- James Holmes is named as the suspect in the Aurora, Colorado, shooting
- He was withdrawing as a student from a doctoral program there
- He graduated from high school in San Diego
- Few other details were immediately known
(CNN) -- Nuggets of information about alleged gunman James Holmes began emerging Friday, but a clear picture of the 24-year-old and what may have motivated him remain elusive.
Eyewitness accounts describe the shooter who entered a packed movie theater as being dressed all in black, a bulletproof vest around his frame, and what appeared to be a gas mask.
The witnesses saw the attacker throw two canisters -- possibly tear gas -- before opening fire on the crowd. He did not say a word, one witness said.
Gunman kills 12 in Colorado movie theater
Police arrested Holmes in a rear parking lot of the theater. He did not resist.
James Holmes, 24, was identified by two federal law enforcement officers as the man who opened fire during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" at an Aurora, Colorado, theater early Friday. At least 12 people were killed and 38 wounded, Police Chief Dan Oates said. 
Jessica Ghawi, an aspriring sportscaster, was one of the victims. 
A woman waits for news outside Gateway High School, a few blocks from the scene of the shooting at the Century Aurora 16. 
Agents search the suspect's car outside the theater. 
Agents search the trash container outside the suspect's apartment in Aurora. 
Obama supporters observe a moment of silence for the victims at a campaign event at Harborside Event Center in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday. 
Obama speaks on the shootings at the event in Fort Myers. 
Moviegoers are interviewed at the Century Aurora 16. 
Chris Ramos holds his movie ticket from the "Dark Knight Rises." He was inside the theater with his sister when the shooting occurred. 
Officers gathered at the theater Friday. 
Investigators were a common sight at the theater Friday. 
Authorities gather at the shooting suspect's apartment building in Aurora. Police broke a second-floor window to look for explosives that the suspect claimed were in the apartment. 
Screaming, panicked moviegoers scrambled to escape from the black-clad gunman, who wore a gas mask and randomly shot as he walked up the theater's steps, witnesses said. 
University of Colorado Hospital spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery said that all of the wounded had injuries from gunshot wounds, ranging from minor to critical. 
A woman sits on top of her car near the crime scene. 
An ambulance is parked outside. Of the wounded, at least 20 were being treated at the University of Colorado Hospital, said spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery. "They're arriving by police, by ambulance. Some are walking in," she said. 
Police block access to the Town Center mall after the shooting. 
Witnesses told KUSA that the gunman kicked in an emergency exit door and threw a smoke bomb into the darkened theater before opening fire. 
What is believed to be the suspect's car is examined after the shooting. 
Photos: Shooting at Colorado movie theater It turns out that Holmes, who has roots in San Diego, was student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora. He was in the process of withdrawing at the time of the shooting, university officials said. He was a doctoral student in the neuroscience program.
A college syllabus that lists Holmes as a student shows that he may have taken a class in which he studied topics as diverse as substance abuse, schizophrenia, depression and other disorders.
Surprise from neighbors of shooting suspect
According to the document, he was supposed to have made a presentation in May about microRNA biomarkers.
Listen to theater shooting 911 calls 
Witness: Shooter was aiming everywhere 
Obama: Such evil is senseless 
Witness: He pointed gun at my face 
Witness: People bleeding in theater Holmes had enrolled at the university in June 2011.
Police also revealed that Holmes lived in a small apartment on Paris Street in Aurora, in Apartment 10.
Donald Robert Davis, 52, lived in Apartment 10 for about two years before moving out about a year ago. He described it as an approximately 850-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment with one bathroom for which he paid $525 per month, not including utilities.
Shooting turns movie into surreal horror
On Friday, authorities evacuated the entire apartment building after Holmes made a "statement about explosives" to police, Chief Daniel Oates said.
A neighbor who lives one floor underneath Holmes, Tori Lynn Everhart, described the apartments this way: "It's not like true ghetto. It's not the safest neighborhood, but it's definitely improving."
Large chunks of Holmes' past prior to medical school remain unknown.
Meanwhile in San Diego, his family released a statement saying they were still trying to process the news.
"Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved," the Holmes family said, without giving any information about the suspected shooter.
Theater shooting unfolds in real time on social media
The Poway Unified School District in San Diego confirmed that James Holmes graduated from Westview High School in 2006.
But his friends, his interests and his personality remained a mystery.
Are you there? Share your story on CNN iReport.
CNN's Tom Watkins contributed to this report.
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