This is the face of a killer.  Moviegoers inside a Denver, Colorado theater thought the gas they saw and shots they heard were part of a midnight screening of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’.  In reality, a gunman, 24-year old James Holmes, had used the mist to disguise the spray of bullets he was about to unleash as he open fire on the crowd.  12 have been confirmed dead, while 59 more are injured.

Click READ MORE for video from the scene.

 

Denver Police Chief Daniel Oates says a masked Holmes dressed in black released a canister containing gas before he began shooting patrons at the Century 16 theaters at the Aurora Mall at 12:45AM MDT.

Hayden Miller tells KUSA TV what he witnessed:

“Like little explosions going on and shortly after that we heard people screaming,” he told the station.

Hayden said he mistook what he heard as a louder movie next door. But then he saw “people hunched over leaving theater.”

The youngest of the dead is just 6-years old.  A 13-month old was also among the injured.

WARNING:  VIDEO IS RAW AND CONTAINS DISTURBING IMAGES

Holmes, had arrived to the theater wearing a gas mask and bulletproof vest.  He is now in police custody.  Authorities say he was found in possession of two more weapons, and additional bombs were discovered at the suspects Aurora, Colorado home.  Holmes residence was described as an elaborate booby trap.

Holmes motive for his rampage is still being investigated though New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told a press conference the shooter believed he was Batman's arch nemesis 'The Joker'.

“We have some information, most of it is public. It clearly looks like a deranged individual. He had his hair painted red, he said he was ‘The Joker,’ obviously the ‘enemy’ of Batman.”, Kelly said.

 

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