12 killed, 50 wounded at Aurora movie theater

[Werewolf Girl]

That is so sad, she looks so happy there

 

[ElaineV]

Elaine - I don't know if you were referring to me but I wasn't being critical of the parents of the baby that was hurt but I was just surprised that people would bring their baby to a cinema to watch that type of film at that time of night.

ok well here is why they might do it:
At 3-4 months of age a baby's ability to be aware of light requires about ten times more light than an adult requires. Therefore, a large bright movie screen is less disruptive to an infant than it is to a toddler or an adult. Babies can easily sleep in brightly lit environments. Also, they can't focus on far away thing so a movie screen is probably mostly just a big blur. Their vision isn't fully developed until they're around 8-10 months old.

Also although their hearing is great they're already used to loud noises. Remember that they were just recently inside someone else and they had to sleep to the loud noises of digestion, mommy talking, a heartbeat, and other noises. Young babies are generally very good at being able to sleep in loud environments. You'd want to protect their ears from really loud stuff like rock concerts or fireworks but not a movie.

Like I said before, four months is still a little young for a babysitter. I wouldn't use one if I didn't have to. Just bring baby along whenever possible, like a marsupial

 

[thefadedone]

I'm really curious as to why he did it. He wore body armor, so he's not suicidal, but did he really think he would be able to escape? Very strange.

Yeah I'm wondering what his motive was as well.

As for the couple with the kids:
I find it disturbing that the man not only left the baby on the floor, but left his girlfriend and the other child and ran out of theater to save himself. I'm not a parent nor have I been in a situation like this, but I would not be able to live with myself if my first instinct was to worry about getting my own selfish *** to safety and to abandon my family.

 

[nigel1]

Four month old babies don't belong in movie theaters. It's as rude as talking on your cell phone during a movie.

 

[mlp]

Special effects type movies tend to be pretty loud, IME. My hearing is not great, and I still find some of the noise levels in movies to be less than comfortable.

 

[AspireToExpire]

People watch too damn much TV, some thought it was part of the entertainment.

 

[AspireToExpire]

Four month old babies don't belong in movie theaters. It's as rude as talking on your cell phone during a movie.

A 4 month old baby should be in it's bed, in it's house sleeping at midnight.

 

[Ansciess]

It just figures that people would criticize the parents of a four-month-old who was injured rather than focus on some other aspect of the news story...

When they're a little bit older then it's a bigger deal. The older babies maybe around 9 or 10 months and certainly at 1-year-old can be much more aware of their surroundings, vision has improved well enough that they can understand whats on a movie screen, they can be more affected by the violence in the film, and theyre more likely on a regular sleep schedule ... So to keep them up at midnight in a theater would be a bad idea. Same goes for older toddlers.

Well they brought a 4 YEAR OLD too. And dad managed to leave his kid on the floor and get out of the area in his quest to save himself (the mother had the opposite instinct, so it's obviously not what anyone would do). Can people criticize now?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/couple-col...by-toddler-tow/story?id=16821447#.UAoyZJE_LxE

"I'm trying to keep him low. ... And he's crying," Rohrs said. "People are running all over. I'm tripping and falling. I don't know if I laid him down or sat him down. I'm wondering maybe there's more of them. [I'm thinking] 'He's crying and they're going to come get me.'...

 

[mlp]

Good God, he DROVE back when she called him on the phone?! So he didn't just leave his girlfriend and kids in there as he ran out, he actually drove away?!?!

After this young woman has a chance to collect her thoughts, I hope she kicks this guy to the curb - he obviously cannot be counted on.

ETA: A 19 year old did what the father should have done - he put himself between the shooter and the woman and her children, and got shot: http://abcnews.go.com/US/dark-knight-rises-shooting-victim-stopped-young-mom/story?id=16822336

 

[schmencer]

Yeah I'm wondering what his motive was as well.

Well, he'd recently withdrawn from the graduate program he was enrolled in. That may have triggered some sort of underlying psychological condition. (But I'm no expert...)

 

[Ansciess]

Is any American surprised by mass shootings anymore?

I have to say it surprises me in a way that it's getting this much press. This kind of thing has happened many times before, and will happen again, there's no question about that. And unlike Australia, which put in serious gun control laws after the Port Arthur massacre, America shows no sign of changing no matter how many of these we have.

 

[mlp]

I agree - there doesn't seem to be any real possibility of better gun control laws. I suspect that these mass shootings may increase in frequency.

 

[schmencer]

That's cause we americans have the stupid idea that guns will prevent gun violence. I mean, did any hand gun owner step up to stop this guy? I didn't think so...

 

[mlp]

And even if one had, this guy was wearing body armor and a helmet.

 

[SuicideBlonde]

"In the last 60 days he purchased four guns at local metro gun shops, and through the Internet he purchased over 6,000 rounds of ammunition," Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates said Friday night.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/police-press-motive-denver-area-movie-massacre-232932177.html

6,000 rounds of ammo online. WTF.

Police are trying to learn more about the man's motives but have thus far been unable to access his booby-trapped apartment near the Colorado medical school where he recently withdrew from classes.

Investigators have described the apartment as being filled with chemicals, trip wires, jars of ammunition and possible mortar rounds.

Booby trapped apt, what a sick individual.

 

[Queerasaurus Rex]

People watch too damn much TV, some thought it was part of the entertainment.

Supposedly he started shooting in a scene that contained a lot of gunfire, and people at first didn't realize there was someone actually shooting. If it's true, I don't think it means people watch too much television, considering you wouldn't be expecting actual shooting while you're in the middle of watching a movie, and I think it'd be natural to, at least in the first second or so, not be able to tell the difference in the sound of actual shooting with the loud shooting of the movie.

ETA: Yeah, it's true, it was during a scene with gunfire, which is understandable even if one had never watched television in their life before, I'd think. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/20/colorado-shooting-witness-video_n_1690155.html

 

[Dave in MPLS]

I'm really curious as to why he did it.

One guy blames teaching evolution in school. Honestly. Apparently he's a frequent guest on FOX "news", although he expressed that opinion via Twitter, not on FOX. A representative from TX believes the separation of church and state had something to do with it. Somehow.

Sorry, I didn't note the names of these guys.

More than likely the motive has nothing to do with anything beyond personal issues.

This kind of thing has happened many times before

This was one of the largest casualty counts from a shooting, though.

 

[led.boots]

Jessica Ghawi. So far she's the only victim who has been named in the news.

This young woman narrowly escaped a mall shooting in Toronto last month! So freaky... http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...e-narrowly-escaped-being-shot-last-month?lite

I also wanted to add that I think the reason this shooting did shock Americans is that it was in a movie theatre. How much safer can you feel than there in the dark, eating popcorn, watching a film? And then the thin veneer of society is removed for a minute, and it is frightening.

 

[Digger]

A source for CNN this morning was reporting that the shooter had dyed his hair red and told police that he was The Joker. Also the Daily Mail posted his AdultFriendFinder profile where he says: "Will you visit me in prison?". (There's no nudity):

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ting-James-Holmes-looked-like-said-JOKER.html

 

[Calliegirl]

The guy had a promising career ahead of him. I'm really curious as to why he did it. He wore body armor, so he's not suicidal, but did he really think he would be able to escape? Very strange.

According to the conspiracy theorists, it's because he was under mind control by the FBI.