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Families of Aurora cinema shooting victims 'appalled' by invite to re-opening

Invites were sent out to victim's families two days after Christmas

Families of the victims of the cinema shooting in Aurora, Colorado, last year say that they are 'appalled' by an invitation to the cinema's reopening.

According to AP, nine of the families of the 12 people who were killed when a lone gunman went on a rampage at a screening of 'The Dark Knight Rises' have been invited to an evening of remembrance at the venue, followed by a film.

[Related story: Witnesses describe horror of Denver shooting]

“Our family members will never be on this earth with us again, and a movie ticket and some token words from people who didn’t care enough to reach out to us, nor respond when we reached out to them to talk, is appalling,” read a letter to the cinema owner Cinemark.



The invite, which said it was sent on behalf of the company, was sent to the families by the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance two days after Christmas.

It was announced last month that the cinema would be reopening, despite calls for it to be demolished.

Sandy Philips, mother of 24-year-old victim Jessica Ghawi, said: “It was a killing field. It was a place of carnage, and they’ve not once told us what their plans are for the theater other than that they’re reopening it.”

It was reported in the Aurora Sentinel that the cinema had filed plans to turn the venue into one of the company's 'extreme digital' sites, featuring oversized screens.

A week-long hearing will begin next week to find whether there is evidence enough to put alleged gunman James Holmes on trial.

He was charged with counts of first degree and attempted murder following the massacre on July 20, which left 12 dead and 70 injured.