Deadly Shooting At Colorado Theater Kills 14, Injures 50

Friday, July 20, 2012
Candice Cole and The Associated Press

 Police Chief Dan Oates says 14 people are dead following a shooting at suburban Denver movie theater.

He says 50 others were injured when gunfire erupted early Friday at the Aurora theater.

Oates says a gunman appeared at the front of one of the Century 16 theaters.

There was no immediate word of any motive.

He says "witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire."

Calls to police about the shooting started coming in about 12:30 a.m. Friday from a mall theater that was showing the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," the office said.

One person is in custody but there is no word yet of a motive.

"The scene is still very active and we have little information for release at this time," police spokeswoman Cassidee Carlson said in a brief news release.

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 theater."

Two people in critical condition were rushed to nearby Swedish Medical Center, spokeswoman Nicole Williams said.

She said emergency crews told her staff to prepare for several more patients from the shooting scene.

"We're on standby to receive," she said, and was told that "somebody opened fire with some sort of weapon during the "Dark Knight" movie.

Police say there is no evidence of any additional shooters.

Aurora is located on the outskirts of Denver, about 10 miles southeast of downtown.