Aurora police say twelve people are dead and 58 wounded after a shooting at a midnight showing of the new Batman movie at the Century 16 Movie Theater at the Aurora Town Center mall. They revised the number of wounded down from 59 at a briefing Friday evening.
Police Chief Daniel Oates says a gunman appeared in the theater just after miding and released two gas cannisters, then opened fire. Officers apprehended the suspect, 24-year-old James Holmes, at the scene without incident. They say he was dressed in black and clad in bullet-proof gear. Officials say he had four guns, which they believe he bought legally from gun shops in the area. They believe he purchased his ammunition online, also legally. Officicals are confident Holmes was acting alone.
Based on statements Holmes made to police after his arrest, officers went to his apartment building in Aurora and found what they call booby traps - apparently explosive devices rigged in such complex ways that police are still trying to figure out how to disarm them. Chief Oates says he has never seen anything like it in his long career in law enforcement. Officers have decided to wait until Saturday to continue their efforts to disarm the devices. Five apartment buildings in the area have been evacuated.
[Photo: CPR/M. Verlee]
