(RNN) - A gunman stood up during a midnight movie premiere of "Batman, The Dark Knight Rises," killing 14 people and 50 others are wounded in Aurora, CO.
Aurora Police Chief Dan Oats said that 39 people have been transported to area hospitals. Four victims have been admitted to the hospital. Most of the victims were children.
The victims range in age from 6 to 31.
The suspect, a 24-year-old white male who is now in custody, was wearing body armor and a gas mask. He reportedly had both a long gun and a handgun. A third gun may have been hidden in the theater.
During a news conference, Oats said 10 victims died on the scene and four died at area hospitals.
CNN reported that six of the victims have been taken to children's hospitals.
One report described the shooter opening fire in Theater 9 as Batman appeared on the screen for the first time.
Aurora Police Public Information Officer Frank Fania said witnesses said the gunman "just appeared," tossed a canister of some type, there was a hissing noise and then smoke filled the theater, possibly tear gas, and then opened fire.
"It's not known if he came from behind the screen or through a backdoor, but that he just appeared," said Fania.
Fania said there is no motive known at this time and officials are unaware of how he gained entrance to the theater.
Police took the suspect into custody behind the theater where his car was parked, which was not a part of the parking lot. The vehicle reportedly had a Tennessee license plate. He did not resist arrest. A bomb squad robot was brought to the scene to investigate the vehicle.
Police evacuated the suspect's apartment building in North Aurora, CO after he informed police he had explosives there. A SWAT team is on scene.
Police first received reports of the shooting at 12:39 a.m. MST. The police station is located two to three blocks from the theater, and witnesses said the response was immediate.
Fania said police were grabbing victims and transporting them to the hospital in their police vehicles.
A witness told KUSA that he heard anywhere from 10 to 20 shots, then some small explosions and screaming. He said the public announcement system came on instructing everyone to get out of the theater and the fire alarm was pulled.
An explosive device was found in a theater, and there are two reports that explosives were found in the parking lot.
Witnesses in the theater were reportedly bussed away from the scene to be interviewed by police at a local high school. One eye witness said they thought it was part of the movie.
Another witness at an area hospital told CNN that she saw an infant come into the emergency room covered in blood.
Police are calling it "a mass tactical incident." Officials have set up two command posts in the area: one at a Dillard's department store and the other at Gateway High School.
The FBI has told CNN the shooting is not connected to any terrorist group.
Tracy Weise, the spokesperson for the Medical Center of Aurora, said walk-in victims to the hospital are being treated for gas inhalation. The patients are being "decontaminated," meaning doctors are cleansing the gas from the patients eyes and skin.
Nicole Williams, a spokeswoman for the Swedish Medical Center, said on CNN that the hospital has received three victims; an 18-year-old male, a 29-year-old male and a 20-year-old female. The 18-year-old male has been treated and released, but the other two are in critical condition and have been taken into the operating room.
Williams said that the hospital is a Level 1 trauma center and because of their proximity to the shooting they are receiving patients. She also said that other hospitals are reporting walk-in patients, meaning those victims drove themselves to the hospital.
President Obama said in statement that he was "shocked and saddened" by the shooting and offered his support to the people of Aurora.
"All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come," said Obama.
Potential Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney also offered his condolences, adding that he is "deeply saddened by the news of the senseless violence..."
Aurora is about 20 miles from Columbine, CO, where in 1999 Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire in Columbine High School and killed 12 students and one teacher. Twenty-one others were injured.
Copyright 2012 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
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