12 dead, 59 wounded in Colorado movie theater shooting rampage
The gunman who attacked movie-goers at an Aurora, Colo., theater early Friday had an assault rifle, a shotgun and two Glock pistols, state and local officials said at a televised news conference less than 12 hours after the incident. He wore a tactical armored vest, throat protector, groin protector, a gas mask and a ballistic helmet.
Even as officials spoke to the media at the midday news conference, police were studying two crime scenes: the movie theater that still contained the bodies of 10 of the 12 people who died and the apartment of the suspect, James Holmes. The latter had been booby-trapped with explosives and chemicals.
“We’ve taken a blow today, but we’ll get back on our feet,” Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan told reporters. Hogan was one several officials, including Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, angrily condemning what they called senseless shootings.
The latest casualty figures remained grim. Twelve people were killed. Ten died in the theater; two died at hospitals. Fifty-nine were wounded, said Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates, adding that “many” were in critical condition.
The numbers varied but almost three dozen people remained at as many as six area hospitals. Some of the injured were children, taken by adults to see a movie starring a comic book hero. At University Hospital, spokesman Chris Casey said, 23 people were treated, ranging in age from 3 months to 45 years.
Police chief Oates walked reporters through the city’s night of horror. He would not discuss a possible motive for the shootings, but painted a conflicting portrait of suspect James Holmes, who went to school in the San Diego area and was a graduate student in neuroscience in Colorado.
Police in Aurora had only one contact with Holmes, and that resulted in a speeding ticket. Holmes had a similarly low profile in Riverside, Calif., with no contact with police while attending the university there. He graduated with honors in spring 2010 with a bachelor's degree in neuroscience, according to Riverside officials.
Oates described the gunman as very deliberate and calculating when he entered Theater 9 of the Century 16 complex around 12:30 a.m. Friday -- about 25 minutes into the film.
The gunman wore protective armor around his body, neck and groin, a helmet and a gas mask as he faced the audience. He then set off two gas canisters, containing an irritant, and opened fire with an assault rifle, a shotgun and at least one .40-caliber Glock pistol. What many thought was part of a stunt quickly turned deadly.
By Michael Muskal
Los Angeles Times