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This is Renegade Files Episode 82, James Holmes the Batman Shøøter.

Just after midnight on July 20, 2012 an armed man in a gas mask set off tear gas in a crowded theater at the premier of Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises in the Century 16 multiplex Cinema in Aurora, Colorado. Before the smoke cleared 12 were dead, and 70 were injured. Lone gunman James Holmes then walked out, leaned calmly against his white Hyundai, still in body armor and gas mask, and waited to be arrested.

At 12:38 police dispatch received a call: gunshots fired in theater. Ninety seconds later police were on the scene. Pandemonium. Four minutes later 24 year-old James Holmes was in the back of a cop car.

The arresting officer initially thought Holmes was on the SWAT team, and when he asked him if he was the one who had done this, he tells us that Holmes replied, “I am the Joker,” but Holmes denies ever saying that.

The Superhero-Villain angles made the story huge news, and when Holmes arrived in court with fluorescent orange-dyed hair and a wide-eyed vacant expression, the world’s attention was galvanized. 

This was a tragedy with needless injuries, unnecessary loss of life, and untold psychological stress forced upon both the people there and upon a nation.

This podcast episode was not created to suggest this event didn’t happen, nor to capitalize on the tragedy, and my heartfelt compassion goes out to everyone who has been affected by this very real crime.

I’ve put this episode off for a while now, but I finally decided that there’s information here that needs to be brought to light. If this event did not happen in the way we have been told, or if important facts have been left unchecked, then the circumstances here deserve a deeper look.

That’s what we’ll do today. This is not an episode of sensationalism, although many of the facts are dramatic. But there’s something here that just feels wrong, out of place, or slightly off in some ways that are difficult to pinpoint.

It’s the tidy way that it was all packaged, the conflicting reports that were ignored, the high-level connections of some of those involved, and the almost cartoonish evidence presented after the fact.

When logic clashes with the official narrative, I go to work. In this episode I’ll do my best to give you the facts we know, the details that seem irrational, and the connections others have overlooked so you and I can view this tragic event with fresh eyes.

So join me now, and together we will dive deep into the stories surrounding James Holmes, the Batman Shøøter.

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Copyrights and Licensing:

Theme Song: “Steve’s Djembe” by Vani, FMA, licensed: Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 License.

“Jimmi Nixon” by Flow Lab Cult, DV8NOW Records, licensed: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License.

The Police Radio Dispatch audio used in this episode has been released to the public and is Public Domain. Audio of witness Interviews used in this episode are short clips presented here for editorial and commentary purposes and are used under Fair Use.

The audio recording and text transcript of this podcast episode: “James Holmes the Batman Shøøter – RF082” is © 2025 DV8NOW Publishing LLC . The Renegade Files name and the Renegade Files UFO-Pyramid Logo are wholly owned Trademarks of DV8NOW Publishing LLC .

About Fair Use: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, a "Fair Use" allowance is made for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair Use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

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