James Holmes walked into the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado and opened fire, killing 12 people at 12:30 a.m. Friday morning. The theater was packed with patrons who were there to watch the premier of the latest installment in the Batman series, ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates described the incident as horrific. Holmes was wearing a mask during the incident. He activated tear gas bomb, walked up to the screen in a theater and then opened fire on the crowd.
After the moviegoers realized the bullets were real and not in the movie horror erupted. Some bullets pierced walls and injured patrons in the theater next door.
“There was this one guy on all fours crawling. There was this girl spitting up blood. There were bullet holes in some people’s backs, in some people’s arms. There was one guy who was just stripped down to his boxers. It looked like he had been shot in the back or something,” said Donovan Tate.
Not long after the first 911 call, hundreds of police officers, emergency crews and ambulance crews arrived on scene. Holmes was discovered close to a car parked behind the movie theater and was arrested wearing black clothing. He was holding a knife, a handgun, a rifle and was wearing a bulletproof vest.
“He did not resist,” Frank Fania, a police spokesman, said. “He did not put up a fight.”
The home of Holmes, in North Aurora, was searched by police after he told them of ‘possible explosives in his residence.’ The apartment complex was evacuated by police as a precaution. President Barack Obama released a statement about the shooting that reads:
“Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado. 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. 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 also released a statement about the incident:
“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.”