UPDATE: Police Say 71 People Were Shot in Colorado, 12 Fatally (VIDEO)
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7/20/2012 2:26:00 PM
The suspect in a deadly shooting at a movie theatre has been identified.
Law enforcement sources say the gunman is 24-year-old James Holmes.
The source says police recovered four guns at the theate; one rifle (believed to be an assault rifle, one shotgun, and two pistols.
The source also says it appears that the suspect acted alone. Preliminarily information indicates that there is no connection to terrorism.
The suspect’s resident was said to be “booby-trapped” with police seeing what looked like “buckets of extra ammunition” and some kind of chemicals.
Listen to a compilation of 911 Dispatcher announcements during the massacre
A gunman opened fire early Friday at a movie theatre in a Denver suburb, killing 12 people and leaving 59 others injured, Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said.
The shooting occurred during a showing of the latest Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises,'' police said.
The violence erupted about 12:30 a.m. MDT as the gunman stood at the front of one of the Century 16 theatres at the Aurora Mall.
"Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire," Oates said at a news conference.
Listen to Jerry Agar's interview with Jordan Ghawi, brother of Dark Knight shooting victim Jessica Ghawi, who 1 month ago was also at the Eaton Centre during the shooting there
Police, ambulances and emergency crews swarmed on the scene after frantic calls started flooding the 911 switchboard, officials said.
Officers found the gunman near a car behind the theatre.
"A gas mask, rifle, handgun at least one additional weapon (were) found inside'' he said.
Oates said there's no evidence of any other attackers. There was also no immediate word of any motive.
The suspect spoke of "possible explosives in his residence. We are dealing with that potential threat,'' Oates said, without providing details on where that was.
He said police also checked for explosives in the parking lot and theatre, and secured those areas.
Witness Hayden Miller told KUSA-TV that he was inside Theater 16 and heard several shots.
"Like little explosions going on and shortly after that we heard people screaming,'' he told the station.
Hayden said at first he thought it was part of a louder movie next door. But then he saw "people hunched over leaving theatre.''
The youngest among the injured is said to be a 3-month-old baby.
Twelve people were taken to the Medical Center of Aurora with gunshot wounds that ranged from minor to critical. Three were
treated for chemical exposure. They ranged in age from 16 to 31.
Denver Health had seven victims, one in critical and the rest in fair condition.
The University of Colorado hospital was treating 21 people, including the baby, all for gunshot wounds. The oldest patient is
45.
A 6-year-old was being treated at Children's Hospital Colorado, where a total of six victims ranging were taken. The oldest patient there is 31. Their condition wasn't known.
Two people in critical condition were rushed to nearby Swedish Medical Center, spokeswoman Nicole Williams said.
She said emergency crews told her staff to prepare for several more patients from the shooting scene.
"We're on standby to receive,'' she said.
Aurora is located on the southeast outskirts of Denver, about 10 miles from downtown.
(w files from the Associated Press)