Last content update and data verfication was on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at 06:24:15 (America/New York — EST — UTC -5) by MEB MediaX Webmaster or authorized designee.
Details
- Mass Shooting
- Century 16 Movie Theater
- Municipality
- Aurora
- State
- Colorado – CO
- Zip Code
- 80012
- Region
- West
- Division
- Mountain
- Incident Date
- July 20, 2012
- Venue Type
- Movie Theater
- Killed
- 12
- Injured
- 70
Ranking Data
- Preventable Factors/Rankings
- Blatant Rankings - Points Doubled
- 0
- Preventable Rankings Score
- 10
- Preventable Status
- Debatable/Inconclusive
Preventable Factors
- Preventable Factor Details
Last content update and data verfication was on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at 06:24:15 (America/New York — EST — UTC -5) by MEB MediaX Webmaster or authorized designee.
Takeaway(s):
—When the system fails and allows, in favor of a perpetrator, in somewhat equal measures, society is doomed. We must do better.
—Despite a court ruling to the contrary, the movie theater, and therefore their parent company, was negligent, if not legally, morally. They advertised their status as a gun-free zone which was an invitation to the perpetrator. They employed armed security personnel on Friday and Saturday nights but not Thursday night. Why? Particularly for a sold-out midnight premiere of a major motion picture. The lack of a very inexpensive exit device, panic bar, panic device, or push bar contributed heavily to the commission of this incident.
Incident Preventable Factor(s):
—Behavioral Red Flags Ignored/Response Delayed – Perpetrator(s) Expressed Suicidal Ideation and/or Suicide by Police and/or Expressed Violent Intentions Privately and/or Publicly in Person and/or In Any Medium and Gun Laws Inadequate – Inadequate Gun Law(s) Contributed to Perpetrator(s) Execution of the Incident and Mental Health System Failures/Interventions Lacking – Incident Principals Identified With Metal Health System Failure for Perpetrator(s):
“A University of Colorado psychiatrist who treated … [the perpetrator] decided against placing him on a mental health hold after he expressed homicidal thoughts because it might ‘inflame him,’ police documents show.”
“The disclosure came in notes a university police officer wrote in her discussions with psychiatrist Lynne Fenton little more than a month before the July 2012 massacre, and released by the school at the request of several media outlets.”
“Fenton had seen [the perpetrator], who was in the school’s neuroscience graduate program, several times in the months before the massacre. It was already known that [the perpetrator] told her of his desire to kill, but the newly released documents provided more insight into her dealings with authorities.”
“In handwritten notes, university police officer Lynn Whitten wrote that Fenton said she had decided against an involuntary commitment because she thought [the perpetrator] was ‘borderline.'”
“‘Don’t think it would help; would just inflame him,’ Whitten paraphrased Fenton as saying.”
“Fenton testified at the murder trial that [the perpetrator] told her he wanted to kill as many people as possible, but that she did not believe she had the legal authority to place him on a mental-health hold because he did not specify a target or plan.” 1
It should be noted that these were the same months that the perpetrator was buying guns, ammunition, etc.
“Agent Steve Beggs gave the prosecution a timeline that showed [the perpetrator] started his buying spree on May 10, 2012, with the online purchase of tear gas grenades. From then until July 14, Beggs testified, [the perpetrator] legally bought nearly 6,300 rounds of ammunition, two Glock .40 caliber pistols, a .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle, a 12-guage shotgun, ballistic protection clothing, beam laser lights, bomb-making material and handcuffs. Some of the purchases were made online and some were made in person.”
“[The perpetrator’s] defense attorney Tamara Brady asked Beggs if there is a legal process to keep from selling these items legally in Colorado to a ‘severely mentally ill person.’ Beggs answered that there is not.” 2
—Venue Structural Security Lacking – Venue Structural Security was Nonexistent and Venue Perimeter Security Lacking – Venue Perimeter Security was Nonexistent:
The perpetrator in the mass shooting that occurred on July 20, 2012, in the Century 16 Movie Theater (Renamed?) in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises where 12 people were killed and 70 people were injured considered security during his planning stage. A The American Spectator article states that “In the 2012 Aurora, Colorado, theater massacre, the killer’s diary showed that he had decided against attacking an airport because of its ‘substantial security.’ And, out of the seven movie theaters within 20 minutes of the shooter’s home, he chose the only one that had posted signs declaring it to be a gun-free zone.” 3 According to the book A Dark Night in Aurora: Inside James Holmes and the Colorado Mass Shootings the theater he chose was “isolated,” “proximal,” and “large.” 4 A Capital Gazette article states that “‘He [the perpetrator] scoped out the theater and took photos on at least three occasions,’ Bern said. ‘He picked this location because of lack of security.’” Bern is New York attorney Marc J. Bern, of the law firm Marc J. Bern & Partners LLP of New York City who is representing 27 of the [victims’] families [in a civil trial]. 5
The perpetrator bought a ticket, entered the auditorium (theater 9) that was occupied by approximately 400 guests, sat in the front row, and at approximately 12:30 AM, about 20 minutes into the movie, he exited through an emergency exit door he slightly propped open that led to a largely unused parking area at the back of the building. He retrieved his gear and weapons from his vehicle, and at approximately 12:30 AM, about 30 minutes into the movie, he reentered the auditorium via the slightly propped open emergency exit door. Apparently, that emergency exit door wasn’t equipped with a crash bar—also known as an exit device, panic bar, panic device, or push bar—with high visibility signage stating “Emergency Exit Only – Alarm Will Sound” or something similar. When the crash bar is depressed, the alarm sounds to provide an audible means of signaling that the door has been opened. There is also inexpensive door monitoring technology to alert staff when emergency exit doors are opened—or even ajar. But apparently the emergency exit door in question didn’t have either of those on July 20, 2012, or if it did it was inoperable, or movie theater staff didn’t respond to it, or whatever.
Two lawsuits—one in state court and one in federal court—were filed by more than two dozen surviving victims and relatives of those killed against Cinemark USA Inc., owner of the Century 16 Movie Theater in Aurora, Colorado, for the mass shooting on July 20, 2012, during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises where 12 people were killed and 70 people were injured contending the movie theater had lax security and the company was partially responsible for the incident.
In regard to the lawsuit in state court “… a jury found Cinemark was not liable for the July 20, 2012, rampage, agreeing with Cinemark lawyers who had argued that the mass shooting was an unforeseeable tragedy carried out by ‘a madman.’” 6
After the state court verdict, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit filed in federal court. “The judge wrote that even if the lack of security guards and an alarm on the theater’s exit door led to some of the injuries or deaths, shooter [the perpetrator’s] ‘premeditated and intentional actions were the predominant cause of plaintiffs’ losses.’ [The judge] added that any inaction by the theater owner was not ‘a substantial factor in causing this tragedy.’” 7
Editor’s Note:
We agree with this court ruling and therefore this isn’t deemed blatant and therefore the ranking points haven’t been doubled. It would seem that this perpetrator, as obviously committed and prepared as he was, would have come through the front doors, even if a security officer was present, and perpetrated this incident.
Source(s):
1. Coffman, Keith. September 2, 2015. “Psychiatrist for Colorado Movie Gunman Thought Mental Hold Might ‘Inflame’ Him”. Reuters. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from https://news.yahoo.com/psychiatrist-colorado-movie-gunman-thought-mental-hold-might-024609685.html.
2. McKinley, Carol and Ng, Christina. January 8, 2013. “[Perpetrator] Legally Bought Arsenal of Guns, Chemicals”. ABC News. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/01/james-holmes-legally-bought-arsenal-of-guns-chemicals.
3. Parry, George. August 7, 2019. “Mass Shootings in Gun-Free Zones”. The American Spectator. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from https://spectator.org/mass-shootings-in-gun-free-zones/.
4. Reid, Dr. William H. July 24, 2018. “A Dark Night in Aurora: Inside James Holmes and the Colorado Mass Shootings”. Skyhorse. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Night-Aurora-Colorado-Shootings/dp/1510735526/.
5. Tribune News Services. May 9, 2016. “Civil Trial Over Colorado Theater Shooting Security Begins”. Capital Gazette. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from https://www.capitalgazette.com/news/nation-world/ct-colorado-theater-shooting-civil-suit-20160509-story.html.
6. Coffman, Keith. September 14, 2016. “Colorado’s Civil Litigation Over Movie Theater Massacre Ends”. Reuters. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-colorado-shooting-lawsuit/colorados-civil-litigation-over-movie-theater-massacre-ends-idUSKCN11K0B6.
7. Associated Press. June 25, 2016. “Judge Dismisses Theater Shooting Lawsuits Against Cinemark”. Coloradoan. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2016/06/25/judge-dismisses-theater-shooting-lawsuits-against-cinemark/86375084/.
Fluidity
- Criminal Case Pending?
- Civil Litigation Pending?
- Trending
- ⯀
Administrative Information
- Credible Source Inquires?
- 7
- Are Credible Source Inquires Inline Endnotes?
- Assessment Status?
- Complete
- Editorial Board Approval?
Record Information
- Last Updated
- Lexar
- Record ID
- 17
- Private ID
- C2QVEQW
- Date Recorded
- 2021-05-30 17:26:54
- Date Updated
- 2023-10-24 01:17:35
- Last Accessed
- Type Designation