UPDATE: Authorities have revised the number of dead to 12. The article has been edited to reflect that change.
12 people in Aurora, Colorado are dead, and over 50 are wounded, after a gunman entered a screening of The Dark Knight Rises early this morning and opened fire. Sources in Aurora, located about 9 miles outside of Denver, say the man entered through the emergency exit about 40 minutes into a midnight screening of the film, set off a smoke device at the front of the screen, and opened fire. According to Deadline, some in the theater thought it was part of the movie's effects.
The shooter is now in custody, apprehended with a rifle and two other firearms on him. The FBI is arriving from Denver to conduct further investigation, and Denver police have announced a second press conference for 10 AM PST today.
It's hard to know what more to say about something so horrifying, especially with so little information out there. We'll bring you more as we can, but in the meantime, our thoughts go to the victims and their families, and the people of Aurora for whom going to the movies will mean something different for a long time. Actually, that last part applies to all of us-- this isn't just going to change the way we talk about The Dark Knight Rises, but the entire experience of going to the movies.
