CO - Mass shooting at King Soopers, 10 fatalities including 1 LEO, Boulder, 22 Mar 2021 *arrest*

[MsBetsy]

I think it is the press, leading the way, spinning things the way they want to spin them. JMO

So his family says they knew him to be paranoid, with severe mental problems? And yet his sis-in-law said she saw him with his new rifle a week before the shooting? Why didn't they take his weapon away?

Maybe she feared him herself. She could have called the police, but I'm not sure what they could have done. Did he purchase the gun illegally?

 

[Seattle1]

I haven't seen any mention of him having a job. What did he do in the years after he graduated from high school? Was he just living in the family home and not attending college or working?

^^rsbm

Alissa wrote in August 2016, “Half of me wants to study hard and get a good career and half of me just wants to party and not care lol.” A few months earlier he wrote, “Summertime gonna bust my behind off so I can save and buy a car don’t care if it’s the ugliest car in the lot at least I earned it with hard work unlike you spoiled rich kids at awest.” [HEAVY link up thread]

The accused self-reported he was studying computer science st Metro (Metropolitan State University in Denver) but MSU.communications director Tim Carroll told VICE News that he is not, nor has he ever been, a student at the school.

Reportedly, his family owns restaurants -- it's possible he helps at the family business and does not necessarily consider this employment.

 

[GoJacks]

<modsnip: Scanner discussion is never allowed, during or after.>

Edit: for what it's worth I don't even think there is a piggly wiggly currently in boulder. Perhaps it used to be one?

 

[MsBetsy]

^^rsbm

Alissa wrote in August 2016, “Half of me wants to study hard and get a good career and half of me just wants to party and not care lol.” A few months earlier he wrote, “Summertime gonna bust my behind off so I can save and buy a car don’t care if it’s the ugliest car in the lot at least I earned it with hard work unlike you spoiled rich kids at awest.” [HEAVY link up thread]

The accused self-reported he was studying computer science st Metro (Metropolitan State University in Denver) but MSU.communications director Tim Carroll told VICE News that he is not, nor has he ever been, a student at the school.

Reportedly, his family owns restaurants -- it's possible he helps at the family business and does not necessarily consider this employment.

Thanks, I hadn't seen that. The fact that he claimed he was student but in fact was not, seems like another red flag. Another thing I'm wondering about is the neighbors stating there were always people coming and going at the home at all hours of the night. I wonder what that was all about.

 

[Seattle1]

Thanks, I hadn't seen that. The fact that he claimed he was student but in fact was not, seems like another red flag. Another thing I'm wondering about is the neighbors stating there were always people coming and going at the home at all hours of the night. I wonder what that was all about.

The negative reports from neighbors surprised me. Prior to that, I read about business neighbors and patrons that only had wonderful things to say about the family. This (positive) news was reported shortly after the shooter identified.

 

[Seattle1]

Edit: for what it's worth I don't even think there is a piggly wiggly currently in boulder. Perhaps it used to be one?

^^rsbm

Colorado Piggly Wiggly? -- I was like since when?

And King Soopers - I don't know if the same after acquired by Kroger but when I was at University, we'd talk about remembering the bakery and deli employees in our Wills. Free cookies and end-of-day shift meals for $.50! Reading about the employee victims -- they sound the same. We loved the Sooper.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Yes, but it seems he acted alone. There's no evidence he was linked to a terrorist organization, but of course it's always possible. I would think we would have heard by now if the FBI had taken over the investigation. It could also be that his experiences in high school led him to take on more extremist views. Imo

As far as I'm aware the FBI can't simply yank any state case away from the DAs office in any state, and takeover. The FBI is an assisting agency in state cases. And they have to be specifically asked to assist by the lead jurisdictional LEO in charge of the case.

Now the FBI can bring their own charges later such as civil rights violations etc.

Imo, this mass murder case will remain a state murder case, and the local LE will continue to be the lead investigators on the case ...with other assisting agencies... all the way through trial time or to its conclusion. However, I doubt he will plea or even be offered a plea since his horrific crimes include multiple casualties.

So which ever reporter said the motive can't be this or that because the feds haven't taken over is just wrong imo and very premature. Why the need to diminish any possibilty when the investigation has just begun? At this time no one knows his motive, and even if he gave them one they still have to back it up with evidence.

Did the feds takeover the state case when Omar iirc murdered 50, and injured 53 more at the gay night club in Florida? TIA!

Joe Duncan was tried by the Feds only because he took Shasta, and Dylan to a national park which was federal land, where he sexually assaulted,and tortured them both, and murdered Dylan. Btw, he has stage four brain cancer on death row.

Imo, the investigation is long from over. I heard on the news the investigation may take up to a year. So this isn't just a simple case of an enraged mentally ill guy going on a rampage because he was mentally ill. Imo it goes much deeper.

Jmho

 

[dspdenver]

^^rsbm

Colorado Piggly Wiggly? -- I was like since when?

Apparently there were a lot of Piggly Wiggly stores in Colorado/Denver in the 1920s that were taken over/sold to/became Safeways long ago.

 

[coffeeandacig]

The negative reports from neighbors surprised me. Prior to that, I read about business neighbors and patrons that only had wonderful things to say about the family. This (positive) news was reported shortly after the shooter identified.

Unfortunately, maybe this is a case of we don't know what people are really like in their private lives.

 

[Inthedetails]

Denny Stong 20

Denny Stong, 20, was an avid model-airplane flyer and builder who loved motorcycles and was preparing for his first big Civil War reenactment, according to interviews with friends and Stong’s social media accounts.

The 20-year-old Boulder resident was the youngest of the 10 people fatally shot Monday at a King Soopers.

Stong’s Facebook page identified him as working at the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive, where he started on Dec. 25, 2018, according to a post. On March 22, 2020, he posted, “I can’t stay home, I’m a grocery store worker” — a note shared in solidarity with other frontline retail and service workers during the early days of the pandemic.

Boulder shooting victim: Denny Stong, model plane aficionado, killed in mass shooting

The young people's tributes are especially hard - they were around the same age as their killer but had so much going for them!! Interests, jobs, connections. We lost good ones this week.

It's nice to read all the tributes. Thanks for posting them here. I was hesitant to click links to the stories because I know I will cry. But I'm glad to read them right here on the thread, proud of these people, sympathetic to their loved ones. (And yes, crying.)

jmo

 

[Cryptic]

Another thing I'm wondering about is the neighbors stating there were always people coming and going at the home at all hours of the night. I wonder what that was all about.

A certain number of homes owned by immigrants will have both the nuclear family and extended family living in them.

This arrangement is done for both practical reasons (money saving in regards to rent or mortgage) and for cultural reasons as many immigrant groups view extended family members as still being direct family and having an obligation to provide hospitality / support to them.

In either case, the number of people residing in the home can be greatly increased. The additional people may work different shifts and frequently change as the extended relatives come and go due to living situation improvements.

Likewise, no different than native born citizens temporarily residing somewhere, the extended relatives can also have uhmm...."varying levels of personal responsibility and social awareness" in regards to life in general and the neighbors in particular.

 

[GoJacks]

<modsnip: Quoted posts removed>

I'm just interested what evidence so far points to this being racially motivated/terrorist attack. In my mind it just doesn't make sense - yah Boulder is incredibly "white," but so is Arvada or most suburbs around that area. If anything the King Soopers he chose would be one of the more "diverse" looking shopping experiences here - based on the fact it was extremely close to the biggest university in the state.

IMO

 

[Dre]

I'm just interested what evidence so far points to this being racially motivated/terrorist attack. In my mind it just doesn't make sense - yah Boulder is incredibly "white," but so is Arvada or most suburbs around that area. If anything the King Soopers he chose would be one of the more "diverse" looking shopping experiences here - based on the fact it was extremely close to the biggest university in the state.

IMO

This is how I feel too, king sooper’s would have a more diverse clientele and thus doesn’t show that there was a clear target of his hate. Moo

 

[303gmf]

I apologize for the length.

I live an hour from Boulder. I used to work in Boulder and was the case manager for its homeless shelter. My son went to a parochial school there during that time. I’ve shopped in that store. My son later lived and worked in Boulder. The beautiful Flatirons were a climbing spot for him. Boulder is inextricably linked to so much of my history and world.

I’m broken-hearted.

And I’ve been hearing since the minute this news broke about *the* solution to mass shootings. Colorado has been through this with Columbine, Aurora, Highlands Ranch/STEM, and Planned Parenthood. In this case, people also - just suddenly - had so much all-knowingness, before the shooter was even taken into custody or the casualties were known.

Disinformation was all over the place. The police were condemned for not immediately confirming the number of casualties, as if the desire of people on Twitter to have a body count trumped family notification and connection with support resources. Etc. Etc.

Spare me.

My observation in these shootings has been that people want to designate a *thing* as the cause, because if we can just proclaim it, legislate it, re-legislate it, regulate it, arm it, disarm it, treat it, or medicate it, we won’t have to be scared anymore. Even our altitude and thin air were cited as having such impact on our brains that we go crazy in Colorado from oxygen starvation. Whatever.

I can only say this. The heaviness in this area is palpable. These precious people are Gone. For no other reason than an individual decided to drive 20 miles from Arvada to Boulder’s Table Mesa and walk through the door of a grocery store and open fire.

I do not personally buy that we need to build another mental health clinic with a wider door, or create a better drug, or obsess over projectile circumference, or wonder if bullies are to blame. He planned it, he drove there, and he shot ten people - including a person in a car that he parked next to, and a man he shot in the parking lot, then stood over and shot again. And again.

I do not care if he has mommy issues, feels slighted, encountered bigotry, couldn’t get a date, or didn’t go to prom. He destroyed innocent lives, including those of the 10 families that have to suffer with this horrible trauma for the rest of what’s left of their own lives.

I have known and continue to live with deeply personal traumatic loss. And I know this about grief: It’s the experience of Absence that’s always present. Always.

So I only care about the victims and the families. I don’t care about the inner workings or thought patterns or feelings of someone who hunted, cornered and ambushed other human beings. Other than the perfunctory reference for the official record, his name is irrelevant. And his heinous crime, albeit so tragically far-reaching, is another unimaginative and self-pacifying act that these shooters all have in common.

I’m afraid to go to my own King Soopers today. I’m going anyway. This individual has caused enough fear in Colorado. And he’s now where he belongs and will never do this again.

Similar thoughts, so glad to read your thoughtful, honest and still so raw post.
A lifetime of Boulder memories and special places, people and precious time spent in a town I’ve always loved.
Such familiar and heartbreaking photos bringing up anger and sadness at such loss, whoever he is and if ever a why is answered makes no difference. Just like Columbine High, I’d rather remember the victims than the human slaughterer
There aren’t answers that will ever make sense to me
Moo

 

[Footwarrior]

Apparently there were a lot of Piggly Wiggly stores in Colorado/Denver in the 1920s that were taken over/sold to/became Safeways long ago.

The King Soopers on Table Mesa has always been a King Soopers.

 

[Inthedetails]

The King Soopers on Table Mesa has always been a King Soopers.

I think the person lived for many years by a Piggly Wiggly and calls all grocery stores Piggly Wiggly. Just my guess.

We have a store near us that is new. Well, by "new" I mean it opened 12-15 years ago. I still call it the "new place."

Habits.

jmo

 

[Dre]

I have several Muslim friends that have to pretty consistently defend themselves. So his rants about Islamophobia and xenophobia online (that I’ve read so far) are definitely not enough for me to jump to the conclusion he was recruited. Waiting for more info to surface in the coming days. Moo

<modsnip>

 

[Cryptic]

It could also be that his experiences in high school led him to take on more extremist views. Imo

I would say alleged experiences.

Evidently, the investigation supporting his assault conviction could not find any justification or reason for attacking the other student.

Though he later claimed that he was bullied or harassed, this claim has not been supported by sources other than his family.

Criminals rarely, if ever, admit to unjustified attacks. Rather, the victim must have done something- right?

In the end, the shooter was a wrestler known to have an aggressive personality (threatened to kill other students, cursed at referees, threw temper tantrums etc.). Sure, its possible that he was bullied. But, was it likely?

I would be interested in learning more about the student he attacked. My guess is that he was not on say, the football team, another wrestler, or somebody capable of readily defending themselves.

Somethings never change- and that includes criminals looking for soft targets.

 

[Seattle1]

This is how I feel too, king sooper’s would have a more diverse clientele and thus doesn’t show that there was a clear target of his hate. Moo

I think the accused will prove to be another selfish, paranoid, "insult collector" who, because of personality traits, collects both real and perceived social slights, historical grievances, or wrongs for reasons that personally benefit them or their belief system.

I think the accused exhibited he was a "collector" beginning HS and has used this to help deal with his own psychological or social distress.

Based on his age, I think the accused probably acted earlier than most-- mainly due to geography. He'd already experienced similar mass shootings nearby.

I'm recalling a post he reportedly made after HS graduation about going to work hard to buy a car and didn't matter how ugly because he'd be using his own money -- unlike the rich kids at a-west (Arvada West HS).

Maybe he targeted King Soopers near CU because he applied and wasn't accepted at CU or hated college kids in general that are back to in-person learning or enjoying spring break-- while he was stuck living at home and apparently not attending school at all.

Not terrorism. I think this was all about AA.

MOO

 

[margarita25]

Eric Talley: People line the streets to honor slain police officer - CNN


“Boulder, Colorado, continued to mourn slain Officer Eric Talley on Wednesday.

Hundreds lined the streets as a hearse transferred his body from the coroner's office to a funeral home in nearby Aurora. Many placed their hands over their hearts and some held American flags. Many public safety vehicles joined the procession.

Talley, 51, was one of 10 people killed when a gunman opened fire in a Boulder grocery store on Monday afternoon. He was the first Boulder officer to arrive at the King Soopers store and lost his life trying to save others.

Also on Wednesday, Talley's patrol vehicle was parked in front of the police station. It quickly became a shrine as mourners stopped by throughout the day to pile flowers, wreaths, cards and other tokens around and on top of it.“