The weapon used in the Boulder mass shooting was legally purchased, according to the police chief

The weapon used in the deadly mass shooting at a Colorado supermarket was bought legally, the Boulder police chief said Friday. Meanwhile, the district attorney said the suspect he would face new charges of attempted murder in the coming weeks.

Boulder police chief Maris Herold said the weapon allegedly used by Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa in the shooting, a semi-automatic Ruger AR-556 pistol, was legally purchased at a gun shop in the suburb of Arvada, in Denver, where the suspect lived. The suspect remains detained without bail after appearing in court for the first time on Thursday to be officially informed of the ten charges of murder and an attempted murder he was already facing.

Herold also said the suspect had a 9mm pistol on him, but police do not believe the weapon was used during Monday’s shooting.

Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said the suspect would face an unspecified number of additional charges of attempted first-degree murder because numerous police officers who responded to the shooting suffered a significant number of shots of the suspect.

“Immediately after responding, they charged at the store,” Dougherty said. “His actions saved other people, other civilians, from death.”

The 21-year-old suspect was expected to file a petition on the initial charges later.

Authorities said they were still investigating the reasons for the shooting.

“I think the victims’ families and community are desperate to know the reason, ”Dougherty said. “We want to know the reason, and that will be the focus of all our efforts in the future. It remains to be seen whether or not we are able to determine that.”