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FBI: King Soopers shooting crime scene riddled with bullets

The arsenal was enough for a private war, according to testimony during the King Soopers shooting trial, which revealed that the alleged gunman brought at least 15 magazines—many holding 30 rounds—an AK-style rifle, and a pistol to the March 2021 mass shooting.

Almost all of the magazines of various capacities were fully loaded, the testimony said. Three of them were found in the alleged shooter’s tactical vest, nine were in his vehicle, and two were in each of two weapons. Police also found another spent 30-round magazine at check stand No. 13.

Surveillance video showed the gunman, on the run, throwing it down and reloading the rifle with a fresh one.

Day 5 of Ahmad Alissa’s murder trial was a somber one for the families of victims killed in the Boulder Table Mesa King Soopers shooting three and a half years ago.

They sat and listened as forensic pathologists Meredith Frank and Dan Lingamfelter read the details from the autopsy reports they had performed on their loved ones.

The manner of death for all 10 victims was homicide, they said, and the cause of death for all 10 was from gunshot wounds.

Some jurors took notes on yellow legal pads. Others listened intently to the details.

The defendant has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, 38 counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, six counts of felony possession of a prohibited large capacity magazine, and 47 crimes of violence sentence enhancers in connection with the shooting.

Earlier in the day, the jury watched police body camera video of the moment the defendant surrendered to Boulder Police officers in his boxer shorts, his hands in the air walking backward.

Lead case detective Sarah Cantu — now an investigator with the Boulder District Attorney’s office — described the scene.

“He will be dressed only in his underwear,” she said. “He has passed the pharmacy and is headed toward aisle 21.”

Jurors almost lost the chance to see what happened in that first interaction.

The alleged shooter’s public defenders filed a motion before trial to suppress his initial words to police because he was not read his Miranda rights.

Boulder Chief District Judge Ingrid Bakke ordered that under these circumstances, police had a reasonable need to protect the public and officers and allowed the footage to be shown at trial.

The suspect’s sedan

Among witnesses Wednesday was Amber Cronin, an FBI analyst who was called at 7 a.m. after the shooting to inspect the interior of the black Mercedes Benz sedan that the defendant drove to the King Soopers and had since been towed to the FBI office.

The car, which was registered to Alissa’s brother, held a treasure trove of evidence, including receipts for both weapons and accessories bought six days before the shooting.

The charge slip, from Eagle’s Nest Armory in Arvada, showed a cost of $1,056.92.

In the glove box, Cronin found a withdrawal slip for $1,500 from Chase Bank and a pocketknife. A cellphone was in the cup holder. A wallet with cash and identification was found in the center console.

Hundreds of bullets

A ballistics expert said that she found 168 “holes, impacts and skips,” where bullets hit objects inside the grocery store and in the parking lot.

Some fragments were embedded 30 feet high in the store’s ceiling.

None of those stray bullets struck a human being, FBI shooting reconstruction expert Aimee Quila said, but she added that in her work she doesn’t categorize the bullets that hit a human body.

Quila identified bullet strikes that shattered the “Y” in the window of a yoga studio on the second level of the shopping center, some of which passed through a car bumper to penetrate a dog bed and, inside the store, made holes in meat market walls, as well as packages of Rice-A-Roni.

The victims who died that day included Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Teri Leiker, 51; Boulder Police Ofc. Eric Talley, 51; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and, Jody Waters, 65.

Ahmad Alissa stands with his attorneys Samuel Dunn and Kathryn Herald on Day 5 of the Boulder mass shooting trial. Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty stands at far right. (Screengrab of the 20th Judicial District's live feed via WebEx)
Ahmad Alissa stands with his attorneys Samuel Dunn and Kathryn Herald on Day 5 of the Boulder mass shooting trial. Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty stands at far right. (Screengrab of the 20th Judicial District’s live feed via WebEx)
Dr. Meredith Frank testified in Boulder District Court that the manner of death of all five Boulder mass shooting victims on which she performed autopsies was homicide. Pathologists explained that homicide, in their legal language, means
Dr. Meredith Frank testified in Boulder District Court that the manner of death of all five Boulder mass shooting victims on which she performed autopsies was homicide. Pathologists explained that homicide, in their legal language, means “dead at the hands of another person.” (Screengrab of the 20th Judicial District’s livefeed via WebEx)
On Sept. 11, 2024, Dr. Dan Lingamfelter describes the injuries to five of the ten Boulder mass shooting victims. (Screengrab of the 20th Judicial District's livefeed via WebEx)
On Sept. 11, 2024, Dr. Dan Lingamfelter describes the injuries to five of the ten Boulder mass shooting victims. (Screengrab of the 20th Judicial District’s livefeed via WebEx)
From top left to right: Denny Stong; Lynn Murray; Tralona Bartkowiak; Neven Stanisic; Teri Leiker.From bottom left to right: Jody Waters; Rikki Olds; Kevin Mahoney; Suzanne Fountain; Eric Talley. (Denver Gazette file photos compiled by Tom Hellauer)
From top left to right: Denny Stong; Lynn Murray; Tralona Bartkowiak; Neven Stanisic; Teri Leiker.From bottom left to right: Jody Waters; Rikki Olds; Kevin Mahoney; Suzanne Fountain; Eric Talley. (Denver Gazette file photos compiled by Tom Hellauer)


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