A judge in the western U.S. state of Colorado has ordered movie theater shooting suspect James Holmes to remain in jail until his next court appearance when he likely will be formally charged.
Prosecutors said Monday they are considering pursuing the death penalty for Holmes, who allegedly killed 12 people and wounded 58 others at a midnight screening Friday of the new Batman film The Dark Knight Rises.
Holmes, with his hair dyed bright orange, said nothing and looked dazed and unemotional during his first court appearance on Monday. The judge informed him that he could face first degree murder charges.
Mass Shootings in U.S. History
April 20, 1999: Columbine High School, Littleton, Colorado - Two students armed with guns, knives and bombs kill 12 students, one teacher and themselves.April 16, 2007: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia - A student kills 33 people in a shooting rampage on the campus before committing suicide.
Nov. 5, 2009: Fort Hood, Texas - A U.S. Army psychiatrist kills 13 people in a shooting spree. The assailant is currently being tried in a military court.
July 20, 2012: Aurora, Colorado - A gunman kills 12 people at a theater during the premier of the latest Batman movie before being arrested by police.
Lisa Damiani, a lawyer representing the Holmes family, said the family's hearts go out to the victims. She gave no details about the family, but said they are doing as well as can be expected. Damiani stressed that the case is significant and that it must be tried in court, not in the media.
Authorities are investigating James Holmes and what might have turned a former Ph.D. student in neuroscience into a suspected mass murderer.
Police say Holmes is refusing to talk.
Police say Holmes is refusing to talk.
Holmes allegedly tossed a tear gas bomb into the theater before shooting at the audience with several weapons. Police arrested him without a struggle in the parking lot.
The shooting has renewed gun control debates in the United States, particularly about the lack of regulation on purchasing ammunition over the Internet. Authorities say Holmes bought thousands of bullets from websites in recent months. Proponents of such sales say it is legitimate for sportsmen to buy large amounts of ammunition online.
