Batman cinema shooting: James Holmes is 'nice easy-going guy' says uncle One of Holmes's former tutors, who worked with him on a gene therapy project at the University of California, told how the suspect shooter had been an exceptional student who was able to cope easily with complicated science. Describing his grasp of complex methodology as "impressive, compared to other undergraduates I worked with before," Hongxia Wang said he was a "smart guy and quick learner" who exhibited no signs of a troubled mind. "I had a great time working together with him," Wang told the Huffington Post. As for personality, he was nice, easy-going and liked to share his opinions with others. Timothy White, from the University of California, where Holmes attained his undergraduate degree in neuroscience, said the suspect was a "brilliant" student. "Academically he was the top of the top ... he really distinguished himself from an academic point of view during his four years with us, graduating with highest honours," White said. Holmes, who was in the process of withdrawing from a Ph.D. program in neurosciences at the University of Colorado, was described as "shy and witty" by a High School friend. Sumit Shah, who attended Westview High School in Poway, San Diego with Holmes, told a local news station: "He was pretty shy, but once he got comfortable with you, he was the funniest, smartest guy ... He always had something witty to say." Shah said he had not seen any "warning signs" that friends and family could have picked up on. The guy I knew in high school, I don't understand how that could be the same guy ... He was shy and little quiet, but he was never aggressive or mean. He always had really good grades. He seemed pretty normal.