Crime & Safety
Colorado Tragedy: Shock and Sorrow Grips Colorado Town, Nation
Twelve people are dead and at least 59 were injured-- including a three-month-old baby-- in a shooting in a movie theater in a Denver suburb early this morning. The 24-year-old suspect is in custody.
Some of the moviegoers at the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," in Aurora, Colorado, thought the tear gas and gunfire was part of the show. But once reality set in, they realized they were under attack by what is presumed to have been a lone gunman.
The gunman was wearing a mask when he set off an unknown gas and fired into the crowded theater located in a Denver suburb, killing 12 people and injuring at least 38 others, including a three-month-old infant, according to a report by the Huffington Post.
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The Huffington Post reports that the gunman was identfied by federal law enforcement officials as James Holmes, a 24-year-old American.
Holmes is in police custody and the FBI says there is no indication that the incident is tied to any terrorist groups.
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In the wake of the tragedy, law enforcement officials nationwide are taking precautions against similar attacks.
As reported Friday morning in, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly issued the following statement Friday morning:
"As a precaution against copycats and to raise the comfort levels among movie patrons in the wake of the horrendous shooting in Colorado, the New York City Police Department is providing coverage at theaters where the 'The Dark Knight Rises' is playing in the five boroughs."
Patch will continue to update this story as information becomes available.
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