A gunman entered a crowded Colorado movie theater that was screening the latest Batman movie shortly after midnight Friday morning and opened fire, wounding around 50 people and killing at least 12.
Law enforcement officials familiar with the matter identified the suspect as James Holmes, 24 years old, of Aurora, just east of Denver. He has no criminal record and doesn't appear to have links to extremist or terror groups, according to two officials familiar with the investigation.
The mass shooting at the Century 16 Movie Theater in Aurora began around 12:30 a.m., when a patron got up during the movie and opened the emergency exit, then set off a canister of what authorities believe to be tear gas. He was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and two pistols, officials said.
Officers rushed to the theater and arrested the suspect, who they believe acted alone. Police recovered two guns and a gas mask from him and said a third weapon was still inside the theater. They later searched his home for explosives or other weapons but haven't disclosed whether anything was found.
The barrage of gunfire inside the theater Friday morning left dozens wounded, approximately 50 in all, who were taken to six area hospitals. Police had initially said 14 had been killed but said early Friday they had been able to confirm only 12 deaths so far.The University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, located roughly a mile from the movie theater where the mass shooting took place, received 21 patients afterward, nine of them in critical condition, said a hospital spokeswoman.
"We have secured his residence," she added."We have made an arrest but we are not releasing further information at this time," said Sgt. Casidee Carlson, a department spokeswoman. "He was arrested without incident."
"We have secured his residence," she added."We have made an arrest but we are not releasing further information at this time," said Sgt. Casidee Carlson, a department spokeswoman. "He was arrested without incident."
The mass shooting took place about 30 minutes from Columbine, Colo., where students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a shooting spree at Columbine High School in April 1999, killing 13 people and wounding more than 20 others before committing suicide.
"The injuries range from minor to severe, gunshot wounds to people hit by shrapnel and debris," she said. "Patients ranged from three months to 45 years old," she added, noting that the baby was quickly treated and released.
Police from many Colorado jurisdictions assisted Aurora officers. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was also assisting in the investigation.
Officers said they were using Aurora's Gateway High School as a meeting place for family members to reunite with relatives who may have been at the scene.
President Barack Obama will speak on the shooting in remarks in Fort Myers, Fla., this morning. Then he will return to the White House. He said in a statement that he was "shocked and saddened" by the Colorado shooting and urged citizens to come together as "one American family" to support those directly affected.
"All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends and neighbors," the president's statement said.
Edited By Cen Fox Post Team
