PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR CHILDREN
| DENVER AURORA, CO MASSACRE There has been a concerted effort to push insanity, very obviously by people who have not studied the M’Naughten Rules. No effort has been made to investigate who helped the shooter (whose ID is now in dispute given the facial recognition problem) inside the Aurora movie-theater or who planted the explosives. As with Oslo it’s wall to wall insanity, with the media, FBI and police working on an unproven lone gunman assumption. What we are looking for – and what we are not getting – is a credible explanation of how the shooter got into the theater and hard evidence of where he acquired his explosives expertise. Judging by Oslo these questions aren’t even going to be addressed and the shooter will get away with his life, undeservedly so in my view. The stark failure with respect of the FBI to get to grips with the case puts innocent life at risk, just as the Norwegian Government and police encouraged the Denver mass-shooting with their crass lone gunman assumption, and the failure of the Cumbria Police and MI5 to properly investigate Cumbria in turn encouraged Oslo. Denver looks more and more like an Oslo-style DVD operation. These mass shooting incidents will continue every year or two until someone shows the guts and the forensic skill to investigate one properly. One witness said….“As I was sitting down to get my seat, I noticed that a person came up to the front row, the front right, sat down, and as credits were going, it looked like he got a phone call. He went out toward the emergency exit doorway, which I thought was unusual to take a phone call. And it seemed like he probably pried it open, or probably did not let it latch all the way. As soon as the movie started, somebody came in, all black, gas mask, armor, and threw a gas can into the audience, and it went off, and then there were gunshots that took place.” | 
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The reclusive drop-out PhD student behind the Dark Knight screening shooting spree said he was 'The Joker' after he carried out his horrific attack, it has been revealed.
James Holmes, 24, had painted his hair red to resemble Batman's arch nemesis before firing into the crowded theatre in Aurora, Colorado, according to New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
'It clearly looks like a deranged individual,' Kelly said of the shooter at a news conference, CBS reported. 'He had his hair painted red. He said he was "The Joker", obviously the enemy of Batman.'
A neighbour also reported that police, who were searching Holmes's apartment for explosives, asked him if he had seen 'a white guy with crazy hair, possibly dyed unnatural colors', the Denver Post said.
It has also emerged that Holmes, who is accused of killing 12 and injuring 59 after buying a ticket to the film, had been studying at the University of Colorado's medical campus until June this year.
'Killer': James Holmes, left, burst into a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado and fired indiscriminately at audience members at the new Batman film. Police said he appeared to be dressed as the Joker, right
Evidence: Markers outside the cinema sit next to a gas mask believed to be worn by Holmes as he opened fire
Discarded: Investigators look over evidence on ground outside the back door of the movie theatre. The gunman had been wearing head-to-toe ballistic gear But neighbours at university housing in Denver described Holmes as a recluse who kept himself to himself. One student said: 'No one knew him. No one.' Holmes - who had been working towards his PhD for a year before dropping out - had one song blaring from his stereo in the hours before the massacre and left the music on repeat in his booby-trapped apartment as he departed to commit the massacre. His shocked mother confirmed that he was behind the massacre, telling reporters: 'You've got the right man.' The U.S. Department of Defense says three members of the U.S. Armed Forces were wounded in a movie theater shooting in Colorado and one is unaccounted for.Holmes was arrested in the cinema parking lot where he did not put up any resistance. He told police he had explosives at his North Aurora home, and they closed off the apartment to search. In an address today, President Obama said he was 'heartbroken' to hear of the 'heinous' crime. 'Such violence, such evil is senseless. It's beyond reason,' he said. 'But while we never fully know what causes someone to take the life of another, we do know what makes life worth living. 'What matters, at the end of the day, is not the small things, the trivial things that so often consume us in our daily lives. Ultimately, it's how we choose to treat one another, how we love one another.' He added that if anything can be taken away from the tragedy, 'it reminds us that life is very fragile'.
Mourning: President Obama led a moment of silence for the victims from Florida on Friday morning Scores of injured victims are now fighting for their lives; the youngest is just three months old, and is believed to have been shot at blank point range in the back.
An eyewitness video showed a man (left) in a striped shirt leaving the cinema in a daze with blood on his clothing, while other people stood around in confusion, unsure of the horror which had unfolded
Comfort: Friends gather for a prayer near the theatre where James Holmes allegedly opened fire Witnesses at the movie theatre said the man burst through the emergency exit at the front of the auditorium 30 minutes into the screening. He began firing into the terrified audience with four guns as he made his way up the stairs, picking his victims at random. 'Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire,' Mr Oates said at a news conference. The incident at the Century 16 cinema complex began at 00:30 local time - 30 minutes into the start of the screening. The preview trailers had just finished when a gas canister was thrown across in front of the screen and exploded in the auditorium.
Horror: People gather outside the Century 16 movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado at the scene of a mass shooting - a masked gunman shot dead 12 people and wounded 50 others
Grief: A man cries at the Children's Hospital in Aurora. The youngest victim is believed to be three months 
Victim: Jessica Ghawi, an aspiring TV presenter, was one of the 12 people shot dead in the massacre. She was tweeting about her excitement at seeing the film until moments before her death
Questions: Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates talks outside the mall after the alleged gunman was arrested WAS DEADLY SHOOTING INSPIRED BY BATMAN COMIC BOOK?The Dark Knight cinema massacre may have been inspired by a Batman comic book strip, it emerged on Friday. The bloodbath is a chilling copycat of a 25-year-old Batman comic strip which features a deranged gunman opening fire in a cinema. In the second issue of The Dark Knight Returns, written by Frank Miller - the creative mind behind Sin City and 300 - gunman Arnold Crimp opens fire in a pornographic theatre, killing three people, after listening to Led Zepplin's classic track 'Stairway to Heaven.' Text from the page reads: 'Arnold Crimp fingers the cold steel thing in his pocket and stares at the movie marquee and does not throw up. 'He thinks about Led Zeppelin and how they are trying to kill him. 'He had not known about Led Zeppelin until Father Don on TV had explained it last night. 'Father Don said that Led Zeppelin hid a prayer to Satan in their song Stairway to Heaven. 'They hid it very well. They recorded it backwards. 'Arnold Crimp took the album from the record store where he worked until they fired him this afternoon and transferred Stairway to Heaven to tape. 'Then he played the tape backwards. He played it forty-seven times until he was absolutely certain that Father Don was right.' Crimp then walks into a cinema, which is screening a pornographic film called My Sweet Satan, and opens fire. Holmes motives behind the massacre are unknown, but if he was a fan of the Batman comics, then he may well have read the issue featuring Crimp's killing-spree. The comic itself is still in print, and on Friday it was available in several Waterstones' book shops, priced £12.99. A witness told CNN: 'We heard anywhere from 10 to 20 shots and little explosions going on. Shortly after that we heard people screaming. 'Then they came on PA system and said everyone needed to get out. As soon as we got out, there were people running around and screaming.' 'He looked so calm when he did it,' another witness said. 'It was like scary. He waited for both the bombs to explode before he did anything. 'Then, after both of them exploded, he began to shoot. He had no specific target. He just started letting loose.' Witnesses said that the shooting was so brutal that bullets went through the walls into the next theatre, where one person was hit. Police received the first emergency call at 00.39 a.m. local time. Police, ambulances and emergency crews swarmed on the scene after frantic calls started flooding in to authorities, officials said. Cell phone video taken at the cinema by a witness showed crowds of people screaming and fleeing the building, with some with blood on their clothes. One witness reported seeing a police officer carrying a girl who looked to be nine with gunshot wound to her back. 'She wasn't moving,' the witness said. Among those killed was Jessica Ghawi, an aspiring sportscaster who had recently moved to Colorado from Texas. She was shot as she watched the film with a male friend, who was injured. Jessica had escaped another deadly shooting in Toronto on June 2, after a gunman fired in a mall food court, killing one man. Several others have said there were children at the screening and the youngest victim reported was a three-month-old baby. A six-year-old is also being treated. Local reporter Justin Jones said: 'The attacker shot a baby at point blank range.' Another eyewitness, James Cameron, added that the baby girl was shot in the back.
Investigation: Officers gather at the cinema on Friday morning. Ten bodies were still believed to be inside The suspect had no history with police apart from a traffic ticket, police reported. When approached in San Diego, a woman who identified herself as Holmes's mother told ABC police her son was the likely culprit, saying: 'You have the right person.' Holmes was a student at the University of Colorado Denver Medical Campus but had dropped out in June, a school official told ABC. He attended high school in California. The shootings have led to precautions at other planned premieres of the film. There are reports that the screening in Paris has been cancelled. In New York, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly released a statement saying: 'As a precaution against copycats and to raise the comfort levels among movie patrons in the wake of the horrendous shooting in Colorado, the New York City Police Department is providing coverage at theaters where the 'The Dark Knight Rises' is playing in the five boroughs.'
Local hospitals have been alerted to a 'mass casualty incident' and police officers are taking people to hospital themselves, not waiting for ambulances
Terrifying: Several witnesses have said there were children at the screening and one reported there was a baby in the theatre
Crime scene: Police officers took witness statements. The 6ft tall man, dressed in black and wearing a gas mask opened fire at the showing of The Dark Knight Rises and set off a smoke or tear gas bomb
Emergency: Outside the Swedish Medical Center ER where two people are in a critical condition - local hospitals have been alerted to a 'mass casualty incident'
Anxious: Film-goers wait nervously across the street as Aurora Police strung crime scene tape around the parking lot encircling the movie theatre President Obama made a statement in the early hours of this morning to pass on his condolences to the families and to offer his support to Aurora. 'Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado,' he said. 'Federal and local law enforcement are still responding, and my Administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. 'We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. 'As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family.
Christian Bale, left, as Batman in The Dark Knight Rises and Tom Hardy as Bane. There were suggestions that the gunman was influenced by Bane, a character in the film which wears a dark mask covering his face
Scene: A map shows the movie theatre and the location of the gunman's home in North Aurora 'All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come.' Mitt Romney added: 'Ann and I are deeply saddened by the news of the senseless violence that took the lives of 15 people [sic ]in Colorado and injured dozens more. 'We are praying for the families and loved ones of the victims during this time of deep shock and immense grief. We expect that the person responsible for this terrible crime will be quickly brought to justice.' Holmes is expected to appear in court on Monday. Aurora is located on the outskirts of Denver, about 10 miles southeast of downtown. It is the worst mass shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. Fifteen died, including the shooters. 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 in the school's library. Jessica, who wrote for sports blog Busted Coverage, was watching the movie with long-time friend Brent Lowak, who was visiting from Texas. He was shot twice but survived, his father said. He underwent surgery this morning. She had tweeted: 'Never thought I’d have to coerce a guy into seeing the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises with me.' Her brother, Jordan Ghawi, confirmed her death while on his way to the San Antonio airport to catch a flight to Denver. He tweeted: 'This could easily be the worst night of my life. It appears that my sister has been fatally wounded in a mass shooting at a movie premiere in Denver, CO.' Tragic: Jessica was in the cinema with her friend Brent Lowak (right), who escaped with an injury
Shot: Brent, right, is reportedly one of the victims undergoing surgery after the deadly shooting Tribute: Family and friends have been sharing memories of Ms Ghawi after news emerged of her death Her friend Peter Burns added: 'Lost a very close friend in the shooting last night. [Jessica] came to Denver to pursue career. I’m shaking.' Another friend, Natalie Tejeda, wrote: 'My friend Jessie Ghawi was killed in the Aurora Shooting - she was an aspiring sportscaster - she will be missed.' Her parents also confirmed the death to a local radio station and are travelling to Colorado. Jessica and Brent were among 12 people killed and 59 injured while in the auditorium to watch The Dark Knight Rises. A haunting photograph from the scene shows one father, Tom Sullivan, brandishing a picture of his son Alex, who is missing, to the media. Alex was celebrating his 27th birthday by going to the film. One other victim, who was shot in the head, leg, arm and chest but survived, told friends he felt as if he's been 'punched in the head' and his 'arm … blown off' after he was hit. 'Lucky': Louis Duran, left, was hit in the head, leg, arm and chest. He is pictured with friend Jahlil Hall Survivor: Marcus Weaver shows the wounds he received in his arm during the shooting Safe: Jamie Rohrs escaped with his four-month-old son, Ethan, during the shooting
Anguish: Amanda Medek, left, was pictured outside the cinema looking for her missing sister Micayla, right Louis Duran, 18, was released from the hospital and is recovering at home, his high school friend Jahlil Hall told ABC. Duran had missed his usual Thursday night basketball game to go to the midnight screening with two friends. They were sitting towards the front of the theatre when they were hit. 'He said it felt like getting punched in the head and it was really hot,' Hall said. 'Then he felt like his arm had been blown off. He ran over to the stairs and some random guy helped him out of the theater.' Duran then took off his shirt and wrapped it around his head in to apply pressure to his wounds, and was taken to the Medical Center of Aurora, where he was treated and released. 'He's lucky to be alive, definitely,' Hall said, adding that one of their friends was grazed by a bullet, while another is in intensive care. Another victim, Christopher Rapoza from Brooklyn, New York, posted an image of his blood-stained shirt on image sharing site imgur, with a bullet hole visible around heart-height.
Hit: Christopher Rapoza uploaded pictures of his wound after he was hit by a bullet in the cinema Harrowing: Rapoza holds up the t-shirt he was wearing when he was grazed by the bullet 'I was there and I was shot... Well, grazed really,' he wrote. 'I'm doing all right just a little shook up. Me and my girlfriend waited until it seemed the shooting was finished so we were some of the last people out of the theatre and there was a lot of blood.' Just after the shooting, at around 4am, Rapoza wrote on Facebook: 'Perry and I were just at a midnight showing of Batman in Colorado when some f***ing psycho decided to open fire on the crowd. 'I was grazed in the back with a bullet but am fine. Perry is unscathed, but unfortunately has lost her shoes. A lot of other people weren't so lucky. 'I've been inspected by a number of paramedics and they've given me the okay to get to the hospital for stitches on my own. Just wanted to get it out there now so that everyone knows I'm okay.' The youngest victim to die was just 12 years old, while a three-month-old baby also sustained a gunshot wound. A six six year old was also shot. Scene: The Century 16 cinema in Aurora, Colorado, where a gunman shot 12 people and injured 38 Plea: Tom Sullivan holds a photo of his son Alex who was celebrating his 27th birthday by going to the film. He is pictured pleaded with the media to help him find his son Pain: Friends gather for a prayer outside the theatre where James Holmes opened fire Twelve people, ranging from 16 to 31, were taken to the Medical Center of Aurora with gunshot wounds. Three were treated for chemical exposure, most likely from tear gas. Denver Health had seven victims - one in critical and the rest in fair condition. The University of Colorado hospital was treating 21 people, including the baby, for gunshot wounds. The oldest is 45. A six-year-old was being treated at Children's Hospital Colorado, where a total of six victims ranging were taken. The oldest patient there is 31. Their condition wasn't known. JESSICA'S POIGNANT JUNE 5 BLOG POST: ESCAPING TORONTO SHOOTING'I can’t get this odd feeling out of my chest. This empty, almost sickening feeling won’t go away. I noticed this feeling when I was in the Eaton Center in Toronto just seconds before someone opened fire in the food court. An odd feeling which led me to go outside and unknowingly out of harm‘s way. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around how a weird feeling saved me from being in the middle of a deadly shooting. 'What started off as a trip to the mall to get sushi and shop, ended up as a day that has forever changed my life. 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. 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. 'My receipt shows my purchase was made at 6:20 pm. After that purchase I said I felt funny. It wasn’t the kind of funny you feel after spending money you know you shouldn’t have spent. It was almost a panicky feeling that left my chest feeling like something was missing. A feeling that was overwhelming enough to lead me to head outside in the rain to get fresh air instead of continuing back into the food court to go shopping at SportChek. The gunshots rung out at 6:23. Had I not gone outside, I would’ve been in the midst of gunfire. 'I walked around the outside of the mall. People started funneling out of every exit. When I got back to the front, I saw a police car, an ambulance, and a fire truck. I initially thought that maybe the street performer that was drumming there earlier had a heart attack or something. But more and more police officers, ambulances, and fire trucks started showing up. Something terrible has happened. I overheard a panicked guy say, “There was a shooting in the food court.” I thought that there was no way, I was just down there. I asked him what happened. He said “Some guy just opened fire. Shot about 8 shots. It sounded like balloons popping. The guy is still on the loose.” I’m not sure what made me stick around at this point instead of running as far away from the mall as possible. Shock? Curiosity? Human nature? Who knows. 'Standing there in the midst of the chaos all around us, police started yelling to get back and make room. I saw a young shirtless boy, writhing on a stretcher, with his face and head covered by the EMS as they rushed him by us to get him into an ambulance. The moment was surprisingly calm. The EMTs helping the boy weren’t yelling orders and no one was screaming like a night time medical drama. It was as if it was one swift movement to get the boy out of the mall and into the ambulance. That’s when it really hit me. I felt nauseas. Who would go into a mall full of thousands of innocent people and open fire? Is this really the world we live in? 'Police start yelling again “GET BACK NOW!” Another stretcher came rushing out of the mall. I saw a man on a stretcher, the blanket underneath him spotted with blood. Multiple gunshot holes in his chest, side, and neck were visible. It’s not like in the movies when you see someone shot and they’re bleeding continuously from the wound. There was no blood flowing from the wounds, I could only see the holes. Numerous gaping holes, as if his skin was putty and someone stuck their finger in it. Except these wounds were caused by bullets. Bullets shot out of hatred. His dark skin on his torso was tinted red with what I assume was his own blood. He was rushed into the ambulance and taken away. 'More people joined the crowd at the scene and asked what happened. “There was a shooting in the food court,” kept being whispered through the crowd like a game of telephone. I was standing near a security guard when I heard him say over his walkie talkie, “One fatality.” At this point I was convinced I was going to throw up. I’m not an EMT or a police officer. I’m not trained to handle crime and murder. Gun crimes are fairly common where I grew up in Texas, but I never imagined I’d experience a violent crime first hand. I’m on vacation and wanted to eat and go shopping. Everyone else at the mall probably wanted the same thing. I doubt anyone left for the mall imagined they witness a shooting. 'I was shown how fragile life was on Saturday. I saw the terror on bystanders’ faces. I saw the victims of a senseless crime. I saw lives change. I was reminded that we don’t know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath. For one man, it was in the middle of a busy food court on a Saturday evening. 'I say all the time that every moment we have to live our life is a blessing. So often I have found myself taking it for granted. Every hug from a family member. Every laugh we share with friends. Even the times of solitude are all blessings. Every second of every day is a gift. After Saturday evening, I know I truly understand how blessed I am for each second I am given. 'I feel like I am overreacting about what I experienced. But I can’t help but be thankful for whatever caused me to make the choices that I made that day. 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. 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.'
| A federal law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Holmes had bought a ticket to the midnight showing and went in to the screen as part of the crowd. He then propped open an exit door as the movie played and put on donned protective a ballistic helmet, vest, throat protector, gas mask, black tactical gloves. Witnesses said he threw a smoke grenade and waited for it to explode before opening random fire with an AR-15 assault rifle, a Remmington 12-guage shotgun and a 40-caliber Glock handgun. He also had another 40-caliber Glock in his car, police said. He moved up the cinema aisle shooting anyone who tried to flee. Twelve people died in the horrific attack, and the bodies of 10 victims are still inside the theatre, police said. The youngest victim is believed to be just 12. Dozens of harrowing stories have emerged from the shooting. One of the people fleeing described how he tried to shut the door on the suspected gunman. Twenty-three-year-old Eric Hunter says he and his friends made their way to an exit door after seeing smoke and hearing shots during the movie.
Yearbook photo: Holmes went to high school in San Diego where his parents still live
Weapons of choice: He had a Colt AR-15 Tactical Carbine and .40 caliber glock handgun (file pictures)
Power: He also had a Remington 870 Marine Magnum (pictured) with him, and another glock in his car When they opened the door, Hunter says they saw two teenage girls - one of whom had been shot in the mouth. Hunter says he was about to close the door when he saw the shooter, dressed in a bullet-proof vest and a gas mask, approaching. He held the door closed and the gunman banged on it for about 10 seconds Afraid that the shooter would start firing through the door, Hunter says he let it go and managed to get out of the theater. Another couple described how they had been planning to sit by the emergency exit where Holmes entered. But in a last minute twist of fate Jamie Rohrs and Patricia Legarreta opted instead for a second-floor balcony seat with their four-year-old daughter and four month-old son and saw Holmes burst into the theater. Rohr - who had been holding their four-month-old child - jumped over the balcony and fled after putting the infant down. But the boy was spotted by Legarreta who grabbed him and their daughter and fled. 'I threw my daughter on the floor,' she said. 'I just remember thinking my fiance has my son.' Ms Legaretta suffered shrapnel wounds to her leg but she managed to grab her daughter and four-month-old son.
Heartbreak: Mr Sullivan embraces family members outside Gateway High School after searching for his son
Family: Media gather outside the San Diego home of Holmes' parents who said their son is the shooter
Strength: A small group prays outside Gateway High School where witnesses gave statements to police
Embrace: Eyewitness Jacob Stevens, 18, hugs his mother Tammi Stevens after being interviewed by police
Pain: Witnesses gather outside Gateway High School where they were brought for questioning
Plea: Tom Sullivan holds a photo of his son Alex who was celebrating his 27th birthday by going to the film
Tears: Jacob Stevens, 18, hugs his mother Tammi Stevens after being interviewed by police
Loss: A group is overcome with emotion outside the school after learning of the death of a friend
Precautions: The Aurora bomb squad robot is deployed to search a suspect's car behind the cinema KEY U.S. MASS SCALE SHOOTINGSVirgina Tech, April 2007 Seung-Hui Cho, a student, shot and killed 32 people and inured 15 others at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. He then turned the gun on himself. Fort Hood, November 2009 Major Nidal Hasan , a U.S. army psychologist, fired at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas. 13 people were killed and 42 others were injured. Columbine High School, April 1999 Two teenage schoolboys shot and killed 12 schoolmates and a teacher at the school in Littleton, Colorado, before killing themselves. Gabrielle Giffords, January 2011 Six people including a nine-year-old girl were killed and 12 others were wounded when a gunman opened fire at a public gathering outside a grocery in Tuscon, Arizona. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was at the scene and was severely injured with a gunshot to the head. Civic centre, April 2009 13 people shot dead by a gunman in Binghamton, New York Alabama, 2009 While driving a car through towns in Alabama, a 28-year-old redundant worker starting shooting randomly killing 10 people. Omaha, December 2007 Nine people killed and injured five others in a shopping center in Omaha, Nebraska after a 20-year-old man started shooting Northern Illinois University, February 2008 Five students killed and 16 injured after a man opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. At the end of the shooting spree he surrendered, laying down his weapon Hayden Miller told KUSA-TV that he was inside Theatre 16 and heard several shots. He said at first he thought it was part of a louder movie next door, but then he saw 'people hunched over leaving theatre.' The gunman was arrested without incident in a car park nearby and told the police that explosives were stored at his home. He remains in police custody. Police chief Dan Oates told reporters that an apartment block in the north of Aurora had been evacuated as a consequence of the man's claims his apartment had explosives. They found the suspect's apartment rigged with tripwires tied to bottles of unknown substances. 'It's not something I've ever been before,' Oates told an early-afternoon press conference. Around 6.40 a.m. local time, there were a reports of an explosion at the apartment. Police said that another handgun was found left in the cinema but there was no evidence of any other attackers. They added there was no immediate knowledge of the motive. The FBI say they are working with local police. They say it is still early in the investigation, but that there is no terrorism link so far. The car park of the mall remains closed off. Police spokeswoman Cassidee Carlson said: 'The scene is still very active and we have little information for release at this time.' Hospitals reported shrapnel injuries and Denver University hospital reported it was treating three people for 'chemical exposure'. With ambulances rushing to the hospitals, some chose to get to the nearest medical facility by foot. Mitt Romney said today: 'This is a time for each of us to look inot our hearts and remember how much we love each other. Our hearts break for the victims and their families.' Brenda Stuart, of 850 KOA Radio, said: 'Police are taking people to hospital in their own cars, not waiting for ambulances to arrive. 'There were chaotic scenes as people desperately tried to flee.'
Hunt: A police officer holds a searching device to the window of the home of the suspected 24-year-old gunman after he claimed he had explosives at his home
Break through: Police use a video camera to look inside the suspect's apartment for explosives
Swoop: Aurora Police officers are pictured outside the building where Holmes is believed to live
Investigation: Neighbours reported hearing an explosion in the building early on Friday morning
Crime scene: Investigators at the Century 16 movie theatre where the gunmen attacked movie goers
Fraught: FBI officers, Aurora police officers, and fire crews outside the suspect's apartment building
Investigation: Officers gather at the cinema on Friday morning. Ten bodies were still believed to be inside The suspect had no history with police apart from a traffic ticket, police reported. When approached in San Diego, a woman who identified herself as Holmes's mother told ABC police her son was the likely culprit, saying: 'You have the right person.' Holmes was a student at the University of Colorado Denver Medical Campus but had dropped out in June, a school official told ABC. He attended high school in California. The shootings have led to precautions at other planned premieres of the film. There are reports that the screening in Paris has been cancelled. In New York, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly released a statement saying: 'As a precaution against copycats and to raise the comfort levels among movie patrons in the wake of the horrendous shooting in Colorado, the New York City Police Department is providing coverage at theaters where the 'The Dark Knight Rises' is playing in the five boroughs.'
Local hospitals have been alerted to a 'mass casualty incident' and police officers are taking people to hospital themselves, not waiting for ambulances
Terrifying: Several witnesses have said there were children at the screening and one reported there was a baby in the theatre
Crime scene: Police officers took witness statements. The 6ft tall man, dressed in black and wearing a gas mask opened fire at the showing of The Dark Knight Rises and set off a smoke or tear gas bomb
Emergency: Outside the Swedish Medical Center ER where two people are in a critical condition - local hospitals have been alerted to a 'mass casualty incident' Anxious: Film-goers wait nervously across the street as Aurora Police strung crime scene tape around the parking lot encircling the movie theatre President Obama made a statement in the early hours of this morning to pass on his condolences to the families and to offer his support to Aurora. 'Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado,' he said. 'Federal and local law enforcement are still responding, and my Administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. 'We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. Horrified father lost his BABY on the floor in panic at massacre cinema... before child was rescued by mother who had been shot in leg
A father has told how he managed to escape the Dark Knight Rises shooting - but was horrified to realise he had lost his four-month old son on the floor of the theatre in the chaos. The infant was rescued by his mother who had a shrapnel wound to her leg but still managed to drag the child and their four-year-old daughter to safety. Jamie Rohrs and Patricia Legarreta took their infant son Ethan and four-year-old daughter to the midnight screening in Aurora, Colorado, thinking the children would sleep through the movie as they sat on the second floor balcony. Holding back tears: Patricia Legarreta, left, and Jamie Rohrs hold their infant son Ethan after recovering him from the movie theatre floor Survivors: Jamie Rohrs and Patricia Legarreta with their son Ethan after they escaped the midnight screening When gunman James Holmes burst in and began shooting Ms Legaretta heard her fiance shout at her to get down on the floor. She was then hit in the leg and fell to the floor herself. Rohrs jumped over the seat with their baby son and says he considered playing dead. 'I'm trying to keep him low. And he's crying,' he told ABC News . 'People are running all over. I'm tripping and falling. I don't know if I laid him down or sat him down. 'I look up to see if I can run. I'm ducking, dodging, turning left, turning right. ... Every time you hear a gun shot, it's like 'Oh, I'm dead.''I'm just disoriented after I put him down," Rohrs said. "I'm just waiting for me to hit the ground and fall down dead. You could see the gunfire and people are dropping." He says he tried to retrieve his son but eventually jumped over the balcony and fled. Safe and sound: Jamie Rohrs hold his four-month-old son as he describes his ordeal Killer dressed as the Joker; An investigator kneels next to a gas mask marked as evidence outside the Century 16 movie theater But Ms Legratta saw Ethan as she lay on the floor with the wound to her leg that stretched from her upper thigh to waist. She pulled the infant to him and ran out the theatre with her daughter and baby boy - only realising she had been hit when she made it outside. Rohrs said he was horrified to realise his fiancee, son and daughter when he made it outside. 'My son's still in there,' he told ABC News. 'My girlfriend is still in there. I'm out here. Who leaves their child there?' The couple then reunited outside the cinema, after Ms Legratta phoned her fiance who had driven away from the scene. They had recently moved to Aurora from New Mexico and defended their decision to tak their children to the late night screening. Rohrs said: 'We have to go out. We have to do things. You don't think you're going to get shot. You're just living your life.
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Vehicle: A white Hyundai car with belongings around it believed to belong to suspected gunman 
A gunman burst into the emergency exit door of a theater and shot 71 people, killing at least 12, at a midnight premiere of the new Batman movie Friday, creating a chaotic, smoke-filled scene that had bloody moviegoers dragging each other outside.
Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Scanner traffic indicates that dozens of people were hurt in a shooting inside the theatre. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Scanner traffic indicates that dozens of people were hurt in an incident inside the theatre. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post Officials do not currently believe that the gunman had terror links, adding to the mystery of his possible motives. 'It clearly looks like a deranged individual,' NYPD police chief Ray Kelly said. 'He had his hair painted red. He said he was "The Joker", obviously the enemy of Batman.' Investigation: Police are looking into this adult website profile to find out if it is belongs to Holmes Trail of blood: A line of blood leads from the emergency exit of the cinema, from where James Holmes launched his killing spree, and past the suspect's car A neighbour also reported that police, who were searching Holmes's apartment for explosives, asked him if he had seen 'a white guy with crazy hair, possibly dyed unnatural colors', the Denver Post said. But neighbours at university housing in Denver described Holmes as a recluse who kept himself to himself. One student said: 'No one knew him. No one.' Holmes - who had been working towards his PhD for a year before dropping out - had one techno song blaring from his stereo in the hours before the massacre and left the music on repeat in his booby-trapped apartment as he departed to commit the massacre. He was also reportedly addicted to video game Guitar Hero. His shocked mother in San Diego confirmed that he was behind the massacre, telling reporters: 'You've got the right man.' After graduating from Westview High School in 2006, Holmes studied neuroscience at the University of California Riverside, where he graduated with honours. Family: Holmes's grandmother, pictured, was seen entering and exiting the family home in San Diego Home: The house in San Diego where Holmes grew up before headed to college at UC Riverside Neighbours in California said that Holmes moved to Colorado to attend graduate school after failing to find a job. The university said he was dropping out because of academic issues, and had not had any disciplinary problems. The gunman described himself as 'quiet and easy-going' in a rental application last year, and high school classmates confirmed that impression in interviews with the Los Angeles Times. Dan Kim, currently a student at UC San Diego, said: 'He didn't seem like a troublemaker at all. He just seemed like he wanted to get in and out, and go to college.' Holmes ran in Westview's cross country team with Tori Burton, who said: 'He was very quiet. He was a nice guy when you did occasionally talk to him. But he was definitely more introverted.' Another classmate, Keith Goodwin, spoke of his shock at seeing the 'generally pleasant' young man hit the news for his role in the massacre. 'James was certainly not someone I would have ever imagined shooting somebody,' Mr Goodwin said. Dark Knight: Holmes was apparently dressed as the Joker, bottom, when he attacked the Batman screening Holmes has only ever had contact with police over a traffic violation, according to the New York Times, who spoke to two law-enforcement officials about the gunman. 'He’s not on anybody’s radar screen,' said one official, while the other added: 'This guy is somewhat of an enigma. Nobody knows anything about him.' The killer's family appealed for privacy as they described their anguish at seeing Holmes involved in massacre. 'Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved,' they said in a statement released by San Diego police. 'We ask that the media respect our privacy during this difficult time. 'Our family is cooperating with authorities in both San Diego, California and Aurora, Colorado. We are still trying to process this information and we appreciate that people will respect our privacy.' Jackie Mitchell, a furniture mover who lives several blocks from the suspect's apartment building in Colorado, said he had drinks with Holmes at a local bar on Tuesday night, though he gave no sign of being distressed or violent. After Holmes approached him 'we just talked about football. He had a backpack and geeky glasses and seemed like a real intelligent guy, and I figured he was one of the college students,' Mr Mitchell said. When Mr Mitchell saw Holmes's photo after the shooting, 'the hair stood up on my back,' he said. 'I know this guy.' Another neighbour, Rachel Reed, said she met Holmes in a local bar when she put rap music by Lil Wayne on the jukebox. He came over and 'made some racially charged comments about rap,' she said. 'He seemed like he was a normal dude. He was a little buzzed.' Holmes is not talking to police and has asked for a lawyer, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. His first court appearance is set for Monday morning at 9.30.
| President Obama has led the mourning for the victims gunned down while watching the new Batman movie in Colorado with a moment of silence from his campaign trail in Fort Myers, Florida. In an address, which came just hours after a gunman broke into an Aurora cinema and killed 12 cinema-goers and injured 59 others, Obama said the tragedy came as a reminder 'that life is fragile'. The crowd cheered as the president stepped to the podium half-an-hour earlier than scheduled, but he asked the crowd to sit down and called for a more sombre mood. 'There are going to be other days for politics,' he said. 'This is a day for prayer and reflection.' Scroll down for video Reflection: President Barack Obama led a moment of silence for the victims of the Aurora massacre Tribute: The Stars and Stripes were lowered over the White House in memory of the Colorado victims He continued: 'This morning we woke up to news of a tragedy that reminds us of all the ways we are united as one American family. 'We're going to stand by our neighbors in Colorado during this extraordinarily difficult time. Such violence, such evil is senseless; it's beyond reason.' But, he added: 'We do know what makes life worth living. People in Aurora loved and were loved.'The president went on: 'If there's anything to take away from this tragedy, it's the reminder that life is very fragile here, time here is limited and it is precious. 'What matters at the end of the day is not the small things; it is not the trivial things ... Ultimately it is how we choose to treat one another and how we love one another.' Remembrance: Obama supporters bow their heads in prayer for the victims while at Fort Myers, Florida Sadness: Obama branded the killings 'heinous' and said he was reminded of the things we should be grateful for 'Heartbroken': Obama salutes as he steps from Air Force One in Fort Myers, Florida. He has said he will cut short his campaign swing through the state in light of the tragedy in Colorado He said, as a parent, the news of the 'heinous' crime had terrified him. 'My daughters go to the movies. What if Malia and Sasha had been in the theater as so many of our kids do every day?' He added that he would hug his daughters 'a little tighter' tonight. 'Such violence, such evil is senseless. It's beyond reason'President ObamaThe president then bowed his head and lead a moment of silence. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney also spoke about the 'hateful act' from Bow, New Hampshire. 'This is a time for each of us to look into our hearts and remember how much we love each other,' he said. 'There is so much love and goodness in the hearts of Americans.' He said the nation will no doubt hear about the individual talents of each victim in the coming days, and how the country will come together to offer comfort to their grieving families and communities. Kind words: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney delivers remarks on the mass shooting during a campaign stop in Bow, New Hampshire Scene of terror: The cinema in Aurora, Colorado, where a gunman killed 12 people and injured 38 at a late-night showing of The Dark Knight Rises. The gunman was later identified as James Holmes Grief: Witness Jacob Stevens, 18, hugs his mother Tammi after being interviewed by police on Friday 'There will be justice for those responsible,' he added. 'But today is a moment to grieve and to help.' Obama will return to Washington later today and cancel further campaign events. Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have also cancelled their events in the wake of the tragedy. As Obama spoke, details of the alleged killer and his crime continued to emerge. Police identified him as 24-year-old Jame Holmes, a reclusive student who had just dropped out from a PhD program. Witnesses said he broke into the cinema brandishing as many as four guns - including pistols and an assault rifle - before throwing a canister of smoke or tear gas that then exploded in the auditorium. He waited for the explosion before firing at the audience members at random. They had gathered to see the late-night premier of The Dark Knight Rises, which began at midnight. Victims were rushed to hospitals, with a 12-year-old killed and a three-month-old baby shot in the back. The gunman was found in the cinema parking lot and did not resist arrest.
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Aurora paramedics transported dozen of injured Friday morning. Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Scanner traffic indicates that dozens of people were hurt in an incident inside the theatre. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
Arapahoe County Sheriff's deputies patrolled the perimeter of a crime scene Friday morning. Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre at the Aurora Mall early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Scanner traffic indicates that dozens of people were shot inside the theatre. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
An Aurora Police officer took information from an unidentified witness early Friday morning. Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Scanner traffic indicates that more than a dozen people may have been shot and killed inside the theatre. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
Moviegoers were evacuated across the street as Aurora Police strung crime scene tape around the parking lots encircling the movie theatre Friday morning.Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Scanner traffic indicates that dozens of people were hurt in an incident inside the theatre. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
Moviegoers were evacuated across the street as Aurora Police strung crime scene tape around the parking lots encircling the movie theatre Friday morning.Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Scanner traffic indicates that dozens of people were hurt in an incident inside the theatre. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
Moviegoers were evacuated across the street as Aurora Police strung crime scene tape around the parking lots encircling the movie theatre Friday morning.Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Scanner traffic indicates that dozens of people were hurt in an incident inside the theatre. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
Police officers took witness statements outside a move theatre in Aurora, Colorado following an early morning shooting. Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Scanner traffic indicates that dozens of people were hurt in an incident inside the theatre. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
An Aurora Police Department detective took a witness statement following a shooting Friday morning. Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Scanner traffic indicates that dozens of people were hurt inside the theatre. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
| A man arrives at Children's Hospital in Aurora, CO, Friday, July 20, 2012. Fourteen people were killed and about 50 were injured early Friday when shots rang out at an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie. Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post # |  |
Personnel gather outside the emergency room at Children's Hospital in Aurora, CO, Friday, July 20, 2012. Fourteen people were killed and about 50 were injured early Friday when shots rang out at an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie. Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post #
Police cars line the streets after a shooting left more than a dozen people dead and dozens of others wounded at the The Dark Knight Rises premiere at the Century 16 theater in Aurora on Friday, July 20, 2012. . AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post #
| Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Twelve persons were killed when a lone shooter opened fire inside the theatre during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post |  |
A bag of popcorn was abandoned outside an Aurora theatre where a gunmen opened fire on moviegoers Friday morning. Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Twelve persons were killed when a lone shooter opened fire inside the theatre during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
Police investigate the suspects apartment near the intersection of 17th Street and Paris Street on Friday, July 20, 2012. Stephen Mitchell, The Denver Post #
Shapprrea Ramzy left Gateway High School after trying to find information on two friends wounded in the shooting. Aurora Police responded to the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Twelve persons were killed when a lone shooter opened fire inside the theatre during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
Tammi Stevens, is overcome with emotion as she picks up her son, Jacob Stevens, outside Gateway High School, Friday July 20, 2012, in Aurora. Jacob was a witnesses to a shooting, where about 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday inside an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie, were taken to the high school by bus to be questioned by police. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post #
Amanda Medek sits outside Gateway High School in Aurora, CO, where witnesses we being interviewed by authorities Friday, July 20, About 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday when shots rang out at an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie. A 24-year-old man in is custody 2012. Medek was looking for her missing sister, Micayla Medek, who attended the film. Amanda said that her sister attended the movie with friend, "there were 10 of them, she's the only one that didn't come out." Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post #
A group of friends are overcome with emotion as they gather outside Gateway High School, Friday July 20, 2012, in Aurora. About 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday inside an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post #
Police investigate after a shooting left more than a dozen people dead and dozens of others wounded at the The Dark Knight Rises premiere at the Century 16 theater in Aurora on Friday, July 20, 2012. . AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post #
Comilla Sasson, MD, MS, gives a press conference in front of the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora on Friday morning, July, 19, 2012 after a shooting at an Aurora movie theatre during a perimeter showing of the new Batman movie where 12 people were fatally shot and about 50 people were shot and wounded and taken to hospitals around the Denver area. Heather Rousseau, The Denver Post #
Police cars line the streets after a shooting left more than a dozen people dead and dozens of others wounded at the The Dark Knight Rises premiere at the Century 16 theater in Aurora on Friday, July 20, 2012. . AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post #
Tom Sullivan, center, hugs two women outside Gateway High School, Friday July 20, 2012, in Aurora. Sullivan is still missing his son, who he said was at the movies where about 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday in Aurora. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post #
A guy who does not want to give his name, makes calls to friends and family about his friends as they are admitted in the University of Colorado Hospital on Friday, July, 19, 2012 after 12 people were fatally shot and about 50 other people were shot and wounded from a shooting at an Aurora movie theatre during a perimeter showing of the new Batman movie. Heather Rousseau, The Denver Post #
A police officer walks near the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora following a shooting which left a dozen people dead and dozens of others wounded during the premier of The Dark Knight Rises on Friday, June 20, 2012. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post #
Police vehicles line the streets in front of the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora following a shooting that left a dozen people dead and dozens of others wounded during a premier of The Dark Knigh Rises on Friday, July 20, 2012. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post #
Kimberly Sinkiewicz, left, and Rachel Frangis leave Gateway High School in Aurora, CO, where witnesses we being interviewed by authorities Friday, July 20, About 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday when shots rang out at an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie. A 24-year-old man in is custody 2012. Frangis was looking for a friend that planned on going to the theatre. Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post #
Amanda Medek, who is looking for her sister Micayla, is overcome with emotion outside Gateway High School, Friday July 20, 2012, in Aurora. Micayla is still missing after 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday inside an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie, were taken to the high school by bus to be questioned by police. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post #
Tom Sullivan holds up a photo of his son Alex for media outside Gateway High School, Friday July 20, 2012, in Aurora. Sullivan is still missing his son, who he said was at the movies where about 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday in Aurora. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post #
Ian Legins and his children leave Gateway High School in Aurora, CO, where witnesses we being interviewed by authorities Friday, July 20, About 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday when shots rang out at an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie. A 24-year-old man in is custody 2012. Legins was looking for his nephew who had attended the movie. Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post #
Police investigate the suspects apartment near the intersection of 17th Street and Paris Street on Friday, July 20, 2012. Stephen Mitchell, The Denver Post #
A young woman arrives at Gateway High School in Aurora, CO, where witnesses we being interviewed by authorities Friday, July 20, About 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday when shots rang out at an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie. A 24-year-old man in is custody 2012. Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post #
Two police officers embrace outside Gateway High School in Aurora, CO, where witnesses we being interviewed by authorities Friday, July 20, About 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday when shots rang out at an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie. A 24-year-old man in is custody 2012. Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post #
Law enforcement officials broke in the windows as they searched the apartment of Aurora Mall Theater shooting suspect James Holmes in Aurora at Paris and 17th Ave. on Friday, July 20, 2012. An Aurora fire fighter hooks up a hose outside the apartments. Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post #
Police investigate the suspects apartment near the intersection of 17th Street and Paris Street on Friday, July 20, 2012. Stephen Mitchell, The Denver Post #
Law enforcement officials broke in the windows as they searched the home of Aurora Mall Theater shooting suspect James Holmes in Aurora at Paris and 17th Ave. on Friday, July 20, 2012. They entered from the outside with the help of a fire truck ladder. Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post #
Law enforcement officials broke in the windows as they searched the home of Aurora Mall Theater shooting suspect James Holmes in Aurora at Paris and 17th Ave. on Friday, July 20, 2012. They entered from the outside with the help of a fire truck ladder. As they take pics they spray a fire hose. Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post #
Agents from the FBI and ATF investigate the scene behind the Century 16 theater in Aurora where 12 people were killed and dozens of others were injured during a premier of The Dark Knight Rises on Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post #
Agents from the FBI and ATF investigate the scene behind the Century 16 theater in Aurora where 12 people were killed and dozens of others were injured during a premier of The Dark Knight Rises on Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post #
Agents from the FBI and ATF investigate the scene behind the Century 16 theater in Aurora where 12 people were killed and dozens of others were injured during a premier of The Dark Knight Rises on Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post #
Agents from the FBI and ATF investigate the scene behind the Century 16 theater in Aurora where 12 people were killed and dozens of others were injured during a premier of The Dark Knight Rises on Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post #
Law enforcement officials gather behind a fire truck as they search the home of Aurora Mall Theater shooting suspect James Holmes in Aurora at Paris and 17th Ave. on Friday, July 20, 2012. Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post #
Front entrance to the Century 16 movie theater, scene of a mass shooting, 12 people killed and over 40 wounded in Aurora, July 20th, 2012. Andy Cross, The Denver Post #
Front entrance to the Century 16 movie theater, scene of a mass shooting, 12 people killed and over 40 wounded in Aurora, July 20th, 2012. Andy Cross, The Denver Post #
Agents from the FBI and ATF investigate the scene behind the Century 16 theater in Aurora where 12 people were killed and dozens of others were injured during a premier of The Dark Knight Rises on Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post #
Melissa Frederick, from Aurora, relects after placing flowers in the parking lot near the front entrance to the Century 16 movie theater, scene of a mass shooting, 12 people killed and over 40 wounded in Aurora, July 20th, 2012. Andy Cross, The Denver Post #
A police officer walks around flowers placed by Melissa Frederick near the front entrance to the Century 16 movie theater, scene of a mass shooting, 12 people killed and over 40 wounded in Aurora, July 20th, 2012. Andy Cross, The Denver Post #
A combat style helmet was one of many pieces of evidence in the parking lot behind the Century 16 movie theatre where a gunmen shot and killed 12 persons Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Witnesses claimed the shooter was wearing a helmet, a gas mask and a bullet proof vest. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
A gas mask was marked as the first piece of evidence in a criminal investigation. Federal authorities searched through evidence in the parking lot behind the Century 16 movie theatre where a gunmen shot and killed 12 persons Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
Law enforcement officials broke in the windows as they searched the home of Aurora Mall Theater shooting suspect James Holmes in Aurora at Paris and 17th Ave. on Friday, July 20, 2012. Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post #
Law enforcement officials look from the fire truck ladder outside the apartment home of Aurora Mall Theater shooting suspect James Holmes in Aurora at Paris and 17th Ave. on Friday, July 20, 2012. Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post #
Onlookers take photos as law enforcement officials broke in the windows as they searched the apartment of Aurora Mall Theater shooting suspect James Holmes in Aurora at Paris and 17th Ave. on Friday, July 20, 2012. Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post #
A gas mask was marked as the first piece of evidence in a criminal investigation. Federal authorities searched through evidence in the parking lot behind the Century 16 movie theatre where a gunmen shot and killed 12 persons Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
Brittney Hall, 18, and her dog, Romeo, watch ivestigators near the Century 16 theater in Aurora where 12 people were killed and dozens of others were injured during a premier of The Dark Knight Rises on Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post #
A Federal Bureau of Investigation forensics expert made notes on a gas mask labeled as the first piece of evidence in a criminal investigation. Federal authorities searched through evidence in the parking lot behind the Century 16 movie theatre where a gunmen shot and killed 12 persons Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
Federal authorities searched through evidence in the parking lot behind the Century 16 movie theatre where a gunmen shot and killed 12 persons Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
Members of the electronic media filed live reports from a parking lot north of the movie theatre Friday morning. Federal authorities searched through evidence in the parking lot behind the Century 16 movie theatre where a gunmen shot and killed 12 persons Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post #
A group from Rangeview High School pray outside Gateway High School in Aurora, CO, where witnesses we being interviewed by authorities Friday, July 20,2012. About 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday when shots rang out at an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie. A 24-year-old man in is custody 2012.
The suspects car was found in the back of the theatre. ATF agents and police investigate the scene. A shooting at The Century has left 12 people dead and over 35 people in the hospital with gunshot wounds. Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post #
ATF agents investigate the suspects car. Blood stains that look like footprints cover the sidewalk next to the car that was found on the back side of the theatre. Suspected gunman James Holmes is thought to have gunned down 12 people to death inside The Century movie theater early this morning July 20th, 2012 and wounding many others in a firing rampage inside the showing of the new Batman movie. Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post #
ATF agents investigate the suspects car. Blood stains that look like footprints cover the sidewalk next to the car that was found on the back side of the theatre. Suspected gunman James Holmes is thought to have gunned down 12 people to death inside The Century movie theater early this morning July 20th, 2012 and wounding many others in a firing rampage inside the showing of the new Batman movie. Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post #
The apartment complex in which shooting suspect James Holmes lived is surrounded by fire engines, police and other investigators near the intersections of Peoria and 17th ave in Aurora. Authorities were worried that his apartment had been bobby-trapped with explosives. Holmes is thought to have gunned down 12 people to death inside The Century movie theater early this morning July 20th, 2012 and wounding many others in a firing rampage inside the showing of the new Batman movie. Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post #
Amanda Medek, second from the left, who is looking for her sister Micayla, is overcome with emotion outside Gateway High School, Friday July 20, 2012, in Aurora. Micayla is still missing after 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday inside an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie, were taken to the high school by bus to be questioned by police. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post #
Tom Sullivan holds up a photo of his son Alex outside Gateway High School, Friday July 20, 2012, in Aurora. Sullivan is still missing his son, who he said was at the movies where about 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday in Aurora. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post #
Joe Amon, The Denver Post. A witness talks to the media on July 20, 2012 about the Aurora Colorado theater shooting that left 12 dead and 59 people wounded during the screening of The Dark Knight Rises. #
The apartment complex in which shooting suspect James Holmes lived is surrounded by fire engines, police and other investigators near the intersections of Peoria and 17th ave in Aurora. Authorities were worried that his apartment had been bobby-trapped with explosives. Holmes is thought to have gunned down 12 people to death inside The Century movie theater early this morning July 20th, 2012 and wounding many others in a firing rampage inside the showing of the new Batman movie. Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post #
Joe Amon, The Denver Post. Investigators remove a body on July 20, 2012 outside the Century 16 Movie Theater in Aurora, Colorado following the shooting that left 12 people dead and 59 wounded during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises. #
A man and woman arrive at Gateway High School in Aurora, CO, where witnesses we being interviewed by authorities Friday, July 20, 2012. About 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday when shots rang out at an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie. A 24-year-old man in is custody 2012. Blessitt said, "I've been in war zones all over the world and it hurst to have this happen here at home. This is where I need to be." Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post #
Two teens drive away from Gateway High School, Friday July 20, 2012, in Aurora with their back window painted. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post #
People depart Gateway High School in Aurora, CO, where witnesses were being interviewed by authorities Friday, July 20, 2012. Twelve people were killed and 59 were injured early Friday when shots rang out at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie. A 24-year-old suspect, James Holmes is in custody and an apartment building in north Aurora connected to the suspect was being evacuated and searched for possible explosives, according to Police Chief Dan Oates. Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post #
Amanda Medek is escorted out of Gateway High School in Aurora, CO, where witnesses were being interviewed by authorities Friday, July 20, 2012. Twelve people were killed and 59 were injured early Friday when shots rang out at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie. Early in the day Medek said she was looking for her missing sister, Micayla Medek, who attended the film. Amanda said that her sister attended the movie with friend, "there were 10 of them, she's the only one that didn't come out." A 24-year-old suspect, James Holmes is in custody and an apartment building in north Aurora connected to the suspect was being evacuated and searched for possible explosives, according to Police Chief Dan Oates. Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post #
Aurora's Police Chief Dan Oates walks out of Gateway High School after meeting with families, Friday July 20, 2012, in Aurora. Witnesses to a shooting, where about 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday inside an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie, were taken to the high school by bus to be questioned by police. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post #
Two people console each other outside Gateway High School, Friday July 20, 2012, in Aurora. Witnesses to a shooting, where about 50 people were shot 12 fatally early Friday inside an Aurora movie theater during a premiere showing of the new Batman movie, were taken to the high school by bus to be questioned by police. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post #
Dark Knight gunman 'forced to wear a face guard in prison after spitting at officers'
- Gunman's mother admits she feared he was disturbed for years
- Sources: Police placed evidence bags on James Holmes' hands after his arrest and he pretended they were puppets
- Gunman had previously received $26,000 federal education grant
- Jail workers said he was not on medication during court appearance
- Victim set to launch first lawsuit against movie theater, Holmes' doctors and Warner Brothers for not preventing horrific attack
The man accused of gunning down cinema-goers at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Colorado has been spitting so much at officers while he is held in police custody, they have been forced to put a face guard on him.
After James Holmes was arrested in the movie theater's parking lot, he sat wide-eyed and twitching and refused to cooperate with investigators, sources revealed.
It also emerged that when authorities placed evidence bags over the 24-year-old's hands to preserve gunshot residue, he began playing with them as if they were two puppets, the sources told CALL7.
He is being held in isolation at the Arapahoe County Jail but the continual spitting has forced authorities to cover his face while he is being moved.
Bizarre behaviour: James Holmes, pictured at his first court appearance on Monday, reportedly used police evidence bags as hand puppets after his arrest and sat wide-eyed and twitching
It is just the latest example of Holmes' bizarre behaviour and comes as his mother revealed she feared he had been disturbed for years and was concerned about his social isolation.
Arlene Holmes, who lives in San Diego, California and was only made aware of the shootings when a reporter called her for a comment, is said to have urged her son to seek counselling.
The claim in the Washington Post about Mrs Holmes, a nurse, is the first sign that she could have averted the massacre and raises grave questions over what else she knew.
When she was called about the shootings on Friday, she told an ABC reporter 'you have the right person' - in an apparent indication that her son was the likely gunman.
But on Monday, her lawyer spoke out to claim Mrs Holmes's statement had been mischaracterised, and she had in fact been confirming that she was the 'right person'.
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Out of it: Holmes, who said he dyed his hair to appear like Batman's nemesis The Joker, gave an alarming performance in court, but jail workers said he was not on any medication
Pain: Family members gather around the makeshift memorial behind the Century 16 cinema on Tuesday
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Mourning: Left, two daughters of victim Gordon Cowden's embrace as another daughter leaves messages on a cross at the memorial site. The father of four, who was the oldest victim, is pictured right
Loss: Two of Cowden's teenage daughters were with him in the cinema at the time of the shooting
Struggle: The family gathers at the cross nearby to the cinema where their father was gunned down. In the foreground, a family portrait shows Cowden and his children
Emotion: Ashley Deuell, 18, kneels next to a cross and family photo of Cowden, a friend of her family
According to reports, the neuroscience graduate was adopted and Mrs Holmes, 58, and husband Robert, 61, a software developer, raised him as one of their own.
The reports come just one day after Holmes's startling first appearance in court on Monday, where he rolled his eyes, stared directly ahead and swayed from side to side.
He also displayed a disheveled mop of orange hair, apparently fading from the red he had dyed it in an attempt to resemble Batman's arch nemesis, The Joker.
He stayed silent throughout the appearance at Arapahoe County Court and at times appeared as if he was under heavy medication.
But a jail employee has claimed that the 12-minute catatonic appearance was an act, not the result of any drugs.
'We don’t just hand out meds,' the Arapahoe County Detention Center worker told the New York Daily News. 'It just doesn’t work like that. If he was acting sleepy, he was faking it.'
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New images: The public is learning more about the victims of the horrific attack, including Petty Officer Third Class John T. Larimer, 27, left, and young dad Jonathan T. Blunk, 26, right
Loved: Well-wishers and friends have left messages on the crosses representing each of the 12 victims
Case: Members of the prosecution team leave the cinema after spending an hour there on Tuesday
Fighter: Robert Blache sits by his daughter Christina, who was shot in the attack, at Swedish Medical Center
Support: Best friends Allie Young, left, and Stephanie Davies recount how Stephanie saved Allie's life by applying pressure to a gun wound on her neck
The source added: 'I heard he’s not cooperating. He’s trying to act crazy. I know the people here believe it’s an act, but only he knows for sure.'
Dr Joan Neff, a criminologist from the University of Virginia, told MailOnline that Holmes' appearance was consistent with someone who was suffering from a mental illness, such as schizophrenia.
Mugshot: Holmes, 24, is suspected of shooting dead 12 cinema-goers and wounding 58 others
She said this would also explain why he dropped out of his PhD so abruptly.
'We know that certain types of psychoses tend to have an onset in the early 20s; if that's the case he may be in the midst of coping with that. He may not know what's going on,' she said.
Alternatively, she said the conditions of his jailing - especially for someone who has never been in trouble with the law - may have brought on an episode.
'Sometimes that can be an experience in and of itself,' Dr Neff said. 'So his appearance is not very surprising.'
Jailors at the facility agreed Holmes has been acting bizarrely ever since arriving and 'thinks he's acting in a movie', they told the New York Daily News
'He was spitting at the door and spitting at the guards,' a released inmate said outside the jail. 'He’s spitting at everything. Dude was acting crazy.'
Mental illness is something the suspected gunman would be educated in, after completing a neuroscience degree before dropping out of his PhD program last month.
Holmes was previously awarded a $26,000 federal grant from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, part of the US Deparment of Health.
The sum covered a stipend and his tuition at the University of Colorado in Denver. He was one of six neuroscience students at the school to receive the money, WNEW News reported.
As well as mental illness, there have been other suggestions at a motive, including reports Holmes had recently split from a girlfriend and the fact he had been struggling in school before dropping out.
Backtrack: Holmes's mother feared he had been disturbed for years. On Monday her attorney Lisa Damiani (pictured) said the woman had no idea he was the suspect, despite earlier reports
Outrage: Tom and Caren Teves, whose son Alex was killed, and his girlfriend Amanda Lindgren, were just a few of the relatives at the court appearance. They branded Holmes a 'coward'
Crowd: People, including victims and their relatives, listen to the court hearing of James Holmes on Monday
Ongoing: Crime scene tape is seen around the apartment where Homes lived in Aurora on Tuesday
Investigation: Members of the prosecution also arrive to look at Holmes's apartment
Whatever the cause, families are now reacting to the killings by unleashing lawsuits on the Century 16 Theater where the shooting took place, Holmes' doctors and Warner Brothers.
TMZ reported that Torrence Brown, Jr. was in the cinema when Holmes shot dead 12 people and wounded another 58.
One of his friends, 18-year-old A.J. Boik, was killed in the massacre, and Brown is now suffering from extreme trauma, according to his attorney Donald Karpel.
His lawsuit, which has not yet been filed, will name the theater, for not properly securing the emergency exit and Holmes’ doctors, for allegedly prescribing medications, as defendants.
It will also name the studio Warner Brothers, claiming that Dark Knight Rises is too violent.
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Lawsuit: Witness Torrence Brown, Jr. (right) is about to bring a lawsuit against the cinema, Holmes' doctors and Warner Brothers after suffering extreme trauma after his friend AJ Boik (left) was shot dead
Remembered: A woman grieves at a memorial for victims behind the theater in Aurora, Colorado
Outpouring: Thousands of people continue to visit the makeshift memorial to leave gifts or messages
Never forgotten: The community continues to come together as questions remain about the killer
After his brief appearance on Monday, Holmes is back in solitary confinement - but the families of the victims said they saw enough.
'I saw the coward in court today,' said Tom Teves, whose son Alex was among those killed. 'Alex could have wiped the floor with him without breaking a sweat.'
Holmes is being held without bond and will hear the formal charges against him next Monday. The County District Attorney is considering whether to seek the death penalty.
Legal experts told the Denver Post that Holmes's attorneys are likely to pursue an insanity defense.
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