“We are absolutely shocked by what happened and our hearts are broken for the victims and families that have been left behind,” John Mark Eagleton, owner of the Eagles Nest Armory in Arvada, said in a statement.
The store “will continue to cooperate fully” with investigators, Eagleton said.
“Ensuring that all sales that occur in our store are legal, have always been and always will be the highest priority for our business,” said the statement.
“With respect to the firearm in question, a background check of the buyer was conducted as required by Colorado law and approval for the sale was provided by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.”
Nothing in the federal system would have prevented Alissa from going through a background check and buying a firearm, a police source had previously told CNN.
The suspect pleaded guilty to a third-degree assault misdemeanor charge in 2018 after attacking a schoolmate a year earlier, according to court documents and a police report. He was sentenced to one year of probation, 48 hours of community service and rabies response treatment, court documents say.
Suspect emerged from county jail after threats
Alissa was removed from the county jail after police learned of “threats to him” from other inmates, a prison official told CNN.
He was relocated on Wednesday morning, according to Jeff Goetz, Boulder County Jail Division Chief.
Alissa never had direct contact with the inmates and was not injured, but other inmates asked about him and made threats, according to Goetz. These questions were addressed to other officers.
The action preceded Alissa’s initial appearance in court on Thursday, where he was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. He remained seated in a wheelchair with a face mask and only spoke when the judge asked if he understood his rights.
During Thursday’s lawsuit, Alissa’s lawyer, Kathryn Herold, noted that a thorough assessment of her “mental illness” was needed.
“We cannot begin to assess the nature and depth of Alissa’s mental illness until we have the government’s discovery,” she added.
The presiding judge, Thomas F. Mulvahill, agreed to schedule the next hearing in “about 60 to 90 days”.
“I want to make sure that the defense has ample opportunity to prepare to move forward,” added Mulvahill.
Vigils are held for friends to honor those who have been lost
As the judicial process progresses, community residents continue to show support to the friends and family of the people killed in the shooting.
The victims were: police officer Eric Talley, 51; store manager Rikki Olds, 25; store employee Denny Stong, 20; store employee Teri Leiker, 51; Neven Stanisic, 23; Tralona “Lonna” Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65.
On Thursday, a vigil was held at Boulder’s Fairview High School. Jana Bledsoe, a local elementary school teacher, attended the meeting and spoke with CNN about how she met Officer Talley.
“He was a remarkable human being. Most of the incidents were very, very minor, related to mental health, homeless people who end up on our campus,” she said. “He managed them in such a beautiful, emotional and compassionate way.”
“[Talley] went over there, sat down with him and just said, ‘Hey, friend. What are you doing? ‘”She said, while Talley“ put her arm around him and said,’ I understand ‘, while the man was washing his clothes.
“He was at our school on Saturday. He was the type of person I wish we could populate the entire planet with.”
Betsy Prowell attended the vigil with her family, who talked about growing up on the same street as the supermarket.
“We are here today to support our community, and Boulder, we are trying to stay strong. We live right down the street, about five blocks … we know everyone, a lot or almost everyone who works there. This is our neighborhood.” said Prowell.
“Everyone in Boulder is suffering now. Everyone in the nation is suffering. Boulder will never be the same, our nation will never be the same,” she said.
‘He’s a real person’
Ellen Mahoney, Kevin’s wife for 35 years, and his daughter Erika expressed their deep appreciation for the support received by friends and others across the country.
“He was so kind to everyone, and I think one thing we want people to know is that he is a real person, and his loss has a ripple effect for many people and for the Boulder community and beyond,” said Erika, noting that she is pregnant and that Kevin was elated for her.
Ellen said she is grateful for last year with Kevin, while they endured the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It gave us time to be together. It reminded me almost like the beginning of our marriage. We took a lot of walks, cooked together, watched TV together,” she said. “I am very grateful for the past year, because we both worked together as a team in very difficult circumstances.”
While the family suffered after the shooting, Ellen received a letter of condolence that she would like to share on the air.
She read: “‘If you are in pain and suffering, remember who you really are and breathe. You are as vast as the sky, as bright as the stars, as wide as the ocean, as strong as a mountain and as beautiful as the first flower blooming in spring. ‘”
CNN’s Ray Sanchez, Keith Allen, Jason Hanna and Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.