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Police Officer Stationed Outside Movie Theater in Aurora Colorado
The names of the victims of the shooting rampage in Aurora, Colorado included a 4th generation Navy sailor. 27-year-old Petty Officer Third Class John Larimer was stationed at Buckley Air Force Base, less than five miles from the senseless tragedy early yesterday morning.
In what is considered to be the largest mass killing in American history, a deeply troubled former University of Colorado graduate student burst into a theater featuring the midnight premier of the latest Batman movie and shot 71 people and killing at least 12. According to eyewitnesses inside the theater, the shooter just opened fire indiscriminately on the front rows of the audience and said nothing during the incident that lasted about five minutes. Luckily the shooter was apprehended just moments after he left the building and attempted to flee in his car.
The shooter has been identified as 24-year-old James Holmes and was described as wearing full tactical gear, including a ballistic helmet, gas mask and vest. He was also heavily armed with an AR-15 .223 caliber rifle, a Remington 12-gauge shotgun and a .40 caliber Glock handgun. As much of the nation and much of the world now knows, Holmes threw at least two tear gas devices into the crowd, many of whom thought it was part of the movie’s entertainment. Also among the 12 victims were a 6-year-old girl and aspiring sports journalist Jessica Ghawi. According to current news reports, not all of those killed by the lone gunman have been identified.
Petty Officer Larimer of Crystal Lake, Illinois, barely had one year of military service at the time of his death. He was stationed at the U.S. Cyber Command/U.S. Tenth Fleet at Buckley AFB and was the youngest sibling amongst his family. Another Navy sailor who may have been with Larimer at the theater was treated and released a short time later. No other information about Petty Officer Larimer was available at this time.
Randy Yagi
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