Authorities in Colorado have identified the ten victims killed in a mass shooting inside a grocery store, as well as the alleged gunman.
The suspect, 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa of Arvada, Colorado, stormed the King Soopers outlet in Boulder armed with an assault-style rifle and a handgun and wearing a tactical vest, all of which were recovered after Monday’s shooting, according to an arrest affidavit filed by police.
Alissa is a naturalized US citizen from Syria, according to two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter.
Police have not confirmed a motive. The suspect faces 10 counts of murder.
Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said the victims were between 20- and 65-years-old at a news conference on Tuesday.
Among the dead was 51-year-old Eric Talley, who was the first police officer to respond to the shooting. Talley was the father of seven children and had recently been looking for a less dangerous job, according to a statement released by his father.
Police identified the nine other victims as Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikky Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65.
The supermarket attack comes less than a week after a mass shooting that left eight dead, including six Asian women, at three spas in Atlanta.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday pledged to “use all the resources at my disposal to keep the American people safe” and called on Congress to pass gun control measures.
“This should not be a partisan issue. It will save lives, American lives. We have to act.”
Biden called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines as well as an end to loopholes in background checks – measures he has long supported.
Colorado has been the site of some of the most shocking episodes of gun violence in US history, including the 2012 mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora and the 1999 rampage at Columbine High School near Littleton.
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