Colorado suspect was brilliant science student
Photo
This photo provided by the University of Colorado shows James Holmes. University spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery says 24-year-old Holmes, who police say is the suspect in a mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater, was studying neuroscience in a Ph.D. program at the University of Colorado-Denver graduate school. Holmes is suspected of shooting into a crowd at a movie theater killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more, authorities said.
DENVER — James Eagen Holmes came from a well-tended San Diego enclave of two-story homes with red-tiled roofs, where neighbors recall him as a clean-cut, studious young man of sparing words.
Tall and dark-haired, he stared clear-eyed at the camera in a 2004 high school yearbook snapshot, wearing a white junior varsity soccer uniform — No. 16. The son of a nurse, Arlene, and a software company manager, Robert, James Holmes was a brilliant science scholar in college.
The biggest mystery surrounding the 24-year-old doctoral student was why he would have pulled on a gas mask and shot dozens of people early Friday in a suburban Denver movie theater, as police allege.
In the age of widespread social media, no trace of Holmes could be found on Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter or anywhere on the Web. Either he never engaged or he scrubbed his trail.
A longtime neighbor in San Diego, where Holmes grew up, remembers only a "shy guy ... a loner" from a churchgoing family. In addition to playing soccer at Westview High School, he ran cross country.
The bookish demeanor concealed an unspooling life. Holmes struggled to find work after graduating with highest honors in spring 2010 with a neuroscience degree from the University of California, Riverside, said the neighbor, retired electrical engineer Tom Mai.
Holmes enrolled last year in a neuroscience Ph.D. program at the University of Colorado-Denver but was in the process of withdrawing, said school officials, who didn't provide a reason. The school later said in a statement that he left the program in June 2012.
As part of the advanced program in Denver, a James Holmes had been listed as making a presentation in May about Micro DNA Biomarkers in a class named "Biological Basis of Psychiatric and Neurological Disorders."
In academic achievement, "he was at the top of the top," recalled Riverside Chancellor Timothy P. White.
Holmes concentrated his study on "how we all behave," White added. "It's ironic and sad."
From a distance, Holmes' life appears unblemished, a young man with unlimited potential. There are no indications he had problems with police.
Somehow, the acclaimed student and quiet neighbor reached a point where he painted his hair red, called himself "The Joker," the green-haired villain from the Batman movies, according to New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, who said he had been briefed on the matter.
Authorities say Holmes arrived at the theater dressed in black, outfitted in a gas mask, ballistic helmet, vest and leggings, black tactical gloves and protectors on his throat and groin. He was armed with an assault-style rifle, a shotgun and Glock handgun.
Police said he started his attack by tossing at least gas canisters into the theater, where he had bought a ticket for the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," the new Batman movie.
A federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing probe into the rampage, said Holmes bought four guns from retailers in the last two months.
Holmes bought his first Glock pistol in Aurora, Colo., on May 22. Six days later, he picked up a Remington shotgun in Denver. About two weeks later, he bought a .223 caliber Smith & Wesson rifle in Thornton, Colo., and then a second Glock in Denver on July 6 — 13 days before the shooting, the official said.
A high-volume drum magazine was attached to the rifle, an assault weapon, the official said. Police Chief Dan Oates said that a 100-round drum magazine for the rifle was recovered from the scene.
"I'm told by experts that with that drum magazine, he could have gotten off 50 to 60 rounds, even if it was semiautomatic, within one minute," Oates said at a news conference. "And as far as we know, it was a pretty rapid pace of fire in that theater."
Julie Adams, whose son played junior varsity soccer with Holmes, said her son remembered little about the suspect, which was unusual for the tight-knit team.
"I don't think many of the kids (teammates) knew him. He was kind of a loner," she said.
Jackie Mitchell, a furniture mover who lives several blocks from the suspect's apartment building in Colorado, said he had drinks with Holmes at a bar on Tuesday night, though he showed no sign of distress or violence.
After Holmes approached him, "we just talked about football. He had a backpack and geeky glasses and seemed like a real intelligent guy, and I figured he was one of the college students," Mitchell said.
When Mitchell saw Holmes' photo after the shooting, "the hair stood up on my back," he said. "I know this guy."
Holmes is not talking to police and has asked for a lawyer, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the case. Police found jars of chemicals in Holmes' booby-trapped apartment with wires nearby, the law enforcement official said.
When he surrendered meekly in the movie house parking lot, Holmes told authorities what he'd done at his residence in the Denver suburb of Aurora, the third most populous city in Colorado.
"Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved," Holmes' family said in a statement Friday. "We ask that the media respect our privacy during this difficult time."
San Diego Superior Court spokeswoman Karen Dalton said there were no records found under his name, not even for a traffic ticket. Riverside County prosecutors also have no criminal record for him, said John Hall, a spokesman for the district attorney's office.
On Friday morning, police escorted the suspect's father from the family's San Diego home. The mother stayed inside, receiving visitors who came to offer support.
San Diego police spokeswoman Lt. Andra Brown spoke to reporters in the driveway of the Holmes' home, on behalf of the family.
"As you can understand, the Holmes family is very upset about all of this," she said. "It's a tragic event and it's taken everyone by surprise."
Jul 23, 2012 at 6:36 p.m.
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Thanks, "SuperDave", I have some links that will help with questions about mental health. Here they are:
www.nami.org
www.namiwisconsin.org
www.nami.org/northern-illinois
www.thebalancedmind.org
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)is a national organization out of Arlington, VA., which focuses primarily on education, support and advocacy. (NAMI)-Rock Co. support group is the local affiliate in this area. We are working on setting up our own website. For information: 608-365-5134
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:13 a.m.
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100 round drum magazines?
That may not qualify as a weapon of mass destruction,
but it is a weapon of mass murder.
Jul 22, 2012 at 1:45 a.m.
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We don't need to ban all guns, such as hunting rifles, but why exactly is it a right to buy automatic weapons with high-volume magazines?
Jul 21, 2012 at 9:41 p.m.
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And according to winterstinks...it must be Obama's fault.
Something is "pathetic beyond belief" alright, but I think a clue may be in winterstinks mirror.
Jul 21, 2012 at 9:36 p.m.
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"I wonder if the law enforcement will ever order a thorough mental health evaluation."
I guess there's no reason to beatrice...apparently you are so smart you have it all figured out already.
"James Holmes is not responsible for his actions. James Holmes is suffering from mental health issues."
Jul 21, 2012 at 9:28 p.m.
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@beatrice: You might be right. Or he might just be a psychopath. You said we should "educate yourselves on mental illness". Any links you would like to share would be appreciated.
Jul 21, 2012 at 7:23 p.m.
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James Holmes is not responsible for his actions. James Holmes is suffering from mental health issues. Probably no one in his life was ever educated on mental health to recognize the symptoms of his disorder. They probably laughed at him many times and were critical of his strange character. He needed medical care a long time ago and no one recognized it. It is sad that he did not get the help he needed. I wonder if the law enforcement will ever order a thorough mental health evaluation. Occasionally, persons who do not get help for their mental condition will get worse and commit these types of acts. To understand what I just said, please make it a point to educate yourselves on mental illness. You may easily be the one who saves someone suffering from mental health issues to never get to the point Mr. Holmes did. Sad.
Jul 21, 2012 at 1:36 p.m.
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"A Liberal lives life fearing the evil a man might do. A Conservative lives life celebrating the good a man does." JonM
Jul 21, 2012 at 12:40 p.m.
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Worser.
Jul 21, 2012 at 12:34 p.m.
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How come every other media site allows comments on all their news stories but the Gazette feels the need to censor a large percentage of their discussion boards? The "Site Staff" at Fox, CNN, ABC,NBC etc allow their viewers to discuss all news articles. Give this board enough time and the "Site Staff" will shut this down as well
Jul 21, 2012 at 10:52 a.m.
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I would not have said a word about this horrific incident, had ABC News, just hours after, not tried to link Holmes to the Tea Party. This indicates a desire on their part to turn this into a "political football". Someone there (at ABC) went to the Colorado state Tea Party website, found someone named James Holmes, and then Brian Ross said on the air that the shooter may have ties to the Tea Party. This is sick, sick stuff, and I have not forgotten what happpened in the aftermath of the Gabby Giffords shooting, or the more recent Trayvon Martin shooting. And let me say right here, I am sorry if anyone was offended in any way by my first post, and my heart goes out to the victims and their families. But this is what passes for everyday journalism and political comment when it comes from the left - baseless charges and allegations made against Conservatism, while ignoring the real motivations of the offender(s) and the true evil they represent. For once, I wanted to get an early comment out there satirically assigning blame for the shooting to the Obama Administration, with the hopes that those of you on these boards who are politically to the left can experience what conservatives go through everyday. The MSM is biased. The Democratic Party uses that to their advantage, day in and day out. Those of us who are only interested in factual reporting are continually disappointed and let down by most of what's out there. The fact that I am getting such negative responses informs me that I made my point. I have only one more thing to say on the matter - I am glad that the state of Colorado has the death penalty, and I hope that, once convicted, it is carried out.
Jul 21, 2012 at 10:09 a.m.
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The media is difficult to figure out. Where I live a young black male 17 years old was practicing basket ball recently at his home and was shot and killed by a drive by. It hardly made the news yet in Florida a news item can be blown out of proportion, news media. I wonder how they decide which stories to pump up out of control?
Jul 21, 2012 at 10:06 a.m.
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Dave, you are only making it worse.
Jul 21, 2012 at 10 a.m.
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The gazette is allowing comments on this story? That's a switch.
superdave, I'm not surprised at all at your comment. Advocate personal responsibility and freedom of choice, then when someone does that very thing with horrific consequences, it becomes a political football to score some points.
He had no criminal record, was an excellent student, purchased all his weapons in accordance with Colorado law (State Laws! One Rule to find them and in the darkness bind them), and seemingly had no outward appearances of a very disturbed individual. Notice that last word? Individual. He was an individual that followed the law, until he murdered someone. Aurora is a relatively violent city for it's size. It's strange how the media doesn't care about the murders that occur week to week, but they love a sensationalistic headline.
The price of freedom is that bad things can happen if someone really wants to do it. Someone could easily drive a large SUV into a crowd of people and kill just as many. Is it the fault of the government policy for allowing them? Is it the fault of the manufacturer for making them? Is it the fault of the people who got hit? No. It's the individuals fault.
Jul 21, 2012 at 9:55 a.m.
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It's really unfortunately seeing all the pro-gun, anti-gun, political bashers etc. using this as an instant springboard to try and further their cause. SuperDaves comment ranks right up there with one of the worst. Without being there, without knowing exactly what happened and how it happened, I don't think anyone can make an educated opinion and to how the situation would have been different had gun laws been stricter or had the theater allowed concealed carry. Throwing out nonsensical posts only makes YOU look like a fool while the rest of the country mourns the victims.
Jul 21, 2012 at 9:53 a.m.
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That was satire. Holmes is responsible for what Holmes did, on that we agree.
Just thought I'd be the first to point out the hypocrisy. After ABC News of course, who tried to link Holmes to the Tea Party!
But stay tuned - someone will try to blame Rush Limbaugh, or Sarah Palin, or Mitt Romney...
Jul 21, 2012 at 9:26 a.m.
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Dave, this is not the time to take cheap shots
at the president and his administration.
Jul 21, 2012 at 9:25 a.m.
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I truly believe that to pin this on anyone other than the shooter is a ignorant. What happened to individual responsibility dave??
Jul 21, 2012 at 7:35 a.m.
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I truly believe that this shooting was directly inspired by the Fast and Furious debacle which itself resulted in the deaths of hundreds. The total disregard of human life for potential political gain was and is disgraceful, and our society is worse off because of it.
And we must return political discourse to some reasonable level of civility. Comments such as "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun" cannot and will not be tolerated, as they only serve to encourage the James Holmes of the world.
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