http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/g...re-in-denver-1
Gunman kills 14, wounds 50 at Batman premiere in Denver
Gunman kills 14, wounds 50 at Batman premiere in Denver
A gunman opened fire early Friday at a suburban Denver movie theatre on the opening night of the latest Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises, killing 14 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said.
The gunman, who is in custody, stood at the front of the theatre and fired into the crowd around 12:30 a.m. MT at a multiplex theatre in a mall in Aurora.
"Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said at a news conference.
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 [and] at least one additional weapon [were] found inside," he said.
The suspect was taken into custody, but no name was released. Oates said there's no evidence of any other attackers. There was also no immediate word of any motive.
'We heard people screaming'
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 at the Century 16 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 [the] theatre."
The police chief said 10 victims died at the theatre and four at area hospitals.
Aurora is located on the southeast outskirts of Denver, about 16 kilometres from downtown.
The gunman, who is in custody, stood at the front of the theatre and fired into the crowd around 12:30 a.m. MT at a multiplex theatre in a mall in Aurora.
"Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said at a news conference.
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 [and] at least one additional weapon [were] found inside," he said.
The suspect was taken into custody, but no name was released. Oates said there's no evidence of any other attackers. There was also no immediate word of any motive.
'We heard people screaming'
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 at the Century 16 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 [the] theatre."
The police chief said 10 victims died at the theatre and four at area hospitals.
Aurora is located on the southeast outskirts of Denver, about 16 kilometres from downtown.
Comment