Christian Bale visits Colorado shooting victims

China Daily, July 25, 2012

Actor Christine Bale (C), poses with hospital staff at the Swedish Medical Center in Denver July 24, 2012 in this handout photo supplied courtesy of Swedish Medical Center. [Photo/Agencies]

Christian Bale, the actor behind the Batman mask in "The Dark Knight Rises," visited victims of last week's movie theater shooting as they recovered at an Aurora, Colorado, hospital on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the facility said.

Emily Crowley, spokeswoman for the Medical Center of Aurora, confirmed that the movie star was at the hospital Tuesday afternoon but did not give any details.

Bill Voloch, interim president of the medical center, told The Denver Post newspaper that Bale spent about 2.5 hours at the hospital, where he met with five people still being treated for their injuries. Two others victims came from a different facility to meet Bale, Voloch said.

A picture of Bale posing in the hospital next to a young man, identified by the Denver Post as victim Carey Rottman, was posted on the newspaper's website and on Twitter.

A spokeswoman for the actor was not immediately available to comment or provide further details.

Bale also et with doctors, police, paramedics and other first responders to the massacre that resulted when a gunman burst into a movie theater in Aurora, a suburb of Denver, and opened fire on the audience at a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises," killing 12 people and injuring 58 more.

Bale also spent time with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, the Denver Post reported.