AURORA, Colo. — Police have confirmed the apartment belonging to the suspected gunman from Friday morning’s shooting in Aurora, Colo., is booby-trapped.
After taking the suspect, 24-year-old James Holmes, into custody, police said he alluded to having explosives in his apartment. During their investigation of the man’s apartment, firefighters were hoisted into the air via a fire truck ladder and knocked out a window to Holmes’ apartment. Using a camera on a pole, firefighters took pictures inside the apartment and discovered explosive devices inside. It’s unclear at this time what those devices are, but Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said if the door of the apartment were to open, an explosion would occur.
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“From the pictures, what we can see, it appears to be a sophisticated system,” he said.
Oates added that he is unsure of how long investigators will remain on the scene.
“We could be here for hours or for days,” he said.
As a precaution, Aurora police have evacuated five buildings surrounding the apartment. FBI agents, police and firefighters remain on the scene. Currently, the are trying to determine the best way to disarm the device, or devices inside the suspect’s apartment.
In a dumpster outside the apartment complex, authorities retrieved shooting targets with bullet holes in them. It’s unclear at this time if they belonged to the suspect.
Police said around 12:30 a.m. an armed gunman, believed to be Holmes, opened fire on movie goers attending a midnight viewing of “The Dark Knight Rises.” Twelve people were killed and dozens more were injured.
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Witness said at first, they thought the gunman, dressed in riot gear, was part of the movie. It was until the gunman shot the ceiling that people realized they were in danger.
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