A masked gunman turned the much-awaited premiere of the latest Batman movie in a US cinema hall into a “horrific” bloodbath, spraying the audience with bullets killing 12 people and leaving 50 others injured in the worst mass shooting incident in the country since 2007. The gunman, dressed in black, wearing a gas mask and a full body armour, marched into the packed theatre in Aurora, a suburb of Denver, Colorado, during a midnight showing of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ starring Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway.
He entered the theatre through the emergency exit lobbing two canisters that instantly filled the theatre with smoke and then used his automatic rifle to carry out a macabre dance of death. Citing FBI, American TV networks said the gunman has been identified as 24-year-old James Holmes from Aurora. Police said 10 people were killed at the scene, while they put the overall death toll to at least 12. Earlier police had said at least 14 people had died but later revised the toll. A shocked President Barack Obama called the shooting “horrific”, after being told about it shortly before 5:30 am (1530 IST).
Obama, who was in Florida, will cut short his re-election campaign trip to the US state today to return to Washington after the shooting incident, spokesperson Jen Psaki said. “Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado … my administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time,” Obama said. “We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice. As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family,” he added. FBI spokesman said there was no indication so far of any connection to terrorism. The gunman was later taken into custody from a car park lot behind the theatre.
Related posts:
- Obama shocked, saddened by cinema hall shooting
- Ex-Sarpanch Kuldeep Singh shot dead at Nara Village
- 91 dead in Norway’s deadliest tragedy
- 15 dead, 50 injured in Delhi fire
- 8 dead, 33 injured in two mishaps on JK Highway
- Shooting of Osama film disrupted by VHP activists
- Sikh victim of Elk Grove shooting succumbs to injuries
- Four dead, 2 injured in mishap near sec 16 in UT
- Director Katheryn Bigelow shooting in Sec 15, Chandigarh
- Two arrested for community hall fire, compensation announced
