Batman star Christian Bale visited survivors of the Colorado theater shooting Tuesday, and gave recognition to the medical staff and authorities who responded to the attack that took 12 lives and injured 58.
Bale also visited a makeshift memorial located near the Aurora theater that showed the batman film when the attack occurred.
Bale stopped at The Medical Center of Aurora on short notice where he spent over two hours talking with staff and victims and taking pictures with them.
"He said he wanted to come to thank all of us because he has been thinking about this. He knows the whole world has been thinking about this," said Janie Bowman-Hayes, assistant vice president of surgical services at sister hospital Swedish Medical Center.
A Warner Bros. spokeswoman told The Denver Post that Bale was there representing himself and not the film or the movie studio.
Bale, who stars as Batman in the film, issued a statement prior to his visit saying: "Words cannot express the horror that I feel. I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them."
Others who came to visit the hospital and survivors include President Barack Obama and members of the Denver Broncos.
Staff at both the Swedish Medical Center and The Medical Center of Aurora treated victims after the attack.
Bowman-Hayes said the staff was grateful for Bale's visit.
"He did this out of his heart, and you could really tell. It was so sincere," she said. "It was just, 'thank you.'"
