Crime & Safety

Crystal Lake Man Confirmed Dead in Colorado 'Dark Knight' Shooting

The father of John T. Larimer said his son was one of the 12 people killed during the July 20 midnight showing of the new Batman movie in Aurora, Colorado.

Crystal Lake resident Scott Larimer on Saturday morning confirmed his son, John T. Larimer, was one of the 12 victims killed at the Aurora, Colorado movie theater on Friday.

The Larimer family, who had spent all day Friday frantically trying to reach their 27-year-old son, received word of his fate nearly 24 hours after the shooting.

"We finally heard the news at around midnight last night," Scott Larimer said from his home on Cedar Crest Drive, as he talked with neighbors stopping by to give their condolences.

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Media trucks with news reporters and cameras waited on the street.

The family issued this statement on Saturday, July 21:

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"Last night about midnight a Navy notification team arrived at our house to let us officially know that our 27-year-old son John was in fact one of the 12 killed at the theater in Aurora, Colorado.

At this point our other son, Noel, is in Denver working with the Navy, and the family here in Illinois to make arrangements to bring John home.   

We respectfully ask that the family and friends of John be allowed time and privacy to grieve for John, and we send our thoughts and prayers out to the families of the other victims and those still recovering in the hospital.

We love you John, and we will miss you always."

Larimer Family

Crystal Lake, IL

John Larimer, a graduate of Crystal Lake South High School, was a member of the U.S. Navy and went to the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises with friends. According to several reports, there were five military personnel inside the theater.

The alleged gunman, James Holmes, who is being held in the Arapaho County Jail, entered through a back door of the theatre and began shooting. Authorities say Holmes over the past 60 days had purchased six guns at local metropolitan gun shops in the Denver area. He also bought more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition through the Internet, according to Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates.

Oates said in a Friday evening press conference 70 people were injured in the attack, most from gun fire. A few people sustained injuries while trying to flee the theater.

Ten of the victims were killed inside the theater, Oates said. John Larimer was one of those 10, his father Scott said. Two more people died after being transported to the hospital.

As of last night, 30 victims were still hospitalized, 11 of those are listed in critical condition.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, at the same press conference, called the attack "a senseless act of violence...there just aren't words to describe it."


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