Boulder shooting suspect to make first court appearance Thursday

The suspect in the Boulder, Colo., supermarket shooting is expected to make his first court appearance on Thursday morning. 

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, will appear in Boulder County District Court at 8:15 a.m. and will formally be charged for the shooting at a King Soopers store that left 10 people dead, according to The Denver Channel. He is expected to face 10 counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.

During the initial hearing, Alissa will be advised of his rights to an attorney, his right not to make any statements and his right to plead guilty or not guilty. Judge Thomas Mulvahill will oversee the hearing.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Alissa could face a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole, since Colorado removed the death penalty last year. 

Authorities identified Alissa as the suspect on Tuesday, the morning after the shooting. Officials have said they are still investigating the motive. 

An arrest affidavit said that the suspect began shooting at about 2:40 p.m. and was detained about 50 minutes later. Law enforcement recovered body armor, a rifle that was a “possible AR-15” and a semiautomatic handgun, in addition to clothing. 

Prosecutors have said the investigation could take up to a year. The 10 victims at the supermarket included Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, who was the first officer to respond to the shooting.

The day after the shooting, President Biden called on Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and enact stricter background checks.