A witness describes the deadly shooting at the Aurora, Colorado movie theater.

(CNN) - A heavily armed gunman attacked an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater early Friday, tossing tear gas before opening fire on the terrified audience and killing 12 and wounding 38, authorities said. The theater was showing the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises."

The shooting unfolded inside a darkened theater packed with Batman fans, some in costume for the movie's premiere. Screaming, panicked moviegoers scrambled to escape from the black-clad gunman, who wore a gas mask and randomly shot as he walked up the theater's steps, witnesses said.

The shooter was identified by two federal law enforcement officers as James Holmes, 24, of Aurora. He had at least four guns - an "AK type" rifle, a shotgun and two handguns, a federal law enforcement official told CNN. The official also said the shooter used tear gas.

This morning on "Early Start," Aurora Police Department PIO Frank Fania explained that olice arrested the man shortly after the shooting ended in a rear parking lot of the theater.

"He did not resist. He did not put up a fight," Fania said. Police seized a rifle and a handgun from the suspect, and another gun was found in the theater, he said. It was unclear where law enforcement found a second handgun.

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