As audiences flocked to theaters for the anticipated midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises,” a mass shooting took place at one movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.
According to several reports, a man wearing body armor and a gas mask began firing at theater audiences in the quiet suburb of Denver. A radio station mentioned the gunman wore a mask similar to Bane, the film’s villain.
By early reports, at least 10 people were killed and 40 others were wounded inside the movie theater. The gunman threw tear gas into the crowd and a witness told the media that she heard from 10 to 20 shots inside the theater.
“As soon as we heard the shots go off, we figured it must have been a louder part of the movie next to us,” said moviegoer Hayden Miller about the incident. “This is a potential terrorist attack—I am at lost for words.”
The local police confirmed one person has been taken into custody and still determining if a second person was involved.
Here is an account of what a local witness saw in a YouTube video:
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Update: BBC is now reporting 12 people were killed and at least 28 were wounded. In addition, bullets flew through the wall into a neighboring theater in which struck several people.
Update #2: CBS has identified 24-year-old Colorado resident James Holmes as the shooter. He was a graduate of University of California at Riverside in neuroscience and was originally from San Diego, Calif. It was also mentioned he was unemployed since college. Neighbors described him as “quiet and shy.”
Source: ABC News
