Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Massacre Suspect James Holmes Worked As Summer Camp Counselor For Underprivileged Children
James Holmes, who is suspected of opening fire at a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Colorado, once worked as a summer camp counselor for underprivileged children in the hills just above Glendale.He spent the summer of 2008 teaching children how to "learn confidence, self-esteem and how to work in small teams to effect positive outcomes" through archery, horseback riding and other activities, camp directors told The Los Angeles Times. He was responsible for approximately 10 children. Randy Schwab, chief executive of Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles, says there were no strange incidents or disciplinary problems: "That summer provided the kids a wonderful camp experience without incident." (UPDATE: Here's a photo of him at the camp.)
Many of who knew him described him as shy, introverted and incredibly bright, according to CBS. He graduated at the top of his class at UC Riverside as neuroscience major and had gone on to do graduate work at the University of Colorado. It seemed that he was following in the footsteps of his parents who were accomplished in the sciences, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Some of his classmates and professors described him as a loner, although they would not have predicted he would grow up to be a dangerous mass-murderer. After all, Holmes' only brush with the law was a speeding ticket.
Anthony Mai, 16, lived next door to the Holmes family in a bedroom community north of San Diego and he told the Union-Tribune: "This is just a feeling in my gut but I felt like he had something, like he was being picked on or something."
Support for LAist comes from
Holmes completed a biotechnology "boot camp" at Miramar College in 2006 after he graduated from high school, but a fellow student Claire Sampankanpanich told the Union-Tribune he wasn't very friendly: "He didn’t talk to a lot of us, but when he did he was kind of a smart aleck. He didn’t want to work with any of us."
But Holmes seemed to be on a downward spiral when he ended up in Aurora, according to the New York Post. He was in the process of dropping out of grad school, and he was making jokes about going to jail as he trolled for sex online. But perhaps the biggest clue that something was awry in his life was his mother's reaction to an ABC reporter's query after the shooting occurred: “You have the right person,” she said. "I need to call the police . . . I need to fly out to Colorado.”
Previously:
"Dark Knight" Massacre Suspect Told Cops He Was "The Joker"
Cops Call Massacre Suspect's Booby-Trapped Apartment "Vexing"
Dark Knight Rises Massacre: At Least 12 Killed, 50 Wounded At Colorado Movie Theater
"Dark Knight" Massacre Suspect From San Diego, Media Descends on Family [UPDATE]
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist