Man Accused In Boulder Shooting Bought Gun 1 Week Ago: Affidavit

BOULDER, CO — The man accused of opening fire at a Boulder grocery store Monday and killing 10 people, including a police officer, bought a gun less than a week before the deadly shooting, according to an arrest affidavit released Tuesday.

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, of Arvada purchased a Ruger AP-556 pistol on March 16, the affidavit said. When Alissa surrendered to police after Monday's shooting, he put his gear down inside the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive; the gear included a green tactical vest, a rifle and a semiautomatic handgun, the affidavit said.

Alissa is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. He is expected to be released Tuesday from the hospital where he was being treated for a gunshot wound to his thigh.

"Every level of law enforcement — federal, state and local — is working together to make sure that we can bring justice in this case," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said at a news conference Tuesday.

A family member told Boulder police detectives that Alissa was seen playing with a weapon that looked like a machine gun about two days ago, the affidavit said.

Witnesses who called to report the shooting said a man fired out his car window and pursued a man toward Broadway, the affidavit said. Grocery store employees saw an older man get shot in the parking lot, and they hid in a back room as shots were fired inside the store, the affidavit said.

Another witness said a man was shot in a car, and multiple people called to say they were hiding in the store. The shooting victims were found in the parking lot, including inside a car, and inside the store, the affidavit said.

One officer who responded to the scene saw Officer Eric Talley dead inside the store. Talley was dragged out of the building by SWAT officers, the affidavit said.

Alissa walked backward toward SWAT officers and surrendered, the affidavit said. He was wearing only shorts and had blood on his right thigh from a gunshot wound, the affidavit said. Alissa did not answer any questions but asked to speak to his mother, the affidavit said.

Alissa has a previous charge of third-degree assault from Arvada that dates to 2018, the affidavit said.