12 Dead In Colorado Midnight Movie Shootings; Suspect In Custody
Channel: The1RealAmerican
Date: 2012-07-20

A gunman in a gas mask barged into a crowded Denver-area theater during a midnight premiere of the Batman movie on Friday, hurled a gas canister and then opened fire, killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others in one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history.

The suspect is in custody. He has been identified as 24-year-old James Holmes, a former medical student at University of Colorado Medical School.

Police say his apartment is booby-trapped, and they have evacuated the area. They say de-arming the third-story apartment may be a long process.

"A gas mask, rifle, handgun (and) at least one additional weapon (were) found inside," Aurora police Chief Dan Oates said, adding that there was no evidence of any other attackers. The suspect spoke of "possible explosives in his residence. We are dealing with that potential threat," Oates said.

When the gas began to spread, some moviegoers thought it was a stunt that was part of the "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 near the screen, first pointing a gun at the crowd and shooting.

"There were bullet (casings) just falling on my head. They were burning my forehead," Jennifer Seeger said, adding that 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," she said. "He would reload and shoot and anyone who would try to leave would just get killed."

Seeger says she began crawling toward an exit when she saw a girl about 14 years old "lying lifeless on the stairs."

Authorities did not release a motive. The FBI said there was no indication that the shooting is tied to any terrorist groups.

Friday's attack began shortly after midnight at the multiplex theater at a mall in Aurora, the state's third-largest city.

"Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said at a news conference.

The heavily armed suspect, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was apprehended by police in a rear parking lot of the theater.

Officers later found the gunman near a car behind the theater.

Hundreds of police officers descended on the theater, and the FBI has joined the investigation.

"We were calling for help from every police and fire agency," Fania said.

There is no evidence of a second gunman, authorities say.

Police revised the number of fatalities from 14 to 12 as information came in Saturday morning.

The Pentagon says that some members of the military were either killed or wounded in the shooting.

Pentagon press secretary George Little says it's not yet clear how many military casualties there were, or whether they were deaths or injuries.

Twelve people were taken to the Medical Center of Aurora with gunshot wounds and ranged from minor to critical condition. Three were treated for chemical exposure, most likely from tear gas. They ranged in age from 16 to 31.

Denver Health had seven victims -- one in critical and the rest in fair condition.

The University of Colorado hospital was treating 21 people, including a 4-month-old baby, for gunshot wounds. The oldest is 45.

A 6-year-old was being treated at Children's Hospital Colorado, where a total of six victims ranging were taken. The oldest patient there is 31. Their condition wasn't known.

It was the worst mass shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. Students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, opened fire at the school in the Denver suburb of Littleton, about 15 miles west of Aurora, killing 12 classmates and a teacher and wounding 26 others before killing themselves.

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