The Loadout Blog
Firearms X Culture
News|Intel Brief Intelligence Summary On Monday, March 22, 2021, around 2:30 pm MST a lone gunman opened fire at a King Soopers grocery store located on Table Mesa Drive in […]
Intelligence Summary
On Monday, March 22, 2021, around 2:30 pm MST a lone gunman opened fire at a King Soopers grocery store located on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder, Colorado. Shortly, after the first shots rang out in the grocery store customers at King Soopers began to call 911 informing dispatcher of shots fired at the King Soopers on 3600 block of Table Mesa.
The 911 callers described the active shooter as a white male, middle aged, dark hair,beard, black vest, and a short sleeved shirt. The vest is later described as plate carrier(body armor). Additional witness seen the gunman shootout the window of a van and pursued the victim down the street. One witness tells the Boulder PD that the gunman shot into the van and shot at other people.
After receiving the calls 911 dispatch police out to active shooter at King Soopers. One of the first police on seen was Eric Talley, 51, who was shot and kill trying to engage with the gunman at the scene. Soon after Boulder PD and SWAT secured and cordoned off the area around the grocery store. SWAT eventually subdued and apprehended the gunman after a tense 58 minute assault and standoff at the grocery store. He is seen being escorted out be SWAT with blood running down one leg and shorts. After being escorted off the King Soopers he was placed in an ambulance and sent to the hospital to tend to his wounds.
Later the police identified the gunman as Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa of Aravada, Colorado. He was hospitalized with a leg injury. After, his capture police asked if there where other suspects, he declined any information. Yet, he asked to speak to his mother. A motive has not yet been determined by law enforcement officials but, it is still early in the investigation. His family described Alissa as antisocial and paranoid.
During the assault on the King Soopers the gunman killed 10 people including one Boulder police officer. The victims ranged from 20 to 65.
Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa made his first court appearance last Thursday. The police arrest warrant charged Alissa with 10 counts of first degree murder and one charge of attempted murder, per the arrest warrant. The warrant described Alissa being armed with an “assault rifle” or “black AR-15”, a 9mm handgun, and a plate carrier.
On Thursday, Alissa was in a wheelchair and wheeled in by corrections officers during his first court hearing. He was wearing a blue prison jumpsuit and a face mask. Judge Thomas F. Mulvahill ruled he be held without bail. Mr. Alissa defense team asked to have the next hearing delayed two or three months, saying, “we cannot do anything until we are able to fully assess Mr. Alissa’s mental illness.” The judge granted the request and called for a recess shortly after. Alissa didn’t enter an plea at this initial court hearing.
Shooting Timeline
2:33 p.m., March 22
Boulder police begin receiving calls about shots fired at King Sooper grocery store, 3600 Table Mesa, Boulder. A person with a “patrol rifle” is reported in the area.
Boulder police dispatcher announces a shooting in progress.
2:34 p.m.
Dispatcher says: “Looks like we have an active shooter. It’s a white male, middle-aged, dark hair, beard, black vest, short-sleeved shirt. Seen in front of the King Sooper, shot out a window of a van, pursued a man towards Broadway.” The vest is later described as armored.
A witness tells police the suspect shot a man in a vehicle and shot at other people.
2:37 p.m.
Dispatch reports multiple calls from people inside the store, saying they have barricaded themselves inside. Some report they’ve seen people on the floor.
Time unknown
Sarah Moonshadow and her son Nicolas Edwards later tell the Boulder Daily Camera that they were inside the store and heard shots fired. They run out of the store and see a body in the parking lot.
A 37-second video, taken outside and inside the store shows what appear to be three bodies, two outside and one inside, not far from a door. Shots inside the store are heard at 32 seconds into the video. It’s unknown when the video was taken but it’s posted at 3:18 p.m.
Gary Strand and his wife, Jaye Hendrix, later tell the Daily Camera they were outside the store when they heard shots just before 3 p.m. They see police cars speeding toward the store moments later.
2:39 p.m.
Police report they’ve been shot at twice. Officers are advised to “armor up.”
2:40 p.m.
An officer asks about police inside store. A moment later, an officer is reported down inside the front door.
2:49 p.m.
Boulder police tweet: “ALERT: Active Shooter at the King Soopers on Table Mesa. AVOID THE AREA. PIO is en-route.”
3:19 p.m. (time posted)
Another video shows police vehicles outside the store. Police on bullhorn are heard: “The entire building is surrounded. You need to surrender. Come out with your hands up, unarmed. This is the Boulder police department.”
3 p.m. to 3:27 p.m.
Police prepare to capture suspect.
3:28 p.m.
The suspect has an injury to his leg. He strips down to his boxer shorts, surrenders and is taken into custody.
4:18 p.m.
Boulder police tweet: “Please avoid the area of Table Mesa & Broadway! This is still a very active scene. Do NOT broadcast on social media any tactical information you might see.”
“We will continue to tweet updates as we have them. If you live nearby please stay inside for now.”
5:10 p.m.
Boulder police tweet: “Emergency notification just went out: Boulder police asking people near 17th and Grove to shelter in place while they respond to report of armed, dangerous individual. PD is investigating to determine if this is related to King Soopers shooting.”
6:41 p.m.
Boulder police tweet: “Shelter in place notice at 17th and Grove has been lifted. Police news conference near King Soopers scene will begin shortly.”
6:52 p.m.
Boulder police tweet: “We have multiple victims who lost their lives. One of the victims is a Boulder police officer. Asking media to honor families’ privacy.”
6:53 p.m.
Boulder police tweet: “No ongoing public threat. Person of interest in custody. He was injured and is being treated for his injury.”
6:57 p.m.
Boulder police tweet: “Only known injury was to person of interest. There were fatalities, however.”
6:59 p.m.
The Boulder district attorney says the investigation is underway with crime scene analysts inside the building processing evidence.
10 p.m.
Police obtain search warrants for Alissa’s residence, the scene of the shooting, and Alissa.
1:30 a.m., March 23
Last victim removed from scene.
2:02 a.m.
All victims are identified.
4 a.m.
All families of victims are notified.
8:30 a.m.
Authorities identify suspect and release names of the 10 victims.
Boulder Shooting Victims
Denny Stong, 20
Neven Stanisic, 23
Rikki Olds, 25
Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
Suzanne Fountain, 59
Teri Leiker, 51
Officer Eric Talley, 51
Kevin Mahoney, 61
Lynn Murray, 62
Jody Waters, 65
Denny Strong, 20
Denny Stong was a King Soopers worker, a model plane aficionado and into dirt bikes and Civil War reenactments.
Neven Stanisic, 23
Neven Stanisic’s family fled Bosnia, though he was born in the U.S. Family friends at his church say he was “a very good, shy, hardworking boy.”
Rikki Olds, 25
Rikki Olds worked as a front-end manager at King Soopers. Her Facebook identifies her as a Lafayette resident who attended Centaurus High School and Front Range Community College.
Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
Known to friends as Lonna, Tralona Bartkowiak co-owned a Boulder clothing shop, Umba Love, and was effervescent, friendly and loved music.
Teri Leiker, 51
The University of Colorado marching band director and former band member said Teri Leiker “was kind of a personal cheerleader for the band.” Leiker worked at King Soopers. Read more about Teri here.
Eric Talley, 51
Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, who was killed while responding to the King Soopers shooting, was the father of seven who took his job “very seriously.” Talley was interested in using drones for policing and liked woodworking.
Suzanne Fountain, 59
A well-known community theater actress, Suzanne Fountain also helped enroll thousands of people in Medicare and was “simply a very genuine person with tons of integrity.”
Kevin Mahoney, 61
To his daughter, Kevin Mahoney was her hero and “all things Love.” Mahoney had worked in hotel asset management and investments.
Lynn Murray, 62
Described by her daughter as “the biggest light in everybody’s life,” Lynn Murray was working as an Instacart shopper recently. But before she retired, she was a photo director for Glamour, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan magazines.
Jody Waters, 65
Possessing of style and a friendly demeanor, Jody Waters worked in and/or owned boutiques along Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall for years.
Active Shooter Intel
Background of Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa
Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa was born in Syria in 1999. In 2002, when Ahmad was a toddler his parents emigrated from Syria to the U.S. and settled down in the Colorado. He grew up living in a good home and became a us citizen.
While growing up he was known for having a temper, which caused classmates to shy way from interactions with him, according Damien Cruz. Cruz is a classmate who has known Alissa since the fifth grade.
Ahmad was also teased by bullies in high school because of his name and being Muslim. Which is brother believes lead to his anti-social tendencies when speaking with CNN.
Paranoid Tendencies Of Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa
In 2014, his elder brother Ali Alissa began noticing that his younger brother (Ahmad) was becoming paranoid. Alissa began to believe that he was being followed and chased by someone. At one point, Alissa began covering the webcam of his laptop with duct tape over the fears of someone watching him. Due to this paranoia the family began to watch Ahmad actions closely to make sure he wasn’t taking his paranoia and delusions too far.
On March 18th 2019, Alissa made accusations that his former High school was hacking his phone, Alissa’s wrote in a Facebook post. Then in July 5th 2019, he claimed people where hacking his phone again.
When family and friends asked for evidence why he believed this, Ahmad replied, “I believe part racism for sure. But I also believe someone spread rumors about me which are false and maybe that set it off.”
According to his brother Ahmad was not very political or religious. His brother says he never heard his younger brother threaten to use violence.
Violent Outbursts by Ahmad Alissa
Yet, while in high school there are two incidents of threats of violence and a act of violence against another student. In the first altercation Ahmad was kicked off the wrestling team for threatening to kill and harm coaches and players after losing a match in practice.
The second was when he assaulted a fellow student and was charged with third-degree assault. According to students who witnessed the attack it was unwarranted and unprovoked. When police investigated the incident Alissa advised the police that the student made racial and offensive remarks towards him weeks before. For the assault Ahmad Alissa was sentence to one year probation and 48 of community service.
Identifying the Stressors That Led To Shooting
The police are unclear of the underlying stressors that lead to the Kings Soopers mass shooting. That is currently under investigation. Hopefully, as the investigation unfolds they can find out further insight that lead to this extreme act of violence.
Intel Wrap Up
That is all pertinent and known information about the Kings Sooper Shooting and the shooter—Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa. Below, will be the links used to create this intelligence brief.
Resources
Resources for this article is from USA Today, CNN, Denver Post, and more
CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/23/us/boulder-colorado-shooting-suspect/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/colorado-king-soopers-shooting/index.html
USA TODAY
Denver Post
Boulder shooting: What we know so far about the King Soopers shooting
Boulder shooting: Gunman kills 10, including police officer, at King Soopers
AP
NBC News
CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/boulder-shooting-colorado-gun-control/
Hello, everyone and welcome to The Loadout Blog. The purpose of this website is to share educate, inform, and build a lasting culture around firearms. I want to create a hub of reliable, cohesive, and relevant material for today's shooter. I am seeking to appeal to all demographics so from the novice, to experienced, along with LE and military communities. I am here to be transparent and honest on all matters discussed or chronicled on this site. I will post content once a week at minimum or more often if time allows.
Now, a little bit about me. I served six years in the Marines Corps as an 0311. I was in 2nd BN 4th Marines, 5th Marine Reg, 1st Mar Div. I was in Golf Company while in 2/4. I was deployed twice during my time in. I did one deployment to Afghanistan and my second was on apart of 31st MEU. I departed the military in September of 2015. I currently work as an RSO at a local range in Vegas.
Thank you for stopping by my website and join the journey with me. To stay up to date with the website, hit that subscribe button. Be humble. Be savage. Have a great day.