The parents  of James Holmes say they support him because “he’s their son.”

James Holmes mug shot
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The family’s lawyer spoke to clarify the statement made by Holmes’ mother Arlene in which she replied, “You have the right person” when contacted by ABC News hours after the shooting inside a theater in Aurora, Colorado. TMZ reports she was referring to herself, not her son.

FIRST COURT APPEARANCE

The Colorado movie theater shooting suspect  made his first court appearance with reddish orange

hair.

Holmes was wide-eyed and unshaven as he sat staring down. He appeared Monday after being accused of the shooting rampage at a Colorado movie theater that killed 12 people and injured 58 others.

FULL COVERAGE: Colorado Theater Shooting

At one point, he closed his eyes as the judge spoke. Prosecutors said later they didn’t know if Holmes was on medication. Authorities have said he is being held in isolation at the jail.

Holmes didn’t speak once during the hearing. His attorneys answered for him when the judge asked if he understood his rights. One woman’s eyes welled up with tears during the hearing. Tim Teves, father of victim Alex Teves stared at Holmes the entire time.

Tim was born in Verona and grew up in Phoenix. He is being called a hero for taking a bullet for girlfriend Amanda when he jumped on top of her when the shooting started.

Authorities say the 24-year-old former graduate student is refusing to cooperate and it could take months to learn what prompted the horrific attack on moviegoers at a midnight screening of the latest Batman film.

Investigators say they found a Batman mask inside Holmes’ booby-trapped apartment after the attack.

Holmes has been held in solitary confinement since Friday

Prosecutors say they may consider the death penalty but will make that decision after consulting with victim’s families. He will be formally charged next Monday.

UNIVERSITY SAYS LITTLE ABOUT HOLMES

University of Colorado Denver officials talked about a graduate program the movie theater shooting suspect was in the process of withdrawing from but refused to answer questions about James Holmes.

At a news conference, they said Holmes received a stipend of $26,000 a year and his tuition was paid. But he began the process of dropping out of the program last month. The school has refused to say why.

One official says that to the best of their knowledge right now, they think they did everything they should have done.

Victims of theater shooting remembered

A woman holds candles during a memorial service outside the Aurora Municipal Center
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The community of Aurora, Colo., still reeling from Friday’s movie theater, has sought comfort and solace at an evening vigil.

The service featured prayers led by clergy and hymns. The mayor of Aurora, Steve Hogan, declared that “while our hearts are broken, our community is not.” The mayor said, “We will take this experience and use it to strengthen our commitment to each other.”

The governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper, told the crowd, “We refuse to even allow our state, our communities to be defined by irrational, senseless violence.” Hickenlooper drew a strong ovation when he made it a point of saying he would not refer to shooting suspect James Holmes by name, only as “Suspect A.”

The governor read aloud the names of the 12 people who were killed in Friday’s rampage. After each name, the audience chanted, “We will remember.”

The service concluded with a rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

Obama offers comfort after Colorado shooting

 

President Barack Obama embraces Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper as Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) (L) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) look on during a visit to the University of Colorado Hospital
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President Barack Obama says he told the families of the victims of Friday’s movie theater massacre that

“all of America and much of the world is thinking about them.”

Obama met with the family members Sunday at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, which treated 23 of the people injured in the mass shooting; 10 remain there, seven hurt critically. The massacre left 12 people dead, dozens injured and a nation in  stunned sorrow.

He told reporters after the meeting that he came “not as president but as a father and a husband.” He said “we can all understand what it would be to have someone taken from us in this fashion.”

A half dozen Denver Broncos visited with survivors of the Colorado theater shooting on Sunday to try to lift their spirits.

The group visited with five patients at the Medical Center of Aurora and also met with the emergency room staff that provided the initial treatment Friday morning for many of the shooting victims of the massacre at a suburban Denver movie theater that left 12 dead, 58 injured and a nation in sorrow.

“What we were trying to do was go in there, show support and try to put a smile on these peoples’ faces. But the thing is, they put a smile on our faces,” linebacker Joe Mays said.

“They had such positive attitudes. They knew they were blessed to live and they knew they were going to have another chance to walk about with their families.”

Mays was joined by linemen Ryan Clady, Chris Kuper and Ben Garland, receiver Eric Decker, tight end Jacob Tamme and former teammate Brian Dawkins, who retired earlier this year.

New Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning called several of the victims.

 

AP Source: Batman mask found at suspect apartment

 

A law enforcement official says investigators have found a Batman mask inside the apartment of a man suspected of opening fire at a midnight premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises.”

The official spoke to The Associated Press on Sunday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media.

 

 


 

 

 

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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