A mentally-ill gunman who shot 10 people dead at a Colorado supermarket has been convicted of murder.
Ahmad Alissa was found guilty of the March 2021 bloodbath in Boulder by jurors Monday afternoon and faces life in prison.
Alissa’s attorneys had tried to plead not guilty due to insanity. He is a diagnosed schizophenic.
The convicted killer maintained his composure as the verdict was read out, speaking quietly with his defense team as he learned he could now face life behind bars.
Relatives of the victims cried quietly in the courtroom.
During the mass shooting, Alissa opened fire immediately after getting out of his car, in the parking lot.
Most of his victims were shot within 60 seconds.
Ahmad Alissa is pictured in court Monday, shortly before he was convicted of murdering 10 in a March 2021 massacre at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado
Alissa’s attorneys had tried to plead not guilty due to insanity. He is a diagnosed schizophenic
Prosecutors argued during the trial that Alissa was aware of his actions, proven by his decision to seemingly target certain victims while ignoring others in his vicinity
He stopped and surrendered only when an officer shot him in the leg.
Prosecutors argued during the trial that Alissa was aware of his actions, proven by his decision to seemingly target certain victims while ignoring others in his vicinity.
The court heard Alissa pursued people who ran from him and tried to take cover, meanwhile a 91-year-old man went about his shop unaware a shooting was taking place, despite passing the shooter twice.
Relatives testified that Alissa, who arrived in the United States from Syria, was withdrawn and isolated before the shooting. He had reportedly started hearing voices, and was increasingly paranoid leading up to the attack.
He was diagnosed with schizophrenia after the tragedy.
During the mass shooting , Alissa opened fire immediately after getting out of his car, in the parking lot. Most of his victims were shot within 60 seconds
The court heard Alissa pursued people who ran from him and tried to take cover
In Colorado, the threshold in which a person can be declared legally insane – and therefore not fit to be found guilty – requires a person to have a mental disease so severe it is impossible for them to tell right from wrong.
Prosecutors successfully argued that while mentally unwell, Alissa was still sane when committing his crime.
He had researched online public places to attack in Boulder with initial broad searches for bars and restaurants, before narrowing his focus to large stores the day prior to the shooting.
More to come
