14 Killed, 50 Injured in Aurora, CO, Mass Shooting During Premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises”

Posted by on 2012 July 20 Leave a comment (0) Go to comments
Police respond to the scene of a mass shooting during the debut of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colorado.

Police respond to the scene of a mass shooting during the debut of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colorado.

The midnight showing of the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, ended in violence and death for dozens of movie goers in suburban Denver, Colorado, early this morning. According to reports, a lone gunman walked into a packed theater in Aurora, deployed gas, and began firing indiscriminately into the crowd. According to a police briefing just after 3am local time (5am eastern) 10 people were killed on-site at the theater, 4 additional died at area hospitals, and as many as 50 others were injured during the rampage.

According to some witnesses, the shooting was timed to coincide with a shootout in the early part of the movie, which had the effect of some viewers believing the initial sounds of shots were actually part of the movie and not because of a mass shooting in progress. At least one theater was the main target, though bullets made it through theater walls and struck people in adjoining rooms.  Also according to police, the shooter has been apprehended. The shooter has allegedly claimed a vehicle in the theater parking lot was rigged with explosives but did not go on, investigations to this end are currently ongoing.

The following video was made shortly after the shooting by a witness:

An additional witness account:

According to local hospitals, the youngest victim is six years old.

Some other updates from Twitter:

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