Shooting at Dark Knight Rises – 12 deaths, 40+ injuries

At a midnight screening for The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado a masked gunman opened fire on an audience of fans who had waited up to see the movie. Reports are saying there have been 12 deaths, with over 40 people injured including many children. Paul Oterman was at the screening and told Sky News:

“A man walked through the emergency exit. I thought it was some sort of publicity stunt for a second there and then he threw tear gas into the crowd. He started firing shots into the crowd. We ducked down me and my girlfriend and I dragged ourselves out of the theatre. We ran through the lobby and we heard more shots and ran into the parking lot and got into our car and drove off.”

Many people thought it was a publicity stunt for the film before they realized the actual horror that was taking place. The man was dressed in black body armor with a gas mask on. An entirely black suit at a Dark Knight screening led those involved to believe it was something arranged by the cinema. He was thought to have started the attack at 12:30am local time, after the fans had been seated. A video had emerged of the terrified cinema goers streaming out of the cinema, including a policeman escorting a bleeding man out of the building.

A male reported to be around 24 years of age has been apprehended at a near by car park in possession of an assault rifle and handgun.  There are rumors that two screens of the cinema were attack, suggesting a second gunman but the police have said there is “no evidence” of this. The apprehended suspect claimed to have explosives in his house. Police are also checking the local area for explosives.

The FBI have considered raising the the National Security level nationwide following the shooting.

Our hearts go out to all of those involved.

Source: NBC news

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