The country was horrified to learn of the mass killings at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado on July 20, 2012. Four years later, another mass killing took place on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida.
You are to read the following cases and analyze these shootings by responding to the questions provided.
Select each tab to read the following:
In the early hours of July 20, 2012, moviegoers at the Aurora Century 16 in Colorado were settling into their seats for the premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises” when a masked gunman opened fire on the crowd. Dressed from head to toe in ballistic gear and a long black coat, gunman James Holmes killed 12 and wounded 53. This tragic event has been called the worst mass shooting in American history. Holmes was apprehended a mere 8 minutes later by two officers who made an immediate observation that his attire did not match the SWAT team present in that community. Later, it was determined that Holmes had booby-trapped his apartment with 30 explosive devices.
- Aurora theater shooting report: Breakdown between police and fire caused chaos (PDF) (Links to an external site.)
- Aurora Century 16 Theater Shooting After Action Report for the City of Aurora, Colorado (Links to an external site.)
- Century Theater Shooting Aurora Fire Department Preliminary Incident Analysis
At approximately 1:58 AM on Sunday morning, June 12, 2016, a young man 29-year-old by the name of Omar Mir Seddique Mateen was taking part in the activities at Orlando’s hottest gay bar Pulse Nightclub. Suddenly, the heavily armed Mateen opened fire at the patrons in the club. In the end, 49 people were killed and 58 others were wounded in this 3-hour standoff with police. Within minutes after the shootings began, Mateen swore allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and said the shooting was “triggered” by the U.S. killing of Abu Waheeb in Iraq the previous month. In the end, Orlando police breached a wall around 5:07 AM and using flash bangs, distracted Mateen and killed him.
- Federal Report on Pulse (Links to an external site.)
- Orlando nightclub shooting timeline: Four hours of terror unfold (Links to an external site.)
The response to these events by law enforcement, emergency management systems, and local hospitals has been described by some as quick and efficient. In this final assignment, you will analyze both the Aurora movie theater and the Pulse Nightclub shootings and focus on the roles that various criminal justice agencies played in the management of these crises.
- Compare both shootings to write a research paper that analyzes the role of criminal justice organizations in the management of a crisis.
Your paper should include, but not be limited to:
- The motivation of the killers, if any.
- The response to the shootings by all organizations, as well as the role that criminal justice agencies played.
- What lessons are learned from these shootings for homeland security, emergency management, and the various criminal justice organizations?
- Your analysis must be comprehensive and include all levels of crisis response.
Your final case study paper should include the following:
- a research statement
- a literature review to support or refute your research statement
- final conclusions regarding the current state of knowledge of your topic.
Your paper should be 7-10 pages in length.
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