Man charged in supermarket attack incompetent for trial
The man charged with killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket last year remains mentally incompetent to stand trial, according to experts at the state mental hospital.
Their findings about the mental health of Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 23, were disclosed during a short court hearing Thursday. Alissa is accused of shooting outside the King Soopers store in Boulder on March 22, 2021 and then opening fire inside — killing customers, workers and a police officer who tried to stop the carnage. He surrendered after another officer shot and wounded him.
Court proceedings against Alissa had been on hold since December when Judge Ingrid Bakke first ruled he was not competent to stand trial because he could not understand legal proceedings or work with his lawyers to defend himself. She sent him to the state mental hospital for treatment.
Bakke ruled again in April that he was still mentally incompetent. However, she said at the time that experts at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo thought there was a substantial probability that Alissa could be restored to competency and remain competent by taking medication.
The judge on Thursday set another hearing for Oct. 21 to check in on the status of Alissa's mental health.
Investigators have not made public information about why they believe Alissa launched the supermarket attack.
He lived in the nearby suburb of Arvada, where authorities say he passed a background check to legally buy the Ruger AR-556 pistol six days before the attack.
