Man arrested after cinema shooting
Source: Agencies |
July 21, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
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A GUNMAN wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into a crowded Colorado movie theater at a midnight opening of the latest Batman movie, killing at least 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said.
It was the worst mass shooting in the United States since the 2007 shooting on the Virginia Tech campus, and it immediately brought back memories of the massacre at nearby Columbine High School in 1999, where two students opened fire and killed 12 classmates and a teacher.
Some moviegoers said they thought yesterday's attack was part of "The Dark Knight Rises," one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer. Then they saw a silhouette of a person in the smoke at the front of the theater, pointing a gun at the crowd.
Jennifer Seeger said the gunman, dressed like a SWAT team member, fired steadily except when he stopped to reload.
"Every few seconds it was just boom, boom, boom," Seeger said. "He would reload and shoot and anyone who would try to leave would just get killed."
The shooter was arrested shortly after the attack near a car outside the multiplex theater in Aurora. Federal law enforcement officials said the suspect was 24-year-old James Holmes.
The FBI said there was no indication the shooting was tied to any terrorist groups. Holmes had an assault rifle, a shotgun and two pistols, a federal law enforcement official said.
FBI agents and police discovered Holmes' apartment was booby trapped. Authorities evacuated five buildings as they determined how to disarm flammable and explosive material.
The suspect spoke of "possible explosives in his residence," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said.
Holmes was a student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver but dropped out last month, spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery said. She did not know when he started school or why he withdrew.
Some of the injured at the theater were children, with the youngest a four-month-old baby who has been released after treatment. Victims were being treated for chemical exposure apparently related to canisters thrown by the gunman.
"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 studio said.
Moviegoers spoke of their terror as violence erupted.
Seeger said she was in the second row when the gunman pointed a gun at her face. At first, "I was just a deer in headlights. I didn't know what to do," she said. Then she ducked to the ground as people behind her were shot.
She said she began crawling toward an exit when she saw a girl about 14 "lying lifeless on the stairs." She saw a man with a bullet wound in his back and tried to check his pulse, but "I had to go. I was going to get shot."
Holmes' family said their hearts go out to those involved in the shooting. Police in San Diego read a statement from the family asking the media to respect their privacy. They said they're cooperating with authorities and are trying to process everything.
It was the worst mass shooting in the United States since the 2007 shooting on the Virginia Tech campus, and it immediately brought back memories of the massacre at nearby Columbine High School in 1999, where two students opened fire and killed 12 classmates and a teacher.
Some moviegoers said they thought yesterday's attack was part of "The Dark Knight Rises," one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer. Then they saw a silhouette of a person in the smoke at the front of the theater, pointing a gun at the crowd.
Jennifer Seeger said the gunman, dressed like a SWAT team member, fired steadily except when he stopped to reload.
"Every few seconds it was just boom, boom, boom," Seeger said. "He would reload and shoot and anyone who would try to leave would just get killed."
The shooter was arrested shortly after the attack near a car outside the multiplex theater in Aurora. Federal law enforcement officials said the suspect was 24-year-old James Holmes.
The FBI said there was no indication the shooting was tied to any terrorist groups. Holmes had an assault rifle, a shotgun and two pistols, a federal law enforcement official said.
FBI agents and police discovered Holmes' apartment was booby trapped. Authorities evacuated five buildings as they determined how to disarm flammable and explosive material.
The suspect spoke of "possible explosives in his residence," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said.
Holmes was a student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver but dropped out last month, spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery said. She did not know when he started school or why he withdrew.
Some of the injured at the theater were children, with the youngest a four-month-old baby who has been released after treatment. Victims were being treated for chemical exposure apparently related to canisters thrown by the gunman.
"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 studio said.
Moviegoers spoke of their terror as violence erupted.
Seeger said she was in the second row when the gunman pointed a gun at her face. At first, "I was just a deer in headlights. I didn't know what to do," she said. Then she ducked to the ground as people behind her were shot.
She said she began crawling toward an exit when she saw a girl about 14 "lying lifeless on the stairs." She saw a man with a bullet wound in his back and tried to check his pulse, but "I had to go. I was going to get shot."
Holmes' family said their hearts go out to those involved in the shooting. Police in San Diego read a statement from the family asking the media to respect their privacy. They said they're cooperating with authorities and are trying to process everything.
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