2012 Aurora shooting — mass shooting in a movie theater in the United States
One of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, killing 12 and injuring 70, intensifying national debate over gun control.
Key Facts
- Deaths
- 12
- Injured
- 70 (58 by gunfire)
- Perpetrator
- James Eagan Holmes, age 24
- Sentence
- 12 life sentences plus 3,318 years
- Conviction counts
- 24 murder, 140 attempted murder, 1 explosives
- Trial start date
- April 27, 2015
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
James Eagan Holmes, a 24-year-old man, planned and executed a premeditated attack at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. Prior to the shooting, he rigged his apartment with homemade explosives and incendiary devices, indicating extensive preparation for violence.
On July 20, 2012, Holmes entered the Century 16 theater in Aurora, Colorado, deployed tear gas grenades, and opened fire on the audience with multiple firearms. Twelve people were killed and 70 others were injured. Holmes was arrested minutes later outside the cinema.
The attack prompted increased security at movie theaters nationwide and spurred gun sales in Colorado. It reignited political debate over gun control in the United States. Holmes was ultimately convicted in 2015 and sentenced to 12 life sentences plus 3,318 additional years in prison after the jury deadlocked on the death penalty.