Aurora theater shooting hearing, day 3: James Holmes took photos of himself dressed to kill
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| James Holmes as seen at the only hearing to date at which cameras were allowed. |
Holmes also appears to have taken several photos in the late afternoon and early evening of July 19, mere hours before the attack. An image time-stamped 5:17 p.m. featured his bed, which was covered in red sheets. On it was his gear: a tactical vest with magazines for the rifle, a gas mask, a helmet, ballistic leggings, the rifle and a shotgun.
At 6:22 p.m., Holmes took a photo of himself in closeup. He wore a black skull cap -- a couple curls of red hair can be seen sticking out near his ears -- and what might be described as a sinister or devilish look on his face. His eyebrows were arched in the photo, and his eyes stood out due to black contact lenses that darkened the entire iris of his eye. The contacts may explain why some of the officers who responded to emergency calls thought that his pupils were dilated.
A photo taken three minutes later showed Holmes without the skull cap, allowing his dyed hair to be seen more clearly. However, he still wore the black contact lenses, set off by what Sergeant Fyles dubbed "a large, toothy smile." He also held one of his handguns in the foreground, at an angle past his chin, the muzzle pointing toward the ceiling.
At 6:31 p.m., Holmes took another photo of himself -- but this time, he held one of the fireworks shells that had been converted into an improvised explosive device. The fuse could be seen sticking out of the shell, and Holmes made a face as if blowing it out.
Continue for more about day three of the Aurora theater shooting preliminary hearing.
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