Friends and family members of the Boulder shooting victims shared memories of their lost loved ones as the second mass shooting in less than a week sparked new calls for changes to the country’s gun laws. Vice President Kamala Harris backed those calls on “CBS This Morning,” urging Congress to pass “reasonable gun safety laws.”
“There is no reason why we have assault weapons on the streets of a civil society,” Harris said Wednesday. “They are weapons of war. They are designed to kill a lot of people quickly.”
Accused gunman Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa bought an assault weapon on March 16, according to an arrest affidavit, but it’s not yet clear if that weapon was used during the shooting. The 21-year-old, who’s been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday. Authorities haven’t announced a suspected motive for the rampage.
The victims were identified earlier this week as Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; Rikki Olds, 25; Neven Stanisic, 23; Denny Stong, 20; Officer Eric Talley, 51; and Jody Waters, 65.
“There’s a hole in our family that won’t be filled,” Rikki Olds’ uncle said.
