A candlelit vigil has been held in Aurora, Colorado, as the US begins to mourn the 12 people killed by a gunman at a showing of the new Batman film, the Dark Knight Rises.
James Holmes is suspected in a mass shooting early Friday morning during a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” in a crowded movie theater in Aurora.
“He was an honor student, so academically he was at the top of the top,” University Chancellor Tim White said at a press conference. “He really distinguished himself from an academic point of view during his four years with us, graduating with highest honors.”
A law enforcement official confirmed that Holmes had two handguns, a shotgun and a semi-automatic rifle, had his hair brightly colored red or orange, and told police that he was the Joker, the fictional villain in earlier Batman comics and films.
More details emerged when police searched Holmes’ apartment and discovered the “disturbing” and “sophisticated” explosives inside. Police arrived at Holmes’ apartment to find “techno-music” blaring from the one-bedroom, according to a law enforcement source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The police chief in Aurora, Dan Oates, could not say how many shots were fired in total. But he was clear about one thing: “There were many, many rounds. A lot of rounds were fired very rapidly.”
