter’ Ahmad Alissa was ‘playing with gun & had it taken off him by sister-in-law’ days before rampage
SUSPECTED Boulder shooter Ahmad Alissa was allegedly playing with a gun and had it taken off of him by his sister-in-law just days before the grocery store rampage.
, 21, has been charged after with an AR-15-style rifle, leaving 10 people including officer , dead.
However, a woman who identified herself as sister-in-law told cops that she saw him "playing" with what looked like a "machine gun," according to an arrest affidavit obtained by .
Speaking with authorities just hours after the incident at Kings Soopers, she said that Alissa had been speaking about having a bullet stuck in the gun he was playing with.
She reportedly became upset that he was "playing with the gun in the house" and took it from him, according to cops.
The family member added that the weapon did not resemble rifles in "old Western movies" but looked like a "machine gun."
WHAT WE KNOW:
- Ten people died in a gun massacre at a supermarket in Boulder.
- Witnesses said a man in tactical body armor shot victims one by one with a rifle.
- A bearded suspect wearing only his underwear and covered in blood was led away in handcuffs.
- The injured suspect was taken to hospital for treatment.
- Boulder police officer , 51, was killed as he responded to reports of an active shooter.
- Rikki Olds, 25, was named among the dead by her family.
While being questioned, she said that she believed the weapon was in Alissa's room on the top level of the Arvada, , home.
Law enforcement was seen entering 21-year-old $800,000 on Tuesday.
It is 30 miles from where he is believed with an AR-15-style rifle on Monday afternoon at the King Soopers grocery store.
A young woman at the address told reporters to “please leave” the property on Tuesday - just minutes after three detectives left having spent 90 minutes inside.
A small child aged about two occasionally came to the window to wave at reporters while detectives were speaking to the family.
A wheelchair was left in the garden at the front of the house and two cars, a people carrier and an SUV, were parked in the driveway.
The house, which has an array of solar panels on its roof, is believed to be where several members of Alissa’s family live.
According to , Ahmad previously had two run-ins with Boulder cops in 2018 - one on a report of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, and one of criminal mischief. It is not clear if he was convicted of a crime.
Law enforcement officials also told the outlet that Ahmad was known by the FBI because he was linked to another individual under investigation by the bureau.
According to a police affidavit from last night, obtained by the , Alissa asked to speak to his mom before as he surrendered.
Ali Aliwi Alissa, the suspect's 34-year-old brother, told that Ahmad was "very anti-social".
During high school, the suspected shooter would describe "being chased" and feared that someone was "behind him" and "looking for him", his brother revealed.
"When he was having lunch with my sister in a restaurant, he said, 'People are in the parking lot, they are looking for me.' She went out, and there was no one. We didn’t know what was going on in his head," Alissa told the outlet, reportedly admitting that he believes his brother is mentally ill.
The alleged shooter bought an assault rifle six days before opening fire inside a crowded Colorado supermarket, according to an arrest affidavit released on Tuesday.
Around 2.30pm on Tuesday, police were called Kings Soopers grocery store in Boulder with reports of an active shooter.
Officer Talley, 51, was one of the first to arrive on the scene – and was shot dead as he raced inside to tackle the gunman.
Witnesses described the gunman shooting victims one-by-one with a rifle in the graphic massacre.
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Video showed police escorting a man – the alleged gunman – in handcuffs away from the scene, dressed in nothing but shorts and covered in blood.
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Initial reports said that at least six were killed in the shooting, but the death toll was later .
Denny Strong, 20, Neven Stoanisic, 23, Rikki Olds, 25, Tralona Bartkowiak, 49, Suzanne Fountain, 59, Teri Leiker, 51, Officer Eric Talley, 51, Kevin Mahoney, 61, Lynn Murray, 62, Jody Waters, 65 were the 10 victims.