Emergency dispatchers are often the first point of contact when tragedy strikes. Dealing with people in difficult situations such as shootings, home break-ins and fatal accidents are all part of the job. 

But for Aurora, Colo., 911 dispatcher Kathie Stauffer, it took all she had to show strength on the outside -- all the while nervous on the inside -- during her five-hour ordeal directing police and other resources to the movie theater where a gunman was shooting at patrons during the midnight premiere of the latest Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises."

After word of the shooting spread through the dispatch center early Friday, Stauffer knew that in order to help those at the scene she had to remain calm and professional.

Colorado shooting suspect makes first court appearance 

"You have to mentally break away," she told NBC station KUSA in Denver. " You can't identify too much."

The night started out relatively quiet. "My screen was very empty," she told the Denver Post.

Then around 12:40 a.m., call after call started to come in all from the same place -- the Century Aurora 16 cineplex.

"They're saying somebody is shooting in the auditorium," she said.

Scores had been shot and help was needed quickly. Stauffer calmly radioed to a few officers and directed them to the scene. 

A few minutes later, she and the other dispatchers directed every officer in the city to respond to the scene of the shooting that would leave 12 dead and dozens wounded.

Suspect's family attorney: Concerned about family's safety

Once at the theater, officers pleaded for assistance, gas masks, ambulances and medical care. During the chaos the 39-year-old mother of two kept her composure, even while thinking of her own children. 

"Every call with a kid, I'm thinking of my own," she told the Post. "That's really what I'm struggling with now -- not to think about my own daughter every time."

The next few hours were crucial. Stauffer directed resources to police while fellow dispatcher Cheri Brungardt, 32, worked with the fire and rescue dispatchers. 

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The scene was so big, personnel on the ground didn't have enough gear and other agencies still had not arrived. 

"It's hard though because we want to help people. We sent help but sometimes that's not enough." Stauffer told KUSA as she wiped away tears.

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"Our job is to send help, and the guys we sent to help were calling for help and we couldn't help them," Stauffer said. "Normally, they get on the radio and the magic dispatcher gets them what they need. This time, they kept calling. They needed help and they couldn't get it."

Both dispatchers told the Post they know it will take time to get over what happened. Stauffer has been off the police dispatch and has been moved to fire duty since the shooting.
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Updated at 10 p.m. ET: James Eagan Holmes appeared in court for the first time Monday after he was arrested last week in the deaths of 12 people in a mass shooting at a sold-out movie theater in Aurora, Colo.

Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester ordered Holmes, 24, held without bond, saying there was probable cause to continue the case. He told Holmes he was accused of having killed 12 people and wounded 58 others early Friday in a crowded theater that was showing the premiere of the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises."

Twenty-one people remained in area hospitals Monday, 10 of them in critical condition. Two were released.

Sylvester set a hearing on formal charges — expected to be multiple counts of first-degree murder — for next Monday at 9:30 a.m. (11:30 a.m. ET). Holmes — wearing a red prison jump suit and accompanied by Tamara Brady, one of his public defenders — said nothing during the hearing. He mostly looked down at the table under a shock of dyed bright red hair and occasionally raised his eyebrows in a quizzical expression.

Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office via KUSA-TV

James Eagan Holmes in his police booking photo.

Relatives of some of the victims leaned forward to catch their first glimpse of Holmes. Some stared at him the entire hearing, including Tom Teves, the father of Alex Teves, who was killed in the shooting. Two women held hands tightly, one shaking her head.

Afterward, Holmes was led away in handcuffs to his cell, where he is being held in isolation, said Carol Chambers, district attorney for the 18th Judicial District, which includes Arapahoe County.

Parents stand behind son
Holmes' father, Robert Holmes of Rancho Penasquitos, Calif., flew to Colorado to see James Holmes the day after the shootings. Monday, an attorney for Robert Holmes and his wife, Arlene, said that "their hearts go out to the victims and their families" and that they stood behind their son.

The attorney, Lisa Damiani, a prominent criminal and employment law specialist in San Diego, sought to clear up what she said were misconceptions that Arlene Holmes had said her son was the gunman.

ABC News reported Friday that when it called Arlene Holmes on Friday morning, "she told ABC News her son was likely the alleged culprit, saying, 'You have the right person.'" Many news organizations, including NBC News, referred to ABC's report.

In a statement read by Damiani, Arlene Holmes said the ABC reporter called her at 5:45 a.m. and asked whether she was Arlene Holmes and whether she had a son who lived in Aurora, Colo.

"I answered yes, you have the right person," Holmes said, according to the statement. "I was referring to myself."

Holmes said that she explicitly told the ABC reporter that she couldn't comment "because I did not know if the person he was talking about was my son, and I would need to find out."

Damiani reminded reporters that "it's important that a case of this significance be tried in the courthouse, in the courtroom, and not in the media."

Otherwise, Damiani said, the family has no plans to talk about James Holmes or their relationship.

No 'slam dunk'
The next step in the proceedings comes in a week, when Holmes will be back in court to hear the formal charges against him. After that, the case could wind on for months or even years.

Asked about the seemingly overwhelming evidence that investigators had amassed against Holmes, Chambers cautioned that "there is no such thing as a slam-dunk case."

"We will work very hard on this case just as we would on any other case," she told reporters after the hearing.

"A case like this involves so many different aspects — (prosecutors will) be working with the police, dealing with things such as search warrants, locations, is there enough evidence to proceed," James Peters, a former Arapahoe County prosecutor, told NBC station KUSA of Denver. Peters won the conviction of a man who killed killed four people at an Aurora restaurant in 1993.

Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said it could take months simply to determine a motive. He said police were working with FBI behavioral analysts.

Then the state must decide whether to seek the death penalty.

Chambers wouldn't say whether prosecutors intended to pursue that option. A capital case would "impact the victims' families for years, and we would want to get their input on that," she said.

Chambers is term-limited, which means that decision could be made by Chambers' successor, Republican George Brauchler or Democrat Ethan Feldman, one of whom voters will elect in November.

Holmes' defense strategy could delay a resolution even longer. If Holmes were to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, or if his attorneys were to argue that he is incompetent to stand trial, proceedings could stretch for years — perhaps indefinitely.

A defendant is considered incompetent if he's unable to understand the charges against him or to assist in his own defense. Legal proceedings must stop until the defendant is restored to competency.

Scott H. Robinson, a prominent Denver criminal defense attorney, said Holmes' lawyers might have no choice.

If they believe their client is incompetent, they have "an absolute duty to raise competency and [request] a competency evaluation," he said.

Six-year-old girl, sailor, aspiring broadcaster among Colorado shooting victims

Suspect's apartment combed
Holmes told police that he had booby-trapped his apartment, and it took more than 24 hours for them to disarm the explosives he had left behind. They included dozens of softball-sized fireworks charges filled with explosive powder, all of them wired in a circle. In the middle were two jars with a liquid and a small device with a flashing red light.

With technicians now able to move freely about the unit, the investigation has picked up speed.

Shocked Aurora vows, 'We will not forget' victims of theater shooting rampage

Aurora police, assisted by technical experts from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, were poring over the physical and documentary evidence. Meanwhile, investigators continued to interview associates of Holmes and at least 80 people who have called in tips.

After having initially warned police about the trap in his apartment, Holmes stopped cooperating and was offering no help, police said.

Chris Hansen, Kate Snow and Mike Taibbi of NBC News and Raquel Villanueva of NBC station KUSA of Denver contributed to this report.

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Courtesy Sullivan family via KUS

Veronica Moser Sullivan, 6, was killed by a gunman at the Century theater 16 in Aurora, Colo., shortly after midnight on Friday.

When Ashley Moser took her 6-year-old daughter to see the midnight showing of the latest Batman movie on Thursday, it was supposed to be a time to unwind after months of hardship.

Until recently, Moser and her only child, Veronica Moser-Sullivan, lived with Moser's father -- Veronica's grandfather -- David Moser. They were a tight-knit family. But eight weeks ago, David Moser, 65, died after a 10-month battle with leukemia.

Moser's father’s death crushed her, said her aunt, Annie Dalton.

“She was close with him,” Dalton said.

Dalton said her father’s illness also drained family resources; David Moser was penniless when he died, she said.

Ashley Moser and her little girl then moved in with an uncle, where they were living when they headed out for the Cinemark movie theater in Aurora, Colo., a suburb of Denver.  

At 25, Moser had not had an easy life, her aunt said.

"Ashley struggled a lot," Dalton said.

But Moser was getting her life in order, Dalton said. She had taken classes to enter a nursing program, her goal being to earn a degree as a licensed practical nurse – the kind of nurse who cares for the sick, injured or disabled. Moser had been accepted into a nursing program and was living off student loan money because she wasn’t employed, Dalton said.

Veronica, Dalton said, was a typical 6-year-old.

"She loved school, loved playing," she said. She had just started swimming lessons at a local recreation center, which she enjoyed. She was to start first grade in the fall.

But then came the early hours of Friday. Moser, a male friend and Veronica were in the theater, half an hour into The Dark Knight Rises, when a gunman entered and shot 71 people, killing 12.

On police radio calls someone is heard saying: "We have a child down and cannot evacuate." 

The gunman killed Veronica; Moser caught a bullet to the neck. Dalton said she is paralyzed.

In the two days following the shooting, Moser drifted in and out of consciousness at the hospital. On Saturday, Moser’s mother, a chaplain and a doctor sat by her side and told her the devastating news: Her daughter had died in the shooting.

Moser was crushed.

Dalton said that despite her niece's extensive injuries, Moser's health appears to be improving. She is awake and talking now, Dalton said on Sunday.

For the family, this means more trauma, of course, but also mounting medical bills. Dalton said she believes that Moser is on Medicaid, but money will be tight with additional bills and Veronica’s funeral.

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