Hundreds of mourners held candles, many sobbing and hugging each other in an outpouring of grief for those who died when James Holmes a lone self styled mentally deranged US terrorist opened fire in a packed cinema in Aurora Colorado showing the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises."
Aurora is 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the scene of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, in which 13 people died before the gunman committing suicide.
The number of victims of the shooting at this midnight screening of the latest Batman movie were amended from 71 to 70. Twelve of them died, including 10 in the theater.
A local children's hospital reported six young victims, the youngest of whom was aged only six. At least three of the wounded were US military members, the Pentagon said.
"In the last 60 days, James Holmes purchased four guns at local metro gun shops and through the internet he purchased over 6,000 rounds of ammunition," the police chief said. He added: "My understanding is that all the weapons that he possessed he possessed legally, and all the clips that he possessed, he possessed legally, and all the ammunition he possessed, he possessed legally."
The shooting drew expressions of concern from moderate political leaders led by President Barack Obama, and revived the perennial debate about gun control in the United States.
Colorado has some of the weakest gun-control laws in the nation, according to gun control advocates who say Friday's massacre at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater should be a clarion call for Americans to demand tougher gun control laws.
On Saturday, Obama promised justice to the residents of Aurora, Colorado, saying: "The federal government stands ready to do everything necessary to bring whoever's responsible for this heinous crime to justice."
He said the government "will take every step possible" to ensure the safety of all Americans.
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