Posted on 07/30/2012 2:18:02 AM PDT by beaversmom
AURORA, Colo. -- They escaped from the Century 16 Theater in a hail of gunfire.
One week later, Don and Jacqueline Lader went to a different theater to see the "Dark Knight Rises" with other survivors they met that Friday night.
The Laders say going to the movies will never be the same, but they will still continue to go.They were in theater nine at Century 16 when a gunman walked in and opened fire July 20.
“We’re both former military,” Don Lader said. “When (the gunman) threw the canister, we recognized it as being CS gas. We immediately hit the ground.”
Lader said he threw himself over his wife to protect her.
“When his weapon jammed, I knew that was our one chance to get out, so I yelled, ‘run,’” Lader said.
The Laders escaped from the theater with just a few scratches.
They ended up giving several other patrons, whose cars were stuck behind crime scene tape, a ride home.
One week later, the couple decided to go to a nearby theater to see the movie with one of those families.
“They have a young teenage boy,” Lader said. "I promised him that if he wanted to go back and see the movie, I’d be right there next to him watching it.”
Before going to the movie Thursday night, the Laders stopped at Bonfils Blood Center so Don could donate a pint of O-negative blood.
During the process, he told 7NEWS that he wasn’t about to let the gunman keep him from doing what he enjoys.
“We go to the movies frequently,” he said.
“We like action movies,” Jacqueline Lader said. “We’re former military. We both served in Iraq.”
She said action movies help them cope with memories of artillery shells.
“It’s a way for us to fight back,” Lader said. “We’re not going to let that one individual take charge of our lives. We’re not going to let him have power over us.”
Jacqueline Lader said they’ll both be more aware of their surroundings from now on.
“We’ll pay more attention to who’s in the theater,” she said. “But we can’t be afraid.”
Lader said the Century 16’s owner should allow survivors and family members who lost loved ones to go inside the theater, if they desire, to see where the tragedy took place.
While some people have called for the theater to be shut down, Lader said he doesn’t want to see that happen.
“I’d like to see the theater remain open,” Lader said. “I’d like to see them put up a memorial in Theater nine.”
Read something interesting today.
James Holmes, it seems, doesn’t appear on any security videos taken that night at the theatre. He was found in the parking lot, dressed like the perpetrator of the shooting, but there isn’t any material evidence he is the shooter.
I'm not trying to be critical of people who suddenly found themselves in an awful situation, but if they had rushed the guy when his gun jammed, they probably could have saved lives.
Running away from trouble is a normal human reaction. But not always the correct action.
Quite possibly correct, particularly if they had been anticipating that jam. However, if his position was selected to protect his wife, my bet is that the shooter could have switched weapons faster than he could have identified the jam and attacked. It still might have worked, given the shooter's limited peripheral vision in the mask, but it's a risky bet with your teenage child present.
BTW, I agree completely with his decision to go back with his child. Backing away just because there is evil in the world gives the other side more control of the world. Facing your fears is the right response, and their child will probably be a major asset for our next generation.
Wow, if that’s true, that’s very curious.
Where did you read that? I couldn’t find anything on the internet.
Weird thing is, havn't been to the movies in years... it's not because of the shooting near the movie, but rather, it's the shooting *in* the movie.
A few more incidents like this and the general public is going to come to the same realization that airline passengers have......the ONLY guaranteed way to maximize survival is to ATTACK EN MASSE and swarm the nutcase(terrorist). “Run and hide” simply guarantees that more will die.
(It wasn’t his child, but all the same).
I'm not trying to be critical of people who suddenly found themselves in an awful situation, but if they had rushed the guy when his gun jammed, they probably could have saved lives.“When his weapon jammed, I knew that was our one chance to get out, so I yelled, ‘run,’” Lader said.
Running away from trouble is a normal human reaction. But not always the correct action.
We’d all like to fantasize about being able to rush the shooter and take him down. But no one can be sure of the outcome in a “coulda woulda shoulda” scenario. So, given that the guy who said, “Run!” was ex military, that anything anyone else says about his decision from safe in an armchair after the fact is probably a cheap second guess.And I hope he doesn’t second guess himself now, either.
We don’t do movies, because they are generally as stupid as the crap on the television anymore. The last really great movies were made many years ago.
Let me qualify that really great movies are those that one can actually sit through in one of those little box theatres with those uncomfortable crappy seats amidst the filth, and stench left from previous inhabitants after waiting in line for seemingly ever just to buy a ticket to get in to see the latest overly hyped crap from Hollywood.
IOW the movies aren’t worth it anymore.
For future reference, the weak link of the CO shooter’s
armor, was the gas mask. It is -not- armored.
As to duck, cover, and get thyself gone, the folks were
UNARMED VETERANS! Who else should know better?!
I still think that a 158 grain LSWCHP (fbi load) applied
by an individual more concerned with their life, than some
movie theater’s door sign, would have bought more
time to get other folks, out of harm’s way.
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