Gun shop owner says Boulder mass attack suspect obtained gun legally and passed background check



A gun shop owner confirmed that the suspect in the mass attack at the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, obtained his gun legally and had passed a background check.

CNN was able to identify the gun store from which the suspect bought the gun used in the attack based on information gained from a senior law enforcement source.

"We are absolutely shocked by what happened and our hearts are broken for the victims and families that are left behind," said John Mark Eagleton, the owner of Eagles Nest Armory in Arvada.

"Ensuring that every sale that occurs at our shop is lawful, has always been and 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 of the sale was provided by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. We have and will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement as their investigation continues," Eagleton concluded.

The report said that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa bought a Ruger AR-556 on March 16 just days before the attack that took 10 lives, including one police officer, and injured several others.

Although the suspect had a misdemeanor on his record, that would not have prevented him from purchasing a firearm legally.

KUSA-TV also reported that the gun store was located very close to a restaurant that was owned by the suspect's family.

Also on Friday, law enforcement officials said that they decided to move Alissa from one correctional facility to a new one after he received death threats to his safety.

Prosecutors say Alissa faces ten counts of murder and one of attempted murder, but that they will likely add new charges later. Alissa did not enter a plea at a court hearing on Thursday.

Officials are not concluding what the motive might have been for the suspect, who is a Syrian native. His family has suggested that he suffers from mental illness and that he had grown paranoid in recent years.

"We cannot begin to assess the nature and depth of Mr. Alissa's mental illness until we have the discovery from the government," said Kathryn Herold, an attorney for Alissa, at the Thursday hearing.

Here's a local news report about the gun sale:

King Soopers suspect passed background to purchase weaponwww.youtube.com

Former CNN producer calls for network to stop Don Lemon's 'dangerous' and 'offensive' rhetoric



A former CNN producer called out his old network for allowing host Don Lemon to continue airing "dangerous" and "offensive" rhetoric after the heinous attack at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, that took 10 lives.

Lemon criticized Republicans and blamed gun laws for the attack on innocent people at a King Soopers grocery store on Monday. Law enforcement officials have not concluded what the suspect's motives might have been, but his relatives have come forward and admitted that he had mental issues.

"Someone at CNN needs to step in. This hyperbole isn't just offensive, it's actually dangerous," tweeted Steve Krakauer.

Someone at CNN needs to step in. This hyperbole isn’t just offensive, it’s actually dangerous. https://t.co/iABa9jkjs7
— Steve Krakauer (@Steve Krakauer)1616562094.0

Krakauer was responding to a collection of incendiary chyron messages that accompanied Lemon's screed advocating for draconian gun control measures.

"Every single one of us is just playing the odds at this point," Lemon said during his comments. "The odds that in a country of 325 million souls, that we won't be the ones that will get hit by the next bullets that start flying. We won't be the one that gets that phone call about someone you love who did, that phone call that changes your life."

Krakauer included a tweet of the chyrons by NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck, who also objected to Lemon's rhetoric.

"I know I say it all the time, but I'll say it again -- with people like Don Lemon in such a prominent position, if you're on the right, CNN truly hates you. They hate what you think, how you vote, and how you live your lives," Houck said.

Among the chyrons during the segment were the messages, "The 2nd Amendment doesn't require us to submit to a lifetime of mass carnage," and "Why are we willing to tolerate an obscene loss of life?"

CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Fox News reported.

Lemon previously made headlines when he excoriated Catholics and other Christians for holding to traditional values rather than caving to the LGBTQ agenda.

Here's the segment of Lemon's comments:

'Please look at your screen': Lemon's emotional gun control plea | CNN Internationalwww.youtube.com