The NCAA called the sanctions “unprecedented.” Some are saying those sanctions are not severe enough.

Most of those critics were calling for the “death penalty,” which the NCAA has only used once against a football program.

The governing body of college athletics enforced that sanction in 1987 against Southern Methodist University when it was discovered that the program was paying its players. The NCAA forced the university to disband its football program for that and the 1988 seasons.

It’s with that history in mind that we ask the following question …

But the world may have to wait before it gets a glimpse of accused gunman James E. Holmes in person.

Knowing efforts must be made to secure the safety of the man who stopped speaking to police shortly after informing them he had booby-trapped his Paris Street apartment, legal experts are speculating that bringing Holmes to an emotionally-charged and crowded arraignment could incite violence.

“They may decide — just for security purposes — it may be easiest and most-secure to perform this arraignment by way of video,” legal analyst Karen Steinhauser said.

Police have already taken steps to make sure Holmes could even make it to his arraignment. Holmes has been kept in solitary confinement at the Arapahoe County Jail since he was arrested shortly after the attack Friday morning.

One recently-released inmate at same jail told FOX31 Holmes would have been murdered by other inmates if he had not been separated.

Two high-profile attorneys have been assigned to Holmes’ defense. Tamara Brady, chief trial attorney for the state public defender, and Daniel King have both tried high-profile cases before.

“I know these lawyers,” notable criminal defense attorney Chris Decker said. “They’re very competent, they’re very dedicated and they will bring the very best minds to the defense of this most serious case.”

Many suspect that Holmes will file an insanity plea. Steinhauser stressed that it’s important to remember that an “incompetent to stand trial” plea hinges on Holmes state of mind during the trial proceedings, not any state of mind he might have possessed during the actual attack.

“There has to be an assurance that the individual on trail understands the nature of the proceedings and has the ability to assist attorney in the defense process,” Steinhauser said. “An incompetency plea does not deal with any thoughts the suspect may have had at the time the act was committed.”

It will be 60 days after the arraignment before prosecutors can publicly declare if they will pursue the death penalty for Holmes. That decision rests with the Arapahoe County district attorney.

The school was also banned from the postseason for four years and will lose 20 football scholarships a year for four seasons, NCAA President Mark Emmert said.

Paterno, who coached at Penn State for 46 years, had been one victory ahead of Eddie Robinson as the all-time winningest major college football coach, with 409 wins. After the NCAA’s decision, Penn State forfeited 111 of those.

“The corrective and punitive measures the executive committee and the Division I board of directors have authorized should serve as a stark wake-up call to everyone in college sports,” said Ed Ray, chairman of the NCAA’s executive committee.

The penalties are a major blow to one of college football’s traditional powers, even though the two-time national champions avoided a suspension of at least one year.

The punishments follow an independent investigation led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, whose report held four top Penn State officials, including Paterno, responsible for failing to stop the abuse.

Emmert wrote a letter to Penn State President Rodney Erickson in November that included four questions he wanted the university to answer.

The NCAA felt the questions were answered by the Freeh report and therefore it could act before the university responded, Emmert said.

On Sunday, in State College, Pennsylvania, the 900-pound bronze statue of Paterno was removed from its place outside the 106,000-seat football stadium. Erickson said in a statement the statue is being stored in a “secure location.”

The statue was removed exactly six months after Paterno died of lung cancer. He died less than three months after he coached his last game, an October 29 victory over Illinois that, at that time, put him ahead of Robinson. Under Paterno’s 46-season tenure as head coach, the Nittany Lions went undefeated five times and finished in the top 25 national rankings 35 times.

The tribute to the coach had become an object of contention after the child rape scandal involving Sandusky.

However, Paterno’s relatives said they believe taking down the statue serves no purpose.

“Tearing down the statue of Joe Paterno does not serve the victims of Jerry Sandusky’s horrible crimes or help heal the Penn State community. We believe the only way to help the victims is to uncover the full truth,” the family said in a statement.

“It is not the university’s responsibility to defend or protect Joe Paterno. But they at least should have acknowledged that important legal cases are still pending and that the record on Joe Paterno, the board and other key players is far from complete,” it added.

Dan Vecellio, a staff writer for the blog Black Shoe Diaries, said there were about 100 people who watched the statue being taken down, put on a forklift and driven into the stadium through a loading-dock door.

The Freeh report found several Penn State officials concealed evidence that Sandusky had sexually abused minors. Freeh concluded that Paterno could have prevented further sexual abuse had he taken action.

“I now believe that, contrary to its original intention, coach Paterno’s statue has become a source of division and an obstacle to healing in our university and beyond,” Erickson said.

“I believe that, were it to remain, the statue will be a recurring wound to the multitude of individuals across the nation and beyond who have been the victims of child abuse,” he added.

Another tribute to Paterno — the university library that bears his name — will remain as it is, Erickson said.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) called Paterno “a powerful man who acted selfishly” who “deserves no public honors whatsoever.”

“We’re glad the statue is gone, but that’s just a tiny step forward,” SNAP spokesman David Clohessy said in a statement. “We as a society must learn that a good way to deter child sex cover-ups is to punish, not praise, those who instigate such cover-ups.”

Sandusky is expected to be sentenced in September. His legal team has said it will appeal the convictions.

Two former university administrators are awaiting trial for their role in the scandal, and more charges are possible as the state’s attorney general investigates what Penn State may have known about Sandusky’s behavior.

The fire was reported at approximately 12:40 a.m., just southwest of the Del Mar Park area.

Investigators are on the scene, but have not yet confirmed the cause of the fire. Both individuals who were sent to the hospital sustained only minor injuries.

• Eli Stokols has the details on President Obama’s visit with victims
• Justin Joseph has the latest on the suspect
• Mark Meredith spoke with friends of one victim
• Kim Posey has details of the Aurora vigil where thousands gathered to remember the victims

Thousands gather to remember victims at vigil

By Kim Posey | FOX31 Denver

AURORA, Colo. — Thousands of people attended the prayer vigil for the victims of the Aurora theater shooting at the Aurora Municipal Center Sunday night.  Victims and family members were honored, along with first responders. 

Family members wept as the names of each of the 12 people killed were read aloud.  But there were crowds of people standing behind them, wanting to show their support.  Many came with signs and candles. 

“Just to show the victims of the tragedy that we aren’t afraid to go out and we love them and support them,” said Briana Gillespie.

Steve Hogan, the Mayor of Aurora, told the crowd that this horrible act of violence does not define the city, but the incredible acts of heroes do. 

“Because of them more lives weren’t lost and more harm wasn’t done,” he said.

Governor Hickenlooper agreed.  He told the crowd he refuses to say the gunman’s name.  He also had a message for the victims and their families. 

“Our community is here for you.  Colorado is here for you and always will be.”

Details are still unfolding, though a Denver Fire representative tells FOX31 Denver that 340 people were potentially exposed during a 5:00 p.m. turkey dinner service, which was donated.

Three ambulances were on scene and between 12 to 15 people have been transported to the hospital. Upwards of 200 people were showing symptoms.

FOX31 Denver has a crew on the way to the scene.

Developing story…

Afterword, he shared his thoughts:

Transcript of President Obama’s comments:

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  I want to begin by just thanking all the state, local, and federal officials who have responded magnificently to this tragedy. 

Governor Hickenlooper, who has already been dealing with a range of natural disasters here in the state, has been an extraordinary example of strength.  The Mayor, who has only been on the job seven months, and obviously has responded with great strength and leadership.  The Police Chief, who — we had an opportunity to speak over the phone — Chief Oates has been dealing with as difficult a set of circumstances as any law enforcement officer deals with, and he and his officers have done everything right, by the book, with great courage and great determination.  And so we are very proud of them.  And I think I speak for the entire congressional delegation who is here as well.

Scripture says that “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.  Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  And when you have an opportunity to visit with families who have lost their loved ones — as I described to them, I come to them not so much as President as I do as a father and as a husband.  And I think that the reason stories like this have such an impact on us is because we can all understand what it would be to have somebody that we love taken from us in this fashion — what it would be like and how it would impact us.

I had a chance to visit with each family, and most of the conversation was filled with memory.  It was an opportunity for families to describe how wonderful their brother, or their son, or daughter was, and the lives that they have touched, and the dreams that they held for the future.  I confessed to them that words are always inadequate in these kinds of situations, but that my main task was to serve as a representative of the entire country and let them know that we are thinking about them at this moment and will continue to think about them each and every day, and that the awareness that not only all of America but much of the world is thinking about them might serve as some comfort.

I also tried to assure them that although the perpetrator of this evil act has received a lot of attention over the last couple of days, that attention will fade away.  And in the end, after he has felt the full force of our justice system, what will be remembered are the good people who were impacted by this tragedy. 

And I also had a chance to give folks some hugs and to shed some tears, but also to share some laughs as they remembered the wonderful lives that these men and women represented.

I also had a chance, fortunately, to visit some folks who are going to be okay, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the staff at this hospital.  And I just want to thank everybody who’s worked tirelessly here to deal with this tragedy. 

Some of the stories are remarkable.  You see young people who’ve come in and just two days ago, or 36 hours ago, or even 24 hours ago, it wasn’t certain whether they’d make it.  And now suddenly, their eyes are open, they’re alert and they’re talking. And it reminds you that even in the darkest of days, life continues, and people are strong and people bounce back and people are resilient.  And particularly, given the fact that so many of the victims were young, it is a great blessing to see how rapidly they’re able to recover from some pretty devastating injuries.

There’s one particular story I want to tell because this was the last visit that I had and I think it’s representative of everything that I saw and heard today.  I had a chance, just now, about five minutes ago, to visit with Allie Young — Allie is 19 years old — and I also had a chance to visit with Allie’s best friend, Stephanie Davies, who’s 21.  Stephanie was actually downstairs with Allie as well as Allie’s parents when I walked into the room.

And I don’t think this story has been heard — at least I hadn’t read it yet — but I wanted to share it with you.  When the gunman initially came in and threw the canisters, he threw them only a few feet away from Allie and Stephanie, who were sitting there watching the film.  Allie stood up, seeing that she might need to do something or at least warn the other people who were there.  And she was immediately shot.  And she was shot in the neck, and it punctured a vein, and immediately she started spurting blood.

And apparently, as she dropped down on the floor, Stephanie — 21 years old — had the presence of mind to drop down on the ground with her, pull her out of the aisle, place her fingers over where she — where Allie had been wounded, and applied pressure the entire time while the gunman was still shooting.  Allie told Stephanie she needed to run.  Stephanie refused to go — instead, actually, with her other hand, called 911 on her cell phone.

Once the SWAT team came in, they were still trying to clear the theater.  Stephanie then, with the help of several others, carries Allie across two parking lots to where the ambulance is waiting.  And because of Stephanie’s timely actions, I just had a conversation with Allie downstairs, and she is going to be fine.

I don’t know how many people at any age would have the presence of mind that Stephanie did, or the courage that Allie showed.  And so, as tragic as the circumstances of what we’ve seen today are, as heartbreaking as it is for the families, it’s worth us spending most of our time reflecting on young Americans like Allie and Stephanie, because they represent what’s best in us, and they assure us that out of this darkness a brighter day is going to come.

To the entire community of Aurora, the country is thinking of you.  I know that there’s going to be a vigil and an opportunity for everybody to come together.  And I hope that all those who are in attendance understand that the entire country will be there in prayer and reflection today.

 So thank you.  God bless you.  God bless all who helped to respond to this tragedy.  And I hope that over the next several days, next several weeks, and next several months, we all reflect on how we can do something about some of the senseless violence that ends up marring this country, but also reflect on all the wonderful people who make this the greatest country on Earth.

 Thank you very much, everybody. 

(CNN) — Penn State University will face “significant, unprecedented penalties” from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, but it will not face the so-called “death penalty” that would have prevented the football team from playing in the fall, a source familiar with the case tells CNN.

But the source says the school might have preferred a one-year suspension because of the severity of the scholarship losses, postseason sanctions and other penalties the source wouldn’t specify.

“If I were Penn State or any other school and were given both options, I’d pick the death penalty,” the source said, adding the range of sanctions “is well beyond what has been done in the past” and “far worse than closing the program for a year.”

The news comes the same day the statue of the late Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was removed from outside the campus’ stadium.

The NCAA will punish the school following the Freeh Report, which detailed findings of an investigation into the scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of children. Sandusky, 68, was convicted in late June of 45 of the 48 sexual abuse counts he faced, involving 10 victims.

The investigation was led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, and the report held four top Penn State officials, including Paterno, responsible for failing to stop the abuse.

Everything the NCAA “needed to know was detailed in the Freeh report,” according to the source.

On Monday in Indianapolis, the NCAA will hold a press conference “to announce NCAA corrective and punitive measures for The Pennsylvania State University,” it said in a statement.

The NCAA last imposed the so-called “death penalty” to a football team in 1987 against Southern Methodist University’s program in the wake of a payments-to-athletes scandal.

The source says the sanctions “will really paint a picture that essentially says that leadership failure and systemic failures can’t be tolerated.”

NCAA President Mark Emmert wrote a letter to Penn State President Rodney Erickson on November 17, 2011, that included four questions he wanted the university to answer.

According to the source, the NCAA felt the questions were answered by the Freeh report and therefore could act before the university responded.

The source wasn’t sure if the university has been made aware of the penalties yet, but says the university was not involved in the decision. It was “not a negotiated process,” the source says.

While not divulging specifics, the source said, “The penalties go well beyond the loss of a scholarship or not being able to go to a bowl game.”

The source also said the plan includes provisions to provide “leeway” and “minimize the impact” on current players who had nothing to do with the Sandusky scandal.

Also Sunday, in State College, Pennsylvania, the 900-pound bronze statue of Paterno was removed. Penn State President Rodney Erickson said in a statement the statue is being stored in a “secure location.”

The statue was removed exactly six months after Paterno, the winningest coach in Division I football history, died of lung cancer. Paterno had coached at Penn State for 61 years, 15 of them as an assistant. He died less than three months after he coached his last game, an October 29 victory over Illinois that gave him a record 409 wins.

Under Paterno’s 46-season tenure as head coach, the Nittany Lions won two national championships, went undefeated five times, and finished in the top 25 national rankings 35 times.

The tribute to the coach, who died in January, had become an object of contention after the child rape scandal involving Sandusky.

However, Paterno’s family said they believe taking down the statue serves no purpose.

“Tearing down the statue of Joe Paterno does not serve the victims of Jerry Sandusky’s horrible crimes or help heal the Penn State community. We believe the only way to help the victims is to uncover the full truth,” the family said in a statement.

“It is not the university’s responsibility to defend or protect Joe Paterno.  But they at least should have acknowledged that important legal cases are still pending and that the record on Joe Paterno, the board and other key players is far from complete,” it added.

Dan Vecellio, a staff writer for the blog Black Shoe Diaries, said there were about 100 people who watched the statue taken down, put on a forklift and driven into the stadium through a loading-dock door.

The Freeh report found several Penn State officials concealed evidence that Sandusky had sexually abused minors. Freeh concluded that Paterno could have prevented further sexual abuse had he taken action.

“I now believe that, contrary to its original intention, coach Paterno’s statue has become a source of division and an obstacle to healing in our university and beyond,” Erickson said.

“I believe that, were it to remain, the statue will be a recurring wound to the multitude of individuals across the nation and beyond who have been the victims of child abuse,” he added.

On Sunday, Penn State employees began placing fencing around the statue, as well as a tarp. Local and university police were at the scene, and some students gathered near the football field, Beaver Stadium.

Another tribute to Paterno — the university library that bears his name — will remain as it is, Erickson said.

“The library remains a tribute to Joe and Sue Paterno’s commitment to Penn State’s student body and academic success, and it highlights the positive impacts coach Paterno had on the university,” he wrote.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) called Paterno “a powerful man who acted selfishly” who “deserves no public honors whatsoever.”

“We’re glad the statue is gone but that’s just a tiny step forward,” SNAP spokesman David Clohessy said in a statement. “We as a society must learn that a good way to deter child sex cover-ups is to punish, not praise, those who instigate such cover-ups.”

Sandusky will be sentenced in September. His legal team has said it will appeal the convictions.

Two former university administrators are awaiting trial for their role in the scandal, and more charges are possible as the state’s attorney general investigates what Penn State may have known about Sandusky’s behavior.

SAN DIEGO — Standing at second base, Michael Cuddyer saw teammate Jordan Pacheco in the batter’s box and expected something special.

Pacheco delivered, with his career-best fourth RBI, a 12th-inning single that helped the Rockies to an 8-6 victory over the Padres at Petco Park in front of 37,147 on Saturday night.

“He puts together professional at-bats — you don’t see a rookie put that together,” said Cuddyer, who had a red-letter night himself, with a career high-tying four hits. “He makes contact, doesn’t strike out a lot, and has a knack for finding that hole or lining it over the infielders’ heads. When there’s a guy at second base, he’s a guy you want at bat.” MORE>>>

By Chelsea J. Carter and Dana Ford | CNN

By Mariano Castillo and Chelsea J. Carter | CNN

Sources tell FOX31 Denver reporter Justin Joseph that a second man is now a person-of-interest in the Aurora theater shooting investigation. But police say that is not the case.

“An associate of Holmes was interviewed this evening (Saturday),” says police spokeswoman Sgt. Cassidee Carlson. “There is no reason to believe that he is involved. Further details of this investigation will not be released at this time.”

Twelve people were killed and 58 injured early Friday when James Egan Holmes allegedly opened fire inside the crowded theater.

Neighbors of the suspect’s associate say for the past two days there have been SWAT team and police cars in their alley and unmarked cars in street.

“He’s been there about a year,” said one neighbor.

Agents showed up again Saturday morning.

“I woke up this morning with cops still here trying to look inside his home.  At 5:00 a.m. cops showed-up and asked me about (him).”

Sources tell Justin Joseph someone made either a call or a text from the person of interest’s phone threatening violence if James Egan Holmes was not released from jail. That call prompted police to issue an alert to find and detain him.

The associate’s Facebook page shows he has a master’s degree in bio-medical science.

Anshutz Medical Center confirms he is in their doctorate program, the same program from which Holmes withdrew several months ago.

Out of caution police searched their campus Friday, but they won’t say what if anything they were looking for or found.

AURORA, Colo. (CNN) — Kaitlyn Fonzi put her hand on the doorknob of the apartment upstairs from hers around midnight Thursday, irritated by the blaring electronic music inside.

The upstairs neighbor didn’t answer when she called through the door. He’d cranked up the stereo, the deep bass of the music reverberating through the floor into the apartment Fonzi shared with her boyfriend.

The door felt unlocked, but Fonzi decided not to open it.

“I yelled out and told him I was going to call the cops and went back to my apartment,” she told CNN.

It’s a move for which Fonzi said Saturday she’s “counting my lucky stars.”

“It makes me feel extremely grateful, and it’s definitely made me thank God, too, and thank just my instinct,” Fonzi said.

Behind that door, investigators say, was a tripwire that would have touched off an array explosives and flammable liquids in the home of Colorado massacre suspect James E. Holmes. Anyone who crossed that threshold “would have sustained significant injuries or lost their life,” Jim Yacone, the head of the FBI’s Denver office, told reporters Saturday afternoon.

Remembering the victims through photos

Holmes is being held as the suspect in the rampage at a nearby movie theater, accused of killing and wounding dozens at a screening of the new Batman film shortly after midnight Thursday. Investigators disarmed all the makeshift bombs he left inside his apartment on Saturday, using a “controlled detonation” to disable a second triggering device Saturday afternoon, said Sgt. Cassidee Carlson, an Aurora police spokeswoman.

“Although not certain, we are hopeful we have eliminated the remaining major threats,” she said. “However, we will not know this until we enter the apartment.”

Police evacuated Holmes’ building and the four apartment blocks surrounding it after his arrest early Friday, when he told police he had rigged the flat with explosives. By 6 p.m. (8 p.m. ET), investigators had removed the remaining devices from the 850-square-foot apartment and hauled the explosives to an open field outside the city limits to be detonated, police said.

Residents of the surrounding buildings were allowed to return home Saturday evening, but it wasn’t clear when Holmes’ immediate neighbors could come back. It could be several days, Aurora Police Sgt. Tim Holt said. A shelter was set up at Aurora Central High School for those forced from their apartments.

It was not clear where all the explosives had been placed, though many have been seen in the living area with circuitry reaching into the kitchen, a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the operation told CNN. One of the incendiary devices appeared to be improvised napalm and others appeared to be mixtures that, if combined with other materials, could cause an explosion, the official said.

“We talk about motive and defenses and deliberation, and make no mistake, this apartment was designed to kill whoever entered it,” Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates said. And who was most likely to enter that location? “It was going to be an officer.”

The apartment also contained about 30 aerial shells used in fireworks displays, roughly the size of golf balls and filled with black powder, wired to a control box in the kitchen that was defused with water, another law enforcement official said. There were also jars of black powder, liquid accelerants and other flammable chemicals in the apartment, the source said.

The music had been on a timer and apparently started after the suspect left for the theater, according to another law enforcement source, who was not authorized to release details of the investigation to the media.

Fonzi said she called a non-emergency police number to complain about the noise after going to Holmes’ door. A dispatcher told her they’d try to get an officer out to the apartment, but the noise kept up.

“I decided to call again a little bit before 1 o’clock, and they told me they were in an emergency state — which I now know was the shooting — and that they wouldn’t be able to send anyone out there,” she said.

iReporter: ‘AK-47 a weapon for war’

The music stopped about 1 a.m. But within two hours, a SWAT team had kicked down the back door of the building and was banging on residents’ doors, telling them to get out as soon as possible, she said.

Fonzi and her boyfriend have been staying with relatives since being evacuated. “We were considering moving prior to this, so maybe this is the push that we needed,” she said.

She said she had last seen Holmes “a few months ago, just in passing.”

“This really has told me that things like this can happen no matter how safe you feel, and just to make sure that everyone you love knows it,” she said. “Be thankful for what you have, and trust your inner instincts.”

For the fourth year, Denver Over the Edge partnered with the local non-profit organization to give cancer patients, cancer survivors, and all other willing adrenalin junkies a unique and exhilarating opportunity.

Those who rappelled were required to raise a minimum of $1,000 in order to participate. This year, approximately $230,000 was raised – 100-percent of which will go towards funding cancer research and patient care in Colorado.

Many participants were first-time “rappellers” and described an adrenalin-pumping feeling of vertigo.

“The most challenging part of the process is that initial lean back over the edge of the building” said participant Stephen Mideks who rappelled Saturday in honor of a friend who died of cancer.

“Just standing on the edge of a building this tall can be gut-wrenching, but once rappellers get themselves to trust the ropes and fall back, it’s smooth sailing from there and a great ride down enjoying the views!” said one rope technician with Over the Edge.

Cancer League of Colorado is a purely volunteer run organization that has served in Colorado for 43 years and has raised more than $10 million for cancer research and patient care in that time. 

Cancer League of Colorado and Denver Over the Edge offer this exhilarating type of charity on 16th Street Mall every summer. 

By Pablo Pereira | MyFoxLA.com

Was Friday’s Dark Knight Rises attack in Aurora, CO, predicted or even inspired by a page in a Batman comic book?

It’s a question some people are asking after getting their hands on a Dark Knight Returns comic published nearly 30 years ago.

The comic is said to be the inspiration for much of the Dark Knight movie series. However, Batman has protected the streets of Gotham in comic books since 1940, and since then there’s a lot of him to go around.

“How many total Batman comics available? There’s thousands,” said Robert Young, owner of Borderlands Comics.

Flipping through all those pages, however, there’s only one scene that could resemble the Aurora massacre, Young said.

It’s six panels in The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. In it, a man sneaks a handgun into a movie theater and kills three. MORE>>>

AURORA, Colo. — Stories of heroism, zest for life and a birthday celebration that turned tragic emerged as family and friends spoke of loved ones killed in Friday’s mass shooting at an Aurora movie theater.

Almost all of the 12 victims were young — including a 6-year-old girl who had just learned to swim — with so much life ahead of them.

The cause of death in all cases is related to gunshot wounds, according to the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office.

Jonathan Blunk, 26

Blunk was supposed to fly Saturday to Reno, Nevada, to see his wife, 4-year-old daughter and son, 2.

“We were going to have a family day,” said wife Chantel Blunk.

Instead, she put up the dress her daughter had picked out to wear to the airport. “I tried to tell her we wouldn’t see Daddy anymore. But that he would still love us and look over us.”

Jonathan Blunk served five years in the U.S. Navy, including service aboard a vessel in San Diego. Her husband said if he died, he wanted it to happen in battle, Chantel Blunk told CNN.

The Reno couple married in 2007 and separated in 2010, she said. The pair remained on good terms after Jonathan moved to Aurora. He held various positions and was trying to get back into the service, she said.

Chantel Blunk said she wants her husband to have a military funeral. She said she will remember Jonathan’s humor, spontaneity and attention to family.

Hailey, 4, is comforted by calling her father’s cell phone and hearing him on voice mail.

“We love him and he is going to be remembered as a hero,” Chantel Blunk said.

A.J. Boik, 18

A Facebook page was created in memory of Boik, a Gateway High School student who was at the theater with his girlfriend and a friend.

“AJ was an awesome kid and a truly Inspirational teammate,” one individual wrote on the page. “You cant find someone with a brighter smile and more positive outlook on life. There to help you up when your down and One to carry on life with such an intelligence.” (sic)

Boik was an independent distributor for Organo Gold, a coffee company, and lived in Aurora, according to what appears to be his personal Facebook page.

James Crofter, father of Jordan Crofter, Boik’s friend who survived the shooting, said Jordan and Boik played lacrosse together. Boik’s girlfriend also was in the theater. She and Jordan found each other outside the theater, but Boik did not make it out.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Jesse Childress, 29

Childress, an Air Force reservist, was a cybersystems operator on active duty with the 310th Force Support Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado. He was from Thornton, Colorado.

“Jesse was an invaluable part of the 310th family,” said Lt. Col. Pat Walsh. “He literally touched everyone in the wing — over 1,000 people.”

Three of Childress’ Air Force colleagues traveled from Buckley to honor Childress at a memorial near the theater, The Denver Post reported.

“He was a huge part of our unit, and this is a terrible loss. The person that did this was an incredible coward,” said Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Schwald, according to the Post. She declined to give her first name.

Gordon Cowden, 51

Cowden took his two teenage children to the theater. His children escaped unharmed, according to California’s Ventura County Star.

A family spokesman described Cowden as a “loving father, outdoorsman and small business owner,” according to the Star.

“Cowden was a true Texas gentleman that loved life and his family. A quick-witted world traveler with a keen sense of humor, he will be remembered for his devotion to his children and for always trying his best to do the right thing, no matter the obstacle.”

Jessica Ghawi, 24

Aspiring sports reporter Ghawi narrowly avoided another shooting incident in Toronto just last month — an incident that prompted her to reflect on life on her blog.

The Toronto shooting at the Eaton Centre left one person dead and seven injured.

“I was shown how fragile life was on Saturday. I saw the terror on bystanders’ faces. I saw the victims of a senseless crime. I saw lives change,” she wrote at the time. “I was reminded that we don’t know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath.”

Ghawi, who also went by the name Jessica Redfield, grew up in Texas and interned at Ticket 760, a sports radio station in San Antonio, before moving to Denver to try to break into the television market there.  She was a sports intern at FOX31 Denver.

“I’ll never have her to hug again, or get a text message again or get a funny Facebook picture, that’s the hard part right now.  Just knowing those are thing I’m never going to get to experience again,” said Jessica’s mother, Sandy Phillips. “I was blessed.  Only for 25-years, but I was blessed.”

A memorial service is scheduled for July 28 in San Antonio.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class John Thomas Larimer, 27

Like his father and grandfather, Larimer chose to join the Navy. He was serving at his first post, said his father, Scott Larimer.

A Navy notification team officially informed the family in Crystal Lake, Illinois, around midnight Saturday, a statement from the family said.

“I am incredibly saddened by the loss of Petty Officer John Larimer — he was an outstanding shipmate,” said Cmdr. Jeffrey Jakuboski, Larimer’s commanding officer. “A valued member of our Navy team, he will be missed by all who knew him. My heart goes out to John’s family, friends and loved ones, as well as to all victims of this horrible tragedy.”

His unit, part of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet, was stationed at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado. Larimer had been in the service about one year. He had not seen combat.

“We send our thoughts and prayers out to the families of the other victims and those still recovering in the hospital,” his family said. “We love you, John, and we will miss you always.”

Matt McQuinn, 27

McQuinn died trying to provide cover for his girlfriend, Samantha Yowler, during the shooting at the movie theater, according to family attorney Robert. L. Scott.

Yowler and her brother Nick, who also was trying to protect her from the bullets, both survived.

McQuinn and Samantha Yowler grew up in the Miami Valley region of Ohio, according to CNN affiliate WKEF. The two had been dating for a couple of years.

McQuinn graduated from Vandalia-Butler High School in 2004. The couple met at a Springfield, Ohio, Target store and moved to Denver last November, the Dayton Daily News reported.

The victim’s stepfather, David Jackson told CNN Dayton affiliate WHIO that the couple was planning to move back to Springfield soon.

“I know he’s a hero,” said Jackson. “He and Sam were very much in love and planning their life together. I am sure they were thinking very seriously of getting married soon.”

Micayla Medek, 23

Medek, known as Cayla to her friends, was “very spiritual and close to God,” cousin Anita Busch told CNN. Her family is tight-knit, Busch said.

Medek’s Facebook page describes her as a “sandwich artist/closer” at Subway in Aurora, and a student of general studies at the Community College of Aurora with plans to graduate in 2015.

She lived in Westminster, Colorado, but was from Aurora, Busch said. “I’m a simple independent girl who’s just trying to get her life together while still having fun,” Medek wrote on her Facebook page.

Busch said the family did not learn of Medek’s death for 19 hours. “We had been desperately trying to find her,” she said.

Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6

Described as a “vibrant little girl,” Veronica had just learned to swim and was “excited about life,” her great-aunt said.

Just 6-years-old, Veronica died on the operating table. The girl’s mother was critically injured at the movie theater, with wounds to the neck and abdomen, said Annie Dalton. “All she is asking about is her daughter.”

“Her whole life has changed in a flash, for what? She still doesn’t know her daughter is gone. Now our priority is to make sure that she survives this,” Dalton said of Ashley Moser, 25.

FOX31 Denver spoke with their cousin, Katherine Young, who said Ashley’s father died just two months ago because of cancer.

“It just feels like, oh, my gosh, part of our family has been wiped out. It’s just crazy.”

Ashley Moser has just gotten into a licensed practical nurse program, Dalton told reporters. “Obviously, with this injury she is not going to be able to start school like she planned. It’s a dramatic change in everything.”

Veronica was an only child.

Alex Sullivan, 27

Alex Sullivan went to the movie to celebrate his birthday, two days before the first anniversary of his marriage to his wife, Cassie.

“Oh man one hour till the movie and its going to be the best BIRTHDAY ever,” he tweeted.

“The Sullivan family lost a cherished member of their family,” a representative for the family said in a prepared statement. “Alex was smart, funny, and above all loved dearly by his friends and family.”

His uncle, Jim Loewenguth, said Sullivan was an employee at the theater, but was off that night. Sullivan was “full of joy” and “never had a bad chip on his shoulder,” he said.

Alex Teves, 24

A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Teves was a recent graduate of the University of Denver.

“He was a wonderful nephew,” said paternal aunt Barbara Slivinske of New Jersey. The victim’s parents traveled to Aurora after the incident.

Teves has two brothers, ages 16 and 17.

He graduated in June with a master’s degree in counseling psychology within the Morgridge College of Education.

“Our deepest condolences are with Alex’s family and friends, including the many current students and faculty who knew and worked with Alex,” the university said on its Facebook page.

Rebecca Wingo, 32

Wingo’s father wrote an emotional Facebook post about the loss of his daughter, originally from Quinlan, Texas.

“I lost my daughter yesterday to a mad man, my grief right now is inconsolable, I hear she died instantly, without pain, however the pain is unbearable. Lord why, why, why????,” Steve Hernandez wrote.

“I sit here and resist this entry however I feel I must, in disgust, in dismay, in prayer, I love you my daughter Rebecca, we all will miss you.”

Wingo joined the Air Force after high school, became fluent in Mandarin Chinese and served as a translator, according to CNN Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate WFAA.

She had “the sweetest smile you’ve ever seen,” said friend Hal Wallace. “She got prettier as she grew older.”

Wingo moved to Colorado with her two young girls, and wrote about how the youngest was excited to start kindergarten.

Said Wallace: “In the blink of an eye something happens and completely changes everyone’s life — forever.”

If you know one of the victims of the shooting and would like to share their story, email us at tips@kdvr.com

CNN’s Nick Valencia, Barbara Starr, Carma Hassan, Holly Yan, David Ariosto, Phil Gast, Greg Morrison, Dave Alsup, Allison Rampley and Audrey Irvine contributed to this report.

“We have been successful in disabling a second triggering device,” said police spokeswoman Sgt. Cassidee Carlson. “Although not certain, we are hopeful we have eliminated the remaining major threats. However, we will not know this until we enter the apartment.”

Inside Apartment 10 remained “all kinds of hazards” that would take hours to collect and mitigate, she said. “In the event another triggering device is found, we will do another controlled detonation.”

The blast came after a policeman yelled, “Fire in the hole!” three times.

Fire officials were on standby, but there was no immediate indication of a fire.

What was detonated was not an explosive device but rather a device intended to, in the words of a law enforcement official, “disrupt the explosive chain” of what experts believed could have been an explosive device.

The detonation was carried out by a robot at 11:40 a.m. (1:40 p.m. ET). The official said the fact that little smoke was visible after the incident was a good sign. Officials were deciding whether to send people inside, the law enforcement official said.

Earlier, a trip wire and an incendiary device had both been dealt with, Carlson told reporters. “This trip wire was set up to clearly detonate when somebody entered the apartment, and it was set up to kill that person,” she said. “That could have been a police officer executing a search warrant. This is some serious stuff our team is dealing with.”

It was not clear where all the explosives had been located, though many have been seen in the living area with circuitry reaching into the kitchen, a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the operation told CNN.

One of the incendiary devices appeared to be improvised napalm and others appeared to be mixtures that, if combined with other materials, could cause an explosion, the official said.

Approximately 30 aerial shells are in the 850 square foot apartment, Carlson said. They will be placed on sand trucks and taken to a disposal site for controlled detonation, she said.

Officials had been hoping to avoid detonations to limit any loss of evidence, she said.

“Jars of black powder” and what appear to be “liquid accelerants” attached to the explosive devices are also inside Apartment 10, another law enforcement official said. “He placed other chemicals to enhance fire/thermal effect of IEDs,” the official added about Holmes’ apartment.

“He has a level of expertise, not crude,” the official said.

About 100 officials were called in to oversee the entrance into Apartment 10 at 1690 Paris Street. Federal personnel flown here from out of state include bomb technicians from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialists. Police evacuated five buildings Friday, including the one where Holmes lived, after he told them he had rigged his apartment with explosives.

Shortly after police apprehended Holmes in the rear parking lot of the Century Aurora 16 movie complex, where dozens of people had been shot, he told them that he had rigged his apartment, Police Chief Daniel Oates said Friday.

After the shootings, police arrived at Holmes’ apartment to find “techno-music” blaring from the bedroom, according to a law enforcement source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The music was on a timer and apparently started once he left for the movie theater, said the source, who was not authorized to release details of the investigation to the media.

Kaitlyn Fonzi, a 20-year-old graduate student at University Hospital who lives in the apartment beneath Holmes’, said she heard the deep-bass, reverberating music crank up around midnight Thursday, just as a sold-out crowd was settling into its seats at the Batman premiere a few miles away.

Fonzi said she walked upstairs to confront Holmes. She put her hand on the door handle to his apartment — it felt unlocked, she said, but she did not open it.

“I yelled out and told him I was going to call the cops and went back to my apartment,” she said.

Fonzi’s call got little attention — police said they were busy with the shooting and did not have time to respond to a noise disturbance, she said.

What she has learned about the booby-trap has left her shaken. “I am concerned if I had opened the door, I would have set it off,” she said.

Oates said Friday that it could take days to work through the apartment safely. While authorities did not say how many residents were evacuated from nearby buildings, the number is estimated to be in the hundreds.

Authorities began Friday night to allow families in four of the five evacuated buildings to return to their residences briefly to retrieve personal items, such as medication, identification cards and clothing.

A shelter was set up at Aurora Central High School for those forced from their apartments.

Were you there or do you have thoughts about the shooting? Let us know on CNN iReport.

CNN’s Susan Candiotti, Poppy Harlow, Chelsea J. Carter and Kyung Lah contributed to this report.