Shooting in Aurora, Colorado
Who was the shooting suspect in The Dark Knight?
The Dark Knight Rises
On July 20, 2012, during a midnight showing of the film at the Century 16 cinema in Aurora, Colorado, a gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire inside the theater, killing 12 people and injuring 58 others. Police responding to the shooting apprehended a suspect, later identified as 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes, shortly after arriving on the scene. At the time of his arrest, Holmes allegedly identified himself as the Joker to police. Warner Bros. stated that it was deeply saddened by the shooting, and announced the cancellation of the Paris, Mexico, and Japan premieres of "The Dark Knight Rises", and suspended the marketing campaign for the film in Finland. Several broadcast networks also suspended television ads for the film in the United States because of the tragedy. The trailer for "Gangster Squad", another Warner Bros. movie which was included in the screening of "The Dark Knight Rises", has been removed as it contains a scene which shows gangsters shooting submachine guns at moviegoers through the screen, similar to the shooting in Aurora. Director Christopher Nolan released a public statement calling the shooting "unbearably savage". Other stars of the film released statements expressing their condolences, with star Christian Bale paying a personal visit to the survivors and the memorial in Aurora.