US Navy Sailor Among Dead in Colorado Theater Shooting
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John M. Hageman, U.S. Navy(AURORA, Colo.) — The family of a Navy sailor from Illinois confirmed Saturday that he was among the 12 victims killed in the mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater.
John Larimer’s family said in a statement they were notified around midnight Saturday at their Crystal Lake, Ill., home by a Navy notification team that their 27-year-old son was dead. Larimer’s relatives are now are making arrangements to bring Larimer’s body back to Illinois.
Suspected gunman James Holmes, 24, is accused of opening fire on moviegoers early Friday during a sold-out midnight screening of the new “Batman” movie, “The Dark Knight Rises,” at a mall in Aurora, Colo., killing 12 people and injuring 58 others.
Two other people died at the hospital, including 24-year-old aspiring sportscaster Jessica Ghawi. Police said 30 people remained hospitalized with 11 of them are in critical condition. Bullets from the shooting spree tore through the theater and into adjoining theaters, where at least one other person was struck and injured.
Department of Defense officials announced Friday that two airmen and one sailor were injured in the shooting and another sailor, known to have been at the theater that evening, was unaccounted for. The Navy and the Air Force are working with the families of these servicemen.
Authorities in Aurora said they have finished the grim task of identifying the 10 victims who were killed inside the theater and are now going door-to-door to notify families.
Others among the confirmed dead include Micayla Medek, 23; Alex Teves, 24; Alex Sullivan, 27, who was attending the movie for his birthday; and Ohio native Matt McQuinn.
The number of casualties makes the incident the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.
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