Police Testify About Aurora Shooter's Calm Demeanor at Scene
Officer testifies Holmes was "very relaxed" following mass shooting
The first day of preliminary hearings in the case of the Aurora, Colo. theater shooting was an emotional one, as police officers testified about what they saw when responding to the scene of the bloody July 20 rampage that killed 12 people and injured 58. And it's likely just the beginning of several days of similar testimony.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys are presenting evidence in a Centennial, Colo., courtroom in case of James Eagan Holmes, 24, who was charged in July with 142 counts of murder and attempted murder after he opened fire at a July 20 midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. At the conclusion of the hearing he is expected to find out if he will stand trial for his actions.
Arapahoe County judge William Sylvester will decide whether the 24-year-old former neuroscience student is mentally competent to stand trial. Early in the day's testimony, Holmes was described as "out of it" by the officer who found him after the shooting, according to reports from The Denver Post.