A store where the suspect in the Colorado grocery store massacre bought his gun reportedly said the sale was lawful after he passed a background check.
Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, bought his AR-15 style Ruger AR-556 from the Eagles Nest Armory in Arvada, about 20 miles southeast of Boulder, 9NEWS reported.
The store’s owner, John Mark Eagleton, said the accused gunman passed a background check before making the purchase.
“We are absolutely shocked by what has happened and our hearts are broken for the victims and families who have been left behind,” he wrote in a statement to the outlet.
“Making sure every sale that takes place in our store is legal has been and will always be the top priority for our company,” continued Eagleton.
“With regard 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,” he wrote.
“We have and will fully cooperate with law enforcement while their investigation continues,” the owner added.
Alissa bought the Ruger on March 16, shortly after the firearm was made legal in Boulder, where he is said to have massacred ten people in a King Soopers supermarket six days later.
The Syrian native – who is facing 10 counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder – appeared in court Thursday for a procedural hearing in the mass murder case.
He is still in the Boulder County Sheriff’s custody, but is now being placed in a correctional facility outside the county after prison staff became aware of security concerns and threats.