Gun used in Boulder mass shooting was bought legally, police chief says
The weapon used in the deadly mass shooting at a Colorado supermarket was purchased legally, Boulder's police chief said Friday. Meanwhile, the district attorney said the suspect would be facing new attempted murder charges in the coming weeks.
Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said the weapon allegedly used by Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa in the shooting, a semi-automatic Ruger AR-556 pistol, was legally purchased in a gun store in the Denver suburb of Arvada, where the suspect lived. The suspect remains held without bail after appearing in court for the first time Thursday to formally be advised of the 10 murder charges and one attempted murder charge he was already facing.
Herold also said the suspect had a 9 mm handgun on him, but the police don't believe the weapon was used in Monday's shooting.
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said the suspect would be facing an unspecified number of additional charges of attempted murder in the first degree because numerous police officers who responded to the shooting faced a significant amount of gunfire from the suspect.
"Immediately after responding, they charged into the store, " Dougherty said. "Their actions saved others, other civilians, from being killed."
The 21-year-old suspect was expected to enter a plea to the initial charges at a later date.
Authorities said they were still investigating a motive for the shooting.
"I think the victims' families and the community are desperate to know the motive," Dougherty said. "We want to know the motive, and that's going to be the focus of all our efforts going forward. Whether or not we're able to determine it remains to be seen."