“Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew of The Dark Knight Rises, I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community.
I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime.
The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me.
Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families.”
- Statement from Christopher Nolan, one which sums up how I feel personally.
I’ve avoided commenting much on the shooting, mostly because there’s still so much left to be determined. Also because it broke while I was at work yesterday around 2:30-3am. Combine that with a fire that killed four people in Newark as well and you could say I had a pretty crazy day.
That said, I’ll offer a few quick thoughts.
- We can’t rush to judgment about the shooter. I know it’s too late for that and it’s just wishful thinking on my part. Don’t speculate on motives, whether or not he was dressed like the Joker, or anything else on that line until we get concrete facts. ABC News got burned earlier for connecting him to the Tea Party, which they have since corrected and apologized for. I know it seems like he’s a total nutjob, and he may very well be, but you can’t assume with a story as sensitive as this. There are way too many facts still to be determined to make a rash decision.
- On a related note, it was a hell of an experience to be in the newsroom when this broke. It was the end of my first week as interim producer and breaking stories are part of what makes the job so fun.
- To people from both sides of the gun control argument: today or the next 2-3 days is not the time for that debate. This is time to remember those who were killed and everyone who is affected by this senseless act. While it’s certainly a worthwhile discussion, and one that needs to be had and should have been had way before now, to have it within such a short time frame will not promote the most effective outcome.
I’ll have more thoughts on the next podcast. For now, my thoughts are obviously with everyone affected.
