Daniel Oates, Aurora Police Chief, Says Columbine Helped Shape Police Response And 'We Will Convict Him' (VIDEO)

Chief Oates: 'We Will Convict Him'

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Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates told NBC's Kate Snow in no uncertain terms that 24-year-old suspected Aurora shooter James Holmes will be convicted.

Asked by Snow, "As you sit here right now, do you think you have a strong case against Mr. Holmes? Will you have a strong case?"

Oates replied, "We will convict him. Yes."

In the emotional interview which aired Sunday night, Oates disclosed that his own daughter had been at a "Dark Knight Rises" premiere at another theater in Aurora the night his law enforcement officers were responding to the Century 16 movie theater shooting.

Oates added that he felt the Columbine shooting in 1999 helped prepare the law enforcement in the community for what happened at the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora.

"This law enforcement community and this larger community was shaped by Columbine in a way that I'm not sure people realize around the rest of the country. We practice, and practice, and practice for active shooter situations and we were already extremely rigorous and disciplined in that training and we will be even more so."

In another interview Sunday with Face the Nation, Oates added that he'd incredibly proud of law enforcement for noticing that "there was one particular piece about his equipment that was out of place."

If not for the observant officers, he says, Holmes might have been mistaken for SWAT in his tactical gear and gotten away in the chaos early Friday morning.

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