Three of the victims of the Aurora, Col. shooting have sued Cinemark USA, the owner of the theater, claiming that the theater should have had armed security guards on duty.
On July 20, suspect James Holmes stormed a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” and opened fire in the sold out theater. 12 people were killed and 58 wounded. Holmes surrendered to police in the parking lot, and is currently on trial.
The two lawsuits filed in Denver Friday allege that the crowded event warranted extra security, saying, “although the theater was showing a midnight premier of the movie and was expecting large crowds of people to attend the midnight showing, no security personnel were present for that showing.”
“The lawsuit is based upon Cinemark’s failure to provide for the safety and security of its theater and its patrons,” the victims’ attorney Christina Habas stated in a news release. “Readily available security procedures, security equipment and security personnel would likely have prevented or deterred the gunman from accomplishing his planned assault on the theater’s patrons.”
The suits also specifically notes the theater’s lack of security near the rear exit, which was used by Holmes during the shooting. “The exterior doors to the theater were lacking in any alarm system, interlocking security systems, or any other security or alarm features,” the suit reads.
Cinemark hasn’t issued any official response.
The theater is scheduled to re-open sometime next year.