Millions of people came out for the long awaited Dark Knight Rises premiere at midnight last night, however the exciting event turned deadly as a crazed gunman opened fire at a Colorado movie theater in a Columbine type attack.
About 20 minutes into the midnight premiere at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, near Denver, a man entered through the exit door and opened fire on the moviegoers at the packed theater. The shooter seemed to be prepared for his deadly attack as he wore a bulletproof vest and a gas mask while carrying a shotgun and an AK-47-style automatic weapon. The shooter killed 12 people and injured 38 others in the deadly attack.
Police also found two more handguns at the scene and witnesses say he threw a canister that released a gas into the theater. Among the injured was a three-month old baby, children over the age of six, teenagers, and adults up the 45-years-old, ABC reports.
Police have a suspect in custody. James Holmes, 24, was caught by police in the parking lot of the Century 16 Movie Theaters. A woman claiming to be Holmes' mother came forward and confirmed that her son is the shooter.
"You have the right person," she said. "I need to call the police," she added. "I need to fly out to Colorado," she told ABC.
"It was mass chaos," witness Jennifer Seeger told USA TODAY. The gunman shot the ceiling and then "he threw in the gas can, and then I knew it was real."
"I told my friend, 'We've got to get out of here,' but then he shot people trying to go out the exits," she recalled. She said the shooter walked up the aisles, shooting as he went without saying a word.
Witnesses were confused by the attack at first. As the man was masked, he didn't seem so out of place among the moviegoers who were dressed like Batman characters, but his actions caused alarm. Even the sound of gun shots left nearby moviegoers confused as gun shots were also going off in the movie, but as people heard the cries of help and saw the blood of fellow audience members, the attack became all too real, MTV reports.
"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.
According to MTV, Warner Brothers, which is behind the movie released a statement about the incident: "Warner Bros. and the filmmakers are deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time."
According to ABC, President Obama also released a statement about the shooting. "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."
Some movie theaters are now cancelling their premieres and others are taking precautions in wake of the attack. Paris movie theaters are cancelling their premiers, according to the Huffington Post. In New York City, police officers are gathering at city movie theaters as as "a precaution against copycats and to raise the comfort levels among movie patrons in the wake of the horrendous shooting in Colorado," said Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, as quoted by the New York Daily News.
The movie theater in Aurora is just 20 miles from Littleton, where a gunman killed 12 teenagers in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
