Police Now Say 12 Dead In Movie Theater Shooting [VIDEO]

(Updated at 8:50AM) Police Chief Dan Oates now says 12 people are dead following a shooting at suburban Denver movie theater. Initial reports said at least 14 people had been killed.

He says 50 others were injured when a gunman opened fire early Friday at the Aurora theater during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises according to the DenverChannel.com. Oates says said 10 victims died at the theater and four at area hospitals. KUSA-TV reports the youngest victim was 6 years old. A suspect is in police custody. Officers found the gunman near a car behind the theater. “A gas mask, rifle, handgun at least one additional weapon (were) found inside,” said Oates.

Witnesses told the DenverChannel.com that people in an adjacent theater were also hurt when bullets pierced the wall.

Oates says one gunman stood at the front of one of the Century 16 theaters at the Aurora Mall at 12:45 AM MT. According to KUSA-TV the gunman was wearing a mask and dressed in black. He says, “witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire.”

Witnesses tell KUSA-TV they thought it was part of the movie. Witness Hayden Miller told KUSA-TV that he was inside Theater 16 and heard several shots. “Like little explosions going on and shortly after that we heard people screaming,” he told the station.

Hayden said at first he thought it was part of a louder movie next door. But then he saw “people hunched over leaving theater.”

There was no immediate word of any motive.