2012 Aurora theater shooting
The 2012 Aurora theater shooting began inside Theater 9 of a Century 16 multiplex in Aurora, Colorado, on the 20th of July 2012. It happened during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, and about 400 people had filled the room. Before the film was over, a night out had become a crime scene that police, prosecutors, lawmakers and families would spend years trying to make sense of.
This documentary follows three questions. How could one person walk into a full theater and take control of it within minutes? Who were the people in those seats? And what did a courtroom, a legislature and a grieving community decide to do afterward?
About 20 minutes into the film, a man in the front row of Theater 9 got up and walked out. He had bought a ticket like everyone else. The theater belonged to the Century 16 multiplex, run by Cinemark Theatres, inside the Town Center at Aurora shopping mall at 14300 E. Alameda Avenue. He left through an emergency exit beside the screen and wedged it slightly open with a plastic tablecloth holder. The door led to a lightly used parking area behind the complex, where his car was parked close by.
Outside, he changed into protective clothing and collected his guns. At around 12:30 a.m., about 30 minutes into the movie, police say he came back in through the same door. He was dressed in black. His gear included a gas mask, a ballistic helmet, a vest, bullet-resistant leggings, a throat protector, a groin protector and tactical gloves. Headphones played a techno station, and the song was "Becoming Insane" by Infected Mushroom. The music meant he could not hear anything from the audience.
Hardly anyone in the room saw danger at first. Some people took him for one more fan in costume, because other audience members had dressed up for the screening. Some suspected a prank. Others guessed he was part of a special effects stunt for the premiere, or a publicity move by the studio or the theater management.
Then he threw a canister toward the left side of the theater. Gas or smoke spread, blurring vision and making throats and skin itch and eyes burn. He fired a 12-gauge Remington 870 Express Tactical shotgun, first at the ceiling and then at the crowd. Next came a Smith & Wesson M&P15 semi-automatic rifle with a 100-round drum magazine, which eventually malfunctioned. He finished with a .40-caliber Glock 22 Gen4 handgun. He shot toward the back of the room first, then at people in the aisles.
The tally of shots later came to 76: six from the shotgun, 65 from the rifle and five from the handgun. One bullet passed through the wall and hit three people in Theater 8, which was showing the same film. The fire alarm began sounding soon after the attack started, and staff told the audience in Theater 8 to get out.
At 12:39 a.m., after the shooting began, victims started calling 9-1-1, and the first officers arrived within 90 seconds. On the theater floor they found three .40-caliber handgun magazines, a shotgun and a large drum magazine. Some people reported the attack on Twitter or by text message. Officers were already at the theater by the time those posts went out.
Ambulances struggled with chaos and congestion in the parking lot and could not reach the back of the complex. That was where police had pulled injured people out through the emergency exit doors of Theater 9. Sgt. Stephen Redfearn, one of the first officers on scene, sent victims to area hospitals in squad cars.
At about 12:45 a.m., police officer Jason Oviatt took the gunman into custody behind the cinema, beside his car. There was no resistance. In his tactical clothing he was at first mistaken for another police officer, and those who saw the arrest described him as calm and "disconnected".
Two federal officials said he had dyed his hair red and called himself "The Joker", though authorities later declined to confirm it. Three days later, at his first court appearance in Centennial, Colorado, his hair looked reddish-orange. The district attorney who prosecuted the case later said he never called himself The Joker, and blamed the federal officials for the rumor.
Officers found several firearms in the theater and in his car, including a second Glock 22 handgun. He was also carrying a first-aid kit and spike strips. In a later interview he admitted he had planned to use the strips if police shot at him or chased him.
He was jailed at the Arapahoe County Detention Center under suicide watch. Police interviewed more than 200 witnesses. Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates spoke for himself and for FBI agent James Yacone, who led the investigation. He said he was confident the shooter acted alone.
At his arrest, the gunman also told police that he had booby-trapped his apartment. Officers evacuated five buildings around it, about 8 km north of the cinema. The complex was limited to University of Colorado Medical Center students, patients and employees. One day after the shooting, officials disarmed an explosive device wired to the front door, and the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad worked on the rest. A remote-controlled robot entered and disabled the other explosives. Inside were more than 30 homemade grenades, wired to a control box in the kitchen and filled with at least 30 US gallons of gasoline.
Around midnight on the night of the attack, neighbors had reported loud music from the apartment. One woman went to the door to tell him she was calling the police. The door seemed to be unlocked, but she chose not to open it. A police official said a Batman mask was found inside.
On the 23rd of July 2012, police finished collecting evidence from the apartment. Two days later, residents of the four surrounding buildings were allowed to return. Six days after the evidence collection ended, residents could move back into the building that had been booby-trapped.
Twelve people died and 70 were injured, and 58 of the injured were shot. News outlets reported that no earlier mass shooting in United States history had left so many people struck by bullets. That figure stood until the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, which killed 49 people and injured 58, for a combined 107 casualties. In Colorado, it was the deadliest shooting since the Columbine High School massacre on the 20th of April 1999. Four more people had their eyes irritated by the gas, and eight others were hurt while fleeing the theater.
Ten of the dead died at the scene, and two were pronounced dead at local hospitals. Jonathan Blunk was 26. Alexander J. Boik was 18. Jesse Childress was 29. Gordon Cowden was 51. Jessica Ghawi, also known as Jessica Redfield, was 24. John Larimer was 27. Matt McQuinn was 27. Micayla Medek was 23. Veronica Moser-Sullivan was 6. Alex Sullivan was 27. Alexander C. Teves was 24. Rebecca Wingo was 32. An unborn child, the baby of Ashley Moser, was also killed.
Jessica Ghawi had already lived through violence once. A month earlier, she had survived the Eaton Centre shooting in Toronto. Ashley Moser, the mother of six-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan, was critically injured, shot three times in the chest, neck and abdomen. One bullet lodged in her spine and left her a paraplegic. She miscarried a week after the attack.
Caleb Medley was the last victim discharged, leaving University Hospital on the 12th of September 2012. A shotgun blast to the head had caused serious brain damage and injured his right eye. He underwent three brain surgeries, needed a feeding tube, had severely impaired movement and could no longer speak. Stefan Moton was paralyzed from the chest down after a bullet went through his spine.
The injured were treated at hospitals including Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver Health Medical Center, The Medical Center of Aurora, Parker Adventist Hospital, Rose Medical Center, Swedish Hospital and University Hospital. On the 25th of July, three of the five hospitals treating victims announced they would limit medical bills or forgive them entirely.
The Community First Foundation collected more than $5 million for a victims' fund. In September, victims and families received surveys asking whether the money should be split equally or distributed after a needs assessment. On the 16th of November 2012, the Aurora Victim Relief Fund announced that each family of the dead would receive $220,000.
On the 30th of July 2012, Colorado prosecutors filed 24 counts of first-degree murder, 116 counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of illegal possession of explosives. They filed two murder charges for each victim, which gave them more routes to a conviction.
Judge William B. Sylvester oversaw the case. He placed a gag order on lawyers and law enforcement and sealed the court file. He also barred the University of Colorado from releasing public records about the defendant's year at the school. Media organizations challenged the sealing.
On the 9th of August, the defense said he was mentally ill and that they needed more time to assess the illness. On the 24th of August, prosecutors alleged he had told a classmate four months before the shooting that he wanted to kill people. On the 30th of August, a judge ruled that a notebook, in which he allegedly described a violent attack, was covered by physician-patient privilege. It was addressed to his psychiatrist. Prosecutors dropped their request for the notebook on the 20th of September.
The preliminary hearing began on the 7th of January 2013. Because of the gag order, it was the public's first officially sanctioned look at the evidence. Prosecutors argued the case should go to trial, and defense lawyers argued it should not. Judge Sylvester decided there was enough relevant, admissible evidence to proceed.
On the 27th of March, the defense offered a guilty plea if prosecutors would not seek the death penalty. On the 1st of April, the prosecution declined. Arapahoe County district attorney George Brauchler said it was his determination and intention that, for this defendant, "justice is death."
Jury selection ran from the 20th of January to the 15th of April 2015, and the trial began on the 27th of April 2015. The defendant had confessed to the shooting but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. On the 16th of July, the jury convicted him of 24 counts of first-degree murder, 140 counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of possessing explosives. On the 7th of August, jurors deadlocked on whether to impose the death penalty.
On the 26th of August, he was given 12 life sentences, one for every person he killed. He also received 3,318 years for the attempted murders of the people he wounded and for rigging his apartment with explosives. The criminal case was finished, but a civil suit against the theater chain had been filed back in September 2012.
A candlelight vigil was held at the site on the evening after the shooting. President Barack Obama ordered flags at government buildings flown at half-staff until the 25th of July. The campaigns of Obama and Mitt Romney both paused television advertising in Colorado for the 2012 presidential election. On the 22nd of July, Obama met victims and local and state officials, then gave a nationally televised speech from Aurora. Condolences came from Queen Elizabeth II, French President François Hollande, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Benedict XVI.
Warner Bros., the distributor of The Dark Knight Rises, said it was deeply saddened. The studio canceled gala premieres in France, Mexico and Japan and scaled down its marketing campaign in Finland. It held back box-office figures until the 23rd of July, and other major studios withheld early numbers on the 21st of July. Some television advertisements for the film were canceled. Warner Bros. reportedly made a "substantial" donation to Colorado's Community First Foundation.
Christopher Nolan, the film's director, spoke for his cast and crew and called the event "savage" and "devastating". Christian Bale, who plays Batman in the film series, privately visited victims on the 24th of July. Members of the Colorado Rockies visited victims, and members of the Denver Broncos called or visited people in hospitals.
The shooting reached into other releases. Warner Bros. told cinemas to stop showing a trailer for the film Gangster Squad, which ran before The Dark Knight Rises in some cities, though not in Aurora. It included a scene of the main characters firing machine guns at a movie theater audience. The release was moved to January 2013, and the scene was replaced with a new sequence set elsewhere. DC Comics delayed Batman Incorporated #3, which has a scene of a disguised Leviathan agent brandishing a handgun in a classroom of children. Warner Bros. Animation reportedly edited the Cartoon Network series Beware the Batman so its firearms looked less realistic.
Hans Zimmer, who composed the soundtrack for The Dark Knight Rises, recorded a choral song called "Aurora" in honor of the victims. It was sold for donations to a fund for the victims.
Police departments and cinemas across the United States and around the world raised security out of fear of copycat attacks. In New York City, police officers were sent to theaters screening the new film. The National Association of Theatre Owners passed along checklists from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and said in a statement on the 21st of July that members were "working closely with local law enforcement agencies and reviewing security procedures". AMC Theatres announced it would "not allow any guests into our theatres in costumes that make other guests feel uncomfortable and we will not permit face-covering masks or fake weapons inside our buildings". On the 23rd of July, Security Director News raised the possibility that the massacre could be "a Virginia Tech for movie theaters".
In Colorado, background checks for people seeking to buy a firearm rose to 2,887 in the week after the shooting, up 43% from the week before. Gun sales also increased in Washington, Florida, California and Georgia.
The shooting reignited the national argument over gun control. One focus was the "easy access" the gunman had to semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines, which federal law had banned from 1994 to 2004. A Pew Research Center survey released on the 30th of July 2012 suggested the incident did not change Americans' views on the issue.
On the 20th of March 2013, Colorado governor John Hickenlooper signed House bill 13-1224. It made the sale, transfer or possession of magazines holding 15 rounds or more illegal, unless they were lawfully owned before the 1st of July 2013. Firearms with a tubular magazine chambered in .22 rimfire or operated by lever action are exempt, as are magazines permanently altered to hold 15 or fewer rounds. On the 6th of May 2026, the United States Department of Justice sued Colorado, alleging the 2013 law violates the Second Amendment.
In 2015, the parents of victim Alexander Teves started a campaign called "No Notoriety". According to his father, it encourages media outlets to limit use of the suspect's name and photos when reporting on the Aurora shooting and other nationally covered mass shootings. In an interview on CNN, Teves' parents said they and relatives of other victims believe heavy coverage of the gunman's name and photo may inspire others to commit mass shootings for notoriety.
On the 22nd of July 2015, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, two brothers murdered five members of their family. One of them claimed the pair had planned for some time to carry out a shooting spree beyond the family. They hoped, he said, to rival and even outdo both the Columbine High School massacre and the Aurora theater shooting.
On the 21st of September 2012, three victims sued Cinemark Theatres in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, alleging negligence in providing safety and security. Their attorneys said readily available security procedures, equipment and personnel would likely have prevented or deterred the attack. Cinemark moved to dismiss on the 27th of September, arguing that Colorado law imposes no liability for failing to prevent an unforeseeable criminal act. Its motion quoted extensively from the California appellate opinion that found McDonald's had no duty of care to prevent the 1984 San Ysidro McDonald's massacre.
On the 24th of January 2013, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Hegarty recommended dismissing most of the claims as not allowable under Colorado law. Claims under the Colorado Premises Liability Act could proceed. Judge R. Brooke Jackson wrote that one might reasonably believe a theater mass shooting was likely enough to be a foreseeable next step. Attorney Christina Habas, who represents several theater victims, said, "We essentially don't have a single photograph, a single piece of evidence that we can show to a jury". In June 2016, a federal judge dismissed the last claims.
In a separate state court suit brought by victims' families, a jury took three hours in May 2016 to return a unanimous verdict that Cinemark was not liable to any degree. The judge allowed Cinemark to submit a bill of costs, as Colorado law lets prevailing parties do. In September 2016, Cinemark dropped all claims for reimbursement of legal fees.
On the 14th of January 2013, Chantel Blunk, the estranged wife and widow of victim Jonathan Blunk, sued the University of Colorado in federal court. She alleged that a school psychiatrist could have prevented the killings by having the student detained after he admitted he "fantasized about killing a lot of people". An August 2012 article co-authored by bioethicist Arthur Caplan had anticipated this kind of suit. It discussed Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, decided in 1976.
Cinemark closed the entire multiplex after the shooting and agreed to pay any funeral expenses not covered by the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund. The company rebranded the building as the Century Aurora. Families and loved ones of victims heavily criticized the decision not to demolish it. It reopened in January 2013, six months after the shooting, with a memorial service and a screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Opponents of the reopening boycotted the ceremony. Theater room nine was combined with an adjoining room to form a new XD theater.
A grassroots community center, the Aurora Strong Resilience Center, was set up by community leaders, elected officials and mental health professionals. It offers therapy for people who experienced traumatic stress from the theater shooting. It also serves victims of other crimes and refugees who lived through trauma in their countries of origin.
On the 19th of July 2018, one day before the sixth anniversary, a memorial was dedicated near the Aurora Municipal Center, some 850 m from the theater. Titled "Ascentiate" and designed by artist Douwe Blumberg, it is a park-like dell with 83 abstract birds, one for each victim. Thirteen of the birds, with translucent wings, stand on a center column. They represent the thirteen who died, including the unborn child.
Updated
Common questions
What happened in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting?
On the 20th of July 2012, a gunman attacked the audience at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Theater 9 of the Century 16 multiplex in Aurora, Colorado. Twelve people were killed and 70 were injured, 58 of them by gunfire.
How many people died in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting?
Twelve people died in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting. Ten died at the scene and two were pronounced dead in local hospitals, and an unborn child was also killed.
How was the gunman in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting caught?
Police officer Jason Oviatt apprehended the gunman at about 12:45 a.m. behind the cinema, next to his car, without resistance. He was at first mistaken for another police officer because of his tactical clothing.
What sentence did the 2012 Aurora theater shooter receive?
On the 26th of August 2015, he was given 12 life sentences, one for every person he killed. He also received 3,318 years for the attempted murders of those he wounded and for rigging his apartment with explosives.
How did the 2012 Aurora theater shooting affect Colorado gun law?
On the 20th of March 2013, Governor John Hickenlooper signed House bill 13-1224. It made the sale, transfer or possession of magazines holding 15 rounds or more illegal unless they were lawfully owned before the 1st of July 2013.
Where is the memorial to the 2012 Aurora theater shooting victims?
The memorial, titled "Ascentiate", stands near the Aurora Municipal Center, some 850 m from the theater. It was designed by artist Douwe Blumberg and dedicated on the 19th of July 2018, with 83 abstract birds, one for each victim.
All sources
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- 167MagazineBox office Update: Studios Not Releasing Numbers TodayJuly 21, 2012
- 168MagazineChristopher Nolan on Theater Shooting: 'I Would Like to Express Our Profound Sorrow'Will Morley — July 20, 2012
- 170News'Gangster Squad' Trailer with Theater Shooting Scene Pulled from 'Dark Knight' by Warner Bros. (UPDATED)Katherine Bindley — July 20, 2012
- 171Warner Bros Pulls Trailer of Gangster Shooting Up Movie TheaterNikki Finke — July 20, 2012
- 172NewsShould the Colorado Theater Shooting Spur More Gun Control?Teresa Welsh — July 20, 2012
- 173NewsTearful Vigils Remember Victims of Aurora MassacreBecka Blond — July 21, 2012
- 174NewsWarner Bros. To Make 'Substantial' Donation to Colorado Shooting VictimsMatthew Belloni — July 23, 2012
- 175NewsSecurity Stepped Up Nationwide in Wake of Colorado Movie Theater ShootingCNN — July 21, 2012
- 176NewsColorado Shooting 2012: Witness Says Gunman Shot Anyone Trying To LeaveElyse Siegel — July 20, 2012