James Holmes ID’d as Suspected Gunman in Colorado Theater Shooting

James Holmes has been identified by federal law enforcement officials as the suspect in Friday's deadly theater shooting in Colorado. James Holmes, a 24-year-old white American.

Officials believe James Holmes killed a dozen people when he fired into a crowded movie theater in a Denver suburb. He was wearing a gas mask and set off an unknown gas in the theater.

James Holmes is in police custody, and the FBI says there is no indication that incident is tied to any terrorist groups.

The federal law enforcement officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

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Theater No. 9 at a Colorado multiplex was packed with moviegoers just getting into a midnight screening of the newest Batman film when a man clad in black and wearing a gas mask burst through the door.

According to witness reports to local media, the man threw a canister which erupted in smoke before opening fire indiscriminately on the crowd. One witness tells KUSA the gunman said nothing before or during the early Friday shooting.

Those in an adjacent theater say the bullets pierced the walls. Some believed the gunfire was part of the movie. One man in the theater says when he heard moaning and knew people were in pain. Video showed people being carried away.

(The Associated Press 2012)