Matthew Robert Matt McQuinn, 27, was killed during the mass shooting at the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012. He was attending a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises with his girlfriend, Samantha Yowler, and her brother when a lone gunman set off tear gas and opened fire on the audience. McQuinn shielded Yowler from the gunfire; he was struck three times and died of his wounds while Yowler sustained a leg injury and survived.

Twelve people died in the attack and dozens were wounded. The suspect, 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes, was taken into custody near his car behind the theater. Authorities later found explosives in his apartment that were disabled by a bomb squad. Holmes confessed to the shooting and entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity; he was tried and found guilty on multiple counts and received consecutive life sentences and additional prison terms.