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At least 20 hurt after shooting during 'Dark Knight' screening in Aurora, Colorado
Updated at 4:49 a.m. ET: At least 20 people were hurt early Friday when at least one assailant opened fire during a shootout scene in a midnight screening near Denver of the summer blockbuster "The Dark Knight Rises," police and witnesses said.
The incident occurred in the Century 16 Movie Theaters at the Aurora Town Center, police told NBC News. Aurora is a suburb less than 10 miles east of downtown Denver.
Brenda Stuart, of 850 KOA radio, told Britain's Sky News that "a lot of people thought the gunshots were part of the movie."
"They heard what they thought were firecrackers," she added, citing witnesses. "Then they saw the bullets flying."
Eyewitness reports said the assailant may have been wearing a gas mask, Stuart said.
KUSA cited witness reports that at least 10 people were killed in the incident, but no confirmation was immediately available. Some eyewitness reports suggested up to 40 people were wounded, KOA reported, but details remained sketchy.
Tear gas went off in the theater following the gunfire, Stuart said. She added that bullets had passed from one theater into an adjoining one.
Police spokeswoman Cassidee Carlson said "the scene is still very active."
One suspect was in custody, police said. It was unclear whether other suspects were involved.
Local emergency crews from several cities, including Denver and Boulder, have converged on the scene, Stuart told Sky News.
Cathy Canzanora, a 911 dispatcher, told NBC News that emergency dispatchers were deluged with calls from "everybody who had cellphones in the theater" at 12:39 a.m. Friday local time (2:39 a.m. ET).
"The place blew up," she said, referring to the number of calls.
She said she could not reveal what people told her but said that they reported "that there had been a shooting so we got the police and the fire department and the ambulance there as soon as they could."
Canzanora said she did not have any information about the number of injured or dead.
Police use cars to transport the wounded Nicole Williams, with the Swedish Medical Center of Englewood, Colo., told KUSA-Denver the hospital was alerted to a mass-casualty incident at 1:15 a.m. local time Friday (3:15 a.m. ET).
The injured were being transported to three local hospitals, police told NBC.
Stuart said that police officers were taking victims to hospitals in their cars and not waiting for ambulances.
A bomb squad was on site, police added.
"The Dark Knight Rises," starring Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway, is the latest in the popular Batman action movie franchise. Friday was its international premier.
This is breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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