Despite having a misdemeanor conviction for assault, the Colorado man who killed ten people in a rampage at a Boulder supermarket on Monday cleared a state background check to purchase the weapon used in the massacre, the owner of the gun shop that sold the weapon said Friday.
According to CNN, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa purchased a Ruger AR-556 on March 16th at the Eagles Nest Armory in Arvada, according to the store owner, John Mark Eagleton. Eagleton stated that Alissa passed the background check approved by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
“We are absolutely shocked by what happened and our hearts are broken for the victims and families that are left behind,” Eagleton said in a statement. “Ensuring every sale that occurs at our shop is lawful, has always been and will always remain the highest priority for our business. Regarding the firearm in question, a background check of the purchaser was conducted as required by Colorado law and approval for the sale was provided by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.”
Alissa pleaded guilty to third-degree misdemeanor assault in 2017 for an attack on a high school student a year earlier. He was sentenced to one year probation, 48 hours of community service and anger management counseling.