CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Hours after the Aurora movie theater had been emptied of victims on July 20, 2012, a mass of abandoned cell phones lay scattered throughout the room, ringing incessantly. It went on all night, Aurora Police Sgt. Specialist Gerald Jonsgaard — a first responder at the scene — said Wednesday morning as he took the stand on Day 3 of the Aurora theater shooting trial.
Holding back tears, Jonsgaard said he checked the pulse of every victim after they’d been presumed dead.
“I guess I just wanted to make sure that nothing more could be done,” he said.
Jonsgaard was the first witness prosecutors called Wednesday morning. Throughout the day, they continued to reconstruct the scene of that fateful night in 2012.
District Attorney George Brauchler promised the jury would hear from or about every victim in the coming months. The defense has argued this is unnecessary as no one is challenging the identity of the gunman or the events that took place. Witnesses called to the stand were not asked to identify James Holmes, the defendant.
The defense on Wednesday maintained its strategy of foregoing cross-examination. The argument behind that move: The defendant was acting upon a schizophrenic delusion and was consequently unable to discern right from wrong. The defense does not intend to create reasonable doubt; rather, they intend to prove insanity.
The defendant took 12 lives that night in 2012, injured 70 people and devastated a community. But he didn’t come close to wreaking the havoc he had intended. The prosecution alluded in its opening statements Monday that the shooter failed in his murderous plan in the same way he’d failed at school, and in attempts at romance and overcoming his social anxiety.
A “big, gaping hole”
Holmes kept his eyes trained on Joshua Nowlan, a witness called to the stand, for the entirety of the testimony. Holmes’ chair pivoted side-to-side — slowly, continuously.
Nowlan now walks with a cane. He testified that about 15 minutes into the showing of the premier of “The Dark Knight Rises,” the attack began. On the stand, he tapped out the sound of the three-round bursts emitted from Holmes’ weapon. He helped protect a friend and was subsequently shot in his left leg and his right arm. He described a “big, gaping hole,” in both his arm and his leg and a hot burning sensation. As Nowlan spoke, Holmes’ mother, Arlene, shook, trying to keep her composure.
Nowlan refused to make eye contact with his attacker. He did not glance over once.
Annette Brook has worked for the Aurora Police Department for 23 years. She smiled uncomfortably in anticipation of the prosecution’s questions. She described a chaotic scene.
“If it’s got a pulse, get them out of here,” Brook said, recalling the saying that summed up the night. She recalled assisting an African-American man who was shot in the arm. She recalled assisting a white woman with black pants who couldn’t walk. She recalled an unresponsive male, unconscious with his arm outstretched. She thought the man was dead at first, but then she saw his back move.
“We just threw him into the car,” Brook said.
Defendant’s mother visibly shaken
Brook’s testimony also shook the defendant’s mother. Arlene Holmes struggled to maintain composure. She took quiet, deep breaths to steady herself. She gasped once and held in tears as her shoulders slumped inward. Her hand cupped her mouth and muffled any sound that might have escape. A box of unused tissues stayed at her feet.
Members of the jury appeared engaged and asked more than 20 follow-up questions, which followed most witness testimonies.
Jury questions seemed to be probing for the mental state of Holmes during the attack, such as demeanor and approach, which prompted the defense to object.
The trial is expected to last three to four months.
Lauren Snelgrove contributed to this report.
Editor’s Note: CU News Corps will remember the victims of the tragedy with every post via this graphic.
