Colorado shooting: Gunman kills 10 at US supermarket

Suspect arrested after killing at a supermarket in the US city of Boulder – the second shooting in less than a week in the US.

At least 10 people have been killed, including a police officer, in a shooting at a supermarket in the US city of Boulder, Colorado less than a week after eight people were shot dead in the US city of Atlanta.

Police arrested a suspect but did not reveal his name or any details about the shooting at an evening news conference.

Investigators had just begun sorting through evidence and witness interviews and did not have details on a motive for the shooting, said Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty, adding that because families were still being notified, the victims’ names have not been released.

“This is a tragedy and a nightmare for Boulder County, and in response, we have cooperation and assistance from local, state and federal authorities,” he added.

The shooting occurred at about 3pm local time (21:00 GMT) at a King Soopers supermarket in the Table Mesa area of Boulder, a city at the eastern foot of the Rockies about 45 kilometres (28 miles) northwest of Denver.

Law enforcement officers sweep the parking lot at the site of a shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, March 22, 2021 [Kevin Mohatt/ Reuters]
Authorities said the suspect was receiving medical treatment and there was no further threat to the public.

Video footage from the scene broadcast earlier by television stations showed a shirtless, bearded man in boxer shorts being led away from the shop in handcuffs, before he was placed on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance.

The man in custody appeared to have a bloody leg and was limping as he walked.

Commander Kerry Yamaguchi of the Boulder Police Department said police were still investigating and did not have details on a motive for the violence.

‘Heart-breaking’

Colorado Governor Jared Polis said on Twitter that his “heart is breaking as we watch this unspeakable event unfold in our Boulder community”.

He added, “My prayers are with our fellow Coloradans in this time of sadness and grief as we learn more about the extent of the tragedy.”

The FBI and agents of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting police and sheriff’s deputies in the investigation, authorities said.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting.

In a statement, the King Soopers chain offered “thoughts, prayers and support to our associates, customers, and the first responders who so bravely responded to this tragic situation. We will continue to cooperate with local law enforcement and our store will remain closed during the police investigation.”

The attack is the seventh mass killing this year in the US, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, and follows a March 16 shooting that left eight people dead at three Atlanta-area spas.

There was a lull in mass shootings during the pandemic in 2020, which had the smallest number of such attacks in more than 10 years, according to the database, which tracks mass killings defined as four or more dead, not including the attacker.
Source: Al Jazeera and News agencies