Aurora, Colorado Movie Theater Shooting Massacre 7/20/12
Aurora, Colorado Movie Theater Shooting Massacre 7/20/12
My prayers go out to the families. Some real psycho's out there. I hope none of you were at this theater.
By Rong-Gong Lin II
July 20, 2012, 6:50 a.m.
A lone 24-year-old masked gunman entered a Colorado movie theater playing the new Batman movie and opened fire early Friday, killing at least 12 people and wounding 50, according to police and local media. The suspect, a white male, was found in the parking lot and did not resist arrest, CNN said.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene, telling television reporters that they were overcome by noxious gas unleashed by the suspect just before he started shooting, and that they had to decide between staying on the ground, helping wounded victims or running away before the gunman was able to reload his weapon. Survivors said they were forced to run past bodies in the aisles and theater.
The gunman was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and two handguns, police said. Cellphone videos show panicked moviegoers running — some screaming — and others with blood visible.
Photos: 'Dark Knight Rises' shooting
The death toll was revised downward from an earlier figure of 14 dead given by police in Aurora, a suburb east of Denver.
Crowds of worried family members and friends were gathering at Denver-area hospitals, hoping to hear about their loved ones. According to images broadcast by local television, some held their heads down, and rocked back and forth as they sat on the sidewalk, as the sun rose.
The shooting came minutes after the 12:05 a.m. premiere showing of the widely anticipated premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises."
Eyewitnesses said the gunman entered the movie theater through the emergency exit door near the front of the screen in theater No. 9 at the Century 16 in Aurora. A witness, who declined to be identified, told The Times that the gunman then "threw a canister across the theater," unleashing gas, "then started shooting."
The witness said he saw a man two seats over who was shot in the head. "I can't get his image out of my head," the witness wrote in a message. The victim was wearing a shirt bearing the face of the face of the Joker from the Batman series; after he was shot, he slumped back in his chair, his face covered in blood.
Witnesses told Denver's NBC affiliate, KUSA-TV 9News, that the tall, muscular gunman , wearing a riot helmet, gas mask and dressed all in black, said nothing as he entered the theater. Initially, spectators thought he was part of the show.
But witnesses described seeing him toss two canisters to the ground, and once they exploded, spectators began ducking or running out of the theater, an escape made difficult by the blinding gas.
"He looked so calm when he did it," a witness told 9News.
At one point, there was a pause in the shooting, when the gunman appeared to reload his weapon, and some spectators took that opportunity to flee, witnesses told the NBC affiliate. Witnesses described scenes of gunshot victims scrambling to escape the theater.
The Denver TV station played police dispatch audio of first-responders asking operators to ask for gas masks.
Some of the bullets pierced walls and traveled into the adjacent theater, No. 8, and injured people, 9News reported. A 3-month-old baby was taken to the hospital, but was not wounded by gunfire, 9News reported, quoting a hospital spokesperson. The TV station reported that the infant was checked and then released from the hospital.
"This is a horrific event," Aurora police chief Daniel J. Oates told reporters during a news conference. There was no evidence of a second gunman, Oates said.
The shooting came just after hundreds of theater-goers had lined up for hours, eager to see "The Dark Knight Rises," the third installment of director Christopher Nolan's Batman series.
Oates said 10 people were found dead in the theater.
The suspect was found outside the theater holding a rifle and a handgun, the TV station reported, quoting police.
9News reported that the suspect indicated to police that his apartment building might have explosives, and authorities were evacuating that structure and searching for possible explosives.
Warner Bros., the studio that produced the movie, said in a statement: “Warner Bros. is 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.”
Some say he was supossed to be dressed as Bane, because of the bas mask.
This is by far the least important aspect of this story, but it is unfortunate that this one lunatic's senseless act will probably result in a lot of misplaced backlash against the movie or comics in general.
That is what I was trying to point out, I just couldnt find the right words to say.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kilowog75
This is by far the least important aspect of this story, but it is unfortunate that this one lunatic's senseless act will probably result in a lot of misplaced backlash against the movie or comics in general.
This is truly a tragedy and I feel deeply saddened by the loss of so many innocent lives. The fact is though that the guy is a psychopath. Whether he dressed up as the Joker and pulled this off at a movie theater, or went on a killing spree at a University, doesn't matter. It comes down to him individually being a complete nut. But like kilowog75 said, there will likely be some backlash against the movie and/or comics in general.
This is insane though. Movie theaters should never be a place where folks should not feel safe. This guy is going to get into the psyche of every parent out there and folks aren't going to want to send their children to the movies for a while. Its too bad.
I can't express the sadness I felt when I heard this on the radio this morning. But, that pales into nothingness next to the sheer horror that the people who were attacked by this psychotic killer felt, and the pain that will never completely go away for the families and loved ones left behind. I don't understand why someone who takes away the rights of so many people, is then covered in a blanket of rights.
If the man they have in custody is indeed proven to be the one who did this hideous act, then his rights, or the rights of anyone who would do something like this should be immediately forfeit, IMO.
I never can understand why these people who do such acts have rights, above and beyond anyone else who does these things in some other nations. Those poor people never had a chance!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meteor Man
I can't express the sadness I felt when I heard this on the radio this morning. But, that pales into nothingness next to the sheer horror that the people who were attacked by this psychotic killer felt, and the pain that will never completely go away for the families and loved ones left behind. I don't understand why someone who takes away the rights of so many people, is then covered in a blanket of rights.
If the man they have in custody is indeed proven to be the one who did this hideous act, then his rights, or the rights of anyone who would do something like this should be immediately forfeit, IMO.
Aurora, Colorado Movie Theater Shooting Massacre 7/20/12
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