|
Post by masterplan200 on Jul 20, 2012 11:39:46 GMT -5
A suspect is in custody after opening fire at a midnight screening of the Batman film 'The Dark Knight Rises' in Aurora, Colorado, east of Denver. Fifty people are wounded. Witnesses say the gunman released a noxious gas before opening fire, making escape more difficult.
print Comments 168
Email Share
1 2 next | single page
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.
Colorado movie theater shooting Photos: Colorado movie theater shooting <span style="color: #8B0412"><b>Discuss:</b></span> Live chat on Colorado theater shooting at 9 a.m. Discuss: Live chat on Colorado theater shooting at 9 a.m. After Colorado shootings, Obama to cut campaign trip short After Colorado shootings, Obama to cut campaign trip short Obama, Romney express shock and sorrow over Aurora shooting Obama, Romney express shock and sorrow over Aurora shooting Aurora: 'Dark Knight Rises' shootings have eerie overtones Aurora: 'Dark Knight Rises' shootings have eerie overtones
Ads by Google 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.
DISCUSS: Live chat on 'Dark Knight' shooting at 9 a.m.
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."
Photos: Dark Knight Rises' shooting
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 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.
Copyright © 2012, Los Angeles Times
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 11:41:52 GMT -5
there are some sick people in this world.
|
|
|
Post by gdforever on Jul 20, 2012 12:05:15 GMT -5
I can not believe this. Heard it on the radio this am.
Makes me feel sick.
It's times like these where I wish the death penalty was more common. I would never want this individual walking the streets again.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 12:55:26 GMT -5
It's times like these where I wish the death penalty was more common. lets add to the death toll
|
|
retrolego
Oasis Roadie
Walking to the sound of my favorite tune
Posts: 279
|
Post by retrolego on Jul 20, 2012 13:05:38 GMT -5
What do Americans expect when guns are openly accessible to any old lunatic.
|
|
|
Post by masterplan200 on Jul 20, 2012 13:06:01 GMT -5
I can not believe this. Heard it on the radio this am. Makes me feel sick. It's times like these where I wish the death penalty was more common. I would never want this individual walking the streets again. It's usually bullying. Martin Bryant kiiled 35 because of both bullying and fear (he was partly insane). Thing is, their family thinks their son/daughter never did it.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 13:07:21 GMT -5
What do Americans expect when guns are openly accessible to any old lunatic. it enables but does not mandate.
|
|
|
Post by masterplan200 on Jul 20, 2012 13:11:45 GMT -5
Wait until Alex Jones says that 'James is a Freemason'.
|
|
retrolego
Oasis Roadie
Walking to the sound of my favorite tune
Posts: 279
|
Post by retrolego on Jul 20, 2012 13:23:43 GMT -5
What do Americans expect when guns are openly accessible to any old lunatic. it enables but does not mandate. If it enables it don't be shocked when it happens.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 13:29:43 GMT -5
it enables but does not mandate. If it enables it don't be shocked when it happens. so you don't find it shocking ?
|
|
|
Post by RocketMan on Jul 20, 2012 13:38:52 GMT -5
If it enables it don't be shocked when it happens. so you don't find it shocking ? i find it kind a hard to say 'shocking'. it's an tragic incident, but you can tell, something like this happens about every day, so there's no shock moment anymore
|
|
retrolego
Oasis Roadie
Walking to the sound of my favorite tune
Posts: 279
|
Post by retrolego on Jul 20, 2012 13:48:31 GMT -5
^^ This
Sad yes, shocking no.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 14:05:28 GMT -5
I can not believe this. Heard it on the radio this am. It's times like these where I wish the death penalty was more common. I would never want this individual walking the streets again. In extreme cases like this I agree, some people just aren't normal and will never reform to become contributing citizens
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 14:36:28 GMT -5
guess it's just me and the victims that didn't expect it.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 14:48:26 GMT -5
It's times like these where I wish the death penalty was more common. lets add to the death toll You're right. We should just pay for him to live for the next 75 years in more luxury than most Americans. Sometimes your comments boggle my mind.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 14:50:22 GMT -5
lets add to the death toll You're right. We should just pay for him to live for the next 75 years in more luxury than most Americans. Sometimes your comments boggle my mind. so you have never come across someone who doesn't want the state to kill its own citizens
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 14:51:29 GMT -5
also the death penalty is more expensive than life in prison, which is why some states in the US have stopped using the death penalty.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 14:52:28 GMT -5
You're right. We should just pay for him to live for the next 75 years in more luxury than most Americans. Sometimes your comments boggle my mind. so you have never come across someone who doesn't want the state to kill its own citizens It was more the way you made your comment. Not really the idea.
|
|
|
Post by gdforever on Jul 20, 2012 15:02:07 GMT -5
You're right. We should just pay for him to live for the next 75 years in more luxury than most Americans. Sometimes your comments boggle my mind. so you have never come across someone who doesn't want the state to kill its own citizens It's a bit of an extreme comment. It's not a cost thing. It's the fact that some people are just not fit for access to the public. If you they locked them up and threw away the key I'd be fine with that too. But I think that people that do things like this deserve to never be reintroduced into the public ever again. You can do with them what you like. If you want to stick them in a cell with gruel and slop (and they'd best not be having a CUSHY living) for the next 65-70 years...I'm OK with that. I don't care if he's an 82 years man...I never want him out again. Problem with the legal industry is that most times psychopaths like this don't spend the rest of their lives in prison
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 15:18:46 GMT -5
so you have never come across someone who doesn't want the state to kill its own citizens It's a bit of an extreme comment. It's not a cost thing. It's the fact that some people are just not fit for access to the public. If you they locked them up and threw away the key I'd be fine with that too. But I think that people that do things like this deserve to never be reintroduced into the public ever again. You can do with them what you like. If you want to stick them in a cell with gruel and slop (and they'd best not be having a CUSHY living) for the next 65-70 years...I'm OK with that. I don't care if he's an 82 years man...I never want him out again. Problem with the legal industry is that most times psychopaths like this don't spend the rest of their lives in prison nothing extreme in the comment, it's amazing how many people think that prison is some kind of holiday camp.
|
|
|
Post by gdforever on Jul 20, 2012 16:01:49 GMT -5
It's a bit of an extreme comment. It's not a cost thing. It's the fact that some people are just not fit for access to the public. If you they locked them up and threw away the key I'd be fine with that too. But I think that people that do things like this deserve to never be reintroduced into the public ever again. You can do with them what you like. If you want to stick them in a cell with gruel and slop (and they'd best not be having a CUSHY living) for the next 65-70 years...I'm OK with that. I don't care if he's an 82 years man...I never want him out again. Problem with the legal industry is that most times psychopaths like this don't spend the rest of their lives in prison nothing extreme in the comment, it's amazing how many people think that prison is some kind of holiday camp. It's softer than it should be.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 17:33:19 GMT -5
^ in general or for those who murder?
|
|
|
Post by gdforever on Jul 20, 2012 18:02:03 GMT -5
In general really.
|
|
|
Post by tomlivesforever on Jul 22, 2012 3:38:27 GMT -5
so you have never come across someone who doesn't want the state to kill its own citizens It's a bit of an extreme comment. It's not a cost thing. It's the fact that some people are just not fit for access to the public. If you they locked them up and threw away the key I'd be fine with that too. But I think that people that do things like this deserve to never be reintroduced into the public ever again. You can do with them what you like. If you want to stick them in a cell with gruel and slop (and they'd best not be having a CUSHY living) for the next 65-70 years...I'm OK with that. I don't care if he's an 82 years man...I never want him out again. Problem with the legal industry is that most times psychopaths like this don't spend the rest of their lives in prison Love all the talk about what they are going to do with him rather than tackling the problems that could prevent it happening again. Its awful and tragic but no one should be shocked by it, when you give everyone access to guns its going to happen.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2012 5:28:26 GMT -5
It's a bit of an extreme comment. It's not a cost thing. It's the fact that some people are just not fit for access to the public. If you they locked them up and threw away the key I'd be fine with that too. But I think that people that do things like this deserve to never be reintroduced into the public ever again. You can do with them what you like. If you want to stick them in a cell with gruel and slop (and they'd best not be having a CUSHY living) for the next 65-70 years...I'm OK with that. I don't care if he's an 82 years man...I never want him out again. Problem with the legal industry is that most times psychopaths like this don't spend the rest of their lives in prison Love all the talk about what they are going to do with him rather than tackling the problems that could prevent it happening again. Its awful and tragic but no one should be shocked by it, when you give everyone access to guns its going to happen. then howcome it doesn't happen in switzerland?
|
|