In a highly anticipated court hearing on Tuesday, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, the 24-year-old man accused of carrying out a mass shooting at a Colorado supermarket in 2021, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murder charges. The hearing, which took place in Boulder District Court, followed a ruling by Judge Ingrid Bakke that there was sufficient evidence to try Alissa on 10 counts of first-degree murder, as well as numerous counts of attempted murder, assault, and weapons offenses.

The rampage, which took place at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder on March 22, 2021, resulted in the deaths of 10 people, including a police officer who was responding to the scene. According to Boulder homicide detective Sarah Cantu, Alissa began his attack in the store's parking lot, killing two victims before entering the supermarket and shooting eight others to death. Cantu testified that one of the victims initially survived being shot in the back but was then pursued and fatally shot by Alissa as he attempted to crawl away. Another victim was wounded and then killed as she curled up in a fetal position on the floor, Cantu added.

The shooting spree came to an end when a police officer shot Alissa in the leg, prompting him to surrender. He has been in custody since the day of the shooting. Initially, the murder case against Alissa was stalled after he was ruled mentally unfit to stand trial due to a diagnosis of schizophrenia. However, psychiatric experts reported last month that Alissa had responded well to treatment, leading the judge to deem him mentally fit for trial.

During Tuesday's hearing, additional details emerged about the nature of the attack. Prosecutors revealed that Alissa had used a high-capacity magazine in his legally purchased Ruger AR-556 pistol, allowing him to kill eight of his victims within a span of just over a minute. Michael Dougherty, the prosecutor, emphasized the role of high-capacity magazines in enabling such devastating attacks and highlighted their illegality in Colorado. Dougherty argued that Alissa had entered the supermarket armed and prepared to kill as many people as possible.

The defense team entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity on behalf of Alissa, asserting that his mental illness prevented him from understanding the difference between right and wrong at the time of the crime. If successful, this plea could lead to Alissa being committed indefinitely to a state mental hospital, rather than receiving a prison sentence. Alissa faces 10 counts of murder, 15 counts of attempted murder, and other charges.

The motive for the shooting spree has not yet been determined, although a psychologist who treated Alissa at the state mental hospital revealed during an earlier hearing that the defendant had expressed a desire to "commit suicide by cop." Alissa's family, who immigrated from Syria, had no known problems prior to the shooting. In 2018, Alissa was convicted of assaulting a fellow high school student, but this offense was only a misdemeanor.

A tentative trial date has been set for August 2024. The outcome of Alissa's trial will be closely watched by the families of the victims, who view it as an opportunity for justice. Robert Olds, whose niece was among those killed in the attack, expressed his hope for closure, saying, "It's the last fight, the last stand for my niece who can't be here to do that herself.".