Obama shocked, calls cinema hall shooting 'horrific'

Washington: Shocked and saddened by the “horrific” cinema hall shooting in Colorado, US President Barack Obama today vowed to bring to justice the perpetrators of the heinous crime that claimed at least 14 lives and left 50 people injured. “Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado. Federal and local law enforcement are still responding, and my administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora (the city where the Cinema hall is located) in this extraordinarily difficult time,” Obama said in a statement. The President, who was notified of the shooting in an Aurora cinema hall by his Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan at 5:26 am local time, is in Palm Beach, Florida, on a two-day election campaign trip. [caption id=“attachment_385093” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Obama said the Colorado shooting shocked him.[/caption] “We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family,” Obama said. “All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbours, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come,” said the US President. A 24-year-old white male suspect, who opened fire during the premiere of the latest Batman film ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, has been taken into custody by the police. The gunman told the police that he had explosives in his apartment, which has now been evacuated. The FBI has been rushed to the scene and is investigating the incident, apparently to look into the terrorist angle to it. The entire area has been evacuated. When the gunman was apprehended, he was at the back of the theatre near the parking lot close to his vehicle, which had a Tennessee license plate, police said. Police said he apparently used some kind of a tear gas inside the theatre before the shooting. PTI