Sarah Moonshadow was buying strawberries and tea with her son at her local grocery store on March 22, 2021, when she immediately recognized the sound of gunshots outside the store.

“I heard gunshots and falling bodies,” Moonshadow said.

Moonshadow and her son hid behind the cash register, and while her son begged her to run down an aisle, Moonshadow counted the shots and waited to reload.

“I kept telling him not to do that,” Moonshadow said. “He just looked like my little baby again. He’s so small and innocent and I just couldn’t let that be the last look on his face.”

Moonshadow said she then stood up, looked defendant Ahmad Alissa in the eyes and watched as he pointed his gun at her.

“When I realized how close we were, I said, ‘Go! Go!'” Moonshadow said.

Alissa, 25, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to 10 counts of premeditated murder, 38 counts of attempted premeditated murder, one count of first-degree assault, six counts of illegal possession of a prohibited large-capacity magazine and 38 counts of enhanced sentencing for violent crimes related to the March 2021 shooting.

He is currently in custody on $100 million bail.

The jury was also shown video footage Friday morning showing Alissa carrying a gun bag.

Witness Jason Hebrard of the Colorado Bureau of Investigations showed video surveillance footage from houses neighboring Alissa’s home. The footage showed Alissa entering his home on March 16 with a white box that Hebrard believed contained a gun.

Hebrard also showed the jury video surveillance from another home in the neighborhood that showed Alissa leaving his home with a gun bag at approximately 1:53 p.m. on March 22, 2021, and then leaving the neighborhood.

Another surveillance video from an Arvada water treatment plant was shown Friday morning, showing the jury the defendant’s car driving to King Soopers on the day of the shooting.

The second witness called as an expert was police Detective Chris Pyler of the Westminster Police Department. Pyler showed recordings he obtained from Alissa’s phone and car in the months before the shooting.

Pyler presented maps showing Alissa’s devices in the same area as two gun stores where Alissa had shopped – Westminster Arms and Eagle Nest Armory. Pyler also said Alissa’s devices were in the area of ​​the Boulder King Soopers on the day of the shooting and were also there briefly on February 15, 2021.

Friday is the second day of testimony, which began after opening statements Thursday morning.

On Thursday, the jury heard from seven witnesses, some of whom were in the store at the time of the shooting. The witnesses described seeing people die and hearing them hide from the gunman or flee the store.

Because of Alissa’s plea of ​​insanity, this is an insanity trial. This means that the debate is not about whether the defendant committed the shooting, but rather about his guilt and whether he was insane at the time of the crime.

According to an affidavit, on March 22, 2021, at 2:40 p.m., police were called to King Soopers at 3600 Table Mesa Drive for a report of an armed man shooting at a person in a vehicle in the store’s parking lot and who was inside the store.

Eric Talley, a 51-year-old Boulder police officer, was the first to arrive and was shot. Police said Alissa fired at other officers before one of them shot Alissa in the leg.

Alissa later turned herself in to police. According to the affidavit, officers found weapons and tactical vests at the scene.

In addition to Talley, Denny Stong (20), Neven Stanisic (23), Rikki Olds (25), Tralona Bartkowiak (49), Teri Leiker (51), Suzanne Fountain (59), Kevin Mahoney (61), Lynn Murray (62) and Jody Waters (65) were killed in the shooting.

This story will be updated.

This is how you can follow the process live

Anyone who would like to follow the trial can watch it via livestream at live.coloradojudicial.gov or attend in person. However, the benches in the courtroom are reserved for the victims’ families, the defendant’s family and accredited media representatives.

Readers can also follow live updates from reporter Nicky Andrews on X at x.com/nickyandrewss and read daily stories at dailycamera.com.

resources

The #BoulderStrong Resource Center, 2935 Baseline Road, remains open and available to anyone seeking support in dealing with the psychological or emotional impact of the shooting. The center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center offers numerous resources, including AcuDetox, art therapy, and dog therapy. Films will also be shown and snacks will be provided for visitors during the trial.

For specific resource scheduling and more information, visit weareboulderstrong.org.

Originally published: September 6, 2024 at 7:59 am