CENTENNIAL, Colo. — It’s been almost four years since the deadly shooting at the movie theater in Aurora, Colo., that killed 12 people and injured 70. Now, the security at the Cinemark theater is being questioned by an expert that testified in court on Wednesday, stating that security flaws were to blame for the crime.

“I think they contributed to an environment where they didn’t have the deterrence or prevention necessary to protect the patrons in their theater,” said University of New Haven professor Gil Fried.

Victims of the shooting have accused Cinemark of providing inadequate security and are arguing that the company should be held liable for the attack, according to the Denver Post.

Fried’s biggest takeaway was the lack of armed guards on duty for the premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises,” stating that 76 of the 264 Cinemark theaters showing the movie that night had extra security on hand. In addition, Fried argued that the theater should have had extended video surveillance camera coverage, which would have eliminated blind spots outside the theater where the gunman prepared for his attack.

Cinemark’s attorneys say the shooting was an unforeseen episode that the company should not be blamed for. One of the company’s attorneys said he will call an expert that specializes in cineplex security to argue that the theater’s security plans were similar to other companies around the nation, according to the report.

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