Shooting suspect quiet as he faces court_美文_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Shooting suspect quiet as he faces court

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The suspected gunman in the Colorado theater massacre headed to his first court appearance on Monday, but authorities said he refuses to talk, and it could take months to learn what prompted one of the worst mass shootings in US history.

James Holmes, 24, has been held in solitary confinement awaiting his hearing, where the charges of suspicion of first-degree murder will be read against him. Friday's shootings left 12 dead and 58 wounded, some critically.

"He's not talking to us," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said.

Police have said Holmes began buying guns at Denver-area stores nearly two months before the shooting and that he received at least 50 packages in four months at his home and at school. He recently purchased 6,000 rounds of ammunition over the Internet, the chief said.

During the attack, Holmes allegedly set off gas canisters and used a semiautomatic rifle, a shotgun and a pistol to open fire, Oates said.

The semi automatic assault rifle jammed during the attack, forcing the gunman to switch to another gun with less firepower, a federal law enforcement official told The Associated Press. That malfunction and weapons switch might have saved some lives.

The owner of a gun range said Holmes applied to join the club last month but never became a member because of his behavior and a "bizarre" message on his voice mail.

When Lead Valley Range owner Glenn Rotkovich called to invite Holmes to a mandatory orientation the following week, he said he heard a message on Holmes' voice mail that was "guttural, freakish at best".