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We're following the tragic shooting in Denver today that has left 12 people dead so far and 38 injured. The shooting happened at the Century 16 Movie Theaters at the Aurora Town Center during a midnight showing of the film The Dark Night Rises. NBC News has confirmed the suspect is 24-year-old James Holmes, who police say appeared at the front of the theater, threw some type of gas or explosive device, and open fired. The gruesome details are beginning to trickle out from eyewitnesses, such as Jennifer Seeger, who said the shooter at one point aimed the gun at her head but then shot the people seated behind her. 

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For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

President Obama was informed of the massacre at 5:26 am by chief counterterrorism adviser John Brennan. Both the President and his opponent Mitt Romney immediately issued statements expressing condolences for the victims. Obama was scheduled to appear at two rallies in Florida today, one in Fort Myers and another in Winter Park, but in light of the tragedy, he decided to return to Washington and suspend his campaign's political activity for the day along with Mitt Romney.

Following a massacre like this, it is hard to avoid heated debates about gun control laws. Politicians and journalists are already connecting the dots. If history is any guide, says the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza, today's shooting will do little to change the direction of the gun control debate, which has been moving away from stricter legislation for some time now.  Others have displayed less tact in their comments, such as Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tx.), who questioned why nobody else in the theater had a gun to take down the shooter. 

But in general, today's event strike a chord in our national consciousness, and we are all reminded of the similar horrors that took place 13 years ago in Columbine, not far from Aurora. Dave Cullen, author of the best-selling book Columbine will join us tonight to talk about the lessons we've learned since then. 

Stay with us for more updates on this story as it unfolds.