Things took a turn for the terrifying in a Colorado theater during a midnight screening of trilogy closer The Dark Knight Rises when a gunman opened fire, killing 12 audience members and injuring another 38. The Friday morning attack was the second eerie mark upon the film series, following the tragic death of Heath Ledger before the release of The Dark Knight, in which he played unnerving Batman baddie The Joker – the character who reportedly inspired alleged shooter James Holmes’ killing spree. The 24-year-old allegedly entered the theater in costume and told police that that he “was The Joker,” NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly told ABC News.
Despite fears that the shooting in Aurora, Colo., might just be the first in a string of orchestrated attacks spawned by the off-the-hinges terrorist plots carried out by The Joker, the film still raked in $162 million in the U.S. and Canada during it’s first weekend –a higher gross than it’s predecessor The Dark Knight, though it fell about $10 million less than box office projections.
But the story of Christopher Nolan’s big Batman finale is no longer about ticket sales. As more details surface about the shooting and its victims, attention has turned from the film itself to the tragedy surrounding it. New information and statements are still surfacing, but here are all the links you need to get the full story as it stands so far:
- Tweet exchanges told the story of the shooting in real-time during the midnight premiere.
- President Obama met with victims of the attack on Sunday after he and opponent Mitt Romney set aside their political discourse Friday to speak about the tragedy.
- Profiles on Adult Friend Finder and Match.com suspected of belonging to alleged shooter James Holmes are being investigated by the FBI for their authenticity. Both pages featured a picture with dyed orange hair bearing resemblance to Holmes and had the question “Will you visit me in prison?” written at the top.
- Details surface as to who alleged shooter James Holmes is and what led him down the path to becoming ‘The Joker.’
- Names of the victims were released and People.com gives some back story on each of the 12 people who were killed.
- “Words cannot express the horror that I feel,” Batman star Christian Bale says in response to the tragedy in a statement to E! News. Co-star Anne Hathaway is “at a loss for words.” Director Christopher Nolan was the first to comment, saying, “Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families.”