Denny Stong, a 20-year-old man, lost his life on March 22, 2021, during a mass shooting at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. Stong was the youngest of the ten victims who perished that day. He was an employee of the store and had been since 2018. On the afternoon of the shooting, Stong was off the clock and talking with a friend when the gunman began his attack.
In the midst of the chaos, Stong's immediate instinct was to protect others.
Accounts from his friends and co-workers suggest that he courageously confronted the shooter, attempting to disarm him. It has been reported by those who knew him that he guided people to safety through the back of the store before he was fatally shot. His selfless actions in the face of immense danger have led many to remember him as a hero.
A student of Fairview High School, from which he graduated in 2019, Stong was remembered for his varied interests, which included a passion for flying model airplanes and a dream of one day becoming a pilot. He was also a history enthusiast with a particular interest in the Civil War. Friends described him as a kind and outgoing individual with a great sense of humor.
The perpetrator of the shooting was identified as Ahmad Al Aliwi Al-Issa. Following the attack, he was taken into custody by law enforcement. After a lengthy legal process that included mental competency evaluations, Al-Issa was ultimately found guilty of the murders and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in September 2024.
