14 DAY TRIAL // A midnight screening of Chris Nolan's “The Dark Knight Rises,” the last installment in his Batman franchise, ended in tragedy just hours ago. At least 20 people were hurt in a shooting, early reports indicate.
At the moment, no one seems to know the specifics of the tragedy, save that someone opened fire on moviegoers. Some sort of gas might have also been used.
“Up to ten people are reported to have been killed after a man opened fire at a Dark Knight Rises film premiere near Denver, Colorado,” the Huffington Post writes.
“The midnight showing was taking place at the Century 16 Theater in Aurora,” adds the same media outlet.
The Post further notes that the reaction of some of the moviegoers was that it was part of the movie. Only instants later did they realize that someone was actually shooting a gun inside the theater.
NBC News says the number of casualties is greater than initially believed: at least 20 have been injured in the shooting, and their condition remains unknown at this point.
All those hurt have already been rushed to hospitals in the areas, where they are under medical supervision. Police and the FBI are investigating, but a bomb squad was also summoned at the scene.
“The incident occurred at a midnight showing of the Batman film 'The Dark Knight Rises,' a police official told NBC News,” says the publication.
“One suspect was in custody, police said. It was unclear whether other suspects were involved. Nicole Williams, with Swedish Medical Center of Englewood, Colo., told KUSA-Denver the hospital was alerted to a mass casualty incident at 1:15 a.m. local time Friday (3:15 a.m. ET),” adds NBC News.
At this point, it's impossible to say whether the shooting had any connection to the film.
Keep an eye on this space for more details – we'll keep you updated.