Alleged Colorado supermarket mass-shooter not fit for trial: media

The man charged with killing 10 people in a US supermarket shooting spree is not fit to stand trial, media reported Friday.

Syrian-born Ahmad Alissa, 22, is accused of indiscriminately gunning down his victims in a Colorado store in March.

He faces over 100 criminal charges, including 10 of first-degree murder, in connection with the mass shooting, for which neither he nor prosecutors have suggested a motive.

Boulder County Chief Judge Ingrid Bakke ruled Friday that Alissa must undergo mental health treatment before the case against him can proceed, the Denver Post reported.

The paper said no details were given in court about the nature of his health needs, but his attorney said it was a "serious mental illness."

Alissa's brother Ali has previously said his brother was "paranoid" and "antisocial."

Alissa was briefly hospitalized after being shot in the leg by police who responded to the attack.

One policeman, who was the first on the scene, was among the dead.

Colorado is no stranger to such violence, having suffered two of the most infamous mass shootings in US history.

In 1999, two boys shot and killed 12 classmates and a teacher at Columbine High School. The shooters died by suicide.

Then in 2012, a heavily armed man stormed a movie theater in Aurora, murdering 12. The gunman is now serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Few parts of the United States are untouched by mass shootings.

According to a tally by Gun Violence Archive, a non-partisan research group, of the over 19,000 gun deaths so far this year, more than 650 have been in mass shootings.

This week a 15-year-old boy was accused of using his father's gun to shoot dead classmates near Detroit, Michigan.

Such incidents routinely spark national outrage and calls for stricter gun control.

But despite widespread support for tighter restrictions, the calls usually fizzle out, quashed by the country's powerful gun lobby and right-wing politicians who say the measures would impinge on constitutional rights.

Agence France-Presse

Students kill classmate, injure 8 at school near Columbine

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colorado — Two high school students shot and killed a classmate and injured eight others at a charter school in a Colorado community that marked the 20th anniversary of one of the nation’s worst school shootings just weeks ago.

Douglas County sheriff’s officials said Devon Erickson, 18, and a younger student walked into the STEM School Highlands Ranch Tuesday afternoon and opened fire on students in two classrooms, prompting students to run shouting through the halls or to hide out of sight as gunfire echoed through school.

“At the moment no one really knew what was going on so I didn’t know they were bullets,” said seventh-grader Sophia Marks. “I just kind of saw like flashes and we heard bangs.”

Within minutes, deputies at a nearby sheriff’s department substation entered the school and arrested the two suspects after a struggle. Both were students at the school and they were not previously known to authorities, Sheriff Tony Spurlock said.

Josh Dutton, 18, told The Associated Press that he was close friends with Devon Erickson in middle school but hadn’t seen him for four years as he went to a different high school. On Sunday, he spotted Erickson at a local light rail station and said he was shocked at how much his friend had changed.

Erickson wore all black, a hat and sunglasses, was significantly skinnier and didn’t seem interested in talking.

“He said he’d just turned 18 and he owned rifles,” Dutton said.

A message left at a phone number listed for Erickson’s home was not immediately returned.

The shooting took place exactly a week after a gunman killed two students and wounded four at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. It also comes nearly three weeks after neighboring Littleton marked the grim 20th anniversary of the Columbine school massacre that killed 13 people. The two schools are separated by about 7 miles (11 kilometers) in adjacent communities south of Denver.

“Tragically, this community and those surrounding it know all too well these hateful and horrible acts of violence,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting and was in touch with state and local officials, Deere said.

“The heart of all Colorado is with the victims and their families,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.

STEM is a public charter school with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math. It has more than 1,850 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

As the gunfire rang out, students ran through the halls shouting “School shooter!”  Some wondered at first if it was a joke or a drill.

Chris Elledge, 15, said his teacher told the class to hide behind weight equipment in the room, where they stayed until police arrived.

“They busted in the room, and they were asking if there was any suspects in the room, if we were OK, and they escorted us out to go out to the front of the building,” Elledge said.

Frantic parents used their cellphones to find their children as news of the shooting spread. Sophia Marks’ mother, Sara Marks, said she has two other children who also go to the school.

“When you have no idea what’s going on and the children are texting you that they’re hiding under a desk and bullets are hitting their window, or things are hitting their window, it’s a horrible feeling,” she said.

Three hospitals reported treating eight people in connection with the attack, including two who were listed in serious condition. At least four others were released by Tuesday night.

Fernando Montoya told television station KMGH that his 17-year-old son was shot three times but was expected to make a full recovery.

“Thank God he is fine,” Montoya said. “Even though he got shot, he’s OK. He’s going to walk out on his feet, so I’m glad. We’re so lucky.” /kga

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Megadeth Singer Obama 'Staged' Aurora Shooting Massacre

Dave Mustaine -- the lead singer of Megadeth -- believes Barack Obama "staged" the massacre in Aurora, CO in a sick, twisted plot to pass a gun ban.

Mustaine made the comments on stage at an August 7 performance in Singapore ... when he told the crowd, "Back in my country, my president ... he's trying to pass a gun ban, so he's staging all of these murders, like the 'Fast And Furious' thing down at the border ... Aurora, Colorado, all the people that were killed there ... and now the beautiful people at the Sikh temple."

He continued, "I don't know where I'm gonna live if America keeps going the way it's going because it looks like it's turning into Nazi America."

Obviously, Mustaine is not an Obama fan ... and recently bashed the President during an interview with Alex Jones ... saying, "With all of the proof about his birth certificate being fake. And you see the signs in Kenya that say 'the birthplace of Barack Obama.' Hello?! C'mon, guys. How stupid are we right now?"

article source: TMZ

Jessica Ghawi's Brother Blogs Her Chilling Final Moments

Jordan Ghawi received one of the most horrific phone calls imaginable early Friday morning.

His mother, "hysterical and almost unintelligible," phoned with news that his sister, 24-year-old Jessica Ghawi, had been shot at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colo., Jordan blogged Friday.

Twelve people were killed and 59 more injured by alleged gunman James Holmes, who reportedly later called himself The Joker.


Jordan, 26, a student, firefighter and paramedic in Texas, traveled to Colorado on Friday morning and wrote in detail about his sister's final moments, as told to him by their mutual friend Brent.

"Jessica and Brent were seated in the middle portion of the theatre when a device was thrown into the theatre that produced a 'hissing' sound," Jordan wrote. "The theatre then began to fill with smoke which is when patrons began to move from their seats. At that time, shots were fired."

He continued in chilling detail.



Brent and Jessica dropped for cover. "Brent then heard Jessica scream and noticed that she was struck by a round in the leg," Jordan wrote. "Brent, began holding pressure on the wound and attempted to calm Jessica."

"It was at this time that Brent took a round to his lower extremities. While still administering first aid, Brent noticed that Jessica was no longer screaming. He advised that he looked over to Jessica and saw what appeared to be an entry wound to her head."

Jordan later wrote that he received word from the coroner's office that his sister indeed died from injuries sustained during the shooting.

"Let us remember the names of the victims and not the name of the coward who committed this act," Jordan Tweeted Friday afternoon.

A total of 71 moviegoers were shot at the Century 16 Theater at the Town Center Mall in Aurora.

source: people.com

US shooting quiets Hollywood, slows 'Dark Knight' box office

LOS ANGELES - Hollywood studios will not release box-offices figures on Sunday after the fatal gun rampage at a midnight showing for the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," which made less money than some industry insiders projected.

The film grossed $74 million on Friday in the United States and Canada and is seen generating $173 million by the end of the weekend, people with knowledge of industry figures said on Saturday.

Official figures were not released by the distributor, Warner Bros. For the first time box office watchers could remember, Hollywood's other major film studios decided not to release weekend ticket sales figures on Saturday.

"We're joining our colleagues at Warner Bros and not reporting grosses during this period of mourning," Sony Pictures said in a statement.

Hollywood.com Box Office, which reports the weekend figures, said it was not sure if it would publish its list this week.

A Warner Brothers spokeswoman did not return calls seeking comment on Friday night numbers.

"Dark Knight Rises" was one of the most-anticipated films of the year before a gunman opened fire on moviegoers at a midnight screening in Aurora, Colorado, early Friday, killing 12 people and wounding 58 more.

Ahead of the debut, box office forecasters predicted opening weekend sales in a range of $170 million to $198 million from Friday through Sunday, just shy of the record $207 million set by superhero movie "The Avengers" in May.

"The cable news networks were wall-to-wall with the shooting, so it had some shock value that will keep people away," former Columbia Pictures marketing chief Peter Sealey said. "But it will be short term. This movie will play for five or six weeks and still do great business."

Since many people bought tickets in advance, they likely decided to put aside any fears and see the film, said Paul Dergarabedian, head of Hollywood.com Box Office.

After the shooting, theaters tightened security, and Warner Bros. scaled back promotional plans, canceling a Paris premiere and appearances by the cast and crew in Mexico and Japan.

Ronn Torossian, chief executive of New York-based 5W Public Relations, which is not involved with the movie's release, said it was smart for the studios to stay quiet in the days after such a horrific event. He said he expected the marketing for upcoming, violent films like "The Expendables" to tweak their advertising. But by September, if not earlier, that will change.

"This will affect marketing movies in the short-term," he said. "(But) the media has a very short memory, and it's something that in the long run will not affect" film promotion.

Lone killer, no copycat

Outside theaters across the country, where police maintained tight security on Saturday, ticket lines were mostly filled and fans seemed little concerned about a copycat shooting.

"It doesn't make me nervous. It's an isolated incident," said Charles Song, 31, at the Arclight cinema in Hollywood. "I don't think it's going to spur any copycats. It's just one crazy lunatic that went off."

But the event does seem to have changed the thinking of some moviegoers, perhaps families, who might have planned to attend, and other films may be feeling the impact.

Animated family film "Ice Age: Continental Drift," which grossed $44.6 million last week and was the top-selling film, had a larger-than-anticipated 51 percent drop for its second week. It sold $6.5 million on Friday and is projected to collect $23 million for the weekend, box office sources said.

"The Amazing Spider-Man," which opened with near record sales on July 3, sold $6.5 million worth of tickets and is estimated to hit $11.5 million this weekend. The film, produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment, has passed $217 million in domestic sales on Thursday, according to Box Office Mojo.

A representative for 20th Century Fox, which released "Ice Age," was not available for comment, and a spokesman for Sony Pictures, which is behind "Spider-Man," declined comment.

"Dark Knight Rises" is the third and final film in a popular Batman series starring Christian Bale as the crime-fighting hero and directed by Christopher Nolan. Warner Bros. spent $250 million to produce it, plus tens of millions more on marketing.

On Friday, the studio said showings just after midnight had grossed $30.6 million in the North American (U.S. and Canadian) market. Warner Bros. later said it would not release any updated sales figures until Monday.

"The Dark Knight" took in $158 million domestically over its debut weekend in July 2008, a record at the time. It went on to ring up sales of more than $1 billion around the world. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

James Holmes Fellow Inmates 'Talking About Killing' Him

Recently released inmates at Arapahoe Detention Center in Colorado are saying the only thing the inmates still inside can talk about ... is killing James Holmes ... this according to a new report.

Wayne Medley told the NY Daily News, "All the inmates were talking about killing him. Everyone was looking for an opportunity. It's all they could talk about."

The paper says Holmes is in solitary confinement and was placed on suicide watch. Another inmate, Dima Damalov, told the paper that if Holmes was released into the general population he wouldn't "live to see Monday's court appearance."

A jail employee said Holmes "hasn't shown any remorse" while an unidentified inmate told the paper, "He was spitting at the door and spitting at the guards. He's spitting at everything. Dude was acting crazy."


Holmes is due in court for the first time on Monday. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

source: TMZ

Colorado shooting: 'Dark Knight' plays with tight security, undercover cops

Amid tightened security, "The Dark Knight Rises" screened at movie theaters across Southern California on Friday without major incident.

Police were out in force both inside and outside theaters in the wake of the shooting in Colorado that left 12 people dead.

Officials said they were concerned about possible copycats as well as troublemakers who might use the fears sparked by the shooting to cause mayhem at theaters.

The Los Angeles Police Department, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and smaller law enforcement agencies plan extra patrols through the weekend and beyond at theaters.

Theaters also tightened security. At the Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live in downtown, ushers checked the purses of some patrons before they entered the show.

“I am outraged by the cowardly attack on innocent movie patrons in Colorado last night," LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those innocent victims. Since Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the world, it is important that we all remain vigilant and do everything we can to prevent incidents like this from occurring in our communities. Remember, if you see something, say something.”

Long Beach police will also be on alert.

"Although it does appear to be an isolated incident, we are always concerned a violent act of this scale could occur at a place where the public gathers. We hope a tragedy like this never takes place in our community, but we continuously train and are prepared to respond should this type of situation ever arise," said Patrol Deputy Chief Robert Luna.

The San Diego Police Department and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department have both instructed beat officers to make extra patrols near theaters showing “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Deputies have had “active-shooter” training, some as recently as this week, on how to respond to calls about a shooter stalking a crowded space such as a school, mall or theater, said sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Caldwell.

San Diego police officers have been encouraged “to make contact with the theater management to be aware of what is going on and [tell managers] to call if they notice suspicious behavior or have problems,” said department spokesman Lt. Andra Brown.

In Aurora, Colo., where the shootings occurred, Mayor Steve Hogan told reporters, “We’ve taken a blow today, but we’ll get back on our feet.”

Ten people died in the theater, two at hospitals. Fifty-nine were wounded, said Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates, adding that “many” were in critical condition.

Some of the injured were children, taken by adults to see a movie starring a comic book hero. At University Hospital, spokesman Chris Casey said, 23 people were treated, ranging in age from 3 months to 45 years.

source: latimes.com