Facebook pages paying tribute to James Holmes, the alleged gunman who killed 12 people in the Aurora movie theatre massacre, have provoked an angry response from readers.

Several satirical posts devoted to Holmes have begun to appear just days after the Aurora gun rampage, which also left more than 50 people injured.

Some make light of the killings by portraying the 24-year-old's alleged actions as funny or heroic.

Although thousands of people have flocked online to express their outrage, several pages have managed to collect hundreds of "likes".

One popular image shows a grinning Holmes, dressed in military attire, receiving a medal from President Obama.

One angry poster said: "It is legal to lionise a psychopathic killer [but] I just hope that the name of the person who created the site gets out."

Another wrote: "Lived in Aurora for 8 years. If this happened in your town, you wouldn't find it so funny. If you were supposed to be there, you wouldn't find it so funny. If you had friends hurt, you wouldn't find it so funny. Ever think of it like that?"

James Holmes Tribute
An online tribute to the alleged Aurora shooter
James Holmes Tribute
Many of the online tributes focus on shock value
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