One day after the tragic Colorado shooting at a theater premiere of hotly-anticipated summer film The Dark Knight Rises , victim Alex Sullivan’s family received the horrible news that their loved one had been killed while out watching the film to celebrate his 27th birthday.
In a sad scene that faintly echoed the days of uncertainty after September 11th, Alex Sullivan’s family searched for the young man, bearing a photocopied picture of the bartender as they attempted to reach him to no avail.
Throughout the day, his frantic family members repeatedly called his cellphone, reporting that his number rang to voicemail as they hoped in vain he had been taken to a hospital to be treated in the ensuing chaos.
Even more sadly, the profile pic on Alex Sullivan’s Twitter feed is of the Batman symbol, and his postings reveal a heavy level of anticipation to see the film with a group of co-workers.
In fact, Sullivan’s final tweet to his 200+ followers referenced his excitement about his midnight plans, and the posting is poignant and sad in light of the outcome:
#TheDarkKnightRises @Reel_Nerdsoh man one hour till the movie and its going to be the best BIRTHDAY ever
— alex sullivan (@sully_2003) July 20, 2012
In reply, two Twitter users expressed hope that Alex Sullivan had survived the senseless violence, tweeting:
@ sully_2003 i hope you’re okay ?
— internet girlfriend (@pikachudiamonds) July 20, 2012
@ sully_2003 Hey guy, you probably won’t see this for a while and you don’t know me, but I just want to say that I’m hoping for the best man.
— Jake Godin (@JakeGodin) July 20, 2012
Late Friday night, a friend of Sullivan’s confirmed that his family had learned Sullivan was indeed one of the 12 moviegoers that did not make it out of the theater.
