Batman Colorado shootings: thousands of mourners hold open-air vigil "Angels walk with those who grieve" read one banner singled out for its message by one speaker. So many people wanted to pay tribute that cars, unable to park in the overflowing designated car parks, were left on grass verges at the sides of the road. The audience - which comprised of young children, teenagers, and adults of all ages - was invited to hug and thank one another before the emotional speeches began. Getty Images None was more emotional than that of the Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. He struggled to hold back tears as he praised the brave acts of the police and he elicited huge cheers and applause when he told the crowd he refused to utter Holmes' name. "I refuse to say his name," he said. I am just going to call him suspect A. He almost broke down as he asked the audience, which numbered more than 5,000, not to associate the date of July 20 with Holmes but instead use it to remember the individuals who lost their lives. Mr Hickenlooper then read each name aloud and asked the audience to respond with a shout of "We will remember" following each name. U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado (Bloomberg) The vigil came no more than an hour after President Barack Obama had visited the families of the victims. Mr Hickenlooper revealed that the president had spoken with families much longer than anticipated, saying: "His staff kept trying to drag him out and he would not be dragged out." After the speeches came prayers and then a rendition of Amazing Grace. Maureen Dietrich, 50, from Aurora said that he town needed the opportunity to grieve together and in the open. "It was very important," she said. I felt it was important to just come and be with people and support each other. We needed to remember how we can be a community together. Yolanda Muniz, 43, said that her daughter-in-law had been working at the cinema on the evening of the shootings and that her son had been a school friend of A.J Boik, an 18 year old high school graduate murdered in the massacre. Speaking about the vigil she said: "This is real humanity. This is people sharing grief and showing compassion for one another. I just hope that people don't walk away and forget.