A heavily armed gunman attacked an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater early Friday, using tear gas before shooting up the audience, killing 12 and wounding 38, authorities said. The theater was showing the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises."
There is no clear reason on why the suspect went on a killing spree, the suspect told police there was a bomb at his apartment, officers went there and found a "very sophisticated" booby trap inside, Aurora police Chief Dan Oates told reporters. The gunman had four different weapons a gun similar to an AK rifle, a shotgun and two handguns, told by an federal law enforcement official.
Police arrested the man shortly after the shooting ended in the parking lot of the theater. according to police he did not resist arrest and gave up peacefully. "He did not resist. He did not put up a fight," Fania said. Police seized a rifle and a handgun from the suspect. This act of violence got people stun and confuse, there is no word of yet why this took place
This is what they eye witness said happen inside the theater as things began to happen by this man James Holmes
Everyone else in the theater, thought the man and the smoke were all part of the show, they said. Right as their eyes began to tear up from the smoke, the man fired a shot at the ceiling.
The gunman moved through the crowd and stopped in front of Seeger.
He pointed a long rifle at her face and said nothing.
He shot at the person sitting behind her, Seeger said.
"I have no idea why he didn't shoot me," Seeger said.
The two dove to the ground. They could feel hot shell casings hitting their legs as the tried to crawl through the dark theater now filled with smoke. Seeger's forehead has a burned from one of the casings.
Her friends urged each other and the people around them to stay quiet, desperate not to draw the attention of the gunman who was working his way up the isle.
As she huddled on the ground, Seeger could see bodies of women and children lying around her.
Seeger, who has some EMT training, tried to help a man bleeding next to her. She worked to find a pulse, but was forced to leave him behind as they tried to flee the theater.
People tried to exit through the main entrance of the theater, Seeger said. By then the gunman had worked his way to the back of the theater, shooting at people as they tried to run.
Seeger estimates she was trapped in the theater for 10 to 15 minutes. When she finally reached the lobby, she saw a police officer cocking a shot gun.
Once outside, Seeger called her father.
"My dad is not a sentimental guy, but he was crying on the phone," Seeger said.
James Wilburn was also sitting in the second row of the theater when the emergency door opened.
"He was dressed in black," Wilburn said. "Wearing a flack jacket and a gas mask."
The man dropped a canister to the floor that began spewing gas before he fired several rounds toward the back of the theater.
Naya Thompson, 21, said the gas spread quickly through the theater and thinks that the gunman may have dropped two canisters.
"It was like tear gas," Thompson said. "I was coughing and chocking and I couldn't breathe," Thompson said.
Benjamin Fernandez, 30, said he was watching the movie when he heard a series of explosions. He said that people ran from the theater and there were gunshots as police shouted "get down!"
Frenandez said he saw people falling, including one young girl.
Brittany Romero was in Theater 10 for the 12:15 a.m. showing. When the fire alarm sounded, people began throwing their popcorn and drinks in the air, assuming it was a practical joke, Romero said.
Salina Jordan, 19, was in Theater 8 and saw people fall after they were shot. She said one girl was struck in cheek, others were wounded in the stomach including a girl who looked to be around 9-years-old.
Jordan said it sounded like firecrackers until someone ran into Theater 8 yelling "they're shooting out here!"
The police came running in, telling people to run out. Some police were carrying or dragging bodies, she said.
Meghan Walton, 20, of Boulder said she was sitting beside her friend Gage Hankins, 18 of Ohio, in Theater 8 when he was shot in the arm before he was rushed out of the theater.
"I saw a whole lot of smoke in the isle," Walton said. "I saw about three of four bullets shot near the smoke."
Walton was with 10 members of the group Friends: Association of Young People who Stutter.
"I ran outside and was holding his arm that was hot," Walton said. "My eyes were blurred by the smoke. It was like chaos. People were crying hysterically."
She counted 12 people who were bleeding. Ambulances started arriving but there were not enough to put everyone in them.
"The worst was a man who was shot in the head. He had his hand on his head," Walton said.
"They started doubling up, putting two people in the same ambulance. One girl who wasn't injured as badly was placed in a police car and rushed away."
Robert Jones, 28, was in Theater 9 when the shooting started.
Jones said when he first saw smoke billowing from the front of the theater, he thought it was a special effect. Shots rang out almost immediately after.
"I thought it was pretty much the end of the world," Roberts said.
Roberts stayed flat on the ground until police came into the theater.
Tammi Stevens said her son, 18-year-old Jacob Stevens, was inside Theater 9 when the shooting started. Stevens was waiting for her son at Gateway High School while police interviewed him.
Jacob told his mom that he saw a guy walk into the theater wearing body armor and throw some sort of cannister that then emitted some sort of gas.
"You let your kids go to a late night movie...you never think something like this would happen," Stevens said.
President Obama addressed the shooting from Ft. Myers, Fla., Friday morning.
"We never understand what leads someone to terrorize their fellow human beings like this," Obama said. "Life is very fragile and it' is precious."
Gov. John Hickenlooper released a statement Friday morning.
"It is beyond the power of words to fully express our sorrow this morning," Hickenlooper said. "We appreciate the swift work by local, state and federal law enforcement. Coloradans have a remarkable ability to support one another in times of crisis. This is one of those times."
In a statement released this morning, Republican Mitt Romney said that he was "deeply saddened" by the "senseless violence."
The FBI is assisting in the investigation. Officers and deputies responded from almost every local police and sheriff's department in the metro area.
The FBI said that there is no indication that the shooting has any connection to terrorism, the AP reported.
Victims were transported to at least six hospitals. Several of them were rushed to hospitals in police cars. Ages of people injured and killed in the shooting vary.
One child and five adults were taken to Children's Hospital Colorado. The adults ranged in age from 18 to 31 years old. One of the six patients died and the other five are currently listed in conditions from good to critical.
Information on which of the patients died was not released.
Shortly after midnight, patients started arriving at the Medical Center of Aurora. A total of 15 patients - ranging from 17 to 31 years old - were sent to the medical center, 12 of them with gunshot wounds.
Four patients are currently in surgery, two are being prepared for surgery, seven patients have been admitted to the hospital and three have been released.
Doctors at the hospital said the gunshot wounds appeared to come from a high caliber weapon.
Moments after the shooting took place
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