Eyewitness reports of people who were in the ‘Dark Knight Rises’ movie theater where a shooting erupted early this morning are saying they though the smoke and gunshots were part of a special effects promotion for the midnight showing.
Witnesses of the ‘Dark Knight’ theater shooting are speaking out about the horrible and terrifying experience they suffered on July 20.
Reports say that the gunman entered the theater through the emergency exit door and threw a gas canister into the air. He then opened fire on random people.
“Then it was a blur,” Spenser Sherman told CBS This Morning. “Then I heard a couple gunshots. I thought it was part of the movie, like a fun little prank – that it would be over in a few seconds. It obviously wasn’t.”
She only saw a silhouette of the suspect, and the gunman said nothing.”Everybody had dropped to the floor after the first couple gunshots, and then he fired some more. And then after that, there was a pause in the gunshots. Some people say he was reloading, I don’t know. But at that point, my boyfriend was like ‘This is the time, we need to go, we need to get out of the theater right now.’ So we ran.”
Another witness, Jennifer Seeger, told CBS Station KCNC that the suspect first fired gunshots up towards the ceiling, and then started spraying the audience with smoke bombs. He pointed the gun directly at her and she ducked. “He had a gas mask on so I couldn’t see his face,” she said. “All I smelled was gunpowder in the air, and gas was getting to me.”
Paul Otermat, told Sky News he was in the theater when the shooting starting and he “thought it was a publicity stunt” when he saw the man walk in wearing a long coat. ”Then he started firing shots into the crowd.” He and his girlfriend ducked to the floor and crept out as gunfire continued. “My girlfriend saw a canister on the ground that was still foaming …We ran through the lobby and we heard more shots, and we ran out into the parking lot and got into our car and left.”
CNN iReporter Adam Witt said the smoke smelled like a Fourth of July firework. Confused at first, he figured out what was going on after a few gunshots were fired. “There were so many people running,” he said. “I didn’t look back. I just remember getting up from the floor and shouting, ‘We have to run.’” Witt grabbed his wife’s hand and they rushed out of the theater. ”There was a moment where I lost her hand, but I grabbed her shirt,” he said. “We didn’t let go of each other.”
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