Boulder police made the comments on Twitter, responding to what it said “comments made by some in our community that questioned our agents’ response time.”
Police have said they are still trying to figure out a motive for the shooting.
The suspect passed a background check when buying a gun, shop owner says
“We are absolutely shocked by what has happened and our hearts are broken for the victims and families left behind,” John Mark Eagleton, the owner of Eagles Nest Armory in Arvada, said in a statement.
The gun store will continue to cooperate fully with investigators, Eagleton said.
“Making sure every sale that takes place in our store is legal has been and will always be the top priority for our company,” the statement said.
“With respect to the firearm in question, a background check of the purchaser was conducted as required by Colorado law and clearance for sale was issued by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.”
Nothing in the federal system would have prevented Alissa from passing a background check and purchasing a firearm, a law enforcement source had previously told CNN.
According to court documents and a police report, the suspect pleaded guilty to a felony third-degree assault in 2018 after assaulting a high school classmate a year earlier. He was sentenced to one year probation, 48 hours of community service and treatment for anger, court documents said.
‘Why that King Soopers? Why Boulder? Why Monday? ‘
“I think the families of the victims and the community are desperate for the motive,” he told reporters. “We want to know the motive. And that will be the focus of our efforts going forward. Whether or not we can determine it remains to be seen.”
Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said, “Why the King Soopers? Why Boulder? Why Monday? Unfortunately, we still don’t have those answers right now.”
The presiding judge, Thomas F. Mulvahill, agreed to hold the next hearing in “approximately 60 to 90 days”.
The suspect has been moved from the county prison after threats
Alissa has been expelled from district jail after officers became aware of “threats to him” from other inmates, a prison official told CNN.
Jeff Goetz, head of the Boulder County Jail Department, said he was transferred early Wednesday.
Alissa never had direct contact with the inmates and was not injured, but other inmates asked about him and made threats, Goetz said. These questions were addressed to other officers.
CNN’s Travis Caldwell, Samira Said, Ray Sanchez, Keith Allen and Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.