2012 Aurora shooting location

This is the movie theater where the 2012 Aurora shooting occurred.

It is located at 14300 East Alameda Avenue in Aurora, Colorado.

At the time, it was called Century 16. These days, it is known as the Cinemark Century.

In the early hours of July 20th, 2012, a gunman named James Holmes launched a premeditated attack against an audience at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

Earlier that night, the 24-year-old neuroscience graduate bought a ticket for the film and calmly sat in the front row.

At around 12.20 a.m., he got up and left via the exit door.

While the movie continued playing, he walked to his vehicle, grabbed three weapons, and dressed himself in bullet-resistant tactical gear.

Roughly ten minutes later, he reentered the theater via the same door, threw a canister of tear gas, and opened fire on the audience with a shotgun, a semi-automatic rifle, and a handgun.

Twelve victims lost their lives in the shooting, including a six-year-old girl named Veronica Moser-Sullivan. 70 people were also injured.

When the police arrived at the scene, they found Holmes standing by his vehicle at the rear exit. The arresting officer, Jason Oviatt, said that he put up no resistance and seemed completely "disconnected" from what was happening.

During court proceedings, Holmes' former psychiatrist said that he had a history of "psychotic-level thinking" and homicidal ideation.

In July 2015, Holmes was found guilty of multiple counts of first-degree murder. One month later, a judge gave him 12 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Photos

Photos of the movie theater and other related images.

Century 16

Image source: Google Maps

This Google Street View of the Century 16 movie theater was taken in August 2019.

During the shooting, Holmes parked his vehicle at the back, near the exit for Theater 9 (around the corner on the right).

He was later arrested while standing next to his car.

Theater 9

The exit door for Theater 9 is at the back of Century 16, facing South Sable Boulevard.

Shooting

This Google Street View image shows the exit door for Theater 9 (yellow circle) and the spot where Holmes parked his vehicle (red ellipse).

Roughly twenty minutes into the movie, the 24-year-old stood up and left via the exit door.

He then walked to his car, grabbed his weapons, and returned.

Following the shooting, Aurora police officer Jason Oviatt found Holmes standing next to his vehicle at the back of the multiplex. At first, Oviatt mistook him for another officer, as he was wearing a tactical helmet, gas mask, and tactical clothing.

However, he soon noticed that he was acting oddly.

When Oviatt ordered Holmes to get on his knees, he did so and put up no resistance. During the arrest, he seemed calm and "disconnected".

After being taken into custody, he told the officers how many guns he had. He also informed them that he had acted alone and that his apartment was rigged with explosives.