Colorado shooting suspect 'sent notebook to university'
abercrombie saleThe man suspected of shooting 12 people dead at a Colorado cinema last week sent a notebook describing a massacre to a psychiatrist at his university, according to US media reports.It contained crude drawings of stick figures and descriptions of an upcoming attack, US news outlets say.The University of Colorado, Denver, has confirmed that it received a suspicious package that it has handed to police.James Holmes, 24, is being held over the massacre at the cinema in Aurora.The reports emerged as the first funeral of the 12 victims was held.Gordon Cowden, 51, was the oldest of those killed. His teenage children were also in the theatre during the shootings but emerged uninjured.'Illustrations' Fox News, citing an unnamed law enforcement source, that the suspect had allegedly posted the notebook.According to the network, it contained "full details about how he was going to kill people, drawings of what he was going to do in it, and drawings and illustrations of the massacre". Other outlets also quoted unnamed sources as saying that Mr Holmes, who was preparing to quit his studies, had sent a package to the university.But the college itself appeared to contradict media reports that the package had been sent before the massacre, and that it had remained unopened for days.Officials at the university's Anschutz Medical Campus said it had received a suspicious package on Monday that was immediately investigated and turned over to authorities within hours of its delivery.The FBI refused to comment on the record about the reports, a day after a judge issued a gagging order limiting what officials can say about the case.
abercrombie and fitch saleThe suspect was a neuroscience PhD student at the college until he took steps last month to leave the programme.Many remain in hospital after the shootings, with several in critical condition. Denver-area hospitals that are treating survivors said on Wednesday they would eliminate or limit medical bills for the casualties, some of whom had no medical insurance and faced huge costs.Before he allegedly shot 12 people dead at a cinema in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday, James Holmes was considered a quiet young man, introverted but pleasant.The 24-year-old had been studying for a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Colorado at Denver, although he was about to quit."He basically was socially awkward, but not to the degree that would warrant suspicion of mass murder or any atrocity of this magnitude," said Billy Kromka, a research assistant at a lab where he spent several months last summer.The FBI said he had no significant criminal record - local police said he had a speeding ticket from 2011 - and no links to terrorism.Scholarship Mr Holmes was born on 13 December 1987 in San Diego County, California, where he spent at least part of his childhood. In 2006, he graduated from Westview High School in the upmarket district of Torrey Highlands, where his parents still live. A yearbook showed he had played football for the school's junior varsity, or "B" team.A former classmate, Breanna Hath, said Mr Holmes was extremely quiet, "really sweet, shy" and "didn't have any creepy vibe about him at all"."There were no real girls he was involved with," she told the Washington Post. "It seemed he was really into a video game group that hung out together."
abercrombie clothingIntellectually gifted, Mr Holmes won a scholarship to study at the University of California at Riverside, where he gained a bachelor's degree in neuroscience in 2010."He had the capability to do anything he wanted academically," Timothy White, the university's chancellor, told reporters on Friday.After graduation Mr Holmes returned to San Diego, where he is said to have struggled to find a job. Eventually, he got part-time work at McDonald's.Academic problems In June 2011, Mr Holmes enrolled in the doctoral programme at the University of Colorado at Denver and moved into an apartment building near the Anschutz Medical Campus in the eastern suburb of Aurora.In his application to rent the apartment, he described himself as "quiet and easy-going", according to the Denver Post.Gabriel Macias, another resident who works a nearby factory, said Mr Holmes was "always wearing camouflage pants and a hat"."We did not know him well because he talked to nobody. He was always locked up behind his door," he told the AFP news agency.Lab colleague Billy Kromka said he had been one of the quieter people, and had spent much of his time immersed in his computer, often participating in role-playing online games.By the spring of this year, Mr Holmes had begun to struggle with his studies and got weak scores on the comprehensive exams last semester.'Bizarre voicemail' His supervisors had planned to give him remedial instruction, an unnamed faculty member told the Washington Post, but he instead decided to end his studies in early June. The university has confirmed he was "in the process of withdrawing".In the 60 days leading up to the cinema attack, Mr Holmes legally bought four weapons at local gun shops - an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, two .40-calibre Glock handguns and a 12-gauge Remington shotgun.
abercrombie ukChief Dan Oates of Aurora police said he also purchased more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition on the internet, including 3,000 rounds for the assault rifle, 3,000 for the Glocks and 300 for the shotgun.In June, the owner of a gun range rejected Mr Holmes' application after hearing a "bizarre - guttural, freakish" message on his voicemail.On Thursday night, the suspect was arrested in the car park of the Aurora multiplex cinema where the shootings were carried out.'The Joker' He was said to have been in possession of several firearms, and to have surrendered without incident.New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters on Friday that Mr Holmes had portrayed himself as Batman's arch-rival, the Joker."It clearly looks like a deranged individual. He had his hair painted red, he said he was 'The Joker', obviously the 'enemy' of Batman," he said.Aurora police would not discuss any motive for the attack. They said Mr Holmes had told them during questioning that there were explosives in his apartment, and that officers had discovered chemical and incendiary devices linked by wires.The San Diego Police Department later released a statement on behalf of the Holmes family, which said: "Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy.""We ask that the media respect our privacy at this difficult time... We are still trying to process this information and appreciate that people respect our privacy," the statement added. Cameras will be banned from next week's hearing when the suspect in the Colorado cinema shooting is to be formally charged, a judge has ruled.
abercrombie ukJames Holmes, 24, is accused of opening fire at a midnight showing of the new Batman movie last Friday, killing 12 and wounding 58.Judge William Sylvester has denied a request by Denver-area media for expanded coverage on 30 July.The suspect's lawyers had objected to the media's request.His first court appearance on Monday was filmed, despite the defence team's objections. He appeared dazed as he sat in court in a burgundy jail suit with dyed orange hair, prompting media speculation about his mental state.Star's hospital visit Judge Sylvester's order on Tuesday follows calls from some victims' family members to avoid using the suspect's name and his photos."I don't want the media to be saturated with the shooter's name," said Jordan Ghawi, whose 24-year-old sister Jessica was killed in the shooting. Police were not allowing residents of Mr Holmes' apartment building to return on Tuesday, as investigators continued to work there.Officials reportedly found 30 grenades and several gallons of gasoline inside the apartment, rigged into a booby-trap.Twenty of the wounded remained in hospital on Tuesday, including six in critical condition.Batman star Christian Bale visited victims at the Medical Center of Aurora in the afternoon, the hospital's president confirmed."It was good for the patients," Bill Voloch told the Denver Post. "We hope it was therapeutic for them, and all the staff really appreciated him coming."Mr Voloch said that the actor had asked to visit, but requested that the media not be notified. A Facebook photo of Bale at the hospital was posted online.The BBC's Alastair Leithead says the actor also met paramedics, doctors and police officers involved in treating people in the aftermath, as well as visited a makeshift memorial to the dead.Meanwhile, a heavily pregnant 21-year-old woman who escaped the cinema shootings gave birth to a baby boy on Tuesday morning.Katie Medley's husband Caleb, a 23-year-old aspiring comedian, was shot in the head and remains in a critical condition.
abercrombie sale ukA small group of Democratic lawmakers in Washington renewed calls on Tuesday to ban high-capacity gun magazines.But with November's elections looming, congressional leaders and President Barack Obama said there would be no movement on gun control in the near future.Senator Robert Menendez, among the few calling for tougher laws, conceded calls for legislation were unlikely to succeed, but said it was important to start a debate. "I hope that this does spark a national conversation about where we go in terms of reasonable gun control measures," Sen Menendez said.The shooting has heightened security at cinemas, and over the weekend three men were arrested in separate incidents:A Maine motorist with weapons in his car was arrested after telling authorities he had been on his way to shoot a former employer, a day after watching The Dark Knight RisesAbout 50 people panicked and fled a showing of the movie at a cinema in Arizona during a confrontation involving an apparently intoxicated manIn Los Angeles county, a 52-year-old man was arrested after reportedly shouting to moviegoers about Colorado and asking if anyone had a gun The number of people seeking to buy guns in Colorado has soared since last week's mass shooting in the US state's town of Aurora, say law officials.In the three days after the shooting, applications for the background checks needed to buy a gun legally were up 43% on the previous week.The shooting at a cinema showing the new Batman movie left 12 people dead and 58 injured - 20 remain in hospital.The suspected gunman appeared in court for the first time on Monday.
