By Richard Green
Police in the U.S. state of Colorado say 12 people were shot to death and at least 38 wounded in a shooting at a movie theater in a suburb of Denver.
Authorities say the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises, the latest Batman movie, had just begun Friday at the Century 16 Theater in the city of Aurora, when a masked man at the front of the theater faced the packed crowd, threw a tear gas canister and started randomly shooting. Witnesses said he fatally shot an infant at point-blank range.
Police arrested the alleged shooter a short time later in the parking lot outside the theater. They said the suspect, a man in his early 20's, had a rifle and one handgun. Aurora Chief of Police Daniel Oates told a news conference that only one man was involved, contrary to initial reports that there may have been an accomplice.
The police chief said the suspect told investigators he had multiple explosives at his residence in an apartment building. Hours after the shooting, U.S. television networks showed police perched on ladder truck cranes trying to gain entry to his residence.
"The suspect who's in custody, made statements about multiple possible explosives in possession of his residence," Oates said. "At this time there is a residence in his apartment building that we have evacuated and we are dealing with as potentially there are explosives inside there. We're also concerned about explosives in the parking lot; hence the parking lot is completely sealed off. We have brought in area bomb squad teams."
In a statement issued by the White House, U.S. President Barack Obama says he and his wife Michelle are "shocked and saddened" by the "horrific and tragic" shooting. The White House says the president was informed of the shooting by National Security Adviser John Brennan. FBI agents are on the scene of the shooting to assist in the investigation.
The president says "we are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice," and to care for the wounded.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney also commented on the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado.
“Ann and I are deeply saddened by the news of the senseless violence that took the lives of 15 people in Colorado and injured dozens more," Romney said in a statement posted on his web site. "We are praying for the families and loved ones of the victims during this time of deep shock and immense grief. We expect that the person responsible for this terrible crime will be quickly brought to justice."---VOA News
Amateur Video of Shooting Aftermath
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