Aurora rampage

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The cinema building in Aurora where the act took place.
Bottom Left: Map of Colorado, Aurora is highlighted on the map.
Above: Map of the center of Aurora.
Below right: Location of the crime scene in the Town Center at Aurora shopping mall

The shooting rampage in Aurora was a violent crime in the July 20, 2012 in a cinema in Aurora in the US state of Colorado during the midnight premiere of the film The Dark Knight Rises shot twelve people and 58 more injured, some seriously were. The convicted perpetrator, James Eagan Holmes, who was 24 at the time of the crime, was arrested immediately after the crime.

The violent crime, also known as the Aurora attack by parts of the public and the media, was also sometimes referred to as a cinema massacre after the scene of the crime . The naming as " Batman " enlistment refers to the US action film based on the Batman comic series that was shown at the time of the crime in the cinema that was mainly affected .

course

In the cinema

The Dark Knight Rises premiered at 12:05 am in hall nine of Century 16 Movie Theater , a multiplex in Aurora attached to the Town Center at Aurora shopping mall . About 20 minutes after the performance began, the perpetrator left the hall via an emergency exit, went to his car parked nearby and put on a gas mask and a bulletproof vest, among other things. Armed with a Remington 870 shotgun , an AR-15 self-loading rifle and a 40 caliber Glock pistol , he returned to the cinema at around 12:37 a.m., detonated a tear gas grenade and opened fire on the audience. Many viewers initially believed in a show that was part of the film showing before people fled the hall in a panic. According to eyewitnesses, the assault rifle jammed . Several projectiles penetrated a wall to the neighboring cinema hall eight and also hit viewers there. From 12:40 a.m., the first police patrols arrived at the cinema and surrounded the building. Shortly afterwards, the perpetrator was arrested by his car without offering any resistance.

In the perpetrator's apartment

While the perpetrator was in the cinema, loud music boomed from his apartment from midnight. A neighbor knocked on the apartment door, which was unlocked, but did not enter. As the perpetrator had stated shortly after his arrest that he had deposited explosives in the apartment, the police first evacuated the apartment building and five neighboring buildings after their arrival around 2 a.m. During the subsequent examination of the apartment with mirrors, booby traps were discovered, which took several days to defuse. Meanwhile, a robot was used to remove the first evidence from the apartment. There were a total of 30 self-made grenades and around 40 liters of fuel in the apartment, which would probably have exploded if the apartment had been entered and destroyed the entire floor.

Victim

Ten people died at the scene, and two others died in hospitals from their injuries. 58 people were injured. 38 people were hospitalized because of their injuries. The fatalities were between six and 51 years old. The youngest victim's mother was also seriously injured and suffered a miscarriage as a result of the injuries .

Perpetrator

James Eagan Holmes (born December 13, 1987), who was 24 at the time of the crime, grew up in San Diego , graduated from Westview High School there in 2006 and graduated with honors in neuroscience from the University of California at Riverside in 2010 . In June 2011, he enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Colorado , but was close to dropping out, according to the university. Until then, Holmes had not committed a criminal offense. Two months before the crime, the perpetrator legally bought four firearms, including an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle . In early July, Holmes purchased 6,000 rounds of ammunition over the Internet.

His motive has not yet been clarified.

At a first court hearing on July 23, 2012, Holmes did not comment on the crime. On July 30th, Holmes was charged with multiple murders. The prosecution charged him with a total of 142 charges, including murder, attempted murder and possession of explosives. Public prosecutor Carol Chambers initially left open whether she would demand the death penalty .

According to his lawyers, Holmes was being treated by a psychiatrist at his university. The professor, who specializes in schizophrenia , was also the recipient of a package Holmes had sent to the University of Colorado Post Office several days before the crime. According to the television network Fox , citing investigators, the package contained notes with a detailed announcement of the fact. According to media reports, the psychiatrist is said to have warned the university about Holmes six weeks before the crime, because his mental state was abnormal.

Reactions

President Barack Obama visits victims of the attack in hospital
A victim memorial in front of the crime scene

US President Barack Obama expressed his condolences to the relatives and called on them to pray for those affected and to stand by them. The act reignited discussion about tightening gun laws in the United States . Both Obama and his challenger in the upcoming presidential election , Mitt Romney , were reluctant to comment on tightening gun laws. While Romney opposed changing gun laws, Obama advocated improved controls to prevent guns from being sold to criminals or the mentally ill.

The planned premiere of the film The Dark Knight Rises in Paris and all interview dates were canceled by the production team. A few days after the fact, leading actor Christian Bale visited victims of the attack in the Aurora clinic. Shortly thereafter, director Christopher Nolan spoke on behalf of the film team of deep sorrow over the tragedy.

Shortly after the event, the cinema chain AMC Theaters banned people from entering their cinemas with face masks and dummy weapons. In Germany, too, it was announced that the security measures in the cinemas would be strengthened. Warner Bros. decided not to publish the box office figures for the time being, despite the great success of The Dark Knight Rises . As a further consequence, Warner Bros. withdrew film advertising to Gangster Squad . There is a scene in this film in which gangsters shoot the audience with automatic weapons in a cinema. The film trailer can no longer be seen in any US cinemas and has also been removed from various websites.

Holmes is one of a number of gunmen who have gained a following on the internet .

process

The main hearing was supposed to start in August 2013. The district judge surprisingly gave up the case due to lack of time. The trial finally began on January 29, 2015 in a U.S. district court in Centennial , Colorado . An expert report confirmed that Holmes had a mental illness, but at the same time denied any resulting inability to act . In July 2015, Holmes was found guilty of 165 counts and twelve murders. The prosecutor applied for the death penalty . On August 8, 2015, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole.

Web links

Commons : attack by Aurora  - collection of images, videos and audio files
 Wikinews: Shootout in a cinema in Colorado: Many dead and injured  - News

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Aurora Cinema Massacre - Death Penalty for James Holmes? . In: n-tv.de . n-tv . July 29, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  2. ↑ be / tso / DPA / AFP: Cinema assassination attempt in Colorado: America puzzles over the motif of the "Joker". In: stern.de. July 21, 2012, accessed March 1, 2019 .
  3. ↑ After "Batman" -Amoklauf: Obama gun control wants sharper control . In: focus.de . Focus . July 26, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  4. ↑ Photo of a ticket for the special performance. Retrieved July 30, 2012 .
  5. ↑ a b c d Chronicle of the Aurora Massacre . In: sueddeutsche.de . Süddeutsche.de . July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  6. ↑ a b "Batman" premiere ends in bloodbath . In: tagesschau.de . Daily news . July 20, 2012. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved on July 20, 2012.
  7. ↑ A country seeks consolation . In: spiegel.de . Der Spiegel Online . July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  8. Jump up ↑ Batman massacre: The amok shooter's assault rifle jammed. (No longer available online.) In: nachrichten.t-online.de. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012 ; Retrieved July 25, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / nachrichten.t-online.de
  9. ^ Rampage at Batman premiere. Southwest Press
  10. ↑ Shy, friendly, heavily armed. Süddeutsche Zeitung, July 21, 2012
  11. ↑ Police find booby traps in the perpetrator's home. Süddeutsche Zeitung, July 20, 2012
  12. ↑ The shooter's apartment: Police find bombs . In: n24.de . N24 . July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  13. ↑ Crime - USA: Police: All booby traps in the apartment of gunmen defused - dpa Newsticker - zeit.de. (No longer available online.) In: newsticker.sueddeutsche.de. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016 ; Retrieved July 27, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.zeit.de
  14. ↑ Robot brings evidence from the home of the cinema murderer , Spiegel Online . July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012. 
  15. ↑ Gunman had 30 grenades in his apartment Süddeutsche Zeitung, July 24, 2012
  16. ↑ Denver shootout at "Batman" premiere - many dead and injured . In: spiegel.de . Spiegel Online . July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  17. ↑ Lives that ended in an Aurora theater shooting were full of promise ( English ) In: denverpost.com . Denver Post . July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  18. ^ After Aurora ran amok: Pregnant woman loses her unborn baby Rheinische Post Online, July 29, 2012
  19. ↑ Clayton Sandell, Kevin Dolak: Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: 71 Victims The Largest Mass Shooting ( English ) In: abcnews.go.com . American Broadcasting Company . July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  20. ↑ David Lohr: Colorado Shooting: What We Know About James Holmes ( English ) In: huffingtonpost.com . The Huffington Post . July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  21. ↑ James Holmes Aurora Colorado shooting suspect's apartment being searched after Dark Knight shooting ( English ) In: wptv.com . WPTV. July 20, 2012. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 20, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wptv.com
  22. ↑ Matthias Kolb: America is looking for answers . In: sueddeutsche.de . Süddeutsche Zeitung . July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  23. ↑ Christian Wernicke: The real horror . In: sueddeutsche.de . Süddeutsche Zeitung . July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  24. ^ Aurora movie theater shooting suspect makes first court appearance - The Denver Post. In: denverpost.com. Retrieved July 25, 2012 .
  25. ↑ Holmes charged with multiple murders. In: Süddeutsche.de. Retrieved July 30, 2012 .
  26. ^ "Reprehensible indifference" ORF.at, July 30, 2012
  27. ^ Sent to ORF.at several days before the bloody act , July 30, 2012
  28. ↑ Psychiatrist warned of Batman gunman Holmes Focus Online, August 2, 2012
  29. ↑ Obama: Colorado shooting is 'horrific and tragic' ( English ) In: usatoday.com . USA Today . July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  30. ↑ Opponents of arms demand stricter laws . In: tagesschau.de . Daily news . July 21, 2012. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved on July 21, 2012.
  31. ↑ Anna Engelke: Obama and Romney shy away from stricter gun law. tagesschau.de, July 25, 2012, archived from the original on July 28, 2012 ; Retrieved July 29, 2012 .
  32. ↑ Obama is committed to stricter gun laws. Die Welt, July 26, 2012, accessed on July 29, 2012 .
  33. ↑ Obama dares cautious criticism of gun laws. FAZ, July 26, 2012, accessed on July 29, 2012 .
  34. ↑ Parisian "Batman" premiere canceled after shooting . In: zeit.de . The time . July 20, 2012. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 20, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.zeit.de
  35. ^ Premiere in Paris canceled, more security guards in cinemas. tagesschau.de , July 20, 2012, archived from the original on July 21, 2012 ; Retrieved August 10, 2012 .
  36. ↑ "Batman" star visits injured people in the cinema rampage . In: welt.de . World online. July 25, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  37. ↑ a b US cinemas tighten security after the carnage in Aurora . In: welt.de . World online . July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  38. ↑ Cinemas increase security ahead of the German "Batman" premiere . In: stern.de . star . July 24, 2012. Archived from the original on July 27, 2012. Retrieved on October 23, 2016.
  39. ↑ Midnight Movie Massacre: Studio saddened by 'shocking' scene at movie's midnight showing . In: bild.de . Picture . July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  40. ↑ Warner withdraws movie trailers from Gangster Squad . In: schnittberichte.com . Schnittberichte.com . July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  41. ↑ Rachel Monroe: The Killer Crush: The Horror of Teen Girls, From Columbiners to Popular. In: The Awl. October 5, 2012, accessed on March 21, 2020.
  42. ↑ Prosecutor seeks death penalty for James Holmes. In: Spiegel Online from April 1, 2015 (accessed June 10, 2015).
  43. ↑ Was Batman assassin James Holmes sane? In: Focus from January 27, 2015 (accessed June 10, 2015).
  44. ↑ Aurora murders: expert thinks cinema bombers are sane. In: Spiegel Online from May 29, 2015 (accessed June 10, 2015).
  45. ↑ The rampage at "Batman" premiere: Court finds Aurora assassin guilty of murder. July 17, 2015, accessed July 17, 2015 .
  46. ↑ Punishment for cinema bombers: twelve life sentences plus 3318 years faz.net, August 27, 2015 (report on the occasion of the official determination of the verdict)

Coordinates: 39 ° 42 ′ 21.5 "  N , 104 ° 49 ′ 14.6"  W.