"Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew of The Dark Knight Rises, I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community.
I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime.
The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me.
Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families."
Warner Bros. is pulling the trailer for its upcoming release Gangster Squad from theaters following today's shooting massacre in Colorado because the trailer features a sequence where gunmen open fire in a movie theater, killing audience members.
The trailer is playing before some prints of The Dark Knight Rises, another Warners movie and the film playing when the massacre occurred.
"A spokeswoman for Warner Bros. could not say whether the trailer will be re-cut to eliminate the offending footage," according to TheWrap. "Though the trailer had run prior to screenings of The Dark Knight Rises, it did not play before the Aurora screening."
The trailer remained widely available online at time of publish.
Gangster Squad is slated for release September 7, but it remains to be seen whether that will now be changed in light of today's tragedy.
A gunman, reportedly masked and dressed in body armor, opened fire today at an early morning screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, killing 14 and wounding roughly 50. Several children were among the victims, including a 9-year-old girl. Police have the suspect in custody. The gunman is said to be in his 20s.
The Denver Post quotes survivors and witnesses as saying the man entered the theater dressed in body armor and carrying a canister that released gas. Initially, not all audience members realized they were under attack as they believed the sounds of gunfire were part of the movie.
Associated Press reports that the gunman "stood at the front of the theater and fired into the crowd about 12:30 a.m. MDT at a multiplex theater in a mall in Aurora. 'Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire,"Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said at a news conference."
The gunman is not believed to have had any accomplices and no motive for the crime has yet been reported. Police also checked a local apartment searching for explosives, reportedly based on comments made by the suspect, whose identity has not been revealed.
10 victims are said to have died at the theater and four at hospitals. The youngest victim is said to be 6-years-old being treated at Children's Hospital Colorado, where 10 victims were taken.
President Obama released the following statement on the shooting: "Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado. Federal and local law enforcement are still responding, and my Administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family. 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.ople of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors."
