Mon Sep 23 21:23:32 UTC 2024: ## Mentally Ill Man Convicted of Killing 10 in Colorado Supermarket Shooting
**BOULDER, CO** – Ahmad Alissa, the man who killed 10 people at a Boulder supermarket in 2021, was convicted of murder on Monday. Alissa, who suffers from schizophrenia, faces a life sentence in prison.
Despite pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, the jury ultimately found that Alissa was aware of his actions and capable of distinguishing right from wrong at the time of the attack.
Alissa, who did not react visibly to the verdict, began firing his gun immediately after exiting his car at the King Soopers store parking lot in March 2021. He killed the majority of his victims in just over a minute before surrendering after being shot in the leg by a police officer.
Prosecutors presented evidence that Alissa’s actions were deliberate, citing his pursuit of fleeing victims, his decision to bypass an elderly man who remained unaware of the shooting, and his use of high-capacity magazines and steel-piercing bullets.
While Alissa’s family testified about his deteriorating mental state and his struggle with auditory hallucinations, state forensic psychologists determined he was sane at the time of the shooting.
The defense argued that Alissa’s mental illness contributed to the attack, but they did not present expert testimony to support their claim of insanity.
Victims’ families and survivors filled the courtroom, many sharing their experiences of the horrific shooting and the lasting trauma they have endured.
Despite the conviction, the case raises crucial questions about mental illness and its connection to violent crime.
First Piper 