Colorado Shooting at Dark Knight Rises Opening

[Speederino]

http://abcnews.go.co...42#.UAmHKaBKx8E

Moviegoer Christopher Ramos today recalled the real-life horror of the midnight premiere of the latest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises," in Aurora, Colo., as a gunman decked in riot gear set off smoke bombs and opened fire on the unsuspecting audience.

"People were running everywhere, running on top of me, like kicking me, jumping over me. And there were bodies on the ground," Ramos said. "I froze up. I was scared. I honestly thought I was going to die."

Ramos was watching the midnight screening of the movie with his sister at the Century 16 Movie Theaters in Aurora, Colo., early this morning when 24-year-old James Holmes allegedly burst into the room set off a smoke bomb and began firing at random with up to four firearms, killing at least 12 people and injuring as many as 50, including members of the U.S. military.

Holmes, originally of San Diego, Calif., was a medical student at the University of Colorado, in Colorado pursuing a PhD, sources told ABC News. He was a student at the University of Colorado Denver Medical Campus.

"The image in our heads is stuck in there. I still have the ticket right here and honestly, I'm never going to forget this night at all. Because it was the first time I saw something that was real. Like a real-life nightmare that was there, not dreaming of," Ramos told ABC News today.

Holmes was caught by police in the parking lot of the movie theater shortly after the shooting still dressed in his riot gear, an outfit eerily similar to a villain in "The Dark Knight Rises." He warned police that his Aurora apartment was booby-trapped, leading police to evacuate the apartment complex. They were working this morning to gain entry to and diffuse the apartment, which they said seems to be "elaborately" rigged with explosives.

"The pictures we have from inside the apartment are pretty disturbing considering how elaborate the apartment is booby trapped," police said outside of the apartment complex today. The "flammable and explosive" materials could have blown up Holmes' apartment building and the ones near it, police said.

Witnesses in the movie theater said Holmes saw smoke and heard gunshots that they thought were aprt of the movie until they saw Holmes standing in front of the screen, aftetr entering from an emergency exit. Holmes methodically stalked the aisles of the theater, shooting people at random, as panicked movie-watchers in the packed auditorium tried to escape, witnesses said.

"You just smelled smoke and you just kept hearing it, you just heard bam bam bam, non-stop. The gunman never had to reload. Shots just kept going, kept going, kept going," one witness told ABC News.

"I'm with coworkers and we're on the floor praying to God we don't get shot, and the gunshots continue on and on, and when the sound finally stopped, we started to get up and people were just bleeding," another theatergoer said.

Police said 10 victims died inside the theater, while dozens of others were taken to local hospitals, including a child as young as 6 years old.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Speederino

[...]

And to think Colorado has had enough crap lately after the wildfire, now this?

[KHCast]

Wow, this guy is a sick fucker. Why would he do something like this?! for fun? It's even worse if he was say a "devoted" batman fan that wanted to make it real.Prick needs to burn in hell.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Sora

[Patticus]

Apparently the gunman has claimed he was inspired by comments made by the Tea Party, but even then it still takes a fuckload of misinterpretation to end up at a motive for a mass murder.

And if that does end up being true - and this is a massive, Empire state building-sized if - then Rush Limbaugh should feel like a bigger piece of shit than he already should do.

I wonder why these rampages are so prevalent in the US?

[PSI Wind]

I think one of the really scary parts about this is the fact that it sounds like it came right out of the movie

[Johnny Boy]

I think one of the really scary parts about this is the fact that it sounds like it came right out of the movie

[Tornado]

Apparently the gunman has claimed he was inspired by comments made by the Tea Party, but even then it still takes a fuckload of misinterpretation to end up at a motive for a mass murder.

And if that does end up being true - and this is a massive, Empire state building-sized if - then Rush Limbaugh should feel like a bigger piece of shit than he already should do.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Gilda

[Linkabel]

I read the AP's breaking news story last night when I was doing homework. All I can say is that this was a senseless tragedy and feel sorry for the families of the victims.

I wonder why these rampages are so prevalent in the US?

[Speederino]

The media is already latching on things to blame. Just now my Dad told me some cock and bull about a movie trailer that shows rogue police shooting up a theater. Given that he listens to Fox News 24/7, geez, I wonder where that sensationalist idea came from (I don't think HE believed it though, thankfully)

EDIT: Gangster Squad, according to Moviebob's Twitter

Edited July 20, 2012 by Speederino

[VO.SUPER]

More senseless violence to the world. I wonder why people are so attracted to it.

[Danj86]

I do wonder what would motivate anybody to do such a thing. And any answer I could possibly think off, could not provoke mass murder. As much as I'd like to know why, it might not be possible to understand another persons motivation.

It's times like this that people question the US and there gun laws. But I'd just like to say this first.

The UK may have different gun laws, but this kind of horrible act still happens here. I can still remember two different instances of crazed gunmen in this country. It must have been a couple of years ago now...

...and the more recent chaos that happened in France this year.

I just think maybe the law people might need to think of something else to prevent something like this ever happening again...if that is even possible...

I wish the families the best during this hard time.

[Nepenthe]

This is awful, and kind of viscerally terrifying to me since I go to the theater relatively often. There have been times I've wondered what would happen should a fire or random shooting spree break out; the idea of something like that happening in a crowded room with few exits just induces pure dread. I really don't understand why people with otherwise decent lives would do something this insane and throw their lives and the lives of others away for no reason. It boggles my mind.

And Rush's proselytizing isn't all that relevant here; a terrible coincidence, yes, but what he said about the film isn't relevant to the gunman's actions. But if you want to talk about rage-inducing on the political side of things, this Texas representative said this is the result of attacking Christian beliefs.

[Abominal SnowTaz]

This whole situation is just fucked. It's put me on edge pretty bad because I live near Saint Louis (which is bad enough...) theaters and now I don't wanna see this move on the grounds that some lunatic, God forbid, would run in with a weapon and cause mayhem. I feel sorry for those poor people, including injured toddlers and those with chemicals in their lungs.

This sick fuck needs to go to the deepest, darkest place in hell where Satan just says "Fuck you asshole! I may be the devil, but my God, you're a bitch!"

[Speederino]

This is awful, and kind of viscerally terrifying to me since I go to the theater relatively often. There have been times I've wondered what would happen should a fire or random shooting spree break out; the idea of something like that happening in a crowded room with few exits just induces pure dread. I really don't understand why people with otherwise decent lives would do something this insane and throw their lives and the lives of others away for no reason. It boggles my mind.

And Rush's proselytizing isn't all that relevant here; a terrible coincidence, yes, but what he said about the film isn't relevant to the gunman's actions. But if you want to talk about rage-inducing on the political side of things, this Texas representative said this is the result of attacking Christian beliefs.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said Friday that the shootings that took place in an Aurora, Colo. movie theater hours earlier were a result of "ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs" and questioned why nobody else in the theater had a gun to take down the shooter.

Because most people aren't you, and thank God for that.

[Tornado]

I'm annoyed that he brought that up when concealed carry wasn't even relevant to this particular situation.

But if you want to talk about rage-inducing on the political side of things, this Texas representative said this is the result of attacking Christian beliefs.

You see, things like that are relevant. People twisting around what happened here just to fit whatever agenda they want is what needs to be fought against. And I'm sure we are in for a good couple weeks of it too.

[-Robin-]

Jerry Newcombe of Faith In Action Ministries is claiming the attack occurred because the shooter had no fear in God when he should have, as well. You can imagine more and more fringe theories are going to come out of the woodwork in the next few days.

[Nepenthe]

Does that Texas rep honestly think that a man- or even several people- armed with legal handguns, because of their pure heartedness, would somehow be able to overcome the tear gas and terror of a random killing spree, rise up to the occasion and magically miss all of two-hundred people running wildly in a bombastic firefight and actually kill this kid, not counting the fact that he was better armed anyway? Such action would not have saved anymore lives. It's delusional thinking to rage-inducing levels.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Nepenthe

[Winston]

Here's a video of the after-math.

[Tornado]

One thing I'm curious about (as dark as this may be) is what stopped him? He was in for the long haul, well armed and protected. Fully prepared to get into a gunfight, if need be. So why did he stop under his own accord? What kept this from being another Columbine, where he just killed until there wasn't anyone left for him to find to kill?

Because something did.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Gilda

[Nepenthe]

One thing I'm curious about (as dark as this may be) is what stopped him? He was in for the long haul, well armed and protected. So why did he stop under his own accord? What kept this from being another Columbine, where he just killed until there wasn't anyone left for him to find to kill?

Because something did.

Perhaps he only wanted to cause a little terror and gain some attention? Big leap incoming, but people have been toting around theories of him reenacting a comic book villain scenario, considering his methods, the timing, the outfit, and the fact that he immediately told police about his rigged apartment once he was caught. It's possible that he just never intended on killing everything he saw.

[KHCast]

Then he is a wack job. SERIOUS serial killing wack-a-doodle if that's true. At least this isn't freakin florida, or he's be getting out pretty quickly a free man.

[Danj86]

Does that Texas rep honestly think that a man- or even several people- armed with legal handguns, because of their pure heartedness, would somehow be able to overcome the tear gas and terror of a random killing spree, rise up to the occasion and magically miss all of two-hundred people running wildly in a bombastic firefight and actually kill this kid, not counting the fact that he was better armed anyway? Such action would not have saved anymore lives. It's delusional thinking to rage-inducing levels.

There talking about the shooting on TV right now. They said he was wearing a bullet proof vest. So what that Texas rep said, is even more ridiculous!

[Tornado]

Perhaps he only wanted to cause a little terror and gain some attention? Big leap incoming, but people have been toting around theories of him reenacting a comic book villain scenario, considering his methods, the timing, the outfit, and the fact that he immediately told police about his rigged apartment once he was caught. It's possible that he just never intended on killing everything he saw.

So another Hinckley, then; more or less.

Then he is a wack job. SERIOUS serial killing wack-a-doodle if that's true. At least this isn't freakin florida, or he's be getting out pretty quickly a free man.

If this was Florida, he would already be on death row. Don't confuse the Treyvon Martin mess with the norm.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Gilda

[KHCast]

So another Hinckley, then; more or less.

If this was Florida, he would already be on death row. Don't confuse the Treyvon Martin mess with the norm.

Yeah still pretty pissed at florida about that incident I guess. But still,he'd better get death row. or just rot in jail. I just am pretty pissed right now. Well, this was a great way to start off my day. Edited July 20, 2012 by Sora

[Kuzu]

This is some serious fucked up shit right here, I bet none of those people even thought something like this happened, and now 14 people are dead for no real reason, I mean what was this guy's motive for this shit? It's fucking appalling.