Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he is ruling out suspicions that the mass shooting in Boulder on Monday was an act of terrorism, but he added that the incident is still under investigation.
More information will emerge, given the number of witnesses and those who knew the suspect coming forward with stories, Polis said. The shooting, which took place at a grocery store, left 10 people dead.
“From a preliminary perspective, there’s been comments from the brother, the family, that there were concerns about this individual’s mental health,” Polis told MSNBC on Wednesday. “Again, there’s no reason to suspect any connection to terrorism. I think it’s likely to be an instance where it’s at an age where, you know, people might come unbalanced. So, we’ll find out. We don’t want to conclude anything before the investigation’s done.”
The man suspected to have opened fire on shoppers is 21-year-old Ahmad al Aliwi Alissa.
His former teammates on his high school wrestling team told the Denver Post that he had a short temper and was concerned over being targeted for his Muslim faith. Al Aliwi Alissa pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in 2018 and was sentenced to probation and 48 hours of community service, according to court records.
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Al Aliwi Alissa was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. He was shot in the thigh and hospitalized during the apprehension.
Ali Aliwi Alissa, the 34-year-old brother of the suspect, doesn’t believe his brother’s actions were politically motivated, but he described him as having episodes of paranoia when he was younger. He described the alleged gunman as being anti-social.
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“[It was] not at all a political statement. It’s mental illness,” he said. “The guy used to get bullied a lot in high school. He was an outgoing kid, but after he went to high school and got bullied a lot, he started becoming anti-social.”
Authorities are still investigating the shooting and said it is too early to determine any motives for the killings.
