Michelle Obama makes surprise visit to meet Aurora shooting victims

First lady Michelle Obama made an unannounced visit to meet victims of last month’s movie-theater shootings in Aurora, Colo. on Saturday.

Mrs. Obama spoke to survivors and the doctors and nurses helping them recover from their injuries at the Medical Center of Aurora, according to a White House pool report.

The report said the first lady was greeted by several dozen emergency workers and Intensive Care Unit staff in a conference room next to the hospital cafeteria.  Mrs. Obama spoke with emergency room Dr. Gilbert Pineda, who thanked her for her visit.

Dr. Frank Lansville, another physician at the facility, told the first lady that staff were “very proud” of their work treating victims of the mass shooting.

The medical center is less than 3 miles from the movie theater where police say lone gunman James Holmes opened fire July 20 during a midnight premiere of “The Dark Knight Returns,” killing 12 and leaving over 50 wounded.

After meeting with the hospital staff, the first lady spoke with families of shooting victims and one patient who was still in intensive care.

The stop was a surprise visit during Mrs. Obama’s west-coast fundraising swing.  She is in Colorado for an event at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver to raise money for the Obama Victory Fund 2012 and will head to Los Angeles for two more days of fundraising, reports said.

President Obama visited Aurora days after the shooting, telling the community he had come as a “father and as a husband” and meeting with survivors and family members who had lost loved ones.

Obama returned to Colorado last week on a two-day, four-stop swing through the key battleground state, which he carried in 2008 but where polls show GOP rival Mitt Romney competitive. His most recent visit was the sixth time he had visited the state this year.

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