Crystal Lake Man Killed In Aurora Shooting

By Amy Cavanaugh in News on Jul 21, 2012 3:00PM

A Crystal Lake man in the Navy is among the 12 fatalities from Friday morning's shooting in a Colorado movie theater, the Chicago Tribune reports. John Larimer, 27, was a cryptologic technician who had been working in Aurora since October 2011. It was his first station after joining the Navy in June 2011.

A sister of John Larimer said that they were notified after Larimer's brother flew to Colorado and was told that John Larimer, who was in the U.S. Navy, was one of the dead…

In a statement, the Larimer family said that at about midnight a Navy notification team arrived at their home to let them officially know that "our 27 year old son John was in fact one of the 12 killed at the theater in Aurora, Colorado."

In other Chicago ties, Roger Ebert penned an op/ed in the New York Times in which he argued for restrictions on the sale and possession of deadly weapons.

I’m not sure there is an easy link between movies and gun violence. I think the link is between the violence and the publicity. Those like James Holmes, who feel the need to arm themselves, may also feel a deep, inchoate insecurity and a need for validation… I don’t know if James Holmes cared deeply about Batman. I suspect he cared deeply about seeing himself on the news…

That James Holmes is insane, few may doubt. Our gun laws are also insane, but many refuse to make the connection. The United States is one of few developed nations that accepts the notion of firearms in public hands. In theory, the citizenry needs to defend itself. Not a single person at the Aurora, Colo., theater shot back, but the theory will still be defended.

Also, AMC Theatres has banned costumes during screenings, and police have increased security at movie theaters.