Very interesting questions that so far have been unanswered and also brought up by a couple others.

Why was Holmes found with gear on when police obtained him, but there was a pile of gear and armor ditched near the dumpsters and his car?

Why on earth was his gas mask found at the complete other end of the theater away from said ditched gear but then he was found back by his car?

Why were pink flip flops found where he dropped the rifle?

From having shot out of a pro-mask back in the service, they aren't easy to see through, especially at night ops or in a dark theater, and his mobility would have been somewhat limited. How could he have pulled this off so quickly?

Excuse no links but i'm on my iPhone at work. I have a theory on the gas mask, maybe someone can help.

There was a witness who said they went out the door and the shooter was trying to get in, they held the door closed but then freaked out and ran because they were afraid he would shoot thru the door. What I don't remember was if this was theater 8 or 9. If it was theater 8 then perhaps he left theater 9 and was headed to 8 to continue his killing spree but by this time people knew there was a problem and were leaving thru the exit and he couldn't get in. The exit to theater 8 is not very far from where the mask was found, so maybe he decides to ditch it near there since his plans at theater 8 didn't go as intended and he can't see very well thru it anyways. I'm thinking theater 8 was also part of the plan and maybe it too had a door that was propped open by an accomplice. IF he intended to head into 8 then I doubt he ever had a getaway plan since the cops would have arrived in the middle of his shoot out.

Anyone recall the witness I'm referring to and know if it was theater 8 or 9??

Also, why would anyone have to hold any of those doors shut if they automatically lock from the outside? Unless either it's not of the fire exits in question or possibly the door had been tampered with (ie tape on the lock mechanism)

Edit: i just realized perhaps the witness was holding the door shut from the outside, that would explain why he'd have to actually hold it closed. I know that witness gave an interview with channel 2 news, I wish someone could find that video/audio.

Originally posted by Snake1984
Why was Holmes found with gear on when police obtained him, but there was a pile of gear and armor ditched near the dumpsters and his car?

If you look at the photo, there's a gas can and other items that look like the contents of his boot, and the boot is open. I would think that he either removed the contents of his boot himself, or the police did this after finding him.

Reports suggested that he told the police that his vehicle was booby-trapped. They would probably have removed the contents of his car themselves to ensure that it wasn't.

You can also see a board under the back of the car in one of the photos from the scene of the investigation, showing that the photos were taken after the initial check of the car had already been done.

I would suggest that the stuff in the road is what the police removed. And it's probably that far from the car because they needed to isolate it from the vehicle for checking.

Originally posted by Snake1984
Why on earth was his gas mask found at the complete other end of the theater away from said ditched gear but then he was found back by his car?

I think we've already come to the correct conclusion that he was intending to continue his killing at the front of the building, and then saw the response arriving. This could be wrong of course, if the reports are correct he tried to enter theater 8 through the fire exit too. That could be why he was at that end of the building.

Originally posted by Snake1984
Why were pink flip flops found where he dropped the rifle?

We can see the trail of arterial blood along the sidewalk, and as he was not injured we can say that some of the injured exited through the fire exit. Those pink flip flops most likely belong to someone fleeing the scene.

Originally posted by Snake1984
From having shot out of a pro-mask back in the service, they aren't easy to see through, especially at night ops or in a dark theater, and his mobility would have been somewhat limited. How could he have pulled this off so quickly?

I agree that his vision would have been impaired, especially coming back into a dark room from outside. But perhaps this is a blessing and perhaps he would have been able to kill many more if he had been able to see perfectly well?
Some witnesses have reported that he didn't see them, when he should have been able to. For instance, there is a lovely young trainee fire fighter who says that he aimed a gun right at her but didn't shoot, then she ducked with her friend.

Perhaps he just didn't see her there because he'd just come into a dark room from the light outside and his vision hadn't adjusted yet?

In a packed out theater he could have simply aimed anywhere and killed that many people. The fact that his vision was probably obscured by the mask and his eyes had not adjusted to the dark is a good thing and probably means that he didn't kill as many as he could have.

These are just my opinions of course.

Another article on Eric Hunter says he saw the killer's eyes, therefore the mask had been removed while walking from theater 9 to theater 8. I would imagine he had no choice but to take it off so he could see. What is scary is that Eric pulled two teenage girls into 8, one of them had a wound to the face. Holmes then bangs on the theater 8 door apparently upset he can't get in... Was he specifically following the two girls trying to finish them off??? Crazy stuff.

To be fair, I'd imagine those reports of a shooter in black camo, mask, etc just seem late to us since we know Holmes is already in custody at this time. The officers are interviewing witnesses though and reporting back what they are being told, which mostly involve the description of a man dressed in SWAT attire.

There are mentions of someone wearing a backpack and another person (forgot description) bit we don't know what prompted them to identify these individuals. Perhaps it's only becuase they are leaving on foot and it could be viewed as "fleeing the scene."

The one that really interests me is the shooter with white amd blue plaid on, that's a pretty specific description that looks nothing like Holmes' attire yet was referred to as a shooter (correct me if i'm wrong and it was "suspect" not shooter). Lobby/building surveillance will definitely show who this unknown person is, I really hope they are tracked down and questioned at the very least. I know it's easy for victims to make mistakes, but considering the shooter wore SWAT attire and a mask makes me curious about someone telling the policr about a man in a white/blue plaid shirt. It's not like they mistook the body armor for a black hoodie or jacket, white/blue plaid is uniquely specific. I want to know who that person is! Their involvement should be ruled out.

I'm pretty sure he has been drugged up while waiting to go to court... i just saw a clip on the news of him seated and he definately looked out of it... as if he didnt know what was going on.... as if the mind-bender he was on is just starting to wear off....

I dont know but something weird.... I know that weirdness ...

There are definitely a lot of unanswered questions that deserve to be addressed. I know it's an ongoing investigation and they won't just give out all info they have... But hopefully we learn more.

They'll never put out gruesome CCTV footage out of respect for the victims, BUT there are definitely many still images that can be given to the public.

1. Holmes buying the ticket
2. Him in the lobby before the theater
3. Him getting into his gear before entering the theater to start shooting
4. Maybe even one of him being arrested at his vehicle

At least 3 of those should be released as they don't in any way disrespect the victims. They also don't taint the jury pool, that's such a weak excuse. A picture of the guy isn't going to do anything to a juror that hasn't already been done from the news coverage and witness statements.