Locals react to Colorado shooting

Local people are still very excited to see the much-anticipated “Dark Knight Rises,” but the overnight shooting in a Colorado movie theater is very much on their minds as they arrived at Edwards Cinemas in Ammon.

The crowds began forming at 10 a.m.

“We’re definitely still excited to see the movie,” said moviegoer Tate Swenson.

“We’re very excited,” said Jared Smith, who was also going to see the latest Batman installment.

Batman mania is still alive and well in Bonneville County, but some people are still a little preoccupied by the tragedy in Colorado.

Smith said he was “a little bit” concerned about going to the movies Friday.

“You would hope that nothing would happen here,” added his wife, Stephanie.

Others were less nervous.

“I’m not really worried about it,” said Cade Jessop.

“I think we’ll be ok,” said another moviegoer. “I think it’s just sort of an isolated incident.”

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office seems to agree that the incident in Colorado was isolated.

“It’s one of these things where the senseless act of one person basically makes it a bad situation for a lot of people,” said Sgt. Jeff Edwards with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.

That said, officers are still on the ready.

“I think we live in a relatively safe community,” Edwards said. “I think our law enforcement agencies, if we have to deal with a situation like this, are prepared.”

Despite differing levels of fear, one consensus remained about the lone gunman from Colorado.

“We need to not let it scare us from attending things,” Swenson said.

“You can’t live your life in fear,” Stephanie Smith said.

“I would hope that never, anything like that would happen here, but you still have to live,” her husband added.

The manager of Edwards Cinemas said he could not offer me any official comment, but said that people should still feel safe going to the movies.

One young man said on his way out of Edwards, that he joked about getting a free ticket to “Dark Knight Rises” because of the recent tragedy, and the manager asked him to leave.