12 dead, 58 hurt in Colo. theater massacre

AURORA, Colo. -- As the new Batman movie played on the screen, a gunman dressed in black and wearing a helmet, body armor and a gas mask stepped through a side door. At first he was just a silhouette, taken by some in the audience for a stunt that was part of one of the summer's most highly anticipated films.

But then, authorities said, he threw gas canisters that filled the packed suburban Denver theater with smoke. In the confusing haze between Hollywood fantasy and terrifying reality, he opened fire as people screamed and dived for cover -- about a half-hour after the special midnight opening of "The Dark Knight Rises."

At least 12 people were killed. Relatives of two of the dead confirmed late Friday that their loved ones were among the victims. The family of Alex Sullivan issued a statement confirming his death. He died on his 27th birthday. Micayla Medek, 23, was also among the dead. The brother of Jessica Ghawi previously confirmed her death.

Fifty-eight were also wounded in one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history.

A New York City musician and a recent graduate of Syracuse University were among those wounded Friday.

Christopher Rapoza, who plays bass in The Toothaches, a New York-based dance-punk band, was shot the morning before his band was to play a show at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village. Stephen Barton, 22, gave the student address at his May graduation from Syracuse University, then headed off on a cross-country cycling trip with a friend, according to The Post-Standard of Syracuse. Shotgun pellets hit Barton in the neck and chest, his brother, David Barton, told the newspaper. Barton had surgery to remove the pellets and was "in high spirits" afterward, his brother said. "He's feeling great."

The gunman "was aiming anywhere," survivor Chris Ramos told CNN. "He was not aiming for a specific person. He was aiming for everyone."

The gunman marched up the aisle in the stadium-style theater, picking off those who tried to flee, witnesses said.

The gunman was identified by police as James Eagen Holmes, 24, a doctoral student in neuroscience who was about to drop out of the University of Colorado-Denver. He was arrested near a car behind the theater.

Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates said the gunman wore a gas mask, a ballistic helmet and vest, and leg, groin and throat protectors. He said he had an AR-15 military-style, semiautomatic rifle, a shotgun and two pistols.

The four weapons all were purchased by Holmes from retail gun stores in Colorado in the last two months, according to a federal law enforcement official.

Authorities gave no motive for the attack. Holmes was not talking to investigators, a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said.

While some witnesses said the gunman entered through a side-door emergency exit at the front of the theater, a federal law enforcement official said Holmes bought a ticket and went into the theater as part of the crowd. The official said the gunman apparently propped open an exit door in the theater as the movie was playing, donned the ballistic gear, came back in and opened fire.

"Our hearts are broken as we think about the families and friends of the victims of this senseless tragedy," Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said.

Some of the victims were treated for chemical exposure apparently related to the canisters thrown by the gunman. Those hurt included a 4-month-old baby, who was treated at a hospital and released.

Meanwhile, FBI agents and police used a hook-and-ladder fire truck to reach Holmes' apartment in Aurora. They put a camera at the end of a 12-foot pole inside the apartment and discovered the unit was booby-trapped. Authorities evacuated five buildings as they tried to figure out how to disarm the flammable and explosive material.In response to the attack, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) said, "We have the right to own guns, but we should try to protect our citizens, to keep the guns out of the hand of the crazy people.," McCarthy's husband was killed and son severely wounded in the 1993 Long Island Rail Road massacre.

The new Batman movie, the last in the trilogy, opened worldwide Friday with midnight showings in the United States.

The film's director, Christopher Nolan, issued a statement on behalf of the cast and crew, expressing their "profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy." "Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families," Nolan said.