UPDATED 9:18 AM ET ON SATURDAY: The masked man with dyed orange hair and a bulletproof vest who open fired in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater is now scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday.
As officials continue to investigate the deadly shootings, Aurora police chief Dan Oates said families of the deceased were being notified Friday night.
The suspected killer allegedly tossed a gas canister into the air and began firing off rounds during a midnight showing of the highly-anticipated movie "The Dark Knight Rises," killing 12 and injuring 58. He later told police he was "The Joker," a reference to one of the biggest villains in the Batman series.
One theatergoer thought it was part of the event. Eye-witness Jennifer Seeger, 22, watched in confusion as the man then pointed his gun at the ceiling and fired.
"That rifle was in my face," Seeger recounted. "I didn’t know what to think. I just instinctively jumped forward and ducked inside the middle of the aisle, and tucked in a corner. After that he was shooting people behind me and I had gun-shells falling on my head, burning my forehead. All I smelt was powder. It was just really terrifying."
MSNBC
Police said the suspect was arrested in the parking lot outside of the theater and put up no resistance. At the scene, officers recovered four guns, which the suspect acquired legally, including two pistols, a shotgun and a rifle.
After surveying the suspect’s apartment, Oates described it as being booby-trapped with sophisticated explosives and flammable materials. Police could be at the scene "for hours or days,” he said.
The wounded are currently being treated at local hospitals. According to Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, 11 are still in critical condition.
President Obama cut short a campaign visit to Florida today in respect of the tragedy. In a shortened address to an audience at Fort Myers, the President reflected, "Michelle and I will be fortunate enough to hug our girls a little tighter tonight, and I’m sure you will do the same with your children, but for those parents who may not be so lucky, we have to embrace them and let them know that we will be there for them as a nation."
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney also offered condolences in the wake of the massacre. "Our hearts break with the sadness of this unspeakable tragedy. Ann and I join the president and first lady and all Americans in offering our deepest condolences for those whose lives were shattered in a few moments — a few moments of evil — in Colorado."
It was the deadliest mass shooting since the Foot Hood attack in 2009.
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We've had our chuckle out of the BLAME-BAIN and ridiculing Rush on this, but it would be inappropriate to leave that Dark Knight's image up on this blog in light of the horrific incident in Colorado in the early AM hours today. TAKE IT DOWN NOW!
My heartfelt condolences are extended to the families of those who were lost in Aurora and my sincere wishes for speedy recoveries for those who were injured.
I was pleased to see Ann Curry back on the air last night. Thank God NBC has someone in their news crew who has the sensitivity and is savvy enough to know how to interview people in the wake of such a tragedy. But, this is not necessarily true of others at NBC.
Savannah Guthrie needs to be couched in the lingo she should use when interviewing people immediately after a tragedy such as the one that happened in Aurora, Colorado. This morning, Savannah interviewed a young women who survived after her boyfriend died (while lying on top of the survivor, no less). Ms. Guthrie sounded like a laywer who was talking about a case when posing her questions instead of dropping words like killed, dead/died, etc. from her vocabulary. She should have asked general questions, ones that would not re-traumatize the person on air. Savannah only showed how cold and insensitive she can be. She should be kept from interviewing people in these types of situations, given what she did on air today and during past interviews when others cried or became upset because of her grilling. Even Jenna Wolfe had more presence of mind during on air interviews this am.
I am sure the nexus of the massacre in Colorado and Hollywood is going to be a topic. I urge you to get beyond the ordinary fare; to say--rightly--that the "Batman" movies/cycle are derived from cartoons; that the real and considered thinking about violence in modern movies/film was introduced by Terrence Malick, first, in "Badlands"--get Martin Sheen on you show--wherein the longing the individuality, some sort of name, some mark, was set out; then, "The Thin red Line"--and, before that, "Days of Heaven,"--in which Malick's thesis was, that such violence, or depravity, as this could exist in a world, our world, which is so beautiful it could be made only by God. His thesis is we live in a world whose beauty we do no know. Hollywood can take the rap for a lot, no doubt. But movies, and movie-going, never killed anyone. Art, or "art," can be bad, offensive, horrible, but it never killed anyone. Guns: another topic.
There is still the age old question, Marian. that the philosphers have not answered to this day: does art copy life, or does life copy art?
I meant life and art. I wrote that in a hurry because I need to leave.
Good question. I need to think about this, "Does art copy life, or does life copy art?" If we say that humans have the ability to make decisions based on the consequences, which way does the answer lean? On the other hand, humans do not act rationally most of the time. Instead most decisions are based on emotion. Therefore, the answer may bend toward "art copies life" if it is a rational decision. The answer is bend toward "life copies art" if the decision is based on emotion because the art can evoke an emotional reaction. I don't know. Sometime I try to think too much. That is why I have so much trouble trying to understand the Southern Fundamental Religious people. I have not gone to church for about three weeks. When I go back they will ask me why. I am going to tell them that every time I go to church they trash God and I feel bad for God. They attribute every terrible thing to God. The Colorado Mass Murder is a sign from God that Jesus is coming. Accidents occur because God wants to test people or bring about some good. How in the hell can they believe that "All things work together for good to those who love God." How can the Colorado incident be sometihing that occured because God wanted to bring about some good or because someone in past generation did something terrible? Not much different from those who are in a Psycho Ward.
Keith, I think I have a possible answer. In the same way that two particles become entangled in Physics and influence one another, like and art beomece entangled. I will not go into detail about the concept of entanglement, but a similar situation occurs in An Act of Kindness. Laboratory experiments in quantum theory have validated the fact that a particle in one place can influence a particle in a remote place. This is also true when we do a good deed, “act of kindness” toward another person. Each small act of kindness reverberates across great distances and spans of time, affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit was the source of this good echo. Kindness is passed on and it grows each time it is passed, until a simple act kindness becomes an act of selfless courage, years latter and far away.
Or put anothrr way, physics tells us that the butterfly flapping his wings high on a Peruvian mountain creates eventally the gale force winds that whip the artic barrens!
Regarding your musings on the actions of a living God, its best to think in terms of God having been a benificial planner and creator, but he is DEAD, died in the the Big Bang explosion that has sent all the particles of dead planets and matter and living planets and matter hurdling continuously outward from the Father/Mother source, Agustus. We are truely on our own on Space Station Earth, except the the internalized forces of both good and evil!!
I agree. You might still change my mind to become more conservative. My two brothers and I had to struggle to survive. You may be right in that we make it too easy for people to get what they want withot any effort. Bilingual education does more harm than good. The teacher in biligual education feel confortable teaching only in Spanish. As a result the students do not learn English. The best place to learn English is on the playground. There is a great deal of waste in education. Lazzy teachers give what they call seat work instead of teaching. The whole time should be used to teach and practice should take place at home or study hall. I may have told you this before, but I know that there are too many administrators. If you try to tell Board Members that an administrative job needs to be eliminate, they say, "But he is my friend". 50% of administrative jobs can be eliminated. Why does a Principal need an assistant principal? I never felt the need for one. Many persons in government are empoyed becasue they know someone even thoug the job is not needed. It is like the man who was employed to take tickets at an event. When the event was over he asked for a desk, then a phone, then a secretary, on and on withou anyone knowing what his job was.
Keith, I copied your post about God and send it to my two brothers. They will love it. If they say anything about it, I will post it on one of these news iteme.
Keith, Here is my brother's reaction to your post:
This by far the best, most accurate explanation for GOD that I have ever heard or read. God was the force that created all that is now energy and died. Birth was given and GOD became an a part of the natural forces. As to good and evil, it is a concept created by earthlinks which in the infinity of time has no real meaning. What is good and what is evil is an elusive principle established (usually by majority or might) to control others. If we are part of GOD then each individual has the authority to determine what is good and what is evil. God is dead but he lives in us.
Except there is evil in the universe, and it is not just mankind's burden. There is ample evidence of acts of pure evil amongst other mammals, birds, cold blooded reptiles, amphiabians and fish life and even insect life.
I am so tired of guns don't kill people but people kill people. What about if it was possible for guns to develop feet and hands then would that satisfy the gun lovers that guns kill people. The part I hate the most is the right to bear arms. As to that comment what about a person rights to go to school, go the shopping mall and go to the movies or just do what a person want to do to enjoy life? No you have a gun crazy fool hating the world and then wanting the world look at them as if they are insane. There was nothing insane about this cold-blooded killing and one more point to look at crazy people are not crazy. I feel if they have presence of mind to carry out killing people because they felt like it, then they have presence of mind to understand what they have done.