James Holmes, mass murderer at the Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colorado

The Dark Knight Rises massacre

July 20, 2012, will be documented in history as the worst mass killing in our nation up to this date. There are many questions that linger without answers, and many lives that were affected by the tragedy of this crime. Society will remember the premiere of Batman in Aurora, Colorado, but not for the reasons that the movie anticipated. The premiere of the Batman movie will forever be attached to the event that led to the magnitude of violence that was carried to fruition by one individual within a matter of minutes.

Without any regard for human life, James Holmes changed our lives forever and left us with fear and unanswered questions of what caused this tragedy to occur. When James Holmes decided to execute his plan for violence, he succeeded in changing our perception of our safety, and distorting our faith in society when he opened fire in a movie theater filled with families and friends. How did one individual kill so many, so quickly, so swiftly, and so violently without remorse?

When mass killings occur, society wants to know what causes an individual to lead to kill another. This is a look at the tragedy that occurred and why James Holmes, the Batman movie mass murderer, killed innocent victims. Violence has an origin, but it is a matter of knowing what James Holmes did to prepare for this tragedy.

James Holmes plans for the premier night of Batman

In this case, James Holmes had planned for months for the mass killings, strategically preparing to kill an enormous amount of victims. A few months prior to the incident, James Holmes received numerous deliveries to his work and home that included the weapons and materials used on the night of July 20, 2012. He carefully prepared for the attack at the Batman premier, even preparing for the potential of an attack at his apartment.

James Holmes bought a movie ticket to the midnight showing of Batman, waited a few minutes after the movie began, and exited out the rear entrance momentarily until he prepared for his main event. Armed with high-powered weapons, thousands of bullets, dressed in black, and wearing tactical and riot gear, James Holmes re-entered the movie theater.

He began his attack by detonating two gas-emitting gadgets before he began firing into the sold out movie, shooting anyone who tried to leave the theater. Slowly making his way through the theater, he succeeded in killing twelve victims and injuring more than fifty-eight.

Within seven minutes of the first 9-1-1 call, James Holmes was in the custody of law enforcement in the parking lot behind the tragic scene that he created. This is where he admitted to the rest of the preparations he completed at his apartment.

James Holmes admitted to booby-trapping his apartment and car with explosives that were intended to kill anyone who came into contact with his property. Law enforcement did not find any explosives in his car, but discovered sophisticated devices throughout his apartment. Roughly thirty explosives and additional jars of liquids were present in the apartment and detonated safely, without harming anyone.

When in custody of law enforcement, James Holmes acknowledged himself as “The Joker”, a character from the movie Batman. The unexpected tragedy that took the lives of a dozen victims left the nation with questions of why James Holmes would resort to the degree of violence that he chose to employ on this night. There are many questions that are unanswered at this point. Hopefully, as the investigation progresses, the nation will get the answers of why James Holmes decided to kill innocent victims.