Tragedy: 12 dead, over 50 injured in Colorado during Dark Knight Rises screening

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

As an entertainment site, we seek to provide our readers with fun, informative stories regarding the business of genre film and television. On days like today, that seems pointless.

At an Aurora, Colorado midnight showing of Christopher Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, a gunman evidently unleashed a hail of smoke-bombs and bullets upon an unsuspecting crowd. The result was at least 12 dead, some 50 (and counting) wounded.

Police have a suspect, identified as James Holmes, 24, in custody. He was apparently arrested without incident. A federal official told CNN that Holmes had an “AK type rifle, a shotgun and two handguns” in his possession. At this time, Holmes’ apartment is being investigated by police; it’s believed to be booby trapped with explosives. According to the Associated Press, he was a neuroscience graduate student.

Obviously, this casts a long shadow over the opening weekend of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, but all that matters is that the survivors reunite with their loved ones. The rest of us are left wondering why and how such a thing could happen.

And why it seems to happen all too often…

To read further details on the shooting in Colorado, head over to the AP.