Two of the largest mass shootings in U.S. history took place in 2012.
On July 20, a man entered a theater in Aurora, Colo., and opened fire, killing 12 people and wounding another 58. Mostly in their 20s—although some were children—the victims had been watching the midnight premiere of the new Batman movie, “Dark Knight Rising,” when the gunman appeared in the theater and threw down two gas canisters before shooting into the audience.
Local officials said that the gunman, James Holmes, 24, used an assault rifle, a shotgun, and two Glock pistols, and that he was carrying 6,000 rounds of ammunition. The gunman also wore gear similar to that worn by police SWAT teams, a tactical armored vest, a throat protector, a groin protector, a gas mask, and a ballistic helmet.
On Dec. 14, the Connecticut school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary delivered another shock to the American people and left many deeply pained, as Americans learned that 20 children—ages 6 and 7—were killed, is addition to six teachers and staff.
The suspected shooter, Adam Lanza, 20, killed his mother before heading to the school that Friday. He also took his own life, bringing the death toll to 28.
With the school death toll at 26, the Newtown shooting was the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, behind the 2007 shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University that left 32 people dead.
