Christian Bale visits shooting victims in Denver

Batman star Christian Bale made an unannounced visit to casualties of the shooting at the 'Dark Knight Rises' screening in Denver last week.

The actor contacted the Medical Center of Aurora to arrange the visit, asking for it to be kept out of the media.

Christian Bale visits Denver shooting victims

He reportedly arrived by ambulance in order to enter the hospital without being noticed by the press.

[Related story: Bale's horror at Batman shootings]

He then spent two-and-a-half hours with patients including Carey Rottman, who posted a picture of their meeting on his Facebook page.

“Wow!!! Thank you so much for the visit Christian!! What a great guy! Still in shock!,” he wrote in an update.

“The patients were really happy to meet Bale. They are obviously big fans of his movies,” said hospital boss Bill Voloch. “It was good for the patients. We hope it was therapeutic for them, and all the staff really appreciated him coming.”

He also spent time with hospital staff who had been treating the victims of the shooting, including nurse Crystal Flateland.

“I am probably one of the biggest Batman fans ever,” she said. “It was amazing, actually, to get to meet him. I think it's really great he came out here. It was touching.”

The shooting happened at a midnight screening of 'The Dark Knight Rises' last Friday, resulting in the deaths of 12 people, and leaving more than 50 injured.

Bale released a statement soon after the event, saying: “Words cannot express the horror that I feel. I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them.”