Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa biography: 13 things about Syrian man from Arvada, Colorado

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa is a Syrian-American man from Arvada, Colorado, United States. He is interested in computer engineering, computer science and kickboxing.

Who is Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa?

Born in Raqqa, Syria, Alissa has 10 siblings including Ali Aliwi Alissa, who is 13 years older than him. Ahmad is very anti-social and had become increasingly paranoid around 2014, according to Ali.

A sister of Ahmad, who is 9 years older than him, described him as nice and quiet. One day, while having lunch with her in a restaurant, according to Ali, he told her there were people in the parking lot looking for him but when she went out, there was no one. 

As a high school student, Ahmad got bullied a lot. He would describe being chased, having someone behind him and being looked for by someone, according to Ali.

Ahmad described himself as a 138-pound wrestler trying to make the world a better place. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. In 2002, he and his family moved to the U.S.
2. From March 2015 to May 2018, he attended Arvada West High School in Arvada.
3. In 2017, he was arrested after allegedly cold cocking a classmate at school. He was accused of punching the victim in the head. He claimed that weeks before the attack, the victim made fun of him and called him racial names.
4. On Facebook, he shared posts against gay marriage, abortion and Donald Trump’s stance on immigration. He often posted about mixed martial arts and jiu jitsu and sometimes about Islam. In April 2016, he posted a photo of himself wearing an Arvada West High School uniform while walking on a wrestling mat.
5. In 2018, he pleaded guilty to an assault charge in the case related to the classmate he allegedly attacked in 2017. In May 2018, he graduated from Arvada West High School.
6. In July 2019, he wrote on Facebook, “Yeah if these racist islamophobic people would stop hacking my phone and let me have a normal life I probably could.”
7. On March 16, 2021, he passed a background check and purchased a Ruger AR-556 from Eagles Nest Armory, a gun shop in Arvada owned by John Mark Eagleton. Using the military-style rifle, he fired at the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado on March 22, 2021, killing Denny Stong, 20, Neven Stanisic, 23, Rikki Olds, 25, Tralona Bartkowiak, 49, Suzanne Fountain, 59, Teri Leiker, 51, Eric Talley, 51, Kevin Mahoney, 61, Lynn Murray, 62, and Jody Waters, 65.
8. On March 22, 2021, he was arrested. He refused to answer the police officers who were questioning him and wanted to speak with his mother. His Facebook page was deleted after his arrest.
9. On March 25, 2021, he made his initial court appearance before Thomas F. Mulvahill. Represented by Kathryn Herold, he was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. On April 21, 2021, prosecutors filed a motion to amend the charging document. Aside from 10 counts of first-degree murder, he was also charged with 33 counts of attempted first-degree murder, 10 counts of using a prohibited large capacity magazine during a crime and one count of first-degree assault.
10. On August 23, 2023, prosecutors announced that he was mentally competent to stand trial. On October 6, 2023, a judge ruled that he was mentally competent to stand trial.
11. On November 14, 2023, he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and his bond was set at $100 million.
12. On April 17, 2024, he turned 25.
13. On September 23, 2024, he was convicted of 10 counts of murder and 45 other felony counts and sentenced to sentenced to 10 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.