Policemen Say Officers Initially Thought James Holmes Was a Cop During Aurora Cinema Shooting

Made the statement in pre-trial hearing

(Reuters) - Accused Colorado theater gunman James Holmes was clad in body armor when he shot dead 12 moviegoers, leading responding police to mistake him for a fellow officer, two policemen said at a pretrial hearing on Tuesday.

"I initially thought he was another police officer … (but) he wasn't acting like other officers," Aurora Police Officer Jason Oviatt said about the moment he encountered Holmes in the parking lot of a suburban Denver cinema.

When Oviatt and fellow officer Jason Sweeney realized that Holmes' gear was not police issue, they ordered him to the ground at gunpoint and handcuffed him, Oviatt told the court.