AP
People gather outside the Century 16 movie theatre in Aurora, Colo., at the scene of a mass shooting.
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Chilling 911 calls that captured the sound of dozens of flying bullets — and a young teen weeping over the body of her dead 6-year-old cousin — were replayed at a “Dark Knight’’ massacre pre-trial hearing today.
Panicked moviegoer Kevin Quinonez was the first to call 911 — and can be heard shouting, “There’s some guy ... after us!’’ amid the gunfire.
“You can hear at least 30 shots in the background,’’ testified Aurora, Colo., police Detective Randy Hansen of the 27-second phone call from Quinonez, who survived.
Reuters
James Holmes, suspect in a July 20 shooting rampage at a movie theatre which left 12 people dead and 70 more wounded, is seen in this undated police handout photo released by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office in Littleton, Colorado
The second wrenching 911 call came from a sobbing 13-year-old relative of both Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6, who died in the bloodbath, and the dead girl’s mom, who was left paralyzed.
“My two cousins, they’re sitting on the floor ... one of them” is not breathing, the stricken teen told the dispatcher.
As the 911 operator tried to give the girl instructions on how to perform CPR, the child replies, “I can’t hear! ... It’s too loud! ... I can’t hear you! I’m so sorry.’’
The playing of the tapes in the Centennial, Colo., courtroom left some survivors and relatives of the dead there in tears.
“It hurts because you can hear the gunshots and people screaming,” said Chantel Blunk, whose husband, Jonathan, was among the 12 killed in the Aurora movie theater July 20.
As for alleged killer James Holmes — who dyed his hair flaming red and called himself “the Joker’’ after the slaughter at “The Dark Knight Rises’’ Batman flick — “He’s just sitting there. There’s no emotion,’’ she said incredulously.
“How can you just sit there?”
A judge has been holding hearings as required this week to determine whether there is enough evidence to bring Holmes, now 25, to trial.
Also testifying today were FBI and ATF agents who revealed the excruciating lengths to which Holmes allegedly set a massive booby trap for police back at his apartment.
The deadly set-up included three jars of “improvised,’’ or homemade, napalm and the chemical thermite — which burns so intensely that even water can’t put it out.
The home’s carpet was saturated with gasoline, trip wires crisscrossed the rooms, and before he left for the theater, Holmes had allegedly placed a boom-box in a white garbage bag outside his door rigged to play white noise for 40 minutes — and then set off a blast of music.
Neighbors would call the cops to complain, he reasoned, thus luring officers there to their death, officials have said.
Residents never called the cops.
After being tipped off by Holmes himself to the trap when he was busted, the cops used a remote-controlled robot to search the apartment.
“We could see ... a trip wire. It looked like a fishing line running from the door jam contacted to a thermos. We later learned it was full of glycerine,’’ said FBI Agent Garrett Gumbinner.
“The thermos was positioned over a frying pan that was full of potassium permanganate. When it mixes with glycerin, it would cause sparks.’’
Additional reporting by Kate Sheehy
jennifer.bain@nypost.com
'Dark Knight' massacre 911 calls played in court; sounds of gunfire & crying heard
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