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Brooklyn Man Injured in 'Dark Knight' Shooting in Colorado

Christopher Rapoza, a Brooklyn resident, in the hospital after he was shot in the Colorado movie theater massacre that killed 12 people.
Christopher Rapoza, a Brooklyn resident, in the hospital after he was shot in the Colorado movie theater massacre that killed 12 people.
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BROOKLYN — A Brooklyn man was among the more than 50 people injured in the "Dark Knight Rises" movie theater massacre in Colorado that left 12 people dead early Friday morning.

Christopher Rapoza, who lives in Prospect Heights, was grazed by a bullet to his back during the midnight screening at the Aurora, Colo. theater, he and officials said.

"perry and i were just at a midnite showing of batman in colorado when some f------psycho decided to open fire on the crowd," Rapoza posted on Facebook. "i was grazed in the back with a bullet but am fine.... a lot of other people weren't so lucky..."

Rapoza, who was visiting Denver at the time of the shooting, posted photos online of his bullet wound and his torn, bloodstained gray T-shirt.

Chaos broke out at the packed Aurora theater when James Holmes, 24, a student at the University of Colorado at Denver according to multiple news reports, allegedly burst in through an emergency exit, tossed a tear-gas grenade and opened fire. Police arrested Holmes just outside the theater.

In response to the shooting, the NYPD deployed extra cops to New York screenings of "The Dark Knight Rises" Friday, both to reassure moviegoers and to guard against copycats, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said in a statement.

Local officials including Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz called for tougher gun laws on Friday. Markowitz also mentioned Rapoza's injury.

"The Colorado shooting hits very close to home in Brooklyn, because reportedly one of the more than 70 people shot is a Brooklynite," Markowitz said in a statement.

"Fortunately, he is expected to recover but 12 other theatergoers weren’t as fortunate. All of Brooklyn joins the nation and the world in mourning the innocent lives lost, and we pray for the full recovery of the dozens of wounded victims in this senseless national tragedy."