America mourns another outrage

Senior News Reporter

Saturday 21 July 2012

AMERICA has been plunged into mourning after a masked gunman shot dead 12 cinema-goers and injured 59 others in a rampage during a midnight premiere of the new Batman movie.

MASSACRE: James Holmes, who described himself as The Joker, killed 12 people in his attack.

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MARTIN WILLIAMS

James Holmes, a 24-year-old reclusive drop-out PhD student who is alleged to be behind the shootings during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises, described himself as the superhero's enemy, The Joker, after being arrested.

It is one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent times.Holmes entered the Century 16 movie auditorium in the city of Aurora, near Denver, Colorado, around 10 minutes into the film through an emergency exit. He was clad in a ballistics helmet, bullet-proof vest, bullet-proof leggings, gas mask and gloves and detonated multiple smoke bombs. As smoke began to spread and some moviegoers thought it was a stunt, the gunman began firing indiscriminately.Bullets from the shooting spree tore through the walls and into adjoining theatres, where at least one other person was struck and injured.Ten of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene and two died at hospital after victims were taken for treatment in private cars, police cars and by ambulances. One of the deceased was a 12-year-old child.Last night, worried parent Tom Sullivan, pictured, whose son Alex had gone to see the movie for his 27th birthday, pleaded with people to help him find his son outside a nearby high school where witnesses were being questioned by police. He handed out flyers with his son's image on them in a desperate bid to discover what happened to him.Holmes, a former neuroscience student with no apparent criminal past, was arrested without a struggle within minutes of the shooting in a car park outside the theatre. Police found him in full riot gear and carrying three weapons, including an AR-15 assault rifle, which can hold upwards of 100 rounds, a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, and a .40 Glock handgun. New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said of the gunman: "It clearly looks like a deranged individual. He had his hair painted red. He said he was The Joker, obviously the enemy of Batman."Holmes warned police he had booby-trapped his apartment, leading officers to evacuate the building and nearby homes in Aurora.Local police chief Dan Oates said it could take days to work through the apartment safely.At the back of the theatre, FBI agents placed yellow tape and numbered evidence markers on objects in the car park, including a gas mask. A bloody jacket and popcorn were on the pavement.Filmgoer Christopher Ramos told of how the gunman 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. I froze up. I was scared. I honestly thought I was going to die."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."Holmes, who is due to make a preliminary court appearance on Monday, had been a neuroscience PhD student at Colorado University for one year. He dropped out last month.A woman identifying herself as Holmes's mother said authorities "have the right person" and said she needed to "fly out to Colorado" as soon as possible.The woman and her husband from San Diego, later released a statement saying their "hearts go out to those who involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved. We are still trying to process this information and we appreciate that people will respect our privacy".The Stars and Stripes were at half-mast at the White House as US President Barack Obama and his rival Mitt Romney cancelled speeches.President Obama, who cut short a campaign trip to Florida to return to the White House, said: "Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado. Such violence, such evil, is senseless. But, while we will never know fully what causes somebody to take the life of another, we do know what makes life worth living."The Queen sent her "heartfelt sympathy" to President Barack Obama and the US people after the massacre.Cinemas in New York tightened security at Batman showings and the French premiere of the film in Paris was cancelled.Aurora, a Denver suburb, is about 13 miles from Littleton, site of the April 1999 Columbine High School massacre.In that incident, two students armed themselves with guns and bombs and opened fire inside the school. They killed 13 people and wounded 23 before killing themselves.

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America mourns another outrage

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