DENVER, Colorado — A masked gunman killed at least 12 people at a midnight showing of the new Batman film in a suburb of the U.S. city of Denver early on Friday, sparking pandemonium when he hurled a teargas cannister into the auditorium and opened fire on moviegoers.
Fifty others were wounded in the attack on the showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” in the Aurora suburb, some of whom were treated for the effects of tear gas, hospital officials said.
“This is a horrific event,” Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates told a news conference, adding that a suspect was taken into custody in the parking lot behind the theatre.
Police said the Aurora gunman had appeared at the front of the theatre during the movie and released a canister which let out a hissing sound at the movie theater, located in a mall.
Dozens of police were at the scene, and the authorities evacuated the area while they checked for any explosive devices. They said there was no evidence of a second gunman.