Colorado Gunman Opens Fire During ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Premiere

By Ryan Wallace

Photo Courtesy of the Daily Caller

A grim cloud covers the scene of the massacre that took place in Aurora, Colorado last night at the beginning of the midnight premiere of Batman: Dark Knight Rises. Early Friday morning, a suspect(now identified as James Holmes) entered the Aurora Century 16 movie theater through a secured emergency exit door and opened fire on the theater audience inside.

Kicking open the door and filling the theater with an irritant gas, what many thought of as a stunt quickly turned lethal. Holmes entered the theater wearing full-body protective armor, a helmet and a gas mask as he opened fire on the helpless audience inside. Armed with two canisters of an irritant, an assault-rifle, a shotgun and two .40 caliber Glock pistols Holmes devastated the town of Aurora, and the entire United States, as he opened yet another chapter in tragedies by gunmen.

Photo of the Gunman James Holmes- Courtesy of the University of Colorado, Denver

Non-discriminatory and clearly pre-meditated, Holmes opened fire only 25 minutes into the film, shooting patrons as young as 3-months old. The current count remains at 12 fatalities and 59 wounded. Ten died in the theater during the shooting; two later died in local hospitals as result of injuries sustained from the shooting.

Within 90 seconds of the initial police phone calls, placed at around 12:39am Friday morning, 25 police officers arrived on the scene with reinforcements coming to a total of over 200 officers. Assuring that the patrons of the movie theater got out as quickly as possible, police secured the area and took Holmes into custody; Holmes willingly surrendered in the parking lot without giving “significant incident to the officers”.

Police trying to disarm the booby trapped apartment- Photo Courtesy of Thomas Cooper(Getty Images)

This morning, Aurora police officers, suited with a bomb squad, investigated two crime scenes—the movie theater and Holmes’ apartment. Carefully trying to get into the apartment, police quickly became aware of the fact that Holmes had rigged is apartment on Paris Street in Aurora, CO with explosives and hazardous chemicals. Authorities have evacuated five buildings in the surrounding area as they attempt to disarm the booby trapped apartment.

Aurora Mayor, Steve Hogan told reporters “We’ve taken a blow today, but we’ll get back on our feet”. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper angrily condemned the tragedy as what he labeled a senseless shooting.

More information to come as details come to light…