CENTENNIAL | The atmosphere outside of the Arapahoe County Justice Center was eerily quiet Monday on the opening day of the trial for one of America’s deadliest mass shootings.
A steady stream of people walked into the courthouse on a gray and drizzly day beginning at 8 a.m., dressed in jeans and sweatshirts.
Media outlets had reporters inside listening to instructions and opening remarks for the trial of 27-year-old James Holmes. Most reporters who remained outside stayed away from the court entrance and instead huddled around a live-stream feed of the trial in trucks, trailers and tents set up at the outer edge of the parking lot.
Closer to the courthouse entrance, photographers stood behind a small yellow fence on the grass in a traffic circle roundabout, snapping pictures of anyone walking up the court steps.
It was difficult to tell whether the steady stream of individuals seen coming in and out of the courthouse throughout the day were there for other matters, or if they had a connection to the now-infamous case.
A nearby interview space for victims and survivors, just east of the traffic circle where media were huddled, remained empty all morning and into the afternoon.
Bryan Beard, a friend of Aurora theater shooting victim Alex Sullivan, declined to comment and was hugging a girl closely as he entered the courtroom building just before opening remarks for the trial began at noon.
At one point in the morning, with no one to interview, photographers in the traffic circle clamored around artist Jeff Kandyba’s latest sketch of Holmes and defense attorney Daniel King in court.
By noon, vans blocked both ends of roundabout entrances of the Arapahoe County courthouse, and a police gunman patrolled from the top of the courthouse.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.