The Aurora Shooting Victims
CBS news has begun releasing names and information about the victims.
Here’s one:
Alex Sullivan
For Alex Matthew Sullivan, it was to be a weekend of fun: He planned to ring in his 27th birthday with friends at a special midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises.”
Another reason to celebrate: Sunday would have been his first wedding anniversary.
“He was a very, very good young man,” said Sullivan’s uncle, Joe Loewenguth.
“He always had a smile, always made you laugh. He had a little bit of comic in him. Witty, smart. He was loving, had a big heart.”
In a statement Alex’s family said it had lost “a cherished member.”
“Alex was smart, funny, and above all loved dearly by his friends and family.”
And here’s a man who sacrificed himself to save his girlfriend’s life:
Matt McQuinn
Matt McQuinn was with his girlfriend, Samantha Yowler, and her brother Nick at the midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” when a gunman burst into the theater, released canisters of pepper spray and opened fire.
CBS Affiliate WHIO reports that, according to Samantha’s grandmother, McQuinn and Nick Yowler tried to shield the young woman with their bodies.
She suffered a bullet wound to the leg; Nick escaped physically unharmed.
But McQuinn, 27, died.
He and Yowler had met in Ohio and moved last year to Denver, where they worked at a Target store.
“They’re really fun people,” said co-worker Melissa Downen.
I fear this story will only grow more disturbing and depressing as it progresses. As I write these words, Fox News is reporting live from James Holmes’s apartment. Police disarmed the booby traps but still worry that one of Holmes’s amateur explosives could go off by accident. This tragedy’s body count could still grow exponentially. (Fox just reported now that seven victims remain in critical condition.)
I’m not sure yet what to make of the familiarity of this story. Events such as these — millennials plotting elaborate massacres of their peers — have almost come to define the dark side of my generation. I was a freshman in high school during the Columbine shootings. Everything was different afterwards. High-school security and no-tolerance policies shot up, suspicion of “different” kids increased, and now we could no longer waltz into R-rated movies. But who knows if any of those well-intentioned measures actually reduced or prevented future massacres.
And while some are eager to point the finger at a “uniquely violent” American culture, the same phenomenon of a tech savvy, hyper-intellectual with strange delusions of grandeur also appears in the 1979-born Anders Behring Breivik who killed 77.
I wonder if a part of this is technological and informational. That now everyone has access not just to guns and the chemicals to manufacture homemade explosives, but also to the techniques and simulations for how to plot a massacre. Generation X going to high school in the ’70s and ’80s could not program in the layout of their school into a customized version of Doom and then practice their crime in advance. Likewise the baby boomers may have had Rosemary’s Baby and Bonnie and Clyde in theatres. They did not have seven Saw movies showing how cool it is to make homemade death traps and explosives.
Perhaps we should just understand it the same way we grasp the high death counts of the Civil War. As technology develops it becomes easier for evil men to inflict their self-hatred on the rest of the world in the most devastating ways.
Updated 4:02 PM: Fox News just reported that the bomb squad has removed all the explosives.
Updated 5:27 PM: Jail Employee: James Holmes Shows No Remorse
***
PJ Lifestyle’s coverage of the shooting in Aurora, Colorado yesterday:
What Does Israel’s Prime Minister Have to Do With the Horrific Dark Knight Shooting?
Some Men Just Want to Watch the World Burn
It Begins: Good Morning America Blames Tea Party for Dark Knight Massacre *Updated*
And the newest coverage from the PJ Tatler today:
“Perhaps we should just understand it the same way we grasp the high death counts of the Civil War. As technology develops it becomes easier for evil men to inflict their self-hatred on the rest of the world in the most devastating ways.”
Even that is going too far.
The Weathermen managed to make homemade explosives and blow people and themselves up without any super-high technology.
Resistance fighters during WWII managed to make homemade mortars, molotov cocktails, and other weapons, and fight prison-scum troops to a standstill for longer than the regular armies of entire nations.
Anarchists built and threw bombs at political figures, sometimes missing, sometimes not, through the second half of the 19th century, while the flotsom of a defeated army stages robberies in most of the States of the midwest on horseback.
Even the current favorite of deluded anarchists gained infamy for smuggling 36 kegs of gunpowder – enough to level a building – into position to eliminate an entire government at the start of the 17th century.
Do I need to bother surfing for things to refresh my memory to push that back another few centuries for examples of individuals or small groups killing and maiming so many as to defy credulity?
And should I make it worse by finding examples where the culprit isn’t even particularly evil, especially in “cultural context”?
The simple reality is that it takes neither technology nor special skill nor detailed preparation nor particular malice to go out and end the lives of others in a manner and numbers sufficient to shock the conscience.
The only thing that technology has changed about that is making it easier for more people to know about such events closer to the time they take place.
Indeed. Charles Whitman had no violent video games to inspire his killing spree. Jack the Ripper had no violent movies to inspire his. Cain had no violent inspiration to kill Able. The only common thread is human nature and a lack of morality.
Cain is THE keystone example of just how shocking violence can be to sensibility.
But it is not “just” a lack of morality.
There is also the lack of sanity that afflicts many, and leads to such acts.
I would also suggest that the very fact that we remain shocked by such things is a very good sign in and of itself.
With my brain still rattling around in disbelief,violence was delivered from once it came; The Hollywood Movie! Those sick,over rich,over pampered and overestimated freaks finally conjured up ONE TO MANY phoney violent and bloody extravaganzas! Our education has never ended,contually force fed this diet of hate,lust,blood and murder on the BIG SCREEN! Why were they killed? Give me a break!
Contrast that with the guy who dumped his infant, his girlfriend and her daughter and RAN.
That one still has me shaking my head – and the girlfriend and the two kids were sheltered and helped away by a teenager and total stranger to them.
According to this story, the swift-heeled boyfriend has proposed marriage to girlfriend and she has accepted.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2176918/Devastated-Jamie-Rohrs-PROPOSES-girlfriend-Patricia-Legarreta-just-hours-rescued-kids-Dark-Knight-shooting.html
Maybe it’s just me, having spent too much time in the 19th century, but I think I would rather be the widow of a hero, than the spouse of a coward. YMMV, of course.
In the 21st Century, it’s “Let’s be cowards together!”
Makes one want to carry concealed everywhere- even places where you’d never expect violence to break out. I don’t blame a culture of violence but a culture of liberalism where fantasy trumps reality in order for these grotesque events to take place.
The guy who attacked was smart and well prepared but was also a chicken. He didn’t take his ‘grievance’ to a police station or a shooting range. Chickens are kept in check by people who can defend themselves. He took it to a theater where his chicken-ass could win.
Sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves. This guy was the classic wolf. Our cops and armed citizens are sheepdogs. They may not go to late-night movies much. Hopefully, in the future more will. And a lot of other places- places you’d never expect this sort of violence to break out. Fear in mind of the chicken is the best deterrent to his acting out. Let’s get serious about protecting ourselves and families at all times. They’ll get the message and we’ll be better (safer) for it.
Precisely. Lone wolves don’t attack bears. Lone wolves don’t even attack packs of other wolves. They go after defenseless, immobilized prey.
This particular one even attempted to incapacitate his already-unarmed victims with gas before he began executing them as fast as he could rack his shotgun while hiding like a coward behind his bulletproof vest and gas mask.
The maddening thing about this entire tragedy is the fact that there were apparently several concealed carry permit holders among the targets of this assault. We don’t build buildings out of highly flammable material and then ban the possession of fire extinguishers within them. So why, then, do we ban the possession of tools of self defense in places that are prime targets for psychopathic killers hell-bent on bloodbath and massacre?
Given that this man was such a coward that he wore a vest to assault an unarmed crowd, I would be willing to bet the farm that a mere couple of shots fired in his direction would have sent him diving and scurrying for the door…just like the two thugs that citizen hero Samuel Williams so handily perforated.
As you say, we don’t prevent ‘tools’ from being available normally, but the Left will if they can take advantage of this incident. They would ban the invention of the wheel if someone’s toe gets run-over.
When I fix things, certain tools are a must. When society is broken certain tools are also a must. Or it doesn’t get fixed. This loose screw in Colorado showed what can happen when things go awry. He’s no different than a poorly torqued main bearing that causes the piston to shoot out of the block- wrecking the entire engine.
With the right tools in the right hands we could experience social life without the numerous ‘breakdowns’ that we deal with in many cities. Common sense dictates that these tools be available when needed and this event shows just how unpredictable such breakdowns are. Like those Fram Oil Filter commercials: “you can fix it now, or fix it later” when the damage is done and costs are through the roof. America is at the ‘through the roof’ stage.
Yes, concealed carry holders are sheepdogs. The thing here is that this guy is too well armed, too successful, to be a lone crazy. And then after killing a dozen, wounding many more, he Peacefully Surrenders to the cops and Warns them about his booby trap? Does Not Compute, sorry.
And the cops Don’t Kill him? They Did kill the guy in Lakeland, FL, who answered his door with a gun in hand, when they pounded on it at 1:30 am a few days ago, NOT identifying as police. No sirens, nothing, just pounding on door, I might answer with gun in hand too. The man was SHOT Dead by multiple shots from multiple officers who Still never identified themselves…
Now contrast that with this. the Call they were Responding to was Known to be Violent and Deadly activity Already in Progress. The FL case was investigative and they thought they’d ‘surprise’ a suspect in a battery case… Wow, two very different ways to handle it and FL with a Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground law too.
Really makes a person wonder.
Meantime on the 18th I think, a man of 63 years old (some reports say 71) had his gun with him in Ocala, at an internet cafe. He was there with the wife, when a couple of thugs walked in, one brandishing a baseball bat, the other a pistol, threatening patrons, demanding their wallets and jewelry. Masked assailant/robbers fled, tripping over each other, when gramps opened fire on their lousy asses, striking one a flesh wound to the arm, and the other shot in the left buttock and right hip as he fled. Perps apprehended and treated, then jailed – gramps free to go home with perhaps a lifetime pass to the internet cafe (were I the owner, he would have that)
This govt is out of control and I imagine this is the very much expected false flag incident to get us to beg them to take the evil guns. Hell No.
There have been similar spree killings going all the way back to World War I at least. So I don’t think it had anything to do with television or video games.
Criminologists have found a definite psychological profile for spree killers. Whether they kill because they’re insane (hearing voices), or because they get a thrill out of it, or because they enjoy the notoriety of it, or out of revenge, they all have certain characteristics:
Male, above-average intelligence though unable to hold down a job, isolated and alone, poor social skills, dreamy. In other words, outsiders and outcasts with a Walter Mitty complex.
Whether the spree killer is American, Australian, British, Latin American or Asian, their personalities are strikingly similar.
The diary of an American midwife (Maine, circa 1812) records a man using an axe to kill his wife and children: a total of 12 murders IIRC. Two children lived: one was visiting friends, the other survived severe wounds.
Mass murder has always been with us, no super technology required.
As James H. Schmitz observed, mankind is and has always been ferocious.
I read that this theater was a “gun-free” zone. They should change the name to “defenseless victims” zone. Gun-free indeed.
Yeah but the guy was wearing all kinds of combat gear and had himself pretty well protected even if someone had had a gun (what a pussy).
I don’t know if there would have been anything tactically someone could have done short of chopping his feet off.
Head, face, neck, joints, legs all were soft targets. He could have been stopped by one shot.
He could have been stopped. Too many parts of his body were unprotected. Betcha there will be more good people packin’ when they attend any crowded places after this. We have had enough lies about gun control.
Given the fact that he was so terrified of his unarmed victims fighting back that he incapacitated them with gas and wore a bulletproof (or bullet-resistant, rather) vest, I’d say that merely firing a CC pistol in his direction would sent him bolting for the door, bowels evacuated.
A criminal uses a firearm in the commission of a crime because it gives them an advantage. They have no desire to get into a fair fight; an evenly-matched shootout. That’s why they bring the gun to assault people that they believe have none. Most of the time, rampage-killers like Holmes take their own life at the first sign of real resistance, such as first contact with police or armed citizens. That’s the one aspect of this shooting that makes it atypical – that Holmes waited casually to be caught (or so I’ve heard).
Body armor isn’t some kind of magic protective bubble protecting you from bullets like an umbrella protects you from rain drops. You might not get penetration wounds, but you WILL get impact injuries, kind of like someone is hitting you with a sledgehammer. Think that might slow you down a bit? And shoot the person enough times eventually you’ll hit something not armored.
it doesn’t always take a gun to bring down a gunman…he had a front and a back, and could have been tackled from behind as he went up the aisle…and combat gear is not all bulletproof…we’ll see what he actually had on as the info unfolds but “bulletproof” vests typically only protect the upper body…and typically only the center of mass. The face is almost always unprotected, helmet or no helmet, and though a headshot is more difficult, it’s not impossible.
What might have been:
–tackled and overpowered by two or three bystanders,
–shot in the face by a concealed carry person or off duty cop,
–shot in the leg or abdomen by anyone with a gun…
Any of those would have been better than letting him roam unmolested firing something like 60 rounds or more…that takes time and reloading.
Evil wolf strikes sheeple…no sheepdog present.
Absolutely, 100% correct!! Could not have said it better myself. FWIW, I can draw, chamber, and fire 2 accurate headshots in under 2 seconds with my Glock. Not really hard to do if a fairly uncoordinated guy like me can do it. But then again, I have practiced and had others who are better teach me. Why is it that our society is so afraid of protecting themselves? I do not now, nor will I ever get that.
You act like he did this in broad daylight. This occurred in a dark movie theater, during the premiere of an action movie, after he set off a tear gas grenade. The tear gas impaired the ability of people to respond, and it took several seconds for people to realize that this wasn’t part of the movie. The people are then sent into a panic in a confined space in the dark, making it difficult to positively identify the shooter from among the audience. By the time the people have had a chance to counterattack, it’s over.
Oh…and even with a ballistic vest and a chest plate, a shot will usually be felt like a sledgehammer blow, stunning the gunman and improving the chance of a follow-up shot or tackling to stop the carnage.
I can’t help but wonder if a few rapid and vengeful public hangings posted on youtube might change the programming of a few of these morons.
Have you noticed that everyone seems to automatically think the guy was insane, or ‘disturbed’, or deranged, or had any of a number of mental problems? “He killed a bunch of people? He must be crazy!” Why? Why is it assumed that he MUST be mentally disturbed? Is it because of the number of people killed? If so, what is the cutoff point for murderers, where if they kill that one extra person they cross the boundary from simply ‘horribly evil’ to ‘insane’ (and therefore, less culpable)? Or is it the method? If I plan and murder someone, that makes me evil. But if I do it while wearing a clown nose and do it in a particularly vicious manner, that makes me ‘insane’? Why?
He may have been out of his mind, I don’t know. Neither do you. Neither do the cops. Neither does ANYONE right now. But why is everyone so ready to accept that he must be ‘mad’.
I don’t think assuming insanity in the case of mass killings is valid. Stalin planned, decided, and ordered the death of millions (death in a truly BRUTAL, painful manner. Men, women and children). Was he evil? Ohhhhh yes. Was he insane? No. No he wasn’t.
Think of this. Had this killer instead (in some alternate universe) run into a burning theater and SAVED that many people from dying, would we be saying he was deranged? That he was ‘disturbed’? Of COURSE not.
It’s almost like we want a nice, soft, padded limit on free will. Sure, we like to think that anytime anything wonderful and just is done, it’s because that person chose to be a hero! There’s no limit on how great we can be!
But…
When faced with a truly evil act… It’s like we don’t want to believe that a person could WILL themselves to do it. No, he couldn’t possibly have just decided to commit this evil. No, he must have been CRAZY!!! It seems to me that if we want to embrace free will fully when people choose to do the right thing, we must also be willing to entertain the idea that free will may be misused to do the hideously opposite as well.
He may be totally, certifiably insane. I don’t know. I’m just saying you don’t have to be ‘crazy’/'disturbed’ to do evil.
Great thoughts!! And I agree with you. People do not want to believe that evil exists in modern society and people can perform evil acts while being totally sane.
..the whole thing is strange.
witnesses are saying the door was opened from the inside by some one sitting in the front of the theatre. …police say it was kicked in from outside.
a witness recounted seeing a policeman with a limp child in his arms …in the theatre. wow fast response.
the calm gunman waited for police and did not struggle. told them he trip-wired his apartment. why would he do that? yes they all say he is crazy in know the drill.
he had enough ammo to kill many more people then he did.
he was unrecognisable in the theatre due to gas mask.
obama and hillary are pressing reluctant senators to pass the UN small arms treaty.
fast and furious was a criminal enterprise by holder and obama (under the radar) to address the second amendment. body count is in excess of 300 people on that one.
my guess is more people were killed in Chicago that same day …a gun free city.
I do not know what happened and I don’t trust the government or the media.
Yes, yes it is. And, no, the media are rarely accurate. Nor are many witnesses.
Regarding the fast police response; I live in Aurora, that theater is about ten miles from my house. The city hall and main police station is within sight of that theater, just across Alameda Avenue. Police officers could have run from the station to the theater easily in less than five minutes.
Also, there is a police substation in Aurora Mall, which shares a parking lot with the theater complex.
So, no, the fast response is no surprise at all.
…at midnight? to get into the theatre and find the injured child and strike a pose. possible yes.
likely no.
Likely, yes. The facility across Alameda is the city Justice Center. There are dozens of cops in and around it, day and night. Also, Aurora Mall isn’t exactly in the best part of town, and the theater isn’t the only area business that is open at that time of night.
Nobody that lives in this area was surprised by the fast response.
The quick response time was due to the fact that police were already at the theater for crowd control. Most theaters, as far as I’m aware, pay for police to work security detail after certain hours. There were extra police there on this particular night because of the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises – it was both midnight and crowded.
Still, police were not fast enough to stop this man from shooting 71 people. Only people armed and capable of defending themselves can stop such an assault from proceeding.
My only questions about the whole scenario are these:
1. Where does a PhD dropout collecting unemployment find the money to purchase two Glocks, an AR-15 (quite an expensive firearm, even if you go the cheap route), a shotgun, a bulletproof vest (very expensive), and enough materials to fill his apartment with explosives?
2. Why did he allow himself to be caught?
3. What was his motive?
4. Will he survive long enough to be tried?
I’ve seen rumors that he was involved with Occupy Black Bloc, but I haven’t seen any hard evidence to substantiate such a claim. However, it would fit both the methods and the timing/location of the attack. I have no doubt that Occupy is enraged at the portrayal of their silver screen parallel movement as a violent, evil revolution conducted by useful idiots.
Incidentally, I noticed multiple parallels to historic events in The Dark Knight Returns – specifically those surrounding the familiar collectivist revolutions and rises-to-power of the last couple of centuries.
**The Dark Knight RISES**, obviously.
1. Credit cards.
2. Being an criminal genius is hard. Clearly the getaway plan failed.
3. It will be interesting to see, but my money is on paranoid schizophrenia. His age and circumstances seem to point to it.
4. Yes.
how long after the incident were we told how he purchased his LEGAL guns??
…the ANSWER hours!
how long will it be before they tell us how he got his other gear?
….crickets chirping!
question everything!!
Nobody is capable of defending themselves in that scenario. The best thing concealed carry holders can do is provide deterrence. Tear gas, confusion, and the fact that the theater was dark create a combination where returning fire likely does more harm than good. Once you get the lights on, then you can return fire, but until then, it’s near impossible to tell the difference between the shooter and the panicked audience.