Report lauds Aurora’s response to theater shooting, offers recommendations

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Photo: The Aurora movie theater where 12 people were killed in a July 2012 mass shootingThe city of Aurora received high marks for its immediate response to the 2012 Aurora theater shooting in an independent report released Wednesday.

The report, commissioned by the city and carried out by TriData, concluded that the "outcome could not have been better in terms of lives saved and a rapid arrest."

"While there are things to improve, as is always found in hindsight, the City of Aurora should be proud of its response to the largest civilian shooting in U.S. history, and the largest mass casualty incident in Aurora’s history," the report states.

It says medics trying to get to the severely wounded were stopped by movie-goers rushing out of the theater, and first responders lacked a coordinated effort to transport them to hospitals.

TriData, which has reviewed responses to other shootings at Columbine and Virginia Tech, offered more than 80 recommendations to the city in handling future incidents.

Among those suggestions: