Boulder grocery store shooter Ahmad Alissa made his first court appearance on Thursday since shooting dead ten people in an as-yet unexplained massacre on Monday.
The 21-year-old is being held at Boulder County Jail on ten counts of murder.
On Thursday morning, his attorneys asked for three months to determine his mental health and whether or not he should stand trial. The prosecution asked for it to happen sooner and said they expect to file more charges next week once the crime scene is processed.
Judge Thomas Mulvahill did not specify how long the matter would be delayed for but he gave the defense two weeks to respond to a motion.
Media were given access to the hearing via WebEx but the judge did not allow photography of the live stream.
Some cameras were allowed inside. They showed Alissa sitting in a blue, paper gown and sitting in a wheelchair. He was wearing a white mask.
Alissa spoke briefly to say that he understood the charges.
His attorney then said: ‘We cannot do anything until we’re able to fully assess Mr Alissa’s mental illness and we cannot do that until we have the discovery from the government.’
No plea was entered and he will continue to be held without bond.
Boulder grocery store shooter Ahmad Alissa made his first court appearance on Thursday since shooting dead ten people in an as-yet unexplained massacre on Monday.
Some cameras were allowed inside. They showed Alissa sitting in a blue, paper gown and sitting in a wheelchair. He was wearing a white mask. Alissa spoke briefly to say that he understood the charges
Ahmad Alissa is shown in his mugshot on Tuesday and right, in a high school photo. He has been charged with ten counts of murder
Mourners stand outside King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. The store was the scene of a mass shooting that killed 10 on Monday
The Sultan Grill restaurant in Arvada, CO which is owned by the family of the King Sooper Killer. He worked in the restaurant
Pictured: Family home of shooting suspect Ahmad al Aliwi Alissa, in Arvada, ColoradoFamily of the King Sooper Killer peak out from behind a curtain of their Arvada, Colorado
On Monday, he opened fire at the King Soopers grocery store shortly before 3pm, shooting dead two people outside then another eight once inside the store.
He has been described by family as a ‘loser’ who ‘never had a girlfriend’ but has had temper problems for much of his life.
He is yet to explain what motivated him to carry out the attack.
When police surrounded the store on Monday about 20 minutes after he started killing, he took off his clothes and surrendered, then asked to speak to his mother.
Alissa was using a Rugers AR-556 which is a style of shortened assault rifle. He bought it a week before the massacre on March 16.
Alissa had ranted on social media about Islamophobes hacking his phone and complained about President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
His brother-in-law revealed that he worked in the family’s Middle Eastern restaurant, The Sultan Grill, and that he lived in their basement.
He told The Sun on Thursday that the killings had devastated their family and that his 65-year-old father Moustafa hadn’t stopped crying since he found out his son was responsible for them.
The family lives in Arvada, Colorad, around 30 miles southeast of Boulder.
It’s unclear why Alissa traveled to that specific King Soopers, or how long he’d been planning the attack.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for an all-out ban on assault rifles across the country in the wake of the shooting.
He is also urging Congress to pass a bill to tighten the laws on background checks for people when they buy guns.
Alissa’s victims range in age from 20 to 65.
Some worked in the store, some were shoppers and others were there to get their COVID-19 vaccines.
