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LAST UPDATE | 23 Mar 2021
COLORADO POLICE HAVE charged a 21-year-old man with 10 counts of murder, a day after a mass shooting at a supermarket in the city of Boulder.
“This suspect has been identified as Ahmad Alissa, 21,” Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold told a news conference.
Herold said the suspect was hospitalised in stable condition after being shot in an exchange of gunfire with officers following the attack on Monday afternoon.
“He is charged with 10 counts of murder in the first degree and will be shortly transported to Boulder county jail,” she said.
The police chief also read out, one by one, the names of the 10 people killed in the attack, men and women aged from 20 to 65 who included a police officer and father of seven.
Police said they had not yet established a motive.
“My heart aches today,” said Governor Jared Polis. “And I think all of ours does, as Coloradans, as Americans, for this senseless tragedy, loss of life as we hear those names.”
Police said residents of the “small community” of Boulder county would be anxiously studying the list of victims for names they recognised.
“People of all ages, people who started their day, reading the morning paper or perhaps getting their kids ready… Maybe they were making last-minute spring break plans, but none of them expected that this would be their last day here on the planet,” he added.
Addressing the same press conference, Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty vowed that “the killer’s name will live in infamy.”
“We will make sure that the suspect is held accountable for what he did to them yesterday,” he said.
At an earlier press conference, investigators said they had started sorting through evidence and witness interviews but did not yet have details on a motive for the shooting at the King Soopers store in Boulder, which is about 25 miles northwest of Denver and home to the University of Colorado.
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said: “This is a tragedy and a nightmare for Boulder County.
“These were people going about their day, doing their shopping. I promise the victims and the people of the state of Colorado that we will secure justice.”
The attack was the seventh mass killing this year in the US, following last week’s shooting that left eight people dead at three Atlanta-area massage businesses.
The killed officer was identified as Eric Talley (51) who had been with Boulder police since 2010, Herold said.
“He was by all accounts one of the outstanding officers of the Boulder Police Department, and his life was cut too short,” Dougherty said.
Rest In peace Officer Eric Talley. Your service will never be forgotten #BoulderShooting pic.twitter.com/FVximvhS2E
— Boulder Police Dept. (@boulderpolice) March 23, 2021
Matthew Kirsch, the acting US attorney for Colorado, pledged that “the full weight of federal law enforcement” will support the investigation.
He said investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the crime scene, along with FBI agents.
Officers had escorted a shirtless man with blood running down his leg out of the store in handcuffs but authorities would not say if he was the suspect at the time.
Dean Schiller told The Associated Press that he had just left the supermarket when he heard gunshots and saw three people lying face down, two in the car park and one near the doorway.
He said he “couldn’t tell if they were breathing”.
Video posted on YouTube showed one person on the floor inside the store and two more outside on the ground. What sounds like two gunshots are also heard at the beginning of the video.
Law enforcement vehicles and officers massed outside the store, including Swat teams, and at least three helicopters landed on the roof.
At one point, authorities said over a loudspeaker that the building was surrounded and that “you need to surrender”.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis tweeted a statement that his “heart is breaking as we watch this unspeakable event unfold in our Boulder community”.
Assault weapon ban
US President Joe Biden called for the country to ban assault weapons, urging Congress to act on gun control in the wake of yesterday’s deadly shooting.
“I don’t need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take common sense steps that will save lives in the future – and to urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act,” Biden said in an address from the White House.
“We can ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines in this country once again,” said Biden, recalling that Congress previously overcame its divisions to pass a 10-year ban on assault weapons back in 1994.
“I got that done when I was a senator. It passed,” said Biden – who was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time.
“It was a law for the longest time. And it brought down these mass killings. We should do it again.”
Tighter gun control is overwhelmingly popular with Americans, and championed by Biden’s Democrats, but Republicans have long stood against what a minority view as any infringement on their right to bear arms.
This month the House of Representatives passed two measures aimed at enhancing background checks and closing a loophole related to a deadly 2015 church shooting in Charleston.
The bills address a hugely popular premise among American voters: that background checks should be required for all US firearm sales, including those at gun shows.
“That’s one of the best tools we have right now to prevent gun violence,” Biden said of the legislation.
The Senate should immediately pass – let me say it again: The United States Senate, I hope some are listening – should immediately pass the two House-passed bills that close loopholes in the background check system.
Biden said last month he wanted Congress to go further and pass laws that would require background checks on all gun sales and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
“This is not and should not be a partisan issue,” he said. “This is an American issue. It will save lives. American lives. And we have to act.”
- With reporting from AFP
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First they can’t use the blue lights and sirens, now they can’t use the boats, what next ? The people at the upper escellons of the Coast Guard and the Dept. of Transport need to cop on and properly resource and train what is a front-line emergency service.
@Jonathan McCoy: escellons? bawahaha
@SF Knee Knockers: bawahaha? Bwahaha!
@Jonathan McCoy: maybe it’s a manufacturer fault rather than blaming the government for everything?
@Paul Furey: I’ll make any sound I like, thank you very much.
@Jonathan McCoy: echelons.
@Jonathan McCoy: ah Jonathan you know it’s Ireland “Nero fiddled while Rome burned” need I say more.
@SF Knee Knockers: Woop, woop, its the sound of the (vocabulary) police
Have huge respect for the Coast Guard, hope this is resolved soon
@Martin Harte: I genuinely don’t see why it’s such drastic action. They could have a few of these to each station in the morning and if the rest were needed on anger they are also manual inflate if needed. If in the low possibility they fail. Why do the government dept make a drama out of every tiny thing this happens lots and probably never mention LSE that’s beyond inspection. Total scaremongering.
Not good for this to happen ! They are need 365 …24hrs
@Galwaygogo: they are absolutely justified, what use is a faulty life jacket to a rescuer. Hopefully it’s something that can be quickly fixed. And fair play to them for publicising the issue.
Massive respect for the coast guard. Always
This is shocking. Non functioning life jackets puts volunteers at serious risk. Non functioning coast guard service puts the public at risk. This needs fixing by coast guard management immediately.
@Dermot Mc Brierty: The public should also refrain from going out in boats etc. during bad weather. Putting themselves and Coast Guard members at risk if something goes wrong. Some people are very selfish when taking unnecessary risks.
@Philomena Stack: especially during storms people do r€tarded sh!t
@Philomena Stack: true, but sometimes things go wrong at sea. Either way, coast guard will come to their aid.
@Dermot Mc Brierty: the RNLI and Naval Service are still available to provide aid at sea. The issue is the coast guard boats are river and close into the coastline, I’m not sure if the RNLI and navy can fill the gap now left by the necessary decision to suspend coast guard boats
Ah, go on lads…. Give us a clue what locations they are being withdrawn from.
@Dave Farrington: that would be all of them
@Dermot Mc Brierty: They changed the headline from 23 to all
@Dave Farrington:
Headline changed and story updated since 1st post. Another fine example of lazy journalism by The Journal putting out part of a story then updating it hours later.
Could we have the make and model number of the faulty life jacket. Many other boat users could also be using the same lifejacket unaware of the possible danger.
@Jimmy Brandon:
I would guess that these life jackets would probably be top notch for every other person who works at the sea, but, this being an agency with civil servant input, their gear would have to be of the standard above that of the astronauts who space walk. I see it all the time. Why can’t they just go to their nearest marine supply store and buy some new ones for gods sake.
Hopefully resolved soon! A vital service to our County!!
@Derek O’ Meara.: what about the other counties?
@Vocal Outrage: think the landlocked ones are probably safe enough!
Hopefully no loss of life while this is being resolved. Massive respect for the members of the CG. Heroes, one and all.
Can they go down to the local army shop and buy some new ones?
@HonDeDeise: If that’s meant to be funny it’s not ! People’s lives are at risk . Nothing funny about that
@HonDeDeise: Too high a chance that they’ll go deaf as well…
Could someone explain the difference between the coastguard and the RNLI please. Would an area have either one or the other? Do they perform different roles?
@Squiddley Diddley: RNLI is a charity organization, coast guard are government agency. Coast guard have some boats, cliff rescue climbers, 4 helicopters, search and rescue teams etc. RNLI have boats (some all weather, capable of much rougher seas than CG ribs). RNLI are a resource available to coast guard marine rescue coordination centers. That’s the basics
@Squiddley Diddley: Coastguard is Government and RNLI is not. That’s why the Coastguard gear is dodgy but RNLI’s is not.
Thanks Lads.
i never believed in inflation pfds. quite tricky to don and deploy correctly at best of times. Always use an old fashioned thick foam jacket, dorky and sweaty but totally reliable.
@Dan Clabby: and some people don’t believe the world is round, but there you go. Anyone who actually works professionally at sea or has any respect for it knows the importance and convenience of PFDs over your Titanic-esque think foam jacket that would just get in the way
@Dan Clabby:
T
@Dan Clabby:
They have a shelf life after which they lose their buoyancy, and they can also lose buoyancy after a certain period in the water. Old fashioned isn’t always best.
So was someone cutting some serious safety corners when buying those lifejackets or were they just asleep at the helm?
The country FUKushimaED
Irish Coastguards great brave people badly managed by a bunch of incompetent highly paid buffoons.
The jackets are not suitable for carrying their guns.
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