'Very Anti-Social': Suspect in Boulder Supermarket Massacre Was Paranoid, Brother Says

[babylonsister]

‘Very Anti-Social’: Suspect in Boulder Supermarket Massacre Was Paranoid, Brother Says
LIVES LOST
Police also identified the ten people who lost their lives when the 21-year-old gunman allegedly opened fire on Monday afternoon.
Pilar Melendez
National Reporter
Updated Mar. 23, 2021 11:19AM ET / Published Mar. 23, 2021 11:00AM ET


Authorities on Tuesday have identified the gunman who allegedly killed 10 individuals, including a police officer, at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder as 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa.

Alissa, who is from Arvada, has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder for the massacre. He was taken into custody after being shot during apprehension.

Ali Aliwi Alissa, the suspect’s 34-year-old brother, confirmed to The Daily Beast that authorities searched his house all night after the shooting.

He described his brother as “very anti-social” and paranoid, and said that, in high school, he would describe “being chased, someone is behind him, someone is looking for him.”

“When he was having lunch with my sister in a restaurant, he said, ‘People are in the parking lot, they are looking for me.’ She went out, and there was no one. We didn’t know what was going on in his head,” Alissa said, admitting that he believes his brother is mentally ill.

more... (pay wall/pix at link)

https://www.thedailybeast.com/boulder-colorado-cops-identify-king-soopers-supermarket-massacre-suspect-as-ahmad-alissa?ref=home

[Aristus]

1. Nice of his brother to pony up an insanity defense for him.

But a court-appointed psychiatrist has to do that, there, Skippy.

We'll see...

[babylonsister]

4. I think he must be insane to do what he did. nt

[PortTack]

2. Two words....gun control

[SoCalDavidS]

5. That's Not Gonna Fly, Got Another Answer?

[FSogol]

8. It is past time to make that fly. n/t

[exboyfil]

15. Avoid public gatherings

Have groceries delivered.

Sorry, I don't have one. Maybe move to a country with sane gun laws.

[maxsolomon]

28. ARe you dismissing that as a cynic or as a 2nd Am Absolutist?

Because we already control guns. Full-automatics are tightly controlled.

It's a matter of where society chooses to draw the line.

[SoCalDavidS]

35. I'm A Cynic

We are a nation obsessed with guns, and until that changes, we're going to have these incidents every single day.

[maxsolomon]

40. I'm just about there as well.

the portion of the nation 'obsessed' with guns is shrinking, though. they just have more and more guns.

[babylonsister]

31. What's your answer? Do you have

a problem with banning AR-15s? What exactly is their purpose besides being really effective at killing people?

Yes, I know the shooters are bonkers and mental health needs to be addressed, but in the meantime, what's the problem with trying to get a grip on the killer weapons out there?

[SoCalDavidS]

36. I Have No Problem With Any Bans

I simply don't see any headway being made, and find it almost a lost cause at this point.

We can't even get legislation passed that probably won't even have an impact. The chances of anything substantial happening are slim to none.

[RainCaster]

6. Boulder had that, until a GOP judge happened last week

Boulder had a law banning assault rifles, and it was overturned last week. I wonder if that judge is having second thoughts on his decision.

[sanatanadharma]

12. So the killer was simply celebrating being able to open carry the once banned gun

So perhaps the killer was simply celebrating being able to open carry the recently unbanned gun.

[onenote]

22. GOP judge? He was appointed by Hickenlooper, who is a Democrat.

[RainCaster]

41. Oops. My mistake.

I had assumed that such a decision could only be made by a republican. That appears to not be the case.

[jimfields33]

10. And perhaps the family should have gotten him help as well

I can’t believe they just didn’t do anything. Anti social, paranoid with examples and they just didn’t get him help?

[Arazi]

13. Paranoid schizophrenia typically emerges in a person's early 20s

It's possible Al Issa is in the early stages of schizophrenia and the family is still in the denial/ignorance stage.

It's also very very very difficult to treat adult schizophrenics. They're notoriously hard to stay on the meds even with a supportive family.

Not saying Al Issa is actually a schizophrenic. Way too little info to determine

[jimfields33]

16. Good point.

I remember President Obama at one point wanted everyone to keep an eye out for neighbors and friends who May act strange. Not sure why we have let that go. Had we not, some of these tragedies might not have happened.

[LisaL]

33. From what his brother said, he was already exhibiting this behavior in high school.

It certainly sounds like paranoid schizophrenia to me, but likely not early stages, as he has been apparently exhibiting it for a while. Age of onset can be in teens.

[Arazi]

38. Yes I see that now. I'll be interested in how he progressed/timeline

I watched a close friend descend into full blown paranoid schizophrenia over the course of 2 years. By 21 years old he was tremendously troubled and refused to continue his meds.

His mother was from Togo (he was biracial) and she took him back to Africa to prevent him from having easy access to guns here in the US. They settled in a very remote area and I've lost touch unfortunately.

There's almost no help for families who have someone with profound mental health issues here in the US. It's a terrible situation.

[exboyfil]

18. It is a revolving door

and not very many long term options.

My daughter deals with it daily as a mental health nurse. She has been assaulted several times since starting the job 3 1/2 years ago - X-rays, CT scan, and police statements. Other than make due weapons, at least she doesn't have to face guns and knives.

A lot of these patients assault family members. That is how they end up on her floor. Sometimes you send them to jail, and they come right back to the caregivers they assaulted.

[jimfields33]

20. Oh wow. I hope your daughter stays safe as can be.

What a tough profession. I’d rather her get the salary football players get.

[maxsolomon]

25. And that's why so many end up on the streets without any support systems.

They alienate their families.

[gratuitous]

3. He couldn't get help or treatment for his mental illness

But he sure as hell could get an AR-15. National priorities, and we don't seem inclined to re-think or change them.

[FSogol]

7. +1, Correct. n/t

[uponit7771]

9. right ?! Trump Made It Easier For Mentally Ill To Get Guns (link)

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/president-trump-made-it-easier-mentally-ill-get-guns-when-n1039301

[underpants]

11. Very sad but true.

[padah513]

14. Wasn't the guy in Georgia 21?

WTH is up with young guys these days?

[maxsolomon]

19. Young men are very often these killers.

Then middle-aged guys like the Las Vegas shooter.

There will always be angry young men.

[RussBLib]

17. A gun for you! A gun for you!

We live in a pretty sick culture with lots of contradictions.

Lots of good. Lots of bad, but we can't seem to do much about the bad shit.

[womanofthehills]

21. Drug use often causes paranoia

I’ve seen it in kids who were never paranoid before.

[maxsolomon]

24. Do you have any indication that this is the case here?

Are you suggesting he's an acid casualty? Because that's the only drug I know of that triggers schizophrenia: Syd Barrett, Skip Spence.

[gldstwmn]

27. Meth? Too much combined with no sleep

will easily provoke a mental health incident.

[maxsolomon]

29. Just no sleep will do it.

I have family that had that reaction due to tinnitus - luckily she doesn't have a MSSA.

[Mopar151]

30. Good ol crystal meth/ PCP

Will take a little paranoia, and "monsterize" it.

PCP "enthusiasts" (Aaron Hernandez) seem to quite enjoy murderous paranoia.

[bluestarone]

32. If his brother knew he had a GUN and DID NOT contact anyone?

HE owns part of this!!

[leftstreet]

37. +1

[dalton99a]

34. Previous history:

Alissa has a minor criminal history in Colorado, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and court records.

He was convicted of misdemeanor assault in 2018 for an incident that happened in 2017, and was sentenced to two months of probation and 48 hours of community service.

Alissa, then 18, attacked a classmate at Arvada West High School, according to an affidavit filed in the case. He punched the classmate in the head without warning, and when the boy fell to the ground, Alissa continued to punch him. The classmate suffered bruises and cuts to his head, according to the affidavit.

Witnesses told police they didn’t see or hear any reason for Alissa to attack the classmate. Alissa told officers that the classmate “had made fun of him and called him racial names weeks earlier,” according to the affidavit.

Arvada police Detective Dave Snelling also confirmed the local department had at least two interactions with Alissa over the past several years, including cases of simple assault and criminal mischief, though additional details weren’t immediately available.

https://www.denverpost.com/2021/03/23/boulder-shooting-updates-tuesday-suspect/

[a kennedy]

39. IT'S JUST SO SAD..........😭 🤬 😢 🤬 😢 🤬

No effective gun laws, not much help for mental patients or families dealing with a family member that HAS mental disabilities. Now the family members and friends of the 10 people murdered have to deal with the horrible sense of loss and FOR NO GOOD DAMN REASON except, not effective gun laws and not much help for mental patients.......it’s a vicious cycle. I don’t know what can fix it. It’s just so sad.