I’M THE JOKER!
Sick boast of gunman after he storms into Batman premiere and massacres 12 UK cinemas on security alert as blockbuster opens
THE gunman who massacred 12 film-goers at a Batman premiere boasted: ‘I am the Joker.’
James Holmes burst into a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises and opened fire at random. The Denver cinema was packed with families, and children were among his victims. A three-month-old baby was reported to be one of the 59 wounded.
Holmes, a 24-year-old PhD student, set off two gas canisters before starting his shooting spree. ‘A lot of people thought the gunshots were part of the movie. Then the bullets started flying,’ said an eye-witness.
Holmes had bought a ticket for the screening but before the rampage had slipped out of the auditorium to put on a gas mask and bullet-proof vest like those worn by Bane, the movie’s villain. He had also dyed his hair to resemble Batman’s nemesis the Joker.
He was arrested in his car outside the cinema carrying an assault rifle, a
shotgun and a handgun. Another handgun was found in the cinema.
Last night police were trying to break into his apartment, which had been boobytrapped with an array of flammable and explosive material.
Cinemas in Britain last night increased their security measures for yesterday’s UK release of the eagerly-awaited Batman film.
Holmes, originally from San Diego in California, began studying for a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver last autumn but dropped out last month.
In a May 2011 rental application for his apartment in the suburb of Aurora, reserved for university students and staff, he described himself as ‘quiet and easy going’.
As part of the residency at his apartment block he had to work part time at the health care complex where many of his shooting victims were taken.
Neighbours in the building described him as reclusive, never acknowledging them and keeping his curtains closed day and night.
One, a pharmacy student who gave his name only as Ben, said he called police on the night of the shooting because he could hear a song blaring from Holmes’s flat, playing over and over again on repeat.
New York police chief Ray Kelly said the gunman appeared to be deranged, adding: ‘He had his hair painted red and he said he was the Joker – obviously the enemy of Batman.’
Mr Kelly did not reveal how he knew the information, but his former deputy, Dan Oates, is the police chief in Aurora, a city in the Denver metropolitan area.
Holmes sparked pandemonium when he burst through an emergency exit and hurled a gas canister into the auditorium of the suburban cinema.
Theatre 9 was packed with children and
‘His shots lit up
the room’
families – some dressed in Batman costumes – and many initially thought the attack was part of the show .
Then they saw the silhouette of six foot tall Holmes emerge out of the smoke pointing a gun toward them.
Terrified survivors described how he then slowly made his ways up the cinema steps, firing randomly at the audience.
One man at the theatre with his wife and three children, said Holmes burst in like the Terminator and started ‘shooting, shooting and shooting’.
Another filmgoer, Paul Otermat, said: ‘I thought it was some kind of publicity stunt. But the shooter comes in and when he threw the tear gas initially and when the smoke came out from it, I knew something was wrong.
‘He then started firing shots into the crowd and it lit up the room.
‘It was really loud, really loud. It was like bam, bam, bam. It wasn’t rapid fire. It was just pointing and shooting.
‘We just ducked down and dragged ourselves out of the theatre.’
Jennifer Seeger, 25, was in the second row, about four feet from the gunman.
‘He looked like he was in the military or like he was a SWAT person so he just kind of blended in with the chaos of the crowd.
‘People thought he was probably like a cop or something.’
She ducked to the floor, she said, adding: ‘There were bullet (casings) just falling on my head. They were burning my forehead.
‘Every few seconds it was just boom, boom, boom. He would reload and shoot and anyone who would try to leave would just get killed. I ran for the hills. On my way out all I see is dead bodies. People were just lifeless.’
She said the gunman had stopped in front of her, wordlessly pointing his rifle at her face.
But he instead shot the person sitting behind her. ‘I don’t know why he didn’t shoot me,’ she added.
Chris Ramos, 20, said: ‘ When he threw the grenade I seriously thought it was a bat, like they were throwing toys into the audience to get us ramped up.
‘The guy was quiet as he was shooting, he wasn’t saying anything – he was totally cold blooded.
‘The guy next to me got shot and I saw an elderly woman lying on the steps covered in blood. After the guy finished shooting he just sat down in the front, real calm.’
Donovan Tate said: ‘When we got out of the theatre it was just chaos. There was this one guy who was on all fours crawling. There was this girl spitting up blood.
‘There were bullet holes in some people’s backs, some people’s arms. There was this one guy who was stripped down to just his boxers. It looked like he was shot in the back or something. It was crazy.’
President Barack Obama said he was ‘shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting’ – which immediately brought back memories of the massacre at nearby Columbine High School in 1999 where two students opened fire killing 12 classmates and a teacher.
Holmes has no criminal record apart from a traffic summons for speeding and investigators do not believe he has any links to extremist groups.
Police said he had an AR- 15 assault rifle, a Remington 870 12 gauge shotgun and two 40 calibre Glock handguns. He was dressed all in black wearing a ballistic helmet, a ballistic vest, ballistic leggings, a throat protector, a groin protector a gas mask and black gloves.
Last night Holmes’s family released a statement saying: ‘Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved. We ask that the media respect our privacy during this difficult time.
‘Our family is co- operating with
authorities in both San Diego, California and Aurora, Colorado. We are still trying to process this information and we appreciate that people will respect our privacy.’
The mayor of New York yesterday responded to the massacre by calling on America’s presidential candidates to take a tougher line on gun control.
Michael Bloomberg, an outspoken advocate of stricter gun laws, said the tragedy should prompt Mr Obama and Mitt Romney to focus on the ease with which killers are able to lay their hands on weapons.
‘This is killing people every day, and it’s growing and it’s not just an inner-city, east coast, west coast, big city phenomenon. Aurora is not a big city,’ he told a local radio show.
Gun control advocates have blamed the power of America’s gun lobby, led by the National Rifle Association, for thwarting their efforts.