Colo. victim's father on suspect: I "could have wiped the floor with him"

The undated photo provided by the family shows Alex Teves. Teves, 24, was one of the victims killed in the Friday, July 20, 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo. / AP Photo/Teves Family

(CBS/AP) CENTENNIAL, Colo. - The father of one Colorado shooting victim could do nothing more than stare at the red orange-haired alleged murderer of his 24-year-old son.

Tom Teves sat in the front row Monday as a judge advised Holmes of the allegations against him. His son, Alex, was killed in the Friday shooting at a packed Aurora, Colo. movie theater that took the lives of at least 12 people, injuring 58 more.

Teves said he "could have wiped the floor with [Holmes] without breaking a sweat" and that he wishes the suspect picked on "some guys who know how to use guns."

Alex, a 24-year-old from Phoenix, had just earned his masters in counseling psychology from the University of Denver.

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Holmes showed little emotion during the hearing, which appeared to anger some family members of victims who attended. He didn't speak once, allowing his attorneys to answer questions for him. He looked as if he were numb to the proceedings, but prosecutors said they did not know if he was on medication at this time.

57 Photos

Shooting rampage in Colo. theater

Homes allegedly entered a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" at Century 16 theaters through the fire exit, threw two smoke bombs and then fired round after round at the panicked audience who scrambled to escape. Many of the victims still remain in critical condition.

Police stopped him outside the theater and noticed that he was holding a non-regulation gas mask which raised an alarm. He was taken into custody on suspicion of first-degree murder and could also face additional counts of aggravated assault and weapons violations. He later told police that his apartment contained explosives but has not cooperated since then.

Prosecutors are considering seeking the death penalty against Holmes, but said they will consult with victims' families before making their decision.

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At the hearing, two women held hands tightly, one shaking her head. Relatives from at least five different victims were present during the morning's proceedings.

David Sanchez, who waited outside the courthouse during Holmes' hearing, said his pregnant daughter escaped uninjured but her husband was shot in the head and was in critical condition. His daughter was delivering their baby on Monday.

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The Aurora shooting victims

[finkfurst4]

P.S. Maybe thinking you're a character in a Batman film and shooting people at random is pretty normal behaviour in the USA, but where I live most people think it could be a sign of mental illness!!!!

[doobiedotoo]

Oh please. There are FAR more terrorist and mass shootings in Europe than in the U.S. Remember the recent gunman in Norway who shot and killed teens? What about the one in Finland who killed 5 people? How many died during the battle between the IRA and Britain? What about all the bombings in London?

[finkfurst4]

doobiedotoo - Far more mass shootings in Europe than the USA????? You are seriously deluded!

[finkfurst4]

The response from this victim's father is that he could be a more efficient killer than the multiple murderer who killed his own son!!! What a sad, sick society you Americans have. The strangest thing is that apparently nobody in America even thinks this is weird and sick!

[finkfurst4]

Homeless-Person - Why do idiots like you always insist on jumping to silly conclusions? You're wrong, I think he's probably mentally ill and so should be locked away from society in a secure mental institution until the day he dies. But punishment isn't the point - it should be trying to make sure it doesn't happen again, both by trying to recognise mass murderers before they kill anyone, and trying to minimise the number of people they can kill.... AND NOT GIVING THEM AUTOMATIC WEAPONS MIGHT HELP!!!!!

[SlimJeffy]

fiinkfurst4: Do you believe that James Holmes had an automatic weapon? Or, do you just not know what an automatic weapon actually is?

[UForgotPoland]

*** these "allege" and "suspect" terms are just a joke. Civil rights should be basic but extreme advocates of it have turned our justice system into a complete joke, there is no justice anymore! The guy was the shooter and he shot those people, there is no "allegedly". 60 years ago this guy would have been strung out already. The extreme inefficiencies of our courts needs to be reformed! All that our system has done is turn this guy into a celebrity with free food and bedding for the rest of his life until he gets put to sleep some 40-50 years from now. Should be put in with the general population (geez like any other criminal, then have a trial, and finally he should be hanged or electrocuted a few weeks later.

[Filmguy870]

"alleged?"

[losbiker]

yes, "alleged". in our system of law, you are not considered guilty of anything until you have been declared guilty in a court of law. it's a basic freedom that protects every citizen and that every citizen should be aware of. this lunatic may even be found innocent by reason of insanity, so be prepared. personally, I would take care of him with a baseball bat, but that's just me...

[D-Waarheid]

Sorry losbiker but the clear as day mountain of evidence, dozens of shot witnesses and 12 dead moviegoers has judged this beast guilty !

[Bendech]

Why bother to get angry at the killer???
We all know very well:
1. That absolutely nothing will be done to prevent this from happening again
2. That another massacre like this will happen next week or next month
3. That the circumstances behind the next horrible massacre will be similar to this: a mentally unbalanced individual or person with anger management problems legally buys guns, ammunition and bullet proof gear at a local Walmart, gun store or gun show, then walks into a crowded theater, shopping mall, beauty salon, fast food outlet, high school, university, office complex etc. and begins randomly shooting innocent men, women and children.
4. The nation will mourn, news outlets will report, people will weep and wonder why. And then the cycle will repeat itself.

America needs to have a reality check.

If drunk drivers keep killing innocent people on the highway each month and we refuse to pass laws against driving while drunk, refuse to prosecute bartenders who sell alcohol to drunks at bars, refuse to conduct random sobriety checks on all drivers, refuse to pull over drivers who are weaving erratically along the freeway, refuse to jail drunk drivers who can't pass sobriety checks, refuse to pull the license of habitual drunk drivers, refuse to pass stiff sentences to those convicted of drunk driving....then we have no one to blame but ourselves when another innocent family gets wiped out on the freeway by another drunk driver. It's really OUR OWN FAULT.

It should come as no surprise to anyone why senseless massacres like this happen over and over and over again in America. It's an American ritual

[Truth_Bee_Told]

yeah, i think he looked like he was putting on a show, but on the other hand for someone capable of doing what he did, God only knows whats going on in his head.

[all4science]

That's the best comment I've read so far.....

[steamed2]

Of course, I freely admit to being biased, however it appeared that this worthless piece of garbage may have been role-playing, his hang-dogged expression, exaggerated wide-eyed blinking could be carefully contrived. This guy is extremely intelligent in his own demented way, and planned this all out in great detail. Who knows what he may be capable of? On the other hand, it's probably seeped through the fog in his brain that for the foreseeable future he's going to be living in an 8x8 room that has a toilet for it main decorative feature, and yeah, that's a bit depressing.