Colorado Gunman Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Mass Shooting

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa was convicted for a mass shooting at a Colorado grocery store in 2021, resulting in 10 fatalities. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The trial centered on his mental state, but the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, attempting to use an insanity defense.

The man responsible for killing 10 people in a 2021 Colorado grocery store mass shooting has been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 25, had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but a Boulder District Court jury found the Syria-born man guilty on all charges.

Following heartfelt statements from victims' relatives, Judge Ingrid Bakke issued the mandatory life sentence. Colorado Governor Jared Polis acknowledged that the verdict might not heal the pain but hoped it provided some solace. The case hinged on Alissa's mental state at the time, but the jury concluded he was capable of distinguishing right from wrong.

Alissa carried out the attack with a legally acquired Ruger AR-556 pistol, killing two individuals in the parking lot before entering the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder and killing eight more, including a responding police officer. Eyewitnesses described Alissa's methodical and brutal approach, with victims shot at point-blank range.

(With inputs from agencies.)