Shooter’s sanity at issue as trial begins in Colorado supermarket mass killing

Associated Press

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A prosecutor says a man who killed 10 people in a Colorado supermarket mass shooting knew what he was doing and was sane but his attorney says that wasn’t the case. The murder trial for Ahmad Alissa began Thursday in Boulder, the college town where the shooting happened in 2021. No one including Alissa’s lawyers disputes that Alissa was the shooter. But Alissa has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Alissa was diagnosed with schizophrenia after the shooting and his attorney argued Thursday he suffered from hallucinations and delusions. The prosecutor told jurors that Alissa’s behavior showed he was sane and can be held criminally responsible. Alissa faces 10 counts of murder and other charges.