Colorado 'Dark Knight Rises' shooting latest

The gunman arrested after a mass killing during a Colorado midnight screening of...

14:44 23 July 2012

The gunman arrested after a mass killing during a Colorado midnight screening of 'The Dark Knight Rises' will face his first court appearance early this week. 

 

James Holmes, a local postgraduate medical student who dropped out, is believed to have bought numerous weapons and 6,000 rounds of ammunition prior to a shooting spree that left 12 cinemagoers dead and 58 wounded. 

 

Police sources have stated that Holmes hasn't co-operated with questioning despite not resisting arrest at the time. 

 

However, a computer from the detained man's home has been recovered which may give investigators further insights into Holmes' motives. 

 

Holmes' home was rigged with explosives in an apparent attempt to kill officers following his arrest. 

 

It has also been revealed that Holmes applied to join a private gun club weeks before the shooting but that he was not approved. The reason for him being turned away from the club is unknown. Despite this, Holmes still purchased all of his guns legally. These included a shotgun, assault rifle and handgun. 

 

A vigil took place for the victims near where the shooting took place in Aurora with thousands paying tribute.  

 

President Barrack Obama was flown in aboard Air Force One to meet each of the bereaved families individually. 

 

Describing the massacre as "an evil act", he said "I come to them not so much as President as I do as a father and as a husband," and that all of the media attention granted to the shooter "will fade away and in the end, after he has felt the full force of our justice system, what will be remembered are the good people who were impacted by this tragedy".

 

Christopher Nolan, writer/director of 'The Dark Knight Rises' released a statement regarding the news: "Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew of The Dark Knight Rises, I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community. I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. 

 

"I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. 

 

"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."

 

This was followed by Batman actor Christian Bale's reflection on the killings: "Words cannot express the horror that I feel. I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them." 

 

The White House has hinted that gun control laws will not be radically altered following the incident. The President's press secretary Jay Carney told abc News: "He [the president] believes we need to take steps that protect Second Amendment rights of the American people but that ensure that we are not allowing weapons into the hands of individuals who should not, by existing law, obtain those weapons."

 

Carney added: "The president’s view is that we can take steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them under existing law, and that’s his focus right now."

 

The right to bear arms a.k.a the second amendment is a popular part of the United States Constitution stemming from the Bill of Rights in 1791. Few major political parties challenge it or the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA). 

 

Colorado's gun laws state that "a person to carry in a vehicle a firearm, loaded or unloaded, if its use is for the lawful protection of the person or another's person or property" and permits the owner to possess a weapon at home, a place of business or even a car.  

 

The victims, who have since been collectively referred to as 'The Denver Dozen', were: 

 

• Jessica N. Ghawi, 24
• Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6
• John T. Larimer, 27
• Alexander J. Boik, 18
• Jesse E. Childress, 29
• Jonathan T. Blunk, 26
• Rebecca Ann Wingo, 32
• Alex M. Sullivan, 27
• Gordon W. Cowdon, 52
• Micayla C. Medek, 23
• Alexander C. Teves, 24
• Matthew R. McQuinn, 27