Boulder, Colorado’s chief of police said Friday investigators still have not determined the motive for the shooting deaths of 10 people, including a police officer responding to the crime, at a grocery store earlier this week.
At a news briefing, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold told reporters her office along with 25 other law enforcement agencies were working around the clock to determine why the 21-year-old suspect chose Boulder, some 30 miles from his home in Arvada, Colorado, and why this grocery store.
She said those questions will haunt everyone in the community until they know the answers.
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty, who also spoke at the news conference, said determining the motive will be the focus of all their efforts.
Herold said the suspect, identified earlier as Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, legally purchased an AR-556 pistol at a gun store in his hometown. He also carried a handgun which was, they believe, not used in the attack.
She said Alissa was shot and wounded in the leg during the incident by one of the responding police officers. That officer has been put on administrative leave, which is department policy.
Doughtery said the suspect was charged with attempted murder, along with the 10 murder charges because of his exchange of gunfire with officers at the scenes. The district attorney said there may be additional charges.
Alissa made an initial appearance in court Thursday. His lawyers as asked for two to three-month delay before his next court appearance for a mental evaluation and investigators to collect evidence.
The suspect was moved to a jail outside of Boulder for security reasons. He is being held without bail.
