Cherinne CowanOnce upon a time; it was safe to go to a concert, it was safe to go to a summer camp, it was safe to go to the cinema.However, recently we have all been overcome with the mutual feeling of devastation, shock and disbelief. Yes, as I am sure you and a large fraction of the entire population are aware, 24 year old James Holmes took the lives of at least 12 people, whilst injuring 59 others.
In the packed cinema in Colorado, the audience were all filled with excitement as they waited for the much anticipated Batman to begin, and once it had, everyone was thrilled, diversely that thrill was about to be broken and replaced with such a fear, that words cannot begin to explain.
A gun man, dressed in black wearing a helmet, body armor and a gas mask stepped through a side door into the cinema. At first he appeared as a silhouette, taken by the audience as an extremely scary stunt from the new blockbuster movie. However, authorities said, he threw gas canisters that filled the packed suburban Denver theatre with smoke, and, in the confusing haze between Hollywood fantasy and terrifying reality, opened fire as people screamed and dove for cover.
James Holmes, a medical student at the local college, never stopped shooting, only to re-load his military style, semi-automatic rifle, shot gun and pistol before trying to kill as many people as he could. ‘Anybody who would try to escape would be shot and killed’ explained a witness. This incident has been described as the worse mass shooting in recent US history and Barack Obama expressed his true sadness for the victims and their families through this deeply sad time.
Some 200 police and medical crews arrived at the scene to help the injured and stop James Holmes, who was found sat in his car, showing no remorse or desire to escape from the police. In New York City, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said: “It clearly looks like a deranged individual. He has his hair painted red. He said he was the Joker, obviously the enemy of Batman.”
Police were also informed that his apartment was ‘booby-trapped,’ clearly set out to kill. Bomb squads rushed to the home of James Holmes in an effort to stop any further casualties taking place and to get rid of the trap. It is still not clear whether Holmes had a motive, however it is clear that anybody capable of such things has extreme psychopathic problems.
The families of those killed will never be able to escape the pain, the people killed will never get to live their lives the way they should have; with joy, adventure and happiness, and the injured will never be able to move on, from the true horror they witnessed, nearly losing their own lives, and seeing innocent people lose theirs. It was truly something of a horror movie, something of which shouldn’t be in the real world.
Recently Chris Brahney, a young man from Manchester went missing after a Stone Roses gig, of which lead to a public plea to find him, however a body was found in a river 7 days on, and was unfortunately Chris.
On the 22nd of July 2011, possibly the biggest gun massacre of all time took place at a summer camp and various other places in Oslo, Norway. The murderer opened fire at the summer camp, designed for young people, murdering 69 of them and severely injuring 110 as they all frantically swam into the water trying to escape the gun shots.
Once upon a time; it was safe to go to a concert, it was safe to go to a summer camp, it was safe to go to the cinema.
Is anywhere safe anymore?