Shooting At Aurora, Colorado Movie Theater (1 Viewer)

[SayWhat?]

The following was a quote on MSNBC just now. I think I know why he's a former FBI profiler.

Former FBI profiler Clint Van Zandt tells Daily Rundown’s Chuck Todd "this was a pre-planned event."

 

[ffldrew]

Pretty unlucky girl @JessicaRedfield was at the Eaton center shooting in Toronto a few months ago and is one of the deceased in this shooting

You can read her post on the Eaton center shooting here: http://jessicaredfie...enter-shooting/

[QUOTE='jessicaredfield.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/late-night-thoughts-on-the-eaton-center-shooting]I was shown how fragile life was on Saturday. I saw the terror on bystanders’ faces. I saw the victims of a senseless crime. I saw lives change. I was reminded that we don’t know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath. For one man, it was in the middle of a busy food court on a Saturday evening.

I say all the time that every moment we have to live our life is a blessing. So often I have found myself taking it for granted. Every hug from a family member. Every laugh we share with friends. Even the times of solitude are all blessings. Every second of every day is a gift. After Saturday evening, I know I truly understand how blessed I am for each second I am given.

Unbelieveable :( [/QUOTE]Some more info from Denver Westword

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2012/07/aurora_theater_shooting_dark_knight_rises_batman.php

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

warning graphic. Video from theater one guy at least has bloody shirt and is staggering out of the theater with help.

 

[wadegarrett]

Assume the police are looking for the person mentioned in bold below?

Corbin Dates and Jennifer Seeger were sitting in the second row of the theater.

During the opening credits, Dates saw someone in the front row answer a phone call and walk to the emergency door in the front of the theater, he said.

From here.

And this part is just ...

The gunman moved through the crowd and stopped in front of Seeger.

He pointed a long rifle at her face and said nothing.

He shot at the person sitting behind her, Seeger said.

"I have no idea why he didn't shoot me," Seeger said.

 

[pantagrapher]

Thoughts and prayers to the families of this....News here is saying they found some explosives in his apartmentIt won't be long until we start getting into the gun debate and movie violence debate - but how come no one brings up the real issue and that is the mental illness debate. There are lots of people in this country messed up - the Gabby Giffords guy, Columbine Kids - with real mental issues. And it seems as though people (family and acquaintances) recognized these issues prior to these tragedies. We should consider the value of taking care of these mental issues before hand - to be proactive. The infrastructure and affordable resources around mental illness are sorely lacking - not to mention the 'stigma" to go and ask for help. Heck I bet this guys family knew he needed help and struggled to find him the help he needed. It cost money to deal with this stuff and in today's climate I'm afraid that people really have a difficulty going into community mode to help resolve this.

Excellent point. Here in Chicago many mental health workers were recently laid off, facilities closed and patients transferred or released due to government budget cuts.

 

[belljr]

Thoughts and prayers to the families of this....News here is saying they found some explosives in his apartmentIt won't be long until we start getting into the gun debate and movie violence debate - but how come no one brings up the real issue and that is the mental illness debate. There are lots of people in this country messed up - the Gabby Giffords guy, Columbine Kids - with real mental issues. And it seems as though people (family and acquaintances) recognized these issues prior to these tragedies. We should consider the value of taking care of these mental issues before hand - to be proactive. The infrastructure and affordable resources around mental illness are sorely lacking - not to mention the 'stigma" to go and ask for help. Heck I bet this guys family knew he needed help and struggled to find him the help he needed. It cost money to deal with this stuff and in today's climate I'm afraid that people really have a difficulty going into community mode to help resolve this.

I agree with this. I know someone personally that is sick (paranoid schizophrenia).He was on meds and doing "fine". Eventually stopped taking them. Wife couldn't take it anymore and she moved out. Family contacted authorities and other places many times. They were told basically if he didn't harm anyone they can't do anything. Eventually this guy killed someone in his apartment and is now in prison. I just think if someone were to at least point the family in a better direction at some point it could all have been avoided.

 

[Rayderr]

Thoughts and prayers to the families of this....

News here is saying they found some explosives in his apartment

It won't be long until we start getting into the gun debate and movie violence debate - but how come no one brings up the real issue and that is the mental illness debate. There are lots of people in this country messed up - the Gabby Giffords guy, Columbine Kids - with real mental issues. And it seems as though people (family and acquaintances) recognized these issues prior to these tragedies. We should consider the value of taking care of these mental issues before hand - to be proactive. The infrastructure and affordable resources around mental illness are sorely lacking - not to mention the 'stigma" to go and ask for help. Heck I bet this guys family knew he needed help and struggled to find him the help he needed. It cost money to deal with this stuff and in today's climate I'm afraid that people really have a difficulty going into community mode to help resolve this.

I discussed this back during the Jared Laughner shooting. We don't know what psych history this guy has, but Laughner and the VT shooter both had histories of mental instability. I do think there should be a system in place for psych professionals to put a patient on a "no gun" list.

 

[timschochet]

Anyone remember after 9/11, nobody wanted to fly on airplanes? It killed the airline industry for months. I wonder what this will do for the movie theaters.

Amazing how much damage a single person can do.

I'm going to the 7pm showing of Batman tonight.

I was planning on it. Now I probably won't.It's not that I'm fearful of something happening; that's just dumb. It's that I'll be thinking about this horror. All the fun of watching this film is gone, for a time.

Tim, if that works for you, then go for it. However, I live in Colorado and I am taking my wife and kids to see the movie in 2 hours. We are sad for the victims, but I am not going to let one crazy guy change a birthday celebration I have had planned with my kids and family. We have had enough sadness (I live in the Springs) and I am not going to let fires or crazies, bring us down.

Not to sound cold, but I am guessing we have a much better chance of being killed in a car accident on the way to the theater, than actually something happening at the theater.

Of course you're right. And I don't have a birthday celebration or a planned event. I was just going to see the film. I'll probably go in a week or so. I just don't want to be thinking about this incident when I see it.

 

[Arizona Ron]

F'ed up people do f'ed up things. The technology used to be a maniac is less urgent than the person using that technology.

Yet in this country they almost always use guns. I wonder why that is. I wonder if it's because of the ease and convenience? There is no barrier to stop them and make them go to lengths to build improvised devices. It's curious that they don't use guns AND build improvised devices since they could kill more people that way. But then that would be inconvenient.

I really don't want to get sucked into this, but does the name Tim McVeigh ring a bell?

The Unabomber and McVeigh are not good arguments, because practically speaking, it's far easier to obtain a gun and walk into a crowded movie theater (or crowded anywhere for that matter) than to do what those two guys did. But it's a useless discussion, because unless you're willing to pass laws that would remove all guns from private citizens (and enforce those laws with a police force about ten times stronger than we have now) there is no means to prevent mass shootings in this country.

The same way they made laws to remove all cocain from private citizens?

Well, when THOSE laws were passed, most private citizens didn't have cocaine. In any case, we haven't done a great job of enforcing those laws, have we?

That's my point. If crazy people want to get guns and kill lots of people, they're going to do it whether strict gun laws are in place (e.g. Federal ban on all assault rifles) or not.

 

[belljr]

The following was a quote on MSNBC just now. I think I know why he's a former FBI profiler.

Former FBI profiler Clint Van Zandt tells Daily Rundown’s Chuck Todd "this was a pre-planned event."

Not to downplay this but isn't it obvious. Did we really need an expert to tell us this was pre-planned.

 

[NCCommish]

Anyone remember after 9/11, nobody wanted to fly on airplanes? It killed the airline industry for months. I wonder what this will do for the movie theaters.

Amazing how much damage a single person can do.

I'm going to the 7pm showing of Batman tonight.

I was planning on it. Now I probably won't.It's not that I'm fearful of something happening; that's just dumb. It's that I'll be thinking about this horror. All the fun of watching this film is gone, for a time.

Tim, if that works for you, then go for it. However, I live in Colorado and I am taking my wife and kids to see the movie in 2 hours. We are sad for the victims, but I am not going to let one crazy guy change a birthday celebration I have had planned with my kids and family. We have had enough sadness (I live in the Springs) and I am not going to let fires or crazies, bring us down.

Not to sound cold, but I am guessing we have a much better chance of being killed in a car accident on the way to the theater, than actually something happening at the theater.

Of course you're right. And I don't have a birthday celebration or a planned event. I was just going to see the film. I'll probably go in a week or so. I just don't want to be thinking about this incident when I see it.

I will admit I am glad I saw it yesterday afternoon. I understand where Tim is coming from here. I wouldn't avoid it from fear but I'm not sure I could entirely enjoy it either.

 

[Fensalk]

Sad and there seems to be no way to prevent this type of terror attack.

What type of weapon did he use?

Don't turn this into a gun debate, because it's pointless. Guy could've just as easily thrown in some pipe bombs, or rammed his car into the line of people waiting to get in.

While I agree this isn't the place, that is a discussion worth having.

Gun debate. Video games debate. Political beliefs debate. We all know the drill here.

Only after 10 years of doing it in the FFA do people start to get it. I tend to avoid these tragedy threads because nothing good ever comes out of them, mostly for those reasons.

 

[Zow]

I find it incredible the guy had no criminal history (according to early reports) at 24. No explanation of a motive yet either, other then the general comparison to bane.

Just so sad. I really see no way of preventing this kinda stuff as it is really seems impossible to predict this type of irrational, senseless, and cruel behavior. It's not linked to tv, guns, politics or anything... Just some pure evil (possibly as the result of a mental defect? But I find is incredible that he apparently had no history)

 

[rascal]

Thoughts and prayers to the families of this....News here is saying they found some explosives in his apartmentIt won't be long until we start getting into the gun debate and movie violence debate - but how come no one brings up the real issue and that is the mental illness debate. There are lots of people in this country messed up - the Gabby Giffords guy, Columbine Kids - with real mental issues. And it seems as though people (family and acquaintances) recognized these issues prior to these tragedies. We should consider the value of taking care of these mental issues before hand - to be proactive. The infrastructure and affordable resources around mental illness are sorely lacking - not to mention the 'stigma" to go and ask for help. Heck I bet this guys family knew he needed help and struggled to find him the help he needed. It cost money to deal with this stuff and in today's climate I'm afraid that people really have a difficulty going into community mode to help resolve this.

My wife is a child/family counselor and although she doesn't tell me specifics, there are a lot of messed up people in this world and it starts at a young age due to horrible parenting/circumstances.

 

[eoMMan]

My woman and I played "black, white, or other" today before they released the identity of the suspect....

We were both right.

Why is always crazy white guys that do these things?

Was he influenced by the Bane character?

Did the movie suck that bad?

 

[Rayderr]

My woman and I played "black, white, or other" today before they released the identity of the suspect....

We were both right.

Why is always crazy white guys that do these things?

Was he influenced by the Bane character?

Did the movie suck that bad?

DC sniper?

 

[eoMMan]

What are the gun laws like in Colorado? Do they give out concealed pistol permits to average joes? If yes, I would think that maybe someone in the crowd could have popped this dude.

 

[St. Louis Bob]

Has this thread turned into a political cluster#### yet?

 

[pantagrapher]

My woman and I played "black, white, or other" today before they released the identity of the suspect....We were both right.Why is always crazy white guys that do these things?Was he influenced by the Bane character?Did the movie suck that bad?

Lame.

 

[identikit]

Assume the police are looking for the person mentioned in bold below?

Corbin Dates and Jennifer Seeger were sitting in the second row of the theater.

During the opening credits, Dates saw someone in the front row answer a phone call and walk to the emergency door in the front of the theater, he said.

From here.

And this part is just ...

The gunman moved through the crowd and stopped in front of Seeger.

He pointed a long rifle at her face and said nothing.

He shot at the person sitting behind her, Seeger said.

"I have no idea why he didn't shoot me," Seeger said.

Sounds like he had an accomplice.

 

[Courtjester]

Has this thread turned into a political cluster#### yet?

It is teetering on the edge, a little nudge here or there should send it over the edge.

 

[jamny]

My woman and I played "black, white, or other" today before they released the identity of the suspect....We were both right.Why is always crazy white guys that do these things?

Ever heard of Colin Ferguson?

 

[NCCommish]

Has this thread turned into a political cluster#### yet?

We've tried to avoid it but it keeps sneaking in. So not yet but omens aren't positive.

 

[azgroover]

Coming soon to a theater near you: metal detectors.

They'll get to inspect bags to confiscate outside snacks in the name of security too.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Really? I wonder why that seems to be the only cancellation. NYC seems to be beefing up security, but proceeding. This is probably an isolated incident/nutjob. We are really going to consider shutting down and panicking?

Always one of the 1st things done. Then the cost outweighs continuing to do so and then it happens again somewhere.

Why would it happen again? This may be the first Columbine (ironic how close it is to Aurora) style shooting at a theater, but it certainly is not the first time there has been a shooting at the movies.

Won't necessarily be a movie theater. I'm talking about another mass shooting somewhere. It's inevitable.

The US has 20 mass shootings a year.

Tell me about it. We've had two in Pittsburgh recently. One was at an LA Fitness and another at a Psychiatric Hospital. People are just depraved. We really need to be more vigilant with our family, friends, associates whom we think "has a screw loose" I guess. But where do you draw the line for reporting suspicions and what is enough probable cause for a warrant? Every single one of these guys who do things like this, after the fact people all say they thought something was off about them etc.

 

[shadyridr]

My woman and I played "black, white, or other" today before they released the identity of the suspect....

We were both right.

Why is always crazy white guys that do these things?

Was he influenced by the Bane character?

Did the movie suck that bad?

DC sniper?

Virginia Tech shooter

 

[eoMMan]

My woman and I played "black, white, or other" today before they released the identity of the suspect....We were both right.Why is always crazy white guys that do these things?

Ever heard of Colin Ferguson?

He's behind Leno, Letterman, and Fallon....imo.

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

Coming soon to a theater near you: metal detectors.They'll get to inspect bags to confiscate outside snacks in the name of security too.

Didn't the shooter come in from the emergency exit. It wouldn't have helped in this case.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

My woman and I played "black, white, or other" today before they released the identity of the suspect....We were both right.Why is always crazy white guys that do these things?Was he influenced by the Bane character?Did the movie suck that bad?

It is interesting that it's always crazy white guys.Except for, of course:Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan - (Fort Hood)Jiverly Antares Wong - (Binghamton, NY)Seung-Hui Cho - (Virginia Tech)

 

[eoMMan]

My woman and I played "black, white, or other" today before they released the identity of the suspect....

We were both right.

Why is always crazy white guys that do these things?

Was he influenced by the Bane character?

Did the movie suck that bad?

DC sniper?

Virginia Tech shooter

Okay, okay....MOSTLY crazy white dudes.

 

[FavreCo]

Assume the police are looking for the person mentioned in bold below?

Corbin Dates and Jennifer Seeger were sitting in the second row of the theater.

During the opening credits, Dates saw someone in the front row answer a phone call and walk to the emergency door in the front of the theater, he said.

From here.

And this part is just ...

The gunman moved through the crowd and stopped in front of Seeger.

He pointed a long rifle at her face and said nothing.

He shot at the person sitting behind her, Seeger said.

"I have no idea why he didn't shoot me," Seeger said.

Sounds like he had an accomplice.

Wouldn't an alarm go off if the door is opened and if it was disabled, how come that wasn't found out in between screenings. I would think there would be a procedure to check those doors in between each movie.

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

My woman and I played "black, white, or other" today before they released the identity of the suspect....

We were both right.

Why is always crazy white guys that do these things?

Was he influenced by the Bane character?

Did the movie suck that bad?

DC sniper?

Wasn't the VT shooter Korean?With that said, most of the mass murders and serial killers in the US tend to be white.

 

[jamny]

My woman and I played "black, white, or other" today before they released the identity of the suspect....

We were both right.

Why is always crazy white guys that do these things?

Was he influenced by the Bane character?

Did the movie suck that bad?

DC sniper?

Virginia Tech shooter

Okay, okay....MOSTLY crazy white dudes.

Maybe it's just equal to the percentage of the population.Crazy comes in all colors.

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

Assume the police are looking for the person mentioned in bold below?

Corbin Dates and Jennifer Seeger were sitting in the second row of the theater.

During the opening credits, Dates saw someone in the front row answer a phone call and walk to the emergency door in the front of the theater, he said.

From here.

And this part is just ...

The gunman moved through the crowd and stopped in front of Seeger.

He pointed a long rifle at her face and said nothing.

He shot at the person sitting behind her, Seeger said.

"I have no idea why he didn't shoot me," Seeger said.

Seeger was just on CNNShe said shell casings were falling on her head.

 

[Rayderr]

My woman and I played "black, white, or other" today before they released the identity of the suspect....

We were both right.

Why is always crazy white guys that do these things?

Was he influenced by the Bane character?

Did the movie suck that bad?

DC sniper?

Wasn't the VT shooter Korean?With that said, most of the mass murders and serial killers in the US tend to be white.

Most of the people in the US tend to be white.

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

CNN is reporting that Holmes propped the emergency door open before the start of the movie. When the movie started he came in and threw a gas or smoke container and started to shoot people.

 

[St. Louis Bob]

Has this thread turned into a political cluster#### yet?

It is teetering on the edge, a little nudge here or there should send it over the edge.

Has this thread turned into a political cluster#### yet?

We've tried to avoid it but it keeps sneaking in. So not yet but omens aren't positive.

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

I would think there would be a procedure to check those doors in between each movie.

It's a movie theater, not a 747.They can't even reliably mop up the spilled soda on the floors between showings.

 

[rascal]

My woman and I played "black, white, or other" today before they released the identity of the suspect....We were both right.Why is always crazy white guys that do these things?Was he influenced by the Bane character?Did the movie suck that bad?

 

[identikit]

Assume the police are looking for the person mentioned in bold below?

Corbin Dates and Jennifer Seeger were sitting in the second row of the theater.

During the opening credits, Dates saw someone in the front row answer a phone call and walk to the emergency door in the front of the theater, he said.

From here.

And this part is just ...

The gunman moved through the crowd and stopped in front of Seeger.

He pointed a long rifle at her face and said nothing.

He shot at the person sitting behind her, Seeger said.

"I have no idea why he didn't shoot me," Seeger said.

Sounds like he had an accomplice.

Wouldn't an alarm go off if the door is opened and if it was disabled, how come that wasn't found out in between screenings. I would think there would be a procedure to check those doors in between each movie.

I'm thinking they're referring to the typical exit doors at the front of the theatre. People routinely use those to leave all the time. I've never heard an alarm.

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

Most of the people in the US tend to be white.

Thanks for the demographic newsflash.

 

[Rayderr]

I would think there would be a procedure to check those doors in between each movie.

It's a movie theater, not a 747.They can't even reliably mop up the spilled soda on the floors between showings.

Perhaps we can create a gov't agency to take of that. Like the Cinema Screening agency.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

CNN is reporting that Holmes propped the emergency door open before the start of the movie. When the movie started he came in and threw a gas or smoke container and started to shoot people.

Some emergency door... Aren't they supposed to trigger an alarm?

 

[FavreCo]

I would think there would be a procedure to check those doors in between each movie.

It's a movie theater, not a 747.They can't even reliably mop up the spilled soda on the floors between showings.

There is that. Yet another reason I never venture into one of those holes.So they don't even know when their emergency doors are open? Ridiculous.

 

[Zow]

To those of you seriously suggesting this was a flaw in the theater security, this is what like the first shooting in a billion movie showings?

Things like this cannot be anticipated and therefore cannot be prevented. Even if it could, probably no way to do it that is cost-efficient. No sense in calling in captain hindsight here.

 

[FavreCo]

CNN is reporting that Holmes propped the emergency door open before the start of the movie. When the movie started he came in and threw a gas or smoke container and started to shoot people.

Some emergency door... Aren't they supposed to trigger an alarm?

One would think so. If it is supposed to and din't, bye bye movie theater owner.

 

[Rayderr]

CNN is reporting that Holmes propped the emergency door open before the start of the movie. When the movie started he came in and threw a gas or smoke container and started to shoot people.

Some emergency door... Aren't they supposed to trigger an alarm?

Heck, I've been in some theaters that after a movie is done, they make you exit through the emergency doors so there's no risk of you sneaking into another theater.

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

CNN is reporting that Holmes propped the emergency door open before the start of the movie. When the movie started he came in and threw a gas or smoke container and started to shoot people.

Some emergency door... Aren't they supposed to trigger an alarm?

I thought so. Last week my wife and I went to a movie and during the movie a couple went out the emergency door and tripped an alarm. Maybe it is different for each area? Fire codes? Also, many people have said the shooter kicked in the emergency exit.

 

[JHuber77]

ABC called the killer's mom who hadn't heard yet and she said "you've got the right person. I need to talk to the police. I need to fly out to Colorado."

:( Sounds like she knew he is messed up.

That's ####ed up. How many more known ticking time bombs are out there?This is what happens when state hospitals close and they force local governments to deal with the problem.

 

[jamny]

Some people were shot in adjacent theaters as the bullets came through the walls.