Colorado shooting suspect hearing postponed after he is reportedly sent to hospital

July 23, 2012: In this file photo, James E. Holmes appears in Arapahoe County District Court in Centennial, Colo. (AP)

CENTENNIAL, Colo. – A Thursday hearing for the man charged with the Colorado movie theater killings was postponed Wednesday after his lawyers told a judge James Holmes would be unable to attend because he was sent to a local hospital Tuesday.

Court documents filed Wednesday gave no details of Holmes' condition. The documents said only that it "renders him unable to be present in court for (Thursday's) hearing."

However, the Denver Post reports sources say Holmes injured himself by ramming his head into a wall at the Arapahoe County jail. Other sources tell the paper Holmes received an MRI at the hospital.

Jail officials refused to comment whether Holmes was back in lock up, citing safety and privacy concerns.

Arapahoe County District Judge William B. Sylvester postponed the hearing, which was scheduled to discuss pretrial motions and media requests for information under state open records laws. The hearing will now be held on December 10.

Holmes is charged with killing 12 people and injuring at least 58 by opening fire in a crowded theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora on July 20. A midnight showing of the latest Batman movie was under way at the time.

Holmes is being held without bail and hasn't entered a plea.

His mental health has been an issue in the case since shortly after the shootings. His lawyers told the judge in early August, about three weeks after the shootings, that Holmes was mentally ill. They have not said whether he would enter an insanity plea.

Holmes has appeared alternately dazed and alert in previous court appearances. Attorneys have not said whether he is under medication.

He had been seeing a psychiatrist before the shootings.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.