King Soopers supermarket shooting

On March 22, 2021, a mass shooting occurred at King Soopers, a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, United States. The perpetrator was 21-year-old Ahmad Al-Issa, who shot and killed ten people, including a police officer, and injured several others. Al-Issa was also injured with a leg wound and treated at a nearby hospital before being moved to county jail.

## King Soopers supermarket shooting

### Location

King Soopers, Boulder, Colorado, United States

### Weapons

Ruger AR-556 pistolSemi-automatic 9mm handgun

## Shooting

The shooting began shortly after 2:30 P.M. when 21-year-old Ahmad Al-Issa entered the parking lot of the supermarket and began to fire. He was wearing what was described as a "tactical" or "armored" vest and armed with a "rifle", which turned out to be a Ruger AR-556 pistol. He was first seen by employees and customers who watched Al-Issa shoot at customers in the parking lot before turning and entering the store. A body was found in a vehicle parked next to the gunman's vehicle, and an elderly man was shot multiple times in the parking lot. At 2:33 P.M., the Boulder Police Department began receiving calls of a person with a "patrol rifle" in the area and shots being fired. At 2:34 P.M. A Boulder Police dispatcher provided an initial description of Al-Issa as a middle-aged white male with dark hair and a beard. Witnesses at the scene reported hearing anywhere from ten to thirty shots fired in rapid succession. Some customers and employees reached safety through a back exit located in the supermarket; many were praised for their actions in helping evacuate and hide individuals away from the shooter. The shooting was partially filmed by Dean Schiller, who managed to leave the building as soon as the attack began. By 2:39 P.M., responding officers reported being fired upon repeatedly by Al-Issa. One of the first officers on the scene was Officer Eric Talley, who entered the building at 2:50 P.M. and was shot and killed by Al-Issa. Other officers engaged him in a gunfight from 3:00 to 3:21 P.M. Pharmacy technician Maggie Montoya stated that while hiding she heard gunshots and screams and then afterwards only the store music and phones ringing. Eventually, Al-Issa was shot in the leg; he surrendered by saying "I surrender. I'm naked," and at 3:28 P.M. he was taken into custody, using the handcuffs of Officer Talley. Al-Issa was taken to Boulder Community Health Foothills Hospital for his leg injury; after being treated he was taken to Boulder County Jail and was held without bond. A shelter-in-place order was issued in the area at 4:18 P.M. and lifted at 6:40 P.M. Up to fifteen agencies responded to the incident, including the Jefferson County SWAT, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and local police departments. A fire department ladder truck was used to get a SWAT team onto the roof. At least three medical helicopters were summoned to a staging area at nearby Fairview High School.

## Victims

In total, there were ten killed; authorities released their identities the day after the shooting on March 23:

* Denny Strong, 20
* Neven Stanisic, 23
* Rikki Olds, 25
* Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
* Teri Leiker, 51
* Eric Talley, 51
* Suzanne Fountain, 59
* Kevin Mahoney, 61
* Lynn Murray, 62
* Jody Waters, 65

Besides the gunman, only one other person was injured. 76-year-old Elan Shakti fractured her back while fleeing the store.