AURORA, CO (WFSB/AP) -
A Connecticut man was among the dozens of victims injured or killed when a masked man opened fire in a Colorado movie theater Friday morning.
Stephen Barton, of Southbury, says he was on a cross country biking trip. He happened to be in Aurora, Colorado, and decided to catch the midnight screening of the Batman movie. He says about 20 minutes into the movie he saw the suspect throw something that turned out to be a gas canister, and then start shooting.
"I don't really remember people starting to really scream until I got hit," says Barton, "and then it was like mass mayhem."
Police say 24-year-old James Holmes killed 12 people and injured dozens more in that attack. Barton was shot in the neck. He says he managed to make it out of the theater, where a police officer drove him to the hospital in his cruiser. Part of his neck is now being held together by staples.
Barton's mom flew out from Southbury to be with him in the hospital. There's no word on when he'll be allowed to come home. He's still trying to come to terms with what happened in the theater that night.
"The thought really passed my mind that, this is not actually happening." Barton says, "It was hard to believe it even when it was happening. On some level I guess I realized there's a shooter in the theater and he's killing people. But, on another level I guess I didn't really want to believe it."
Copyright 2012 WFSB (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
