The Dark Knight Rises Shooting: Gunman Kills 12, Wounds 59 at Colorado Theater
Colorado Theater Shooting
A lone gunman tossed tear gas into an Aurora, Colo., movie theater before opening fire at a Friday midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises, killing at least 12 people and injuring 59 others, CNN reports.
The wounded victims range from 3 months old to 45 years. Some still remain in critical condition.
The suspect, 24-year-old James Holmes, is now in custody and is set to appear in court on Monday. Police, who believe he acted alone, apprehended him in a parking lot behind the Century 16 Movie Theater. "He did not resist. He did not put up a fight," Aurora police spokesman Frank Fania told CNN. Holmes was dressed head-to-toe in protective tactical gear and used an AR-15 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and at least one of two .40-caliber handguns recovered at the scene, according to police.
When the police went to search the suspect's home for possible explosive materials or devices, they discovered that it had been fitted with various traps.
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"It's bobby-trapped with various incindiery and chemical devices and trip wires," Aurora police chief Dan Oates said. According to Oates, to safely search the entire apartment could take days.
Five buildings in Holmes' neighborhood were also evacuated, Oates said.
The attack started around 12:30 a.m. when the suspect, who wore a gas mask — similar to the movie's villain Bane — threw a canister of tear gas into the theater through an emergency exit door and then opened fire. At first, some moviegoers believed the shots were part of one of the film's action sequences. The shooting was reported nine minutes later.
Shortly after the shooting, Warner Bros. canceled Friday's Paris premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. "Warner Bros. is deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident," the company said in a statement. "We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time."
President Barack Obama also canceled a campaign stop Friday in Florida to address the shooting.
"Now, even as we learn how this happened and who's responsible, we may never understand what leads anybody to terrorize their fellow human beings like this," he said. "Such violence, such evil is senseless. It's beyond reason. But while we will never know fully what causes somebody to take the life of another, we do know what makes life worth living. The people we lost in Aurora loved and they were loved. They were mothers and fathers; they were husbands and wives; sisters and brothers; sons and daughters, friends and neighbors. They had hopes for the future and they had dreams that were not yet fulfilled."
A witness recorded people fleeing the scene on his cell phone. Watch the footage below.