Stephen A. Barton, 22, of Southbury, was in the movie theater when bullets rang out in Aurora, Colorado Friday morning.
Twelve people were killed during the mass shooting at the "Dark Knight Rises" midnight screening, authorities said.
Barton is one of the 58 people who were wounded and is recovering after being shot in the neck.
The Southbury resident's arm went limp when he got hit.
He saw the flash of the gun and said it looked like the gunman was spraying bullets into the center of the theater.
Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said the suspect, James Holmes, was wearing body armor and a gas mask when he was taken into custody with police.
Holmes allegedly tossed a gas can and then opened fire.
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"It seemed very methodical, he was just unloading into the crowd," Barton said. "I thought more people would be dead because he had this high-powered shotgun. On some level, I thought, there’s a shooter in the theater and he’s killing people," he added.
Stephen believes he heard at least 25 rounds. Once the shooting stopped, he was able to walk out of the theater.
He said he was lucky to get out the back exit.
"Once I was out, the police were already there," said Barton.
On Monday morning, he spoke with Savannah Guthrie for the "Today Show" and said it was not until Barton saw the shock on the faces of the people who saw him that he realized he needed to get to a hospital.
Barton suffered a gunshot wound to his neck and it came close to a major artery in his neck.
Police took Barton and another victim to an area hospital.
Shrapnel had also struck his arm. He was in surgery all day Friday and could be released on Monday.
Barton had been cycling across the country with his childhood friend, Ethan Rodriguez-Torrent. The two were in the theater with a female friend at the time of the shooting.
Stephen's mother, Christine Barton, left Connecticut to be by his bedside.
Amazingly Stephen is not angry, but he does have words for the shooter.
"I'm sorry he had to cope with whatever was going on in his life by doing this," Barton said.
When he spoke with Guthrie on Monday, he said he is grateful to be alive.
"Words cannot describe how thankful I am that I am sitting here talking to you today," he said.
