10 deaths have been confirmed and up to 40 people are reported to have been injured at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Denver, Colorado last night.
*This article is being updated as new information is being released.
9:56am. Reports say that a man wearing a gas mask entered the cinema in a shopping centre during the midnight screening. He then set off a smoke bomb or a tear gas bomb and opened fire on the crowd with an assault rifle.
The incident happened at the “Century” Theater of the Aurora Mall in the suburbs of Denver.
10:27am. The FBI are now considering raising national security levels across the United States as a result of the shooting and reports say that one suspect has been taken into custody.
Buses were seen taking witnesses away to Gateway High School for questioning.
There are unconfirmed reports that say that an infant may also have been injured.
10:29am. Police have confirmed that the death toll is now at 14 and the number of injured people is at least 50.
10:41am. Police are checking a Hyundai vehicle in the car park for an explosive device. Death toll has risen to 16.
10:45am. The suspect in custody is a 20 year old male.
10:56am. A pregnant woman and children are among the casualties.
11:54am. 6 year old has been hospitalised.
12:01pm. Explosives have been found in the home of the suspect. A witness told Sky News that the man was wearing body armour when he kicked open the cinema doors. Local reporters are now saying that the man is 24 years old. Many of the people in the cinema were in costume which explains how the man entered without suspicion. More than one child is now amongst the death count.
12:20pm. A 6 month old baby is among the injured.
13.29pm. The gunman has been named as James Holmes, who is a local resident. There are currently 100 FBI agents at the scene and the car park and building are being searched for explosive devices.
A video of people fleeing the scene:
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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