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12 dead after masked gunman opens fire at Batman premiere
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| Dior Homme |
WTF is wrong with people...
A gunman in a gas mask barged into a crowded Denver-area theater during a midnight showing of the Batman movie on Friday, hurled a gas canister and then opened fire, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more in one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history.
When the gas began to spread, some moviegoers thought it was a stunt that was part of the “The Dark Knight Rises,” one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer. They saw a silhouette of a person in the smoke near the screen, first pointing a gun at the crowd and then shooting.
“There were bullet (casings) just falling on my head. They were burning my forehead,” Jennifer Seeger said, adding that the gunman, dressed like a SWAT team member, fired steadily except when he stopped to reload.
“Every few seconds it was just: Boom, boom, boom,” she said. “He would reload and shoot and anyone who would try to leave would just get killed.”
The suspect was taken into custody and identified by federal law enforcement officials as 24-year-old James Holmes. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Authorities did not release a motive. The FBI said there was no indication that the shooting is tied to any terrorist groups.
Mr. Holmes had an assault rifle, a shotgun and two pistols, a federal law enforcement official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.
FBI agents and police used a hook and ladder fire truck to reach Mr. Holmes' apartment in suburban Denver, Aurora police Chief Dan Oates said. They put a camera at the end of 12-foot pole inside the apartment, and discovered that the unit was booby trapped. Authorities evacuated five buildings as they determine how to disarm flammable and explosive material.
Victims were being treated for chemical exposure apparently related to canisters thrown by the gunman. Some of those injured are children, including a 4-month-old baby who was released from the hospital.
Aurora police spokesman Frank Fania on ABC's “Good Morning America” said he didn't know yet if all the injuries were gunshot wounds. He said some might have been caused by other things such as shrapnel.
The movie opened across the world Friday with midnight showings in the U.S. Guards were at a screening at a movie theater in New York's Times Square. The shooting prompted officials to cancel the Paris premiere, with workers pulling down the red carpet display at a theater on the famed Champs-Elysees Avenue.
President Barack Obama said he was saddened by the “horrific and tragic shooting,” pledging that his administration was “committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded.”
It was the worst mass shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. Students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, opened fire at the school in the Denver suburb of Littleton, about 15 miles west of Aurora, killing 12 classmates and a teacher and wounding 26 others before killing themselves.
Friday's attack began shortly after midnight at the multiplex theater at a mall in Aurora, the state's third-largest city.
The film has several scenes of public mayhem — a hallmark of superhero movies. In one scene, the main villain Bane leads an attack on the stock exchange and, in another, leads a shooting and bombing rampage on a packed football stadium.
It was the final installment of the “Dark Knight” trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale as Batman. The series has a darker tone than previous Batman incarnations. It is the follow-up to “The Dark Knight,” which won Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar for his searing portrayal of The Joker.
The gunman released a gas that smelled like pepper spray from a green canister with a tag on it, Ms. Seeger said.
“I thought it was showmanship. I didn't think it was real,” she said.
Ms. Seeger said she was in the second row, about four feet from the gunman, when he pointed a gun at her face. At first, “I was just a deer in headlights. I didn't know what to do,” she said. Then she ducked to the ground as the gunman shot people seated behind her.
She said she began crawling toward an exit when she saw a girl about 14 years old “lying lifeless on the stairs.” She saw a man with a bullet wound in his back and tried to check his pulse, but “I had to go. I was going to get shot.”
Witness Shayla Roeder said she saw a young teenage girl on the ground bleeding outside the theatre. “She just had this horrible look in her eyes .... We made eye contact and I could tell she was not all right,” Ms. Roeder said.
Police, ambulances and emergency crews swarmed on the scene after frantic calls started flooding the 911 switchboard, officials said. Officers came running in and telling people to leave the theater, Salina Jordan told the Denver Post. She said some police were carrying and dragging bodies.
Hayden Miller told KUSA-TV that he heard several shots. “Like little explosions going on and shortly after that we heard people screaming,” he told the station. Hayden said at first he thought it was part of a louder movie next door. But then he saw “people hunched over leaving theater.”
Officers later found the gunman near a car behind the theater.
Police found a gas mask, rifle, handgun and at least one additional weapon inside, Oates said, adding that there was no evidence of any other attackers. The suspect spoke of “possible explosives in his residence. We are dealing with that potential threat,” Chief Oates said.
A large truck lettered “bomb squad” arrived near an Aurora apartment complex where the suspect is believed to have lived, about four miles from the theater. Dozens of police squad cars, vans and other vehicles were already at the scene, along with black-clad officers carrying automatic weapons.
Police evacuated residents of the building. Chief Oates did not say whether any explosives had been found. He said police also checked for explosives in the parking lot and at the Century 16 theater and secured those areas.
At least 24 people were being treated at Denver area hospitals.
“Warner Bros. and the filmmakers are 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,” the studio said.
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| Dior Homme |
In relation... She survived the Eaton Centre shooting... but not Colorado's...
Colorado shooting victim survived Toronto Eaton Centre shooting
A woman killed when a gunman opened fire in a Colorado movie theatre had survived Toronto’s recent Eaton Centre shooting and wrote in a blog that she was “blessed” to have survived the first incident.
Jessica Ghawi was among 12 people shot dead early Friday morning when gunfire erupted at a midnight screening of Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colo.
Jordan Gwahi confirmed to San Antonio TV station Kens5 that his sister was killed in the attack. Gwahi has recently moved from Texas to Colorado to pursue a career in sports broadcasting.
Ghawi wrote and tweeted about hockey under the name Jessica Redfield.
In her last blog post, dated June 5, 2012, Redfield wrote in great detail about her experience shopping at the Eaton Centre moments before gunfire rung out, killing two people and injuring several others.
“Who would go into a mall full of thousands of innocent people and open fire? Is this really the world we live in?” she wrote.
According to the post, Redfield was at the mall to get sushi and go shopping during a vacation to Toronto. She stepped outside just moments before gunfire erupted.
“I was on a mission to eat sushi that day, and when I’m on a mission, nothing will deter me. When I arrived at the Eaton Center mall, I walked down to the food court and spotted a sushi restaurant,” Redfield wrote.
“Instead of walking in, sitting down and enjoying sushi, I changed my mind, which is very unlike me, and decided that a greasy burger and poutine would do the trick.
“I rushed through my dinner. I found out after seeing a map of the scene, that minutes later a man was standing in the same spot I just ate at and opened fire in the food court full of people. Had I had sushi, I would’ve been in the same place where one of the victims was found.”
Redfield wrote that she had a funny feeling after eating and decided to head outside for some fresh air instead of shopping at the nearby SportChek.
“The gunshots rung out at 6:23. Had I not gone outside, I would’ve been in the midst of gunfire,” she wrote.
Redfield stayed near the mall and watched as paramedics rushed a young, shirtless boy into an ambulance. She said the moment eventually overtook her, and she was left feeling nauseous.
“My mind keeps replaying what I saw over in my head. I hope the victims make a full recovery. I wish I could shake this odd feeling from my chest,” her post concluded.
“The feeling that’s reminding me how blessed I am. The same feeling that made me leave the Eaton Center. The feeling that may have potentially saved my life.”
Tributes to the young sportscaster came across Twitter on Friday.
The You Can Play Project, a program founded by the son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, said she was working there as an intern.
“We will miss her intelligence, kindness and work ethic greatly,” they wrote on Twitter.
Moments before Friday morning’s shooting in Colorado, Redfield exchanged tweets with Sporting News NHL writer Jesse Spector, teasing him for missing the early showing of the highly-anticipated Batman movie.
“Words are useless. Guns more so. If you ever had any interaction with @JessicaRedfield, you know the world is much worse off without her,” Spector tweeted on Friday.
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| Tordan |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dior Homme
In relation... She survived the Eaton Centre shooting... but not Colorado's...
Colorado shooting victim survived Toronto Eaton Centre shooting
A woman killed when a gunman opened fire in a Colorado movie theatre had survived Toronto’s recent Eaton Centre shooting and wrote in a blog that she was “blessed” to have survived the first incident.
Jessica Ghawi was among 12 people shot dead early Friday morning when gunfire erupted at a midnight screening of Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colo.
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Her story is like a Final Destination movie plot. This whole incident is beyond f'ed up! RIP |
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| Vivid Boy |
| where was your batman then??? terrible superhero. take away his money and belt and hes just a guy that knows karate |
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| exraver |
NRA, WTF?
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| Swamper |
It is unfortunate that people feel they have to resort to violence in order to remedy a situation -- what is worse is that it becomes associated with a movie and people remember that and it tarnishes a brilliant franchise.
Check your issues at the door and let's work together to fix this place.
p.s. I'm looking at you Eric, nice avatar pic. :)
(Then again, mine isn't the prettiest either) |
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| Summerlover |
| Who the hell brings a 4 month old baby to a midnight showing of Batman? :rolleyes: :whip: |
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| 1dawoman |
| quote: | Originally posted by Tordan
Her story is like a Final Destination movie plot. This whole incident is beyond f'ed up! RIP |
That's exactly what I was thinking....sent shivers down my back.... |
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