Ahmad Alissa, the gunman who killed 10 people at a Colorado grocery store in 2021, has been found guilty of murder after a jury rejected the defence’s plea that he was insane at the time of the shooting. The defence argued that Alissa, diagnosed with schizophrenia, could not distinguish the meaning of his actions. However, prosecutors pointed to evidence that Alissa was intentional in his attack, including his behavior before and during the shooting.
During the trial, it was established that Alissa had started shooting immediately upon arriving at the store, targeting and pursuing victims both inside and outside. State forensic psychologists believed that Alissa’s mental illness played a role in the attack, but Colorado law distinguishes between mental illness and legal insanity.
The verdict was reached after harrowing testimonies from survivors, including an ER doctor who hid among bags of chips to escape the gunfire. Witnesses reported hearing Alissa say, “This is fun” while shooting throughout the store. Alissa, who emigrated from Syria as a child, had researched possible attack locations but no clear motive was provided.
Although Alissa’s family reported that he had become increasingly paranoid and heard voices before the attack, psychologists could not provide full confidence in their findings. The trial highlighted the complexity of mental health issues and their intersection with the legal system. Alissa now faces a potential life sentence for the tragic events that unfolded in Boulder in 2021.
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