Colorado supermarket shooting suspect suggested to psychologist that he wanted police to kill him

BOULDER, Colo. — The man accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 told a mental health evaluator he bought firearms to carry out a mass shooting and suggested that he wanted police to kill him, according to Wednesday court testimony. “A little improvement while you’re on your medication doesn’t mean you’ve been restored to competency,” Herold said, asking the judge to rule that Alissa remains incompetent. “I know that is difficult from a moral standpoint when we have a courtroom full of families of victims and victims themselves.” But District Attorney Michael Dougherty said Alissa’s struggle to communicate, which was a core concern in his competency evaluations, might not completely stem from his schizophrenia diagnosis. “Outside of mental health,” he said, “I think there are legitimate reasons why someone would choose not to communicate after killing 10 people.” He urged Bakke to find Alissa’s competency has been restored. Herold argued that Alissa is not competent and cited the psychiatric evaluations describing him as “profoundly mentally ill.” Schizophrenia can shake someone’s grasp on reality, potentially interfering in a legal defense in court.