Before he allegedly shot
12 people dead at a cinema in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday, James Holmes
was considered a quiet young man, introverted but pleasant.
The 24-year-old had been studying for a PhD in neuroscience
at the University of Colorado at Denver, although he was about to quit.
"He basically was socially awkward, but not to the degree
that would warrant suspicion of mass murder or any atrocity of this
magnitude," said Billy Kromka, a research assistant at a lab where he
spent several months last summer.
The FBI said he had no significant criminal record - local
police said he had a speeding ticket from 2011 - and no links to
terrorism.
Scholarship
Mr Holmes was born on 13 December 1987 in San Diego County,
California, where he spent at least part of his childhood.
In 2006, he graduated from Westview High School in the
upmarket district of Torrey Highlands, where his parents still live. A
yearbook showed he had played football for the school's junior varsity,
or "B" team.
A former classmate, Breanna Hath, said Mr Holmes was
extremely quiet, "really sweet, shy" and "didn't have any creepy vibe
about him at all".
"There were no real girls he was involved with," she told the
Washington Post. "It seemed he was really into a video game group that
hung out together."
Intellectually gifted, Mr Holmes won a scholarship to study at the
University of California at Riverside, where he gained a bachelor's
degree in neuroscience in 2010.
"He had the capability to do anything he wanted
academically," Timothy White, the university's chancellor, told
reporters on Friday.
After graduation Mr Holmes returned to San Diego, where he is
said to have struggled to find a job. Eventually, he got part-time work
at McDonald's.
In June 2011, Mr Holmes enrolled in the doctoral programme at
the University of Colorado at Denver and moved into an apartment
building near the Anschutz Medical Campus in the eastern suburb of
Aurora.
In his application to rent the apartment, he
described himself as "quiet and easy-going", according to the Denver
Post.
Gabriel Macias, another resident who works a nearby factory,
said Mr Holmes was "always wearing camouflage pants and a hat".
"We did not know him well because he talked to nobody. He was
always locked up behind his door," he told the AFP news agency.
Lab colleague Billy Kromka said he had been one of the
quieter people, and had spent much of his time immersed in his computer,
often participating in role-playing online games.
By the spring of this year, Mr Holmes had begun to struggle with his
studies and got weak scores on the comprehensive exams last semester.
'Bizarre voicemail'
His supervisors had planned to give him remedial instruction,
an unnamed faculty member told the Washington Post, but he instead
decided to end his studies in early June. The university has confirmed
he was "in the process of withdrawing".
Police said James Holmes had been
wearing a gas mask, along with protective clothing and a helmet
In the 60 days leading up to the cinema attack, Mr Holmes
legally bought four weapons at local gun shops - an AR-15 semi-automatic
rifle, two .40-calibre Glock handguns and a 12-gauge Remington shotgun.
Chief Dan Oates of Aurora police said he also purchased more
than 6,000 rounds of ammunition on the internet, including 3,000 rounds
for the assault rifle, 3,000 for the Glocks and 300 for the shotgun.
In June, the owner of a gun range rejected Mr Holmes'
application after hearing a "bizarre - guttural, freakish" message on
his voicemail.
On Thursday night, the suspect was arrested in the car park
of the Aurora multiplex cinema where the shootings were carried out.
He was said to have been in possession of several firearms,
and to have surrendered without incident.
New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters on Friday that Mr
Holmes had portrayed himself as Batman's arch-rival, the Joker.
"It clearly looks like a deranged individual. He had his hair painted
red, he said he was 'The Joker', obviously the 'enemy' of Batman," he
said.
Aurora police would not discuss any motive for the attack
They said Mr Holmes had told them during questioning that there were
explosives in his apartment, and that officers had discovered chemical
and incendiary devices linked by wires.
The San Diego Police Department later released a statement on
behalf of the Holmes family, which said:
"Our hearts go out to those
who were involved in this tragedy."
"We ask that the media respect our privacy at this difficult
time... We are still trying to process this information and appreciate
that people respect our privacy," the statement added.
source: bbc
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