Twelve people were killed and 59 were injured in Aurora, Colo., during a
sold-out midnight premiere of the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight
Rises," when 24-year-old James Holmes allegedly unloaded four weapons'
full of ammunition into the unsuspecting crowd.
The number of casualties makes the incident the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.
Holmes, an honors student and Ph.D. candidate at a nearby college with a
clean arrest record, allegedly entered the movie auditorium wearing a
ballistics helmet, bulletproof vest, bulletproof leggings, gas mask and
gloves. He detonated multiple smoke bombs, and then began firing at
viewers in the sold-out auditorium, police said today.
Bullets from the spree tore through the theater and into adjoining
theaters, where at least one other person was struck and injured. Ten
members of "The Dark Knight Rises" audience were killed in the theater,
while two others died later at area hospitals. Numerous patrons were in
critical condition at six local hospitals, the Aurora police said this
afternoon.
Authorities began removing the bodies this afternoon, according to ABC
News affiliate KMGH-TV. Several people have been reported missing as the
coroner identifies the dead.
Holmes was apprehended within minutes of the 12:39 a.m. shooting at his
car behind the theater, where police found him in full riot gear and
carrying three weapons, including an AR-15 assault rifle, which can hold
upwards of 100 rounds, a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, and a .40 Glock
handgun. A fourth handgun was found in the vehicle.
Agents from the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are
tracing the weapons. ABC news confirmed that they were all purchased
legally.
According to police sources, Holmes told the officers arresting him that
he was "The Joker," referring to the villain in the second installment
of the Batman movie trilogy, "The Dark Knight." He also warned police
that he had booby-trapped his apartment, leading officers to evacuate
the Aurora apartment building.
Police Chief Dan Oates said today that police, bomb squads and the ATF
have found a large number of explosive devices and trip wires at Holmes'
apartment and have not yet decided how to proceed without setting off
explosions.
"The pictures we have from inside the apartment are pretty disturbing
considering how elaborate the apartment is booby trapped," police said
outside of the apartment complex today. The "flammable and explosive"
materials could have blown up Holmes' apartment building and the ones
near it, police said.
The apartment complex is home exclusively to University of Colorado
Medical Center students, patients and staff members, residents told ABC
News.
Moviegoer Christopher Ramos today recalled the real-life horror of the
midnight premiere of the latest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises,"
in Aurora, Colo., as a gunman decked in riot gear set off smoke bombs
and opened fire on the unsuspecting audience.
"People were running everywhere, running on top of me, like kicking me,
jumping over me. And there were bodies on the ground," Ramos said. "I
froze up. I was scared. I honestly thought I was going to die."
"The image in our heads is stuck in there. I still have the ticket right
here and, honestly, I'm never going to forget this night at all.
Because it was the first time I saw something that was real. Like a
real-life nightmare that was there, not dreaming of," Ramos told ABC
News today.
Witnesses in the movie theater said they saw smoke and heard gunshots
that they thought were part of the movie until they saw Holmes standing
in front of the screen, after entering from an emergency exit. Holmes
methodically stalked the aisles of the theater, shooting people at
random, as panicked movie-watchers in the packed auditorium tried to
escape, witnesses said.
At one point the shooter exited the theater only to wait outside the
doors and pick off patrons as they tried to exit, witness Jennifer
Seeger told "Good Afternoon America."
"You just smelled smoke and you just kept hearing it, you just heard bam
bam bam, non-stop. The gunman never had to reload. Shots just kept
going, kept going, kept going," one witness told ABC News.
"I'm with coworkers and we're on the floor praying to God we don't get
shot, and the gunshots continue on and on, and when the sound finally
stopped, we started to get up and people were just bleeding," another
theatergoer said.
The suspected shooter will face his first court appearance next week, according to district attorney Carol Chambers.
Holmes, originally of San Diego, moved to Aurora to pursue his Ph.D. at
the University of Colorado medical center, living blocks from the
hospital in an apartment that police say is now laced with explosives
and being searched by HazMat teams.
Federal law enforcement sources told ABC News that Holmes bought a
ticket to the movie, slipped out of the theater once it began and
propped open the emergency exit before gathering his weapons and gear
and coming back into the theater. Once inside, he opened fire.
A San Diego woman identifying herself as James Holmes' mother spoke briefly with ABC News this morning.
She had awoken unaware of the news of the shooting and had not been
contacted by authorities. She immediately expressed concern that her son
mighty have been involved.
"You have the right person," she said.
"I need to call the police," she added. "I need to fly out to Colorado."
The woman and her husband later released a statement saying their
"hearts go out to those who involved in this tragedy and to the families
and friends of those involved. We are still trying to process this
information and we appreciate that people will respect our privacy."
The highly anticipated third installment of the Batman trilogy opened to
packed auditoriums across the country at midnight showings this
morning, and features a villain named Bane who wears a bulletproof vest
and gas mask. Trailers for the movie show explosions at public events,
including a football game. Though many moviegoers dressed in costume to
attend the opening-night screening, police have made no statements about
any connection between the gunman's motives and the movie.
Police in New York have intensified security around showings of the film
throughout the five boroughs today, with Police Commissioner Ray Kelley
saying that "as a precaution against copycats and to raise the comfort
levels among movie patrons in the wake of the horrendous shooting in
Colorado, the New York City Police Department is providing coverage at
theaters where the 'The Dark Knight Rises' is playing."
The Paris premiere of the movie has been cancelled in the wake of the
shootings. "Warner Bros. and the filmmakers are deeply saddened to
learn about this shocking incident. We extend our sincere sympathies to
the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time," the
movie's producers said in a statement.
Witnesses watching movies in theaters next to the one where the shooting
took place said bullets tore through the theater walls and they heard
screaming.
"The suspect throws tear gas in the air, and as the tear gas appears he
started shooting," said Lamar Lane, who was watching the midnight
showing of the movie with his brother. "It was very hard to breathe. I
told my brother to take cover. It took awhile. I started seeing flashes
and screaming, I just saw blood and people yelling and a quick glimpse
of the guy who had a gas mask on. I was pushed out. There was chaos, we
started running."
One witness said she saw people dropping to the ground after the gunshots began.
"We were maybe 20 or 30 minutes into the movie and all you hear, first
you smell smoke, everybody thought it was fireworks or something like
that, and then you just see people dropping and the gunshots are
constant," witness Christ Jones told
ABC's Denver affiliate KMGH. "I heard at least 20 to 30 rounds within that minute or two."
A man who talked to a couple who was inside the theater told ABC News,
"They got up and they started to run through the emergency exit, and
that when she turned around, she said all she saw was the guy slowly
making his way up the stairs and just firing at people, just picking
random people.
"The gunshots continued to go on and on and then after we didn't hear
anything ...we finally got up and there was people bleeding, there was
people obviously may have been actually dead or anything, and we just
ran up out of there, there was chaos everywhere."
Witnesses and victims were taken to Gateway High School for questioning.
Hundreds of police and FBI agents are involved in the investigation. A
senior official who is monitoring the situation in Washington said that
early guidance based on the early snapshot of this man's background
indicated that this act does not appear to be linked to radical
terrorism or anything related to Islamic terrorism.
Dr. Comilla Sasson, at the University of Colorado Hospital where many of
the victims were taken, said they were operating on nine critical
patients and have treated 22 in all. She called the hospital "an
absolutely terrifying scene all night."
"The good news is that the 3-month-old has actually been discharged home and is in the care of their parents."
In a statement, President Obama said, "Michelle and I are shocked and
saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado. Federal and
local law enforcement are still responding, and my administration will
do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this
extraordinarily difficult time. We are committed to bringing whoever was
responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring
for those who have been wounded."
For continuing coverage on "Tragedy in Colorado: The Batman Massacre," tune in to "World News," "20/20" and "Nightline."
Matthew Mosk contributed to this report.
MOVIE THEATERS, BAT MAN, BEING GUNNED DOWN.
HELLOOOOOOOOOOOO?????????????????
The key word in this clip is "Monarch"
Batman 1989
"Young Bruce Wayne is walking out of a movie with his mom and dad, when they are cornered and robbed at gunpoint by Jack Napier "The Joker" and Bob."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F9RzLqKu2g
University of Colorado Denver/AP Photo
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