An Arapahoe County District Court judge ruled Thursday that the city of Aurora’s outside review of its emergency response to the July 2012 Aurora theater shooting can be made public.
District Court Judge Stephen Collins found that the report by TriData “would not have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing the criminal case, and, thus, would not result in a substantial injury to the public interest.”
The city has until Sept. 11 to appeal the judge’s decision. The report cannot be released for 21 days to give the city a chance to appeal, the judge wrote.
At a hearing last week on the matter, prosecutors and attorneys for James Holmes, who faces the death penalty if convicted of killing 12 people and injuring dozens of others in the shootings, argued in favor of keeping the report sealed. Attorneys for Aurora were just seeking guidance on whether it can be released.
Some information, including testimony during Holmes’ preliminary hearing, already has been made public, but otherwise there is a gag order in the case.
Among other things, the report, which cost $250,000, examined why it took emergency medical workers nearly 24 minutes to get inside the Century Aurora 16 movie theater.