Boulder Grocery Store Mass Shooting Marked 7th In 7 Days

ACROSS AMERICA — On Monday, a single gunman walked into a crowded King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, and opened fire, killing 10 people, including a police officer.

Ahmad Alissa, 21, has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, Boulder police said Tuesday. The shootings in Boulder, which claimed the lives of people ranging from age 20 to 65, comes less than a week after another gunman killed eight people at three different Atlanta-area massage parlors.

“I can’t keep up with it,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Tuesday during his opening statements at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence, according to a report by The Hill. The hearing was scheduled prior to Monday’s shooting in Boulder. “I can’t change and amend my opening statement to keep up with it. It just keeps coming at us.”

READ: Boulder Grocery Store Shooting: 10 Killed, Including Officer

“We are numb to the numbers,” he continued. “Unless we are personally touched, it’s just another statistic. That has got to stop.”

Durbin’s sentiments weren’t necessarily misplaced. The shootings in Atlanta and Boulder weren’t the first mass shootings in U.S. history, and likely won’t be the last.

Still, the shooting in Boulder and Atlanta bookend a tumultuous and violent week in America, where seven mass shootings have been reported in the past seven days.

The definition of a mass shooting is when at least four people are shot, excluding the shooter, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks mass shootings in the United States.

March 16: Atlanta, Georgia

Robert Aaron Long, 21, is accused of killing eight people, six of whom were Asian women, in separate shootings at Young's Asian Massage in Acworth, and at the Aroma Therapy Spa and the Gold Spa in Atlanta.

Following his arrest, police said, Long admitted to the killings and blamed the massage parlors for fueling his sex addiction.

READ: Massage Parlor Investigation Continues Despite Confession: Police

March 17: Stockton, California

Five people were shot during a drive-by shooting while they were preparing for a vigil in Stockton, the San Joaquin Sheriff's Department said. None had life-threatening injuries.

March 18: Gresham, Oregon

Four people were shot at the Golden Knight Motel in Gresham, a city just east of Portland. Police are still searching for a suspect.

March 20: Houston, Texas

Five people were shot at the Maserati Mansion, an after-hours nightclub in Houston. Police told ABC 13 the shooting was prompted by an argument, which led a man to pull out a pistol and start shooting. At least one of the victims was in critical condition following the shooting.

March 20: Dallas, Texas

One person was killed and seven others were injured when a gunman opened fire at Pryme Bar in northwest Dallas. All eight victims were taken to the hospital, the Dallas Morning News reported. Daisy Navarrete, 21, of Plano, did not survive her injuries.

March 20: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

One person was dead and five injured following a shootout at Hot Pot Cuisine in Philadelphia's Nicetown neighborhood. Police said at least 150 people were in the building during the shooting. A 39-year-old man was killed.

READ: Philadelphia Police: 1 Dead, 5 Others Injured After Shootout In Nicetown

March 22: Boulder, Colorado

Officers were called to King Soopers in Boulder on Monday afternoon after receiving reports of gunfire inside the store. Ten people were killed, including Boulder police officer Eric Talley, 51, a husband and the father of seven children.

"Our hearts ache for those who lost their lives, for their families, for the survivors who were left behind, for the survivors who were able to get out who have scars that can't be seen," Gov. Jared Polis said in a news conference Tuesday morning. "This is real horror and terror for all of us."

READ: Boulder Grocery Store Shooting Victims Identified

President Joe Biden on Tuesday was quick to offer condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the Boulder shooting. He also called on Congress to move quickly to close loopholes in the background check system and to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, according to The Associated Press — an effort that would be even more difficult to achieve politically.

“It should not be a partisan issue,” Biden said. “This is an American issue. It will save lives, American lives."