Shooter goes on a kill spree rampage during the midnight screening of new Batman flick THE DARK KNIGHT RISES near Denver, Colo.
At least 12 people were killed and 59 wounded injured early Friday after a 24 year old man now identified as James Holmes — wearing a riot helmet, dressed in all-black and armed with several guns, including a rifle — went on a shooting rampage at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises near Denver, Colorado.
The mass shooting happened about thirty minutes into the screening at the Century 16 Movie Theaters at theAurora Town Center, less than 10 miles east of downtown Denver.
Aurora police chief Dan Oates said 10 people died at the scene of the shooting and four others died after being taken to local hospitals. At least 40 other people were injured, Oates added.
Most of the victims were adults, but six of the victims were taken to a nearby Children’s Hospital,RadarOnline.com reported
"Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire," Oates said. Some moviegoers originally thought it was part of a publicity stunt tied to the film’s premiere.
"We were maybe 20 or 30 minutes into the movie and all you hear, first you smell smoke, everybody thought it was fireworks or something like that, and then you just see people dropping and the gunshots are constant," witness Christ Jones told ABC's Denver KMGH-TV. "I heard at least 20 to 30 rounds within that minute or two."
A man who talked to a couple who was inside the theater told ABC News, "They got up and they started to run through the emergency exit, and that when she turned around, she said all she saw was the guy slowly making his way up the stairs and just firing at people, just picking random people," he said.
"The gunshot continued to go on and on and then after we didn't hear anything," the couple told the man, "we finally got up and there was people bleeding, there was people obviously may have been actually dead or anything, and we just ran up out of there, there was chaos everywhere."
Police, ambulances and emergency crews swarmed on the scene after frantic calls started flooding the 911 switchboard, officials said.
Officers found the gunman near a car behind the theater. He did not resist arrest. The man — described as a 24-year-old white man — was wearing a bullet-proof vest. The suspect’s has been ID'ed as James Holmes from San Diego who was attending college nearby. There is no known motive for the attack — yet.
Authorities say Holmes – who was wearing a gas mask — had a rifle and handgun on him; he had also stashed another gun inside the theater. Police found yet another gun inside Holmes' car.
Authorities said they later found explosives at the man’s home.
DEVELOPING….
