Transcripts For CNN Starting Point 20120720

finger in it, i was just in awe and kind of shocked still. and right before we tried to exit the theater, all of a sudden somebody said don't go in the lobby, he's in the lobby and somebody else tried to go outside and they shut the doors. i don't know why, they said he's outside. we don't know if there was more than one. a lot of people were in shock. >> could you smell the gas, we're told that in theater number nine he had set off a gas canister. was it coming into your theater? >> yes, the holes that were shot through, we noticed there was a little bit of light smoke coming through them and somebody said, look it was hot, like the bullet went through and burnt the material. my wife she had been an emt before, she's done the training with tear gas and drills for disaster preparedness. that smells really familiar. that's tear gas. we thought that the police were using tear gas on somebody, we didn't know what was going on. that's when they told us, try to get out somehow. there was only one exit at the top of the projector screen, i told everybody walk up the stairs and start heading up north. >> what was it like inside the theater eight where you were? were people in chaos? were they screaming? how many people were injured. >> there were two that i saw injured but it wasn't chaos, it was more so -- everybody thought it was a part of the movie, that it was something that was going on like a promotional stunt or something. at first everybody is dumbfounded. after i got my keys and ran back to my seat to get my keys, there are still people sitting there waiting for the movie and continue. there's something wrong, we need to leave now. we're getting out the exit and there are still groups of people sitting in the theater like nothing is going on. >> you were finally able to get to the top of the balcony and everybody was filing out fairly calmly? >> yeah, everybody was fairly calm until we got to the top. once we did, there was two armed officers at the bottom of the stairs, we were at the balcony behind the projection booth and they had shotguns, put up your hands we need to make sure you aren't armed. and everybody put their hands up and all of a sudden the officer looked down, is it okay for them to go? are you going to let them go? female officer said run and everybody starts running but they have almost like a jovial, this is a joke, this can't really be happened so people are kind of parairie dogging and me and my wife know something is wrong. get down, run, listen. >> it sounds as if at that moment they were still looking for potentially a second gunman? >> yeah, they didn't know what was going on really. once we got outside it was outside was chaos because there was wounded everywhere. officers leading wounds and sitting on the curbs outside. i noticed one girl wear a pink hoodie and her left side was peppered with wounds and limping to whatever vehicles were shown up. this is just happened, maybe about five or six minutes before. so it was fairly chaotic outside. >> police were describing putting witnesses and putting victims at their own cars and taking them theflselves to the emergency rooms. >> i noticed that at first because like i said, where the mall -- the theater is, it's in a mall parking lot so there's many exits. there are people doing that because there were some -- a lot of flesh wounds but there are some serious ones as well. like i mentioned earlier, me and my wife emt trained and i was in the marines myself. i noticed people were in shock and trying to help people get towards the fire truck and emts that were there. there was one gentleman who just -- his leg was peppered, just ripped up. his shoe was missing and his wife was shot in her leg. and he took the brunt of it and she got the rest. >> did you see any sign of the shooter by the time police said they were not only able to capture him but he went without resistance. did you see that as it unfolded snd. >> no, as we were leaving we heard the police saying back and forth across the radios and just general chatter that they had him cornered in theater nine and there might be a second shooter, they didn't know. that was all i had gotten at that moment. >> quentin caldwell, a marine, watching the movie next to where the shooting was taking place. giving us an eyewitness account of what he saw and heard. thanks for filling us in. christine romans is following what is happening at area hospitals. we know of the 50 people transported to hospitals, many of them in critical condition is what we were told. >> of those who are confirmed dead, ten were already dead in the movie theater and four later died at area hospitals, of the hospitals that are receiving people, swedish hospital, telling us they went on alert at 1:15 and began calling in extra staff. they had three patients that they received right away, all with gunshot wounds, one was treated and released but two still in surgery as of an hour ago. a university hospital they had 20 victims, all of them with gunshot wounds. 20 victims with gunshot wounds. some simple, minor gunshot wounds, other with severe injuries. they were mostly adults but there were teenagers as well. at children's hospital, there are six victims taken to childrens, ages 6 to 31. the youngest child at children's hospital was 6. we don't have a lot of information on who the youngest victims are but we have reports from witnesses that there were very small children watching this midnight showing of "the dark knight." some described as a baby but other witnesses say maybe a 6-year-old or 9-year-old being carried out of the theater in the arms of a police officer. another witness saying it looked like the child was lifeless and had been shot. we think that child went to children's, the only confirmation we're getting they have 6 victims, ages 6 to 31. >> some of the information we're getting from the red cross, a lot of people who could be witnesses not injured but were potential witnesses to what happened were taken to gateway hospital close to where the movie theater complex is. the red cross is on the scene there. they are feeding folks and say there's roughly 100 people there who are being interviewed by the police. we want to get tom fuentes, former assistant director and cnn contributor as well to talk about what the fbi will be doing in this case. tom, thanks for being with us. fill me in quickly after this happened, the fbi was brought in to start helping out. why the fbi in this case? >> good morning, soledad, mainly the first interest is going to be is this a single person by himself or is he a member of some terrorist organization. such as neo-nazi group or some other anti-government group. that's the first thing you try to rule out, if there are any other individuals involved with him or maybe he's a member of a group that somebody else will go out and start the same type of thing somewhere else. that's number one. secondly, a police department of aurora or any other police department is going to need all the help they can get in terms of the interviewing of so many witnesses, victims, victim's families and plus the investigation into the individual, does he have have a military background? where else does he live? interview his neighbors and colleagues and associates. there's a massive amount of investigation that's necessary and all of the police departments you have several agencies little be called into. in this case the fbi specifically will be looking at the domestic terrorism issue. >> there had been some reports in fact that the vehicle and we saw pictures of a white car that we believe to have been the car of the shooter because the doors were open and trunk was up. it was being searched, that the vehicle had plates from tennessee, so crossing state lines clearly would be an issue that would involve the fbi. >> well certainly, they'll be looking into where he lived in tennessee or who various neighbors or family members may be still in another state such as tennessee. that's one issue. the issue of bomb quad capability will be another issue to examine that vehicle and that of course conduct the search of the apartment and the apartment is going to require evacuating the area, evacuating other places and going in and doing the search that's required there. >> here's what we know about that. we're told by reports not long ago that the streets, we believe to be the street where the shooter lived, described as a 24-year-old male was blocked off and they are surrounded by law enforcement in s.w.a.t. attire, mostly watching according to one description, ambulances an fire trucks also nearby but everybody was being kept at quite a distance. unclear exactly in it was connected, this location to the shooter, but police had said earlier they were evacuating the building and the shooter himself mentioned something about explosives in his apartment. police say also mentioned something about weapons in his car. they told ugs that they evacuated that building and that they were continuing to monitor the situation. although early on they believe that the shooter acted alone. tom, thanks for being with us. i want to read to you a statement from president obama. he has released this statement from the white house saying michelle and i are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in colorado. federal and local law enforcement are still responding and my administration will do everything that we can to support the people of aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. we're committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice ensuring the safety of our people and caring for those who have been wounded as we do when confronted by moemgts of darkness and challenge, we must come together as one american family. all of us must have the people of aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family and friends and neighbors and stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come. that is a statement from president obama. talking about what has happened in aurora, colorado this morning. we want to update you, 14 people reported dead in the shooting. the number could go higher though because 50 people have been reported to be transported injured to area hospitals, in some cases very critically injured. all of this happening at the theater show the "the dark knight", some people saying they thought it was movie special effects and didn't realize until spem started standing up with injuries and bleeding that in fact there had been gunshots and people were being injured. john berman is monitoring what's happening on twitter. one of the first reports we got was on twitter, a young woman said that there had been a shooting. >> you mentioned the young people who have been flocking to these theaters across the country to see "the dark knight rises", one of the most anticipated films of the summer and never expecting anything like this. i'll read you some tweets from someone named zach eastman. everyone dressing up as batman. i'm going dressed as bruce wayne, a short, stubby, unsexy bruce wayne. this before the shooting happened. then this next tweet, just evacuated our theater in aurora, there was a shooting in the auditorium. i'm safe. it gives you a sense of the mindset of what people must have been thinking as they went into this theater last night, soledad. again, young people, we know victims in thirteens and 20s and young kids as young as 6. >> we've been listening to witnesses who have been filling us in, some of them inside theater 9 where the shooting was taking place and some of them outside the theater in which the gas seemed to be -- tear gas and other gunshots actually coming through the walls and they experienced it as well. we want to play for you a little bit of what some of those witnesses, eyewitnesses and people there were saying this morning. >> she said that a man about 6 feet tall, taller than her, kicked through the door and he was in -- a riot helmet. she said he was -- had a bulletproof vest on. she said that he was completely covered in all black with goggles. and she said that after that point, when she saw he was holding a shotgun, her and her boyfriend dropped to the floor and just kind of started to crawl to see if they could get away. they got up and started to run through the emergency exit. she said that when she turned around, all she saw was the guy slowly making his way up the stairs and just firing. >> reporter: at people? >> picking random people. >> it appears there was some sort of smoke or gas. we're hearing reports of an explosion, we don't know if that was part of the smoke and gas or separate device. i have heard that he was wearing a vest as well as we did recover at least one rifle, a handgun and i believe there was another gun of some sort inside the theater that was left. >> as they were leaving, he witnessed a baby, infant get shot. but they said gas bombs as they were leaving and then just gunshots all over the place. it started in the theater that i had bought tickets to. it was kind of a mind blower. while i was here waiting to talk to the doctor, i heard the call come in at the nurse's stagts. from what i could see, there were people unconscious and people bleeding. i saw one bed go past. the poor guy had blood caked all over his face and not responsive at all, same thing with the lady, they were out of it. they managed to get most everyone stabilized, which is a blessing. it really is. >> he did not resist, did not put up a fight. i don't know the exact details if officers surprised him or how it happened. but i know in of the first officers that arrived within -- i don't know if it was seconds, maximum a couple of minutes, found him behind the theater at his car and took him into custody there. >> so that is a little description from some of the eyewitnesses of what they saw inside that theater which is really a theater complex, 16 theaters, of many of them showing "the dark knight rising", this is a film that people have been anxiously awaiting. his name has not been released at this point but he's described as 24 years old and wearing bullet proof vest and being heavily armed. he was taken into custody we're told in the rear parking lot of the theater, although some eyewitnesses thought in fact he was captured in the netheater itself. police took a shotgun and rifle from him and able to recover another gun inside the theater. he was according to some witnesses wearing goggles. police confirmed he had a gas mask as well. they have not confirmed the goggles part. he did not put up a fight. there was no resistance and additionally he was able to tell them about explosives in his apartment building. police said that at a press conference. after that they mobilized the units to his apartment building and there is a building that we've been monitoring that appears could be his where it's now been surrounded by law enforcement and ambulances as well. it does not -- no one believes there was a second shooter although in their early morning press conference police said they would actively monitor that. 50 people were transported to area hospitals with injuries, some of those very grave. we want to get to nicole williams joining us by phone from swedish medical center. thanks for your time. what's happening at your medical center right now? >> right now we have actually just received word that we are receiving a fourth patient. so currently we have a 19-year-old male who has been listed in fair condition. we have a 20-year-old male who is in critical, a 29-year-old female in critical. and we understand we have a 19-year-old female inbound. we're unclear of her condition at this time. >> you have two in critical condition and one 19-year-old who seems that person is in better condition and you're unclear ever the person being transported at this point? >> correct. >> what kind of injuries do they have? >> the three that we received immediately following the incident, all came in with gunshot wounds, we're hearing rumors that the patient that is currently on her way in could have shrapnel wounds but they have not arrived yet, we have not been able to assess the wounds or condition. >> have you seen shrapnel wounds in any of the other patients? we heard an eyewitness talking about sort of a shrapnel bomb, something exploded and that was the only person who mentioned that and now you're potentialing sh rapnell again. >> we have not. basically i'm sitting in the command center here at the hospital and staying out of the medical responders that are in the emergency department triaging these patients. we're basing our information on the updates they put up on the screen. we've had generic and general descriptions like gunshot wound. the extent of the injuries at is this point are unclear other than the conditions we've currently listed the patients in. >> how is the scene where you are? are you finding their family members who have domestic down to check on loved ones? is it chaotic or calm in. >> we have a handful of family members and friends who were they theater with people that got injured. we have a couple of people here waiting for a friend in surgery and sitting next to that person when everything happened. and they were shot. so right now the people we have here at swedish medical center are relatively calm, just kind of awaiting information. we do have several people calling from all over the country looking to track down loved ones. we are collaborate being with all of the other hospitals and they are compiling lists of all of the names of patients who have been admitted and we're working to protect the privacy and safety of patients who may have been admitted to work with family members calling to try to track down loved ones. >> thanks for that update. we appreciate it. i should mention, nicole mentioned that a potential shrapnel wound could be enroute to the hospital right now. earlier an eyewitness talked about not only the smoke grenade but tear gas as i think has been now confirmed and 15 to 20 shots fired but also something about a scrap metal pepper bomb which would be consistent with what is being described as an injury incoming to the hospital. that's the first time we've heard of that. christine you've been monitoring the other hospitals. >> university hospital has the youngest victims so far, a 3-month-old, the youngest victim we can tell so far is just 3 months old, a little baby. the denver post saying that there are 20 victims over all. we got that from our reporting as well. nine of them in critical condition, but the baby is alive and i can tell you that cbs and also one of the local affiliates are reporting that the child is in fair condition. we'll work to confirm that. you can imagine going to a midnight movie with a 3-month-old, a sleeping baby, trying to see this film that quite frankly sold out over the past few days. a 3-month-old child at that movie, was the youngest victim we've noticed so far. >> my goodness. and some of those descriptions that all of the theaters were packed with moviegoers making this tragedy all the more awful. mitt romney has released a statement. says this, ann and i are deeply saddened by the news of the senseless violence and we are praying for the families and loved ones of the victims during this time of deep shock and immense grief. we expect the person responsible for this terrible crime will be quickly brought to justice. he mentions 15 people. the number that we have is 14 people who have been killed. ten who died inside the theater, four others were reported dead on arrival or at the area hospitals where they had been transported. 50 people were reported injured in some cases gravely, gravely injured described as very critically injured and we're watching to see if that number stays at 14 or it could go higher. it happened of course at the century 16 theater in aurora, colorado where they were showing "the dark knight rising" which was showing in many theaters in that 16-theater complex. we want to check in kcnc, our denver affiliate. >> early this morning, another four people died after the shooting either on the way to or at emergency rooms in the metro area. here at university hospital, 20 patients were treated nine are still in critical condition. the youngest victim a 3-month-old child, doctors say that that infant is right now doing fine. we also understand there is another victim, a 6-year-old victim, that was taken over to children's hospital, which is just the next hospital over. we are still trying to understand more about how badly these victims were injured and as we understand, the next 12 hours will be very important hours for the at least nine victims that we understand are in critical condition here at university hospital. back to you. >> for sure, stan, thank you very much. they already had a full e.r. going. two e.r. docks there at the time when this triage started. >> that's our affiliate, kcnc, we've been reporting on and covering their coverage, dipping into their coverage at times. we'll check in with tony roman, a security and investigations expert. what you know and what you've heard about this shooter, he is 24 years old, according to police reports, he was wearing a bullet proof vest, heavily armed, also according to police, taken into custody somewhere either at the back of the theater or in the back of the theater complex. they remofld a shotgun from him, a rifle from him, a third gun was found in the movie theater. eyewitnesses described him as wearing a gas mask and goggles. as someone who does these type of investigations, where do you start? >> clearly this was a premeditated attack. and you begin with the background investigation of the individual to see if he became or belongs to a larger group of individuals who are radical groups or an arcists or any type of group which can propose this kind of attack. the determination should be made very quickly whether or not this was a lone gunman who potentially is mentally disturbed, or whether or not he belongs to a larger group. >> tony roman -- keep going, i couldn't hear you at the begin. >> i'm sorry, we have a bad connection? >> a little bit. you were describing first thing you would look to see if it was premeditated and also to try understand if there was any kinds of connection to any sort of larger group. one of the things the police said that remind me of other shootings that we've seen that the gunman when they were able to capture him did not put up a fight and seems like he was helpful giving information about his apartment, potential explosives at his apartment, they said he did not resist in any way, shape or form. >> well, this sounds like an individual who perpetrated the attack to garnish attention for himself and would seem to be an early indication that he may be mentally disturbed as opposed to belonging to a larger group that would try to perpetrate this type of attack. individuals like this are difficult to guard against. even movie theaters with metal detectors and the like, would have a great type of difficult trying to prevent the attack because the individual planned and prepared and was well armed and could easily bypass a normal security. >> okay, i'm going to ask you to stay on phone for us, we want to show you aerial pictures from kmgh of areaial shots of the apartment complex where police are now staging. they tell us this is the apartment complex, could be the apartment complex belonging to the shooter, described the street as being blocked off. people in s.w.a.t. attire and mostly watching, by some descriptions but there are ambulances and fire trucks there as well. the reporters there describe it as being kept quite a distance from the scene. it is unclear of the actual connection of this apartment building to the shooting all thoi it would make sense police say the suspect told them of potential of explosives in his apartment. we know that they evacuated his apartment building and so this is an apartment complex that they are monitoring. these are the aerial shots coming to us from kmgh, our affiliate. let's talk about the victims, it was very interesting to see if the cell phone video and i think we can run that again in the cell phone video, you see people dazed as they walk through the lobby area of the 16-theater complex. >> we're trying to get a better handle on what type of injuries you're saying, some hospitals saying all gunshot wounds but a doctor at the university hospital gave an interview and said they are seeing shrapnel wounds as well, gunshot wounds and shrapnel wounds. some of these people look at though maybe they've been grazed. we know other people are still in the theater when the cell phone video was taking place. a 3-month-old child is the youngest we know that was shot. we're told that child is doing fine. we know a 6-year-old is the youngest child at children's hospital. they have an age range from 6 to 45 years old. some 20 patients are over at university hospital and nine of those are in critical condition. kcnc telling us more about an e.r. physician who has this 3-month-old child in the hospital saying the child is doing okay. again, gunshot wounds to shrapnel. we'll be interested to see what law enforcement say about what other kinds of weapons this suspect was using. we know there were three firearms, two on him, one stashed in the movie theater. at one hospital they are decontaminating everyone walking in and people were walking in, not just transported by the police and firefighters but walking in and going through decontamination because of what was clearly some sort of either a smoke bomb or some other sort of bomb or device that was put off at the very beginning of this whole ordeal. >> it's roughly five hours since this shooting happened in aurora, colorado, 14 people reported dead. that number could go higher though because 50 other people, that's 50, reported injured, in some cases critically injured. happened at the century 16 movie theater in the aurora town center mall. folks were watching "the dark knight rises", you can see a picture of that movie complex that was being shown on numerous screens inside that complex. witnesses describe people who were coming there dressed as batman or dressed as the vil in, 24 years old, bullet proof vest and heavily armed and taken into custody either at the rear of the parking lot of the theater or back of the theater itself. little conflict on that. some described his capture in the theater. police took from him a shotgun and rifle and able to find another gun in the theater and witnesses said he was wearing a gas mask and wearing goggles. christine, that would fit with the description of this tear gas or whatever the gas was that he released. witnesses described him as kicking in an exit door, coming right to the front of the theater in the one particular theater, theater number 9 in the 16-theater complex. then releasing that gas, tear gas, or whatever it was, and then walking up the stairs very calmly by some descriptions and just opening fire randomly, shooting people. we've got more description from some witnesses who were on the scene. i want to play that for you. >> from the front right corner of the theater. we got down on the ground. it was dark still. the lights never came on or knowing like that. once everything -- the shooting cleared, we just ran, ran up to the top of the theater and ran out. once we got outside, you could see, just chaos. >> when we got out of the building, it was just chaos. you saw injured people, there was this one guy who was on all fours crawling, there was this girl spitting up blood. there were bullet holes in some people's back. some people's arms. there was one guy who was stripped down to just his boxers and looked like he had been shot in the back or something. it was crazy. >> you said a couple of your friends were shot but they are okay? >> yeah, a couple of my friends, one of my friends got skimmed on the neck, it's a little deep but he's okay, he was at the hospital. another one of my friends got skimmed on the leg but she's okay also. >> one of your friends you have not been able to reach? >> yeah, my friend a.j., yeah, he's a really good friend of mine, his girl -- he was seeing the movie with his girlfriend la samoa and from what i heard, it seemed like he passed out or something and we haven't been able to get contact with him. nobody knows where he is. >> somebody kicked in the emergency exit, and started throwing gas grenades and starting shooting people at random. >> movie theater number 9 sfwl number 9, the one i was in. >> what did you do? >> at first it took me a second to realize what was going on. as people were running away, i hit the ground so i wouldn't be hit. >> somebody throw gas grenades? >> i heard the sound of metal canisters clinking around then i saw plumes of smoke. >> that's the description of some of the chaos as people left the movie theater. this is an apartment complex, this is coming to us from our affiliate in aurora. this is aerial pictures of the complex. you can see law enfoement is surrounding the building. apparently according to police, some of the words from the shooter, indicated to them that he might have explosives in his apartment. others have described ambulances being on the scene and that people dressed in s.w.a.t. gear, s.w.a.t. team apparently on the scene as well there. this apartment complex, the shooter said to have listd in north aurora. interesting questions about his vehicle, which by some reports had tennessee plates. this is obviously what they are monitoring today. the building was being evacuated according to the police chief hours ago at the press briefing. he said they evacuated that complex. but they are clearly still monitoring it and we're looking at those pictures coming to us live. interesting details coming from some of those eyewitnesses as well about this smoke bomb or tear gas, whatever it was, because others had described a scrap metal pepper bomb. and now we're hearing from some of the hospitals about injuries that would be consistent with shrapnel incident. you can see this gentleman walking through this cell phone video that's been released showing the inside of the lobby in some cases just chaotic and others just standing around. as wnesses described. it was unclear if what was happening was part of the movie or the explosions or noise, the gunshots or -- and it took them a while to figure out in fact it was a terrible tragedy unfolding. >> even in theelter number 8 where the gunman was not in theater number 8, there were people wounded in theater number 8. bullets went through the sound baffling. they are decontaminating people because of their exposure to tear gas. gunshot wounds ranging from grazes and some serious. 14 fatalities in all. >> there are expectations that the number could rise. >> in surgery right now. >> we want to get to gil alba, a former nypd detective joining us by phone. we certainly appreciate it. let's talk about the investigation, early on we knew the police there were looking for potentially a second suspect, that they were able to determine there was no second suspect, that the shooter who has not been named was acting alone. where would your investigation go from here? >> well, the fact that they caught him and you know, i think that once they caught him he started talking and that's where they got all of the information about a bomb in his house and everything else. i think the fact he gave up, he may have exhausted all of his bullets and everything else and had nothing left. that's one of the issues, once you get somebody like that, they do talk and tell you everything. that's one possibility that could happen with shooter. again, this happened in a dark theater, you know, everybody is disoriented when gas bombs and then shooting. this guy planned this really well. that's why police get all this training but they are real not prepared for something like this. so they have to come and get help, fbi gets involved, you don't know if it is some kind of organization. everybody comes and i'm glad they found the guy right away. they think it's only one shooter at the time. that's pretty good. they put them in the cars and took them to the hospital. you see it's chaotic even from the police department but still they have to be organized at this point. >> some witnesses described this smoke bomb or tear gas bomb that was set off first before the shooter apparently started opening fire kind of at random in theater number 9. how easy would it be for someone to get access to tear gas or to a smoke bomb or is that something they have to make from scratch at home? >> this guy obviously had this planned. this was all premeditated. so he -- and you can get all of this stuff. you know, probably on the internet or something like that. he already knew he was going to do it. so this was well planned out. and even though the reaction and started to shoot -- you know -- all over the place, it's not like a direct shot. so he actually knew that he wanted to take as many people out as possible. >> you mentioned the police training and many of the eyewitnesses described the degree to which the police were very organized and that there was not tremendous chaos that they were able to come in and take control right away. i wonder how much of that would be because of what was learned in columbine, which was a devastating shooting that happened not very far, 19 miles or so, away from aurora, colorado. >> no, that had a lot to -- across the country, all of the schools and everybody is prepared. you're right, this is -- this is a learning process. that's why the police have to gather everybody, gather all of the witnesses and one thing that's important, how many people were in there and who was in there and make sure they find out that everybody was in there. and again, you have to study this and find out how to prevent something like this or deter it or something to this effect. and that's why this will be another case studied and that's why all of the information, all of cell phone videos, all of the e eyewitnesses, all extremely important to get the information. they want to get the information to find out, is this only the only gunman? could this happen again in another theater or ballpark or at this time? is anybody else involved in this? this is what they are looking for. >> gil alba, thanks for speaking with us. in the specific theater, theater number 9. derrick thanks for talking with us. describe what you saw. >> at first like ten minutes into the movie i saw an object thrown and at first i thought it was a bat because it was dark. then i heard a loud pop. then i saw thought it was firecrackers and then i seen smoke coming out. >> where was it thrown from? the reports i heard from some eyewitnesses was that the shooter came in from an emergency exit, kicked the door in and then did that. is that consistent with what you saw? >> yes, ma'am, he came in through the right exit. >> okay, then you heard a pop and thought it was a firecracker and spoke started to come out so then you realized it was not a firecracker? >> yes, ma'am. right after this he started unloading gunfire. >> describe for me what he looked like and how his demeanor was. while talking, we're living at live pictures for everybody who is watching, live pictures of the theater now that the sun has risen and we get a better sense of the scene there. >> yes, ma'am, he didn't -- i didn't see him because it was pitch dark but i did see because as he was walking up to the steps where i was at, he had a gas mask and dressed in like camo black. >> was he frantic or calm or seem to be particularly picking individuals out? >> he looked calm. he looked calm and just trying to take anybody that he seen. >> was the movie still running then or was it pitch black? >> it was still running, the movie was still running as he was shooting. >> what was the scene like inside the theater 9 where you were? >> it was frantic, everybody trying to fend for themselves run for the exit of the people was getting pushed and stepped on and everybody was going after one door. >> where were you and how close did you get to the shooter? >> i was on the top right in the two seater section. as i seen he was walking up to the steps, he was walking up the steps, like 15, maybe 20 feet away from me. >> people have described him as carrying a shotgun, which would not necessarily have a lot of shots unless he's stopping and reloading. did you see him do that or was it not a shotgun he was carrying? >> actually, had like two guns, a shotgun and like a rifle. >> he had a shotgun and a rifle. was he wearing anything on his back? >> no, i didn't see none of that. >> he wasn't? all right. derek, how are you feeling? >> i feel good, a little shaked up but i'm feeling thank god i got out alive, me and my girlfriend. >> we're glad to see that. thanks for talking with us this morning. appreciate it. this is live pictures, aerial shots of what we believe is shooter's car. this is the back entrance of the theater and by numerous witness reports, the way that the shooter came into the movie theater was through the exit and was able to kick in one of the doors by one person's description so that he was right at the front of the theater while the movie was going. we believe that this is his vehicle because police had described a searching the gunman's vehicle, some said this is where they were able to capture him. it looks as if he did not resist and he was able to give information about his apartment where he lived as well and we know that -- we believe -- what we believe is his apartment is where a police s.w.a.t. team is set up and ambulances and fire trucks, they evacuated a building in north aurora, colorado and monitoring that, it was described to us as the law enforcement teams there just waiting and watching. we're going to continue to monitor the story. we'll take a short break and we'll have more of an update in this tragedy in aurora, 14 people reported dead and 50 others wounded. some of them, very, very, seriously as we continue to cover this story. we're back in a moment. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. you're watching breaking news about a terrible shooting that happened late night in acora. 14 people are reported dead. the number could go higher because there are 50 others who are reported injured. and some of them very critically injured. they've been transported to area hospitals in and around aurora. it happened at the century 16 movie theater in the aurora town center mall. witnesses said that a gunman seemed to kick in the back of a theater door while the movie "the dark knight rises" was a few minutes under way. it was a midnight screening. people didn't realize that it wasn't part of the movie when they heard the noise and gunshots. the gunman set off a canister of some type of gas, poblgly tear gas and that sent people into panic. and they he started shooting. he had a shotgun and rifle a according to some witnesses and walked up the stair opening fire, it seems to many people randomly, kicking off chaos in that particular theater, theater number nine and other theater because bullets were going through the walls into other theaters. and the tear gas or whatever gas it was was seeping through the walls of the other theaters sending people from those theaters out into the lobby. sounds like absolute chaos ensued then. police were on the scene, 250 police officers at one point reported to be helping and imagine how bad it must be when the officers are just throwing victims into their cars and hauling people themselves to the local hospitals. the hospitals are reporting numerous folks being treated there. many in critical condition described with severe gunshot wounds but shrapnel wounds are being reported as well. one eyewitness talked about an explosion from what he believed was a scrap metal pepper bomb. as we mentioned, the tear gas. the police chief gave a press conference earlier this morning. his nam is dan coates, here's what he said. >> the gunman appeared at the front of one of the theaters in the century 16 theater behind me here. witnesses tell us that he released some sort of canister, they heard a hissing sound and gas so concerned about explosives in the parking lot. hence the parking lot is sealed off. we have all the area bomb squad teams. we've had wonderful support from our law enforcement friends. and we are just as a precaution checking all the cars in the parking lot for explosives. that will come on for quite some time. >> that was police chief dan oates updating people on what happened there. we have christine monitoring what's happening in area hospitals. >> and we know that the youngest victim so far of the theater shoot, a patient who is doing fine, we're told, an e.r. doctor saying that the youngest patient is 3 months old, doing fine. but a 3-month-old is the youngest patient. so far the oldest patient is a 45-year-old. a 6-year-old is at children's hospital where they have six patients anywhere from 6 to 31. the medical center of aurora has i think -- sorry, denver medical has five in fair condition. 11 in critical condition there. that's the issue here with this. some people have tear gas, decontamination they are going through. some people have shrapnel injuries. some people have grazing. and they are ok. they are in fair condition but they have gun shot related wounds. there are others who are in surgery at this hour in critical condition. and it's a pretty still very dangerous moment for some of those people who were taken out of that theater. one thing that's interesting as well about the moments after the shooting, again, a midnight showing of "the dark knight," some were taken in ambulances and some came in on foot later as they realized they had minor injuries and some came in the back of police cars. police arriving on the scene. one case, a police officer witnesses tell us walking out of the theater with the still not moving body of a small child, a little girl. a 6-year-old or a 9-year-old, depending on which eyewitness you're talking to. we still don't know the status of that child, but a child that was taken out of the theater unconscious. >> a police spokesman said that they arrested the suspect in the rear parking lot theater. he is reported to be 24 years old, a man who lives in north aurora. we have seen aerial pictures of what is believed to be his residence, which is now surrounded by police and firefighters and ambulances as well. and also pictures of what is be wi believed to be the suspect's car. we saw law enforcement searching that earlier this morning. we're told that that gunman was heavily armed, wearing a gas mask and goggles as well, and heavily -- with the shotgun rifle according to eyewitness descriptions and also police said they found a third weapon, a gun, in the theater. we want to get to john burman with an update of what was happening on twitter, as people really were among the first to report what was going on in the movie theater. >> soledad, this is a national tragedy. as you would expect, our nation's leaders are now weighing in. we have a statement i want to read you from president obama, who says, michelle and i are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in colorado. federal and local law enforcement are still responding and my administration will do everything that we can to support the people of aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. we are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, and ensuring the safety of our people and caring for those who have been wounded. this is president obama. as we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one american family. all of us must have the people of aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come. the president was informed of the shooting by his homeland security adviser around 5:30 a.m. this morning mu. mitt romney, the republican nominee, also putting out a statement this morning. mitt romney says, ann and i are deeply saddened by the news of the senseless violence that took the lives of 15 people in colorado and injured dozens more. he says 15 at this point. cnn is reporting 14 people killed. mitt romney continues, we are praying for the families and loved ones of the victims during this time of immense shock and deep grief. we expect that the person responsible for this terrible crime will be quickly brought to justice. that from governor mitt romney who was scheduled to campaign in new hampshire today. the president scheduled to campaign in florida today. you can expect i imagine that their comments will be tempered somewhat today. >> one would imagine. john, thank you for that. the eyewitness description has been horrific as they describe the gunman entering the theater and then just opening fire seemingly randomly when some people thought the noise they were hearing was from the movie. i want to play for you some of the eyewitness reports that we've been gathering. >> she said that a man about six feet tall, taller than her, kicked through the door and he was in she said a riot helmet. she said he had a bulletproof vest on. you know, she said that he was completely covered in all black with goggles. and she said that after that point, when she saw that he was holding a shotgun, her and her boyfriend dropped to the floor and just kind of started to crawl to see if they could get away. they got up and they started to run through the emergency exit. she said that when she turned around, all she saw was the guy slowly making his way up the stairs and just firing. just picking random people. >> it appears that there was some sort of smoke or gas. we were hearing reports of an explosion. we don't know if that was part of the smoke and gas, or a separate device. i have heard that he was wearing a vest. as well as we did recover at least one rifle, a handgun, and i believe there was another gun of some sort inside the theater that was left. >> as they were leaving, he witnessed a baby, an infant, get shot. but, yeah, they said gas bombs as they were leaving, and then just gunshots all over the place. and it started in the theater that i had bought tickets to. so it was kind of a mind blower. while i was here waiting to talk to the doctor, i heard the call come in at the nurse's station. from what i can see, there are people unconscious. people bleeding. i saw one bed go past. poor guy had blood caked all over his face. he just was not responsive at all. same thing with a lady. just all out of it. by the time i left, i overheard the nurses saying they managed to get most everyone stabilized, which is a blessing. it really is. >> he did not resist. he did not put up a fight. i don't know the exact details, if the officers surprised him or how it actually happened. but i know some of the first officers that, you know, arrived within, i don't know if it was seconds, maximum a couple of minutes, found him behind the theater. at his car. and took him into custody there. >> that some of what the eyewitnesss on the scene have been saying this morning in the wake of this terrible tragedy. 14 people is the number given to us by police of those who have died. 10 in the theater. another four being declared dead as they arrived at area hospitals. we've got to take a short break. we're going to be back in just a moment with an update on this breaking news story. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. this is cnn breaking news. welcome back, everybody. you're watching breaking news. a massacre in the suburbs of denver. the number now dead has been changed to 12 dead, 50 wounded. a mass gunman opening fire in an aurora, colorado, movie theatre during a showing of "the dark knight rises." a suspect is in custody. he is reported to be a 24-year-old man, reported to be heavily armed. witnesses painted a scene of absolute panic and horror. according to law enforcement officials, we know a little bit more about some of the weaponry that the suspect is alleged to have used. at least three guns. they are now describing one as an ak type rifle. and then two other handguns. police say that the shooter was heavily armed, that two of those weapons were on his person when he was apprehended, and that the third weapon in fact was found in the theater. police officials, federal law enforcement officials, also saying that tear gas was the gas that was deployed. there have been no explosives found at either the theater or the apartment that is being searched. that is an update. we've seen some of the aerial pictures of the apartment search that is happening in north aurora. we believe it is the apartment complex of the shooter. and investigators have said that they believe that this is a lone actor. that is what the police chief, dan oates, was saying this earlier this morning. that there was no indication that there was anyone else involved in addition to this shooter who they were able to apprehend in the back of the parking lot outside the theater. let's get right to tom fuentes, a former fbi assistant director. the fbi is now involved in this, partly i'm sure just because of the massive proportions of this tragedy, tom. >> good morning, soledad. if in fact he acted alone and it's just a single deranged person, you would not have fbi jurisdiction in this. they would merely be providing assistance to the aurora police department who would have primary jurisdiction. however, one of the key concerns here is whether or not this individual is a member of another larger organization or a small group of people, even one other person such as the incident in columbine years ago. so they are going to want to verify that he is not part of some terrorist group or didn't receive other sophisticated training in making improvised explosive devices, maybe having booby traps set up in the apartment for when the police come, things like that. >> we know that the atf is also assisting in this. and i have to imagine there are tons of questions just about the weaponry. they have described it as an ak type shotgun, i guess. rifle is what has been described to us by some law enforcement officials. and then in addition, two other weapons, one recovered in the theater. also, i want to ask you about the tear gas. it's now been described as tear gas. where do you get tear gas from? is that something that's easily procurable? is that something that someone could potentially make at home? >> i think, yes, if he was making an improvised device and wanted to place, you know, some type of a chemical like tear gas in it, that's certainly possible. tear gas is actually a misnomer. it's technically small black powder pellets that become airborne when carried on smoke. when they are shot out of a grenade, let's say, the grenade goes off. there's a small fire that emits smoke, and the pellets travel on the smoke. so it's not a gas. it's small solid particles. if you got ahold of that, you could take pepper spray canisters apart and get the chemicals and put that into another device, if that's what he did. >> that's interesting that you're describing it that way, because we had some people earlier, some eyewitnesss described almost like shrapnel. >> right. >> and that sounds like that could be the description. they said explosives and shrapnel, in addition to some kind of tear gas or smoke gas. could those two things be almost at the beginning at least confused for each other? >> i think so. and, again, an improvised explosive device is something that many people know how to make, pipe bombs. and if they want to add other chemicals, whether biological or a chemical agent such as pepper gas, pepper spray, i think most people that have the technology to make a pipe bomb could add that ingredient in there without much trouble. >> law enforcement is telling us they have not found explosives in the theater or the apartment that they are searching, even though according to the police chief in his briefing earlier this morning he said that the shooter indicated that potentially there were explosives in his apartment. they also said that he didn't resist when they were able to apprehend him. what does that tell you? >> well, it sounds certainly like a deranged person. you know, i think he did all of the shooting, created the panic that he wanted to, possibly ran out of ammunition and just gave up when the police arrived. so that -- there are many questions that have to be answered about that. and the question of him talking to the police right now or during the night, it will need to be verified. everything he says or claims will have to be determined whether it's true or just bragging on his part that he had other explosive material or precursor chemicals which could be extremely flammable and dangerous in an apartment building complex. >> the eyewitness descriptions have been absolutely horrific. and also when you think about -- they are talking about a dark movie theater, where it's very unclear even what's happening. it must have been very, very terrifying. you almost couldn't pick a place that would be more crowded with people, the midnight showing of a highly anticipated film. you could not -- you know, and with the lights out, so you'd be able to sort of pop in an exit door and set off a smoke bomb and be able to really create almost the most havoc at that hour in one spot. >> and also while the movie is playing, you know, it has surround sound so there are speakers throughout the entire theater and the adjacent theater. so the sound of gunfire at a movie theater during a movie that has violence in it, it would be very disoriented to determine whether or not -- i think some of the witnesses claimed they thought it was part of the movie at first when they heard these noises, which later turned out to be actual gunfire. >> that's what they were saying. as people were standing up and bleeding from their gunshot wounds, sometimes going through the walls into other theaters, they realized this was real shots and this was something terrible unfolding. tom fuentes, thank you for talking with us. we appreciate your insight on where this investigation potentially could go. christine, i want to talk to you. we had said 50 people injured. the number of people killed has been downgraded to 12 people killed, which is better news than we've been dealing with earlier today. >> so true. >> how do they expect the 50 who are injured to -- what's the prognosis there? >> some are in critical condition and some in surgery as we speak right now. and they are still getting more people coming to the hospitals on their own. one hospital is doing decontamination because of tear gas exposure, and there are a number of minor injuries, tear gas exposure decontamination, also some shrapnel wounds and the like. and i want to talk to you about this young victim we have been trying to track down. eyewitnesss telling reporters on the scene moments after the shooting about a young girl, a little girl carried out in the arms of a police officer. listen. >> i saw at least four, maybe five people that were limping, wounded, slightly bloody. the most that i saw was a girl who was pretty much covered in blood, and she didn't have any wounds on her. so, i mean, it kind of -- it made me think the worst. >> you have got a lot of horrible images in your mind right now. and i know you said one of the most powerful for you, you saw a little girl. >> yeah. i don't know whose little girl that was, but my heart goes out to them. i honestly hope that they're ok. and i hope that, you know, the little girl is ok and she recovers and everything. but a cop came walking through the front door before everyone was cleared up and before everything was completely under control, a cop came walking through the door holding a little girl in his arms, and she wasn't moving. i had heard another witness who was in my theater, someone else that i was talking to before the movie, we were waiting in line for, she was on the phone and the really messed up part for me was she told whoever she was talking to that she saw bullet holes in the little girl's back. and, i mean, i honestly can't think of any kind of person who would intentionally hurt a little girl. so, i mean, unfortunately it makes me think that she just got caught in the cross fire. >> and how crowded was the theater? this was an anticipated film. >> yeah. we had two lines open. one-on-one side of the theater, the other on the other side. it's crazy to think i could have been in theater nine, because, you know, as soon as we heard the first shots, my sister immediately grabbed my arm and wanted to leave. as quick as possible. yeah. it was terrifying. >> we know that there are six patients at children's hospital, and the youngest is 6 years old. the age range at children's hospital from 6 to 31 years old. we know that some people were taken to the hospital in the back of police cruisers. we know others were taken in ambulances. and as i said, some people are still being admitted to hospitals, a few, for, you know, coming now even now with the slight injuries to be treated. >> interesting that we heard some descriptions of people being admitted with shrapnel wounds, and then to hear the fbi assistant director talk about how tear gas, since it's those pellets, that he thought that that could be consistent with some kind of a shrapnel wound, because that was a description we heard from a number of witnesses who said there was an explosion, in addition to the tear gas, in addition to what they described as a smoke bomb, that in fact there was an explosion that people were being hit by some kind of shrapnel. >> and we know that the youngest victim so far, who is now in fair condition, doing fine, is a 3-month-old baby, the youngest. so someone took their very, very little baby to the movie. and you heard some other witnesses talking about they had seen a baby, you know, in the middle of all of this as well. but that baby we're told is doing fine. but clearly there were a lot of teenagers, a lot of young people. this was a movie that had been sold out for days. >> pg-13. >> sold out for a long time, and it opened at midnight. this was a very highly anticipated film. the impact of this shooter at that moment. you know, tom fuentes talking about how premeditated this looks. the location, the timing, time for maximum impact. >> exactly. we earlier spoke to clinton caldwell who is a witness that was watching "the dark knight rises" but in a different theater. and he described how he first realized that the explosions were not just the movie, which is what he first thought, but actually a shooting. >> i think we about 15 minutes in. and there was a chase scene where there was gunfire on the screen. and right then, out of nowhere, on the right side of us, we just hear a very distinct pop, pop, pop, pop. and my wife jumped, and i kind of sat there, and i was like, it's probably just really good special sound effects. and my wife said, no, that's real distinct. and a couple of other people looked puzzled too. and suddenly behind us we noticed that there was people saying somebody is shooting up the theater, somebody's been shot. and we see a young couple, you know, holding a woman's face, and guiding her down the stairs, and she is bleeding pretty good. i looked to my right, and another gentleman was holding his stomach and running down the stairs just trying to get out of there. >> and we are also getting some new information about the weaponry. we have learned this. the number of guns has now been upgraded to four guns found, shotgun being the additional gun. we heard again sort of conflicting reports from eyewitnesss which makes sense now that there are four guns. one is an a.k. type rifle, an assault weapon. one is the shotgun. and two handguns. police were able to recover one gun in the theater, and that is the shooter was heavily armed. and eyewitnesss said that they saw the shooter carrying the rifle, the a.k. type weapon, and then also a shotgun as well. so that brings the number to four guns that law enforcement officials are now saying was part of this terrible tragedy. we want to get to dan austin, a retired nypd detective. dan, thank you for joining us. the shooter has not been named by authorities yet, but we know that he is 24 years old, according to police, that he was wearing a bulletproof vest, heavily armed. i just described some of that weaponry. describe for me what kind of damage that a.k. type rifle could do in a crowded type theater. >> good morning, soledad. i tell you, many years back i had a case where an actual homicide in the bo dega here in new york where the perpetrator utilized an ak-47. it's very, very powerful. there's a cartridge that comes out at well over 2,000 feet per second. it will cut through two, three, four people with ease. i mean, this is the type of weapon that does some serious collateral damage. as well as a shotgun and any other type of handgun. but this is just a type of a weapon that really is a military weapon. something that there are a lot of knockoffs, but it is quite an extremely potent weapon. >> we're not getting any indication at this point of the ammunition. there is no indication that there's been a stash, no indication that there's ammo in the car or ammo on him at this point. but that would be a heavily armed suspect as described by police. >> yeah. absolutely, soledad. he is well equipped. a bulletproof vest. you know, i have heard some reports that it's not domestic terrorism. it's not this type of terrorism. in light of everything, it's definitely an act of terrorism. it's home-grown terrorism. because the ramifications down the road because of this are going to be exponential. >> what do you mean by that? >> and one of them will be unfortunately what everybody thinks might be the final batman film probably will not do as well as it might have done because of this incident will be in the back of everybody's mind. so financially, you've done some damage. and it's very, very sad. so obviously whatever the motive that this individual had or has it's going to be very, very interesting to find out, to see what type of relationships, what type of affiliations he might have. so i think as time goes on, it's difficult to speculate now, but i think as time goes on, you're going to see a lot of different things come out. >> there's no question that they are trying to figure out exactly not only the name of this suspect, which has not been released to us by the aurora police as of yet, but clearly connections and who he was. we're looking we believe at his apartment building. the s.w.a.t. teams have been camped out there. you can see them in the foreground. and then the apartment building, we're told, by the police chief in aurora was evacuated several hours ago now. police say that when the gunman was captured, that he told police that he had explosives in his apartment. some reports we're getting, though, say that there are no explosives that have been found either in the theater or in this apartment complex that has now been evacuated. the atf is saying that there are multiple teams that are assisting in all of this. let me ask you a question. why would somebody -- or is it an indication of someone being deranged when they are stopped by police to talk about explosives that they have in the apartment complex, which now looks like they have been searching it or continue to search it, and that are turning up nothing right now? >> well, again, this is the individual who wants to instill fear in everybody, whether it's the residents of the building he lives in, the first responders such as law enforcement or fire officials. and this is the object of the game. whether he is a lone wolf, so to speak, this is what he wants to do. whether he is telling the truth or lying, you know, he wants to bring everybody and he wants to create such harm and alarm. and he has successfully done that, quite obviously, and he's also done quite a bit of collateral damage as far as the murder of 12 individuals and the wounding of 50 others. and who knows how many others will sum couple to their wounds over the next several days? we don't know exactly how many people are extremely critical. >> you're right. there are 50 people, we were told, that had been transported to area hospitals. and we were just told that many of them were in extremely critical condition. that number as you pointed out rightly is 12 people reported dead now, downgraded from what we heard from police earlier, which was 14. you talk about creating harm and alarm and chaos. and really you couldn't -- if you wanted to do that, you could not pick a place that would be more crowded at midnight than this particular movie, which was widely anticipated, in this particular theater, which had 16 different screens. >> oh, absolutely. i mean, you know, this individual obviously knew what he was doing. this was definitely if not the biggest film probably in the last couple of years, everybody was expecting it. as a matter of fact, my 17-year-old son attended the showing last night at midnight. so this was pretty big. i mean, you know, to pick a venue like this, with 16 movie theaters and hundreds and hundreds of people attending this, he knew exactly what he was doing, and the outcome could have been much, much worse. however, it still can be much worse because i suspect that the numbers are going to grow as far as those who have succumbed to their wounds over the next several days. >> some of the descriptions have been terrible. i want to ask you to stand by while we read what we know from mike brooks who has been talking to our sister network, hln. he says a federal law enforcement official says that officers have found, quote, items of interest in the suspect's apartment. when you hear that, what does that say to you, dan? what's an item of interest? >> yeah. there's a lot of things, soledad. one of them, you know, if somebody i think said that there was some type of explosion in the theater itself. he could have different types of materials that could show how to make improvised explosive devices. he could be reading things on the internet that are related to anarchist groups or other types of terrorists or anti-american or anti-american people type readings. so, i mean, and that's interesting in and of itself. it is very easy to get a hold of, whether you go on the internet or to the library. making improvised explosive devices are very simple to make. they are not the most difficult thing in the world to make. and there's tons of information readily available anywhere you want to find it, the internet being probably first and foremost. so i would definitely say that that would be very significant. >> while we are talking, we are looking at pictures of the fire ladder extended, and it looks like they are trying to get into his apartment or continue to get into his apartment through a window, because several law enforcement officials it looks like are trying to get close to that window and maybe get into his apartment that way. one of the things we know is that the red cross is on the scene at gateway high school. and early on, we were told that witnesses who had not been injured, who were not being transported to hospitals, would be brought to the hospital which is not very far from the theater, and that way they could stage there and start really processing some of their information. describe for me what that's like, when you have a chaotic scene and now you've got a bunch of witnesses coming in, and they all need to be questioned and debriefed for their information. >> yeah. it's a very, very critical and important part of the investigative process. and especially when you have hundreds of people involved. you want to have them somewhere where you can access them one at a time or have groups of investigators, you know, go in there and take one at a time and get everybody's statement and put it all together. the end piece could take several days just to do the initial part of it. and then several weeks, if not months, to put it all together and see really how the puzzle fits together. because the information that these people are going to give you, and it's critical that you get it right now within the next several hours so it's a blessing that the fbi is coming in there, where i think they said well over 100 agents, because the information that you can get within the first several hours of an incident like this is critical because as time goes on, people start to forget. people start to not remember. people don't want to remember. they don't want to be involved. so it's critical that these people that you brief them, you question them, and that all the parts start to fit nice and neatly together in a package for prosecutorial purposes down the road. it's very important. >> we want to revise some numbers. this is the apartment complex in north aurora. it is believed to be, in fact, where this crane ladder is exactly placed would be the window of the alleged shooter in this incident because s.w.a.t. teams, we're told, are at the scene there. you're looking at live pictures while they are clearly trying to either get into his window or figure out how to get into the window there. the revised figures are now 12 dead in the shooting spree. 38 others are reported hurt. and as dan was just telling us, some of those injuries we know from eyewitness reports and from law enforcement reports are extremely grave, are extremely serious. and that could revise that number once again. but in the scene that you're looking at right here in north aurora, we're told by reporters there that the street obviously has been blocked off. folks who were in the apartment were evacuated according to the police chief, who briefed the press earlier today. s.w.a.t. teams we were told are making their way either around or through the apartment complex. mostly, though, it was described as people who are watching, ambulances and fire trucks kept at a little bit of a distance, except for obviously this one with a ladder so they can get in through that window or at least examine something. they don't appear to be actually physically going through the window. and everyone else kept at a distance. according to reporters there, it has not been confirmed that this is the shooter's apartment complex. but between this location and also the white car that we have seen, the vehicle that we believe also to belong to the shooter, it makes perfect sense because this is exactly what law enforcement officials have been talking about all morning. now focusing the investigation on this particular building and obviously continuing to look at the car. we're told that there is something of interest, items of interest to authorities. they have not elaborated on what those items of interest would be. we've got to take a short break. we'll come back in just a moment and continue to cover this breaking news out of aurora, colorado. we have 12 people dead. 38 others wounded, some of them very, very seriously in a midnight shooting that happened during the screening of a popular movie, the new batman movie. we're back in just a moment. do you see it ? there it is ! there it is ! where ? where ? it's getting away ! where is it ? it's gone. we'll find it. any day can be an adventure. that's why we got a subaru. love wherever the road takes you. wow, there it is. hethey don't need one,gh wes, clay and demarcus tried on the new depend real fit briefs for charity to prove how great the fit is even while playing pro football. the best protection now looks, fits and feels just like underwear. get a free sample and try one on for yourself. good afternoon. chase sapphire. (push button tone) this is stacy from springfield. oh woah. hello? yes. i didn't realize i'd be talking to an actual person. you don't need to press "0," i'm here. reach a person, not a prompt whenever you call chase sapphire. welcome back, everybody. we are obviously covering this shooting that's happened at a movie theater in aurora, colorado, as folks were watching the midnight screenings of "the dark knight rises." a gunman opened fire. you're looking at live pictures. this is believed to be the gunman's apartment. we saw law enforcement officials who were inside that ladder, that crane, knock out the curtains and maybe a window, clearly trying to gain access through the window of the alleged shooter's apartment building. they have been saying that they have found items of interest in this apartment, but it is unclear exactly what those items of interest are. one thing we do know, 12 people are dead. 38 are hurt. some of extremities them extremitie -- extremely grave condition. those numbers could change. we are also told that 10 of the people killed were killed inside the movie theater, and that their bodies remain inside that theater right now. we are expecting to get a briefing overall of what's happening in the area hospitals where there are many people being treated. we'll bring that to you live when it happens. first, though, we want to get to rebecca bradshaw. she was evacuated from right across the street from where you're seeing this scene, the alleged shooter's apartment complex. she was evacuated from right across the street from there. it happened just about two hours ago, and she is with us now. rebecca, thank you for talking with me. give me a sense -- i'm looking at this crane attached to a fire truck, and obviously law enforcement is trying to gain access through the window of the apartment building. what happened? you were woken up, and they said what? >> well, actually, it started going on around 1:00 a.m. this morning. i heard a lot of commotion outside. so me and my sister, we went outside to see what was going on. and next thing you know, we seen all kinds of police running up with their vests on. and they have guns like drawn and running towards the apartment building. and at first i thought it was the apartment i was in. and i said, should we be concerned? and they said no, go back inside. then i seen s.w.a.t. pull up, the bomb squad, and there were k-9 units. and i was like, what's wrong? should i be worried? and they were like, no, go inside, go inside. and we seen them surround the building. they started breaking windows. the entered the apartment building, and they like -- we were still asking questions. and they said no, just go inside. it's going to be ok. and then about like an hour later, we heard like booming sounds. and so i was like, should we leave? and they would not let us leave the premises of our apartments. they wouldn't even let us out of our front doors. and we were watching the news and saw what was going on. and i was so hurt about the families and what they were going through, and i didn't think the two were involved with each other. but come to find out, the police evacuated us about two hours later. and they told us that the person that did the shootings is possibly related to this. and there was bomb materials or a bomb in his apartment. so they evacuated the whole surrounding areas, all the houses and apartments. and now we are just here waiting to see what's happening. >> ok. let me stop you for a second. you said you heard booming sounds. what did it sound like? >> well, it was like a loud like -- it sounded somewhat like an explosion kind of. >> and that was coming from where? >> it was coming from the building that the s.w.a.t. has surrounded. >> so from this building we are looking at right now, there was some kind of what you would describe as an explosion in or around that building? >> yes. >> ok. and then when the police finally evacuated you, you said that what they said to you was that maybe there was a bomb inside. can you give me just if you can remember a very specifically what exactly did they tell you? >> well, they told us that it was a police officer, two of them, they came pounding on our door. i opened it, and they were like you need to evacuate. and i was like why do we need to evacuate? and they were like because the apartment across the street is -- we evacuated them, and we believe that there is some kind of bomb making materials located inside of that apartment. so we need to evacuate the whole area. >> so they were very clear with you. describe for me -- i'm looking at a very tight shot of this apartment complex. it looks sort of medium size. can you describe for me what the neighborhood is like, and what this apartment complex, the one that's now surrounded by s.w.a.t., is like? >>well usually it's pretty like calm area. it's like -- there's a school on the same block as the apartment that you're looking at. it's a really calm and collected area. but lately, there's been a lot of police activity. and i don't know maybe it's because a lot of things have been happening in auroras, like shootings and stuff. but there's a lot of police activity lately. i just thought it was another one of them days, the nights, where police were here again. but it's usually before this, before the summer started, it was like a cool area. like you weren't afraid to be outside. >> is it an area frequented by young people? how would you describe the neighborhood to somebody? >> it's a majority of families. it's right near a school. there's a school right in the area. so it's mainly just families, working families. and a lot of young children live around here. >> so where has everybody been moved to? where are you right now? because obviously you've got to move a distance back from that building, which is right near your building, and of course all the people in that building. and we're looking at live pictures of what we believe is the suspect's apartment building. now the fire department using a crane, trying to gain access through the window. where does everybody -- where has everybody been put? >> well, they have evacuated like two -- like two blocks, the whole perimeter. and they just have us like -- we're probably about like five blocks away from the scene. and they really didn't tell us too much. they just told us that we would be taken to a gym if we needed somewhere to go. but besides that, they just told us like go down on the corner. >> rebecca bradshaw updating us on what's happening in her neighborhood. this is north aurora. she describes it as a family neighborhood full of families. it's now the focus of a s.w.a.t. team. and you can see the fire truck. they are trying to gain access to that apartment building through the window. they have been doing this now for the last hour. plus rebecca says that she heard a booming sound that she would describe as some kind of explosion from this apartment building. she said the police showed up with their guns drawn, sent everybody back inside to her complex, which is across the street. she says the s.w.a.t. team, bomb squad, k-9 unit as well. and she said eventually in the last couple of hours they were evacuated, being told by the police doing the evacuation that we believe that there is bomb making material inside that particular apartment building. this is consistent with what the police chief told us early this morning in the very early hours after this terrible shooting at this movie theater that in fact they were searching the apartment of the shooter, the suspect, 24 years old, and heavily armed with four weapons now. earlier we thought it was three, but it's now been updated and upgraded to four, including an a.k. type weapon. earlier in an interview, the police chief described the shooter as wearing some kind of a costume. of course, this particular movie would be the kind of movie where people according to witnesses were showing up in costumes, some dressed as the good guy, batman, some dressed as the villain in the film, so that wouldn't be particularly unusual. it's the first time we've heard the description of the shooter wearing a costume. other eyewitnesss have described the shooter as wearing a bulletproof vest, as having a gas mask and goggles. being heavily armed. but we have not heard before that he had some kind of a costume. we're going to try to get more information on that. i want to get to william washington. he was in the theater. excuse me. next to where the shooting occurred. one of the bullets went into the theater where he was. describe for me what you saw. >> so basically, you know, there was a scene, and part of it makes me feel like it was almost meditated this way, but maybe it was just dumb luck. but there was a scene where ann hathaway is basically in a shootout with the police. so there's all of these gunshots going through the theater. and at one point, you know, one of the shots happened to be really, really loud. and so much so that i kind of couldn't hear for a second. i heard a loud ringing. and joking with my brother, i said, you know, these sound effects have gotten pretty good. and then you can start to hear them again, and you hear people screaming in the theater. and then all of a sudden, we were on the left side of the theater. if you turn to the right, you just see this smoke coming into the theater. and then next thing i know, i see a lady get up, and she is clutching her face heading toward an exit. and then somebody else gets up. and there's just panic. and then there's a lot of people still sitting around wondering what's going on, is this a part of the movie. somebody saying oh, somebody lit off a firecracker. there were so many people running around. and then once you start to see there are people hurt, then, you know, it kind of starts to register. there's definitely something wrong here. and so we all kind of started making our way toward the exit, and in runs a guy saying, don't go to the lobby, he's got a gun. and then there's panic, and everybody just starts to get up and motion toward the exit, and the alarm is on. and they kind of motioned us toward a balcony where we were all for about two or three minutes. and people were just bloody. i saw somebody with a bloody leg. i saw somebody with a bloody face. and it was just kind of surreal to see it. just weird talking about it. but there were just so many people around who were just, you know, just distraught. and so we are all kind of watching over the balcony. and then some runs the police with shotguns. and they are headed in the direction of the theater. and then two other policemen show up. and they start motioning us toward the door. and the balcony has two flights of stairs that kind of head toward the front entrance of the theater. and so they started motioning us to come down the stairs and start rushing us outside. >> so you're saying the timing was so close to the actual action of the film. >> right. >> because it's an action film. >> there were guns going off in the film at that moment in time. so to hear an actual gunshot go off, the only thing that registered is that it was much louder. >> we're looking at live pictures. i want to tell our audience of the apartment complex believed to be the one that houses the shooter in this. we've seen the fire department working at this window. and we're not quite sure what they're doing, if they are trying to gain access through the window or just continuing to work from the window inside the apartment. we also know that there have been items of interest that have been removed from the apartment. but again, unclear what those items of interest are. william, let me ask you a question. we have been getting conflicting reports about the gunman. and you were in theater eight, right, not in theater nine where the gunman was. >> correct. in theater eight. >> trying to figure out if he entered from the back of the theater, you know, the back of the building, meaning where the actual screen would be, did he come in through the emergency exit, or if he came from a different way? >> it's tough to say because we were in another theater. but i do know that the shots that came through were definitely at the front of the theater, where the smoke was happening. so we could definitely see that it was closer to where the screen was. >> so that might support some of the reports we're getting that indicated he came through an exit door and then started opening fire right from that front -- right by the screen, and in the pitch dark people didn't really understand what was happening. thanks for talking with us. we appreciate your update very much. i hope you're hanging in there and doing ok. that must have been absolutely terrifying. william, thanks. mark stuart is a reporter from kmgh. and he is joining us now with an update. mark, thank you for talking with us. tell us what part of the story you're covering and what you're seeing. >> well, soledad, you're just showing the apartment complex in suburban denver that was being searched. there's also an extensive search still taking place here on the crime scene in this movie theater parking lot. as you can see behind me, all of the cars are still here. and what detectives are doing now, and it's not just detectives from denver but from really across the whole state. we have also learned that the fbi is here. they are going through this entire parking lot, looking at each of the cars. perhaps there is something there, something left behind, that can explain what happened. we have been talking to the local police here all morning long. one thing they have wanted to stress to us is that things have been changing. and at this point, they are telling us that at least 12 people are dead. two of the people passed away in the hospital. the other 10 passed away here at the movie theater. and at least 50 people injured. a lot of people here have been concerned because as you mentioned this is a batman movie. there were a lot of children here. and there's been a lot of concern about the well-being of the children. and at last check, i believe, at least six children were taken to the specialized children's hospital here in the denver metro area. basically, all of the hospitals here in denver are treating patients, at least 50. the next benchmark, the next time deadline we're looking for, is 11:00 mountain time. that's when the police chief will give us another update. perhaps he can give us a better idea about this 24-year-old man. at this point, from all of our conversations with police, it appears that he was operating on his own. not part of any kind of organization as many people have just casually said in chatter. so hopefully in the next few hours we'll be able to get a better idea as to who he is, if he's had any run-ins with police here, and if he's even been spotted in this movie theater, this area, this vicinity, before. >> so we're expecting that press conference in about 4 1/2 hours. it's 6:39 where you are, mark. and i want to ask you a question about this, you know, as you mentioned and as we've been showing all morning, this apartment complex. we can see the fire truck and the extended ladder as they are doing some kind of work or trying to get some kind of access into the apartment through the window. what's the distance between where the theater is and this location? i'm told it's north raur a. >> it's only a few miles actually south of where i am. not more than a 10-minute drive. but there is a lot of concern about the security at the apartment complex because people are telling us this man threw in what they are describing as a bomb into this complex. and it was something that was able to send shrapnel flying. it released some kind of gas. so that's why there is so much concern. i think they want to know if any of the equipment, for lack of a better word, to make it perhaps has some role at that apartment complex. and from what i am understanding from my colleagues at the scene is that that whole complex has been evacuated. >> so you're hearing that it was some kind of a bomb with shrapnel. we have heard eyewitnesss talk about shrapnel. but the only confirmation we have gotten has been about tear gas. and we know that people at the hospitals are being decontaminated from that tear gas. we haven't had consistent confirmation of any kind of explosive device that had shrapnel, although we are getting eyewitness reports about it. >> right. police are using the term "bomb," explosive device. these are police terms. and witnesses are telling us that they were struck by debris, and they felt strongly enough that it was coming from whatever this explosive device may be. but indeed, soledad, they did say there is some kind of gas. many people have been describing to us and to you as some kind of tear gas. that's correct. >> so, mark, let me ask you a question. we're told that this apartment complex is located at 17th and paris streets, north aurora. this is apparently where the suspect lived. this is what's being searched right now from both the outside and i believe there on the inside as well from some of the information we're getting. one of the eyewitnesss who lives very close to this apartment complex who was evacuated said that she was told by police that they believe that maybe there was bomb making, and she also reported some kind of explosion. she said it sounded like a boom, you know, to her ears. it sounded like an explosion. first, tell me what this neighborhood is like. she said it was full of families. and then also tell me if you're getting reports of any kind of explosion around this particular apartment complex as our eyewitness described. >> well, let me answer the second question first, because within the last, oh, two minutes or so, we did hear a lot of police sirens and fire engines. i can't say for sure that was connected. but at this point, i have received no reports at least from our newsroom in denver of any kind of explosion at that complex. i know that there are news choppers flying overhead so we can keep you updated on that. but this complex and this whole movie theater is basically a typical american suburb that you would see in any major city. obviously, there's a large shopping center here. the area where the apartment complex is located is filled with apartment complexes. many families do live there. it's typical suburbia where this took place. >> one other thing i'm interested in hearing you confirm, which the police chief said in another interview this morning, but i haven't heard it from the numerous eyewitnesss that we've been talking to. he described what the shooter was wearing as a costume. and of course as you know this is the kind of move they people going would potentially wear costumes to at a midnight screening. have you heard that description? and if so, what kind of costume? >> well, the one thing which we have heard is that he wasn't wearing traditional street clothes. one witness had suggested that he was wearing a bulletproof vest. and that he had some kind of clothing over that. i've not heard the term "costume." but i think he was dressed in a way that stood out from the rest. the other thing you have to remember is that this is a "star wars" movie. it's a movie premiere, the u.s. north american debut here last night, overnight. so many people would dress up in costume. it would not be unusual. so i'm not sure if he was dressed in a costume in the sense that he stuck out or if he simply blended in with the crowd. >> i see what you're saying, yeah. >> but we did hear from people that they did think he was wearing some kind of bulletproof vest, and that he was on some well thought-out mission for lack of better words. >> and i think you mean batman, not "star wars," but i think you're right. a lot of the descriptions are that sense with the goggles and a gas mask and wearing sort of camo and heavily armed and with a bulletproof vest. what's being described as costume could be what other people describe as military almost in description. mark, thank you for that update. we appreciate your reporting for us this morning. john burman is following what some of the statements that have been released. i know that secretary napolitano has just released a statement, and john has that for us. >> that's right. obviously, there is a washington response to this right now much. this statement from the department of homeland security secretary janet napolitano. she says i am deeply saddened by the shooting in aurora, colorado. federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies continue to respond to this horrific event, and i have directed the department of homeland security to provide any support necessary in the ongoing investigation. we are committed, she says, to bringing those responsible to justice. our hearts and prayers go out to anyone impacted by this tragedy, especially the family and friends of those killed or injured. i have been in contact with both presidential campaigns today. the campaign for mitt romney says that governor romney will go on with a planned event in new hampshire today at a small business, but we will use the event to talk about this tragedy in colorado. the obama campaign tells me they will alert us when there are changes to the president's plans. he has two campaign events in florida. it would be surprising to have him not change at least the tone and tenor of these events. and, soledad, i don't know if you've been talking about this, but i was curious, by car, in aurora, colorado, just 17 miles from littleton, colorado, the site of the terrible shootings in columbine that people remember so well. 17 miles. too much tragedy for a really nice area. >> so many of the law enforcement officials we've been talking to this morning, john, have mentioned that approximate a that proximity and how that really changed how they respond to things like this. many of the eyewitnesss said that the police response was very calm, very coordinated. and law enforcement officials said that not only was a big change post littleton, colorado, the columbine shooting, not only a big change for areas nearby, littleton, and as you mentioned this is 19, 20 miles away, but across the nation. law enforcement officials really rethought how they would deal with this kind of an emergency, where there is a gunman on the scene, and they need to figure out in a lot of chaos how to respond to that. i want to show some pictures that were really among the very first we got early this morning from a cell phone. obviously, it's dark, but you can see this gentleman here in the striped shirt pleading from the arm. some of the chaos that took place inside. this is inside the movie theater complex. remember, it's a complex with 16 different theaters. many of them showing a midnight screening of "the dark knight rises." many folks you can hear shrieking in the background, and many standing around dazed unsure of what to do. you can see police moving in and out as well. we're told that the suspect was caught in the outside of the theater, in the back parking lot. that is what police have told us. we know that number of dead now is 12. that's been changed by the police department. and 38 others wounded. expect those numbers could change, those, because some of those wounds are very, very grave. we've got to take a short break. we'll be back on the other side with more information from aurora, colorado, where we are covering this devastating shooting at a movie theater. welcome back. we continue to cover this story unfolding in aurora, colorado. there has been a shooting. 12 people are now reported dead. that number could go higher. 38 others are reported wounded. in some cases very gravely, very critically injured. we've been showing you pictures of what is believed to be the suspect's apartment. and let's take some live pictures of that. we have seen the ladder truck all morning, as the law enforcement have been trying to gain access or work around the window of the apartment complex. it's that complex right there that you're looking at. and we want to figure out what exactly they are doing there. law enforcement talked about items of interest inside the apartment. and the suspect according to police also mentioned that the apartment might be booby trapped or that there were explosives inside. i want to get to tom fuentes, a former fbi assistant director. tom, looking at these pictures, this is thepartment complex, law enforcement using that ladder truck to try to work at the window. first i thought they were trying to gain access that way. it sounds as if they have gotten access because they have talked about items of interest. but at the same time, they are moving very carefully. can you tell me what might be going on here? >> hi, soledad. well, a good possibility is that they are trying to have some type of video device inserted through the window. normally, s.w.a.t. teams arrive. they have a great deal of technical equipment with them, which includes basically fiber-optic lenses that can be inserted through tiny holholes look around inside that building. so that may be what they are trying to do, is insert video devices safely through a hole in the window or under doors to see what's inside, make sure no one else is inside, and see if they can see any obvious signs of a booby trap or some other explosive device or precursor chemicals on the site. >> the suspect told police that he potentially had explosives in his apartment, which was what brought them to that address. and we know that the s.w.a.t. team has set up some kind of perimeter. those would be members of the s.w.a.t. team trying to gain entrance using the fire department ladder to get entrance. i talked to a woman who lives across the street, and one of the things she described was some kind of a boom which to her sounded like an explosion. probably could have been that or maybe something else. she described the evacuation process. they were told to stay, stay, stay, and then suddenly told to quickly evacuate. that would be an indication, she said, they were told that they were looking for bomb making material. by the time they were evacuating people sort of nearby, would that be an indication to you that in fact bomb making material has been found and also, tom, i have to mention we are now seeing a much closer picture, and we can really see it's fbi agents in fact who are trying to get through that window in some capacity and i really don't want to necessarily -- oh, this is tape -- not necessarily trying to bring themselves through the window but using long prodding devices, i think, to confirm what you've been saying, trying to figure out how to rip out that window and then maybe gain entrance with the gear first and not put anybody at risk. >> right. and there's a couple of issues with this. there may have been somebody else in that apartment that he shot and killed before he left to go to the movie theater or killed by some other means. so you have that possibility that they want to make sure that there's no one inside there. but you also have the possibility if he bragged about having explosives that he may have rigged that apartment to have an explosion when the police or fbi tried to enter it. so right now, you have an abundance of caution on the part of the fbi trying to keep their people safe but yet do the job they have to do at that scene. >> what she described, an eyewitness named rebecca, as a boom, could that have been a door being kicked in? we haven't had any confirmation of an explosion at this point. and you certainly don't see firefighters gaining entry to the building to put out any kind of aftermath of an explosion. >> yes. it seems unlikely that the authorities would lose an explosive device that soon in this scenario because it could trigger other chemicals to explode if they did that. so we may have had a case where they just banged in a door using breaching equipment or something that made that kind of a noise in the apartment. but the fact that we haven't seen smoke coming out of the building or other apartment dwellers reporting hearing explosions makes me wonder if maybe it was a nonexplosive event in that building. >> all right. tom fuentes joining us this morning. thank you for your insight. we certainly appreciate it. president obama now saying he'll address the shooting at his first event of the day, 11:30 a.m. in fort myers, florida. obviously, we'll bring those remarks to you. christine has an update on what's happening at the various hospitals. >> we know some patients are still in critical condition here. we know it's a wide range of victims and patients both who have survived this attack and those who perished in it. 3 months old is the youngest. that child, we're told, at university hospital is doing ok. a 3-month-old baby, the youngest. the youngest to go to the hospital because of this. a 45-year-old patient is the oldest patient. that 3-month-old baby at university hospital is fine. swedish hospital, they have had three admissions. two are in surgery. another admission expected any moment here right now. two of those people at swedish people in critical condition. at children's hospital, there are six patients aged 6 to 31. and i'm telling you, a small child being carried out, not moving, in the arms of a police officer. several witnesses reported seeing that coming out of theater number 9. just heartbreaking. we don't know what happened to that little child who came out lifeless, basically, in a police officer's arms. but we are following that very closely. >> so there are many things obviously that we are getting from law enforcement today. we have seen the live pictures as they try to get access in some way into that apartment. whether it's to feel their way in as tom was mentioning, that maybe it's a way to insert cameras and try to see what exactly is inside the suspect's apartment building. also trying to update accurately the number of those who are dead and injured. those who are injured stood at 38. but of course some of them gravely, so we expect those numbers could definitely change. there are reports in fact that the 10 people who were killed inside the theater, that they have not removed those bodies yet. that they remain in the theater. >> this will rank as one of the worst mass shootings in american history. virginia tech, 32 were killed. columbine, 13 were killed. this is a very packed movie theater. midnight showing of one of the most highly anticipated movies in a very, very long time. when you talk about the demeanor and the dress of the suspected shooter, just a devastating, devastating few hours it's been. >> we're getting word from warner brothers, and we should mention of course those are our corporate cousins of time warner, which owns cnn. and they are saying that they have cancelled the paris premiere of "the dark knight rises." and i believe, it wouldn't surprise me, if some other premieres across the nation and across the globe were cancelled as well as they try to deal with the aftermath. the investigation obviously really begins right now. we have pictures of the suspect's white car. that car has been -- and continues to be examined by law enforcement as they try to figure out how he transported the materials into -- that's the car right there, that white vehicle, into the theater. we know that now four guns were removed. one an a.k. type weapon, an assault weapon, that as law enforcement officials told us this morning could do tremendous damage to two, three, four people, cut down at one time. and then of course the investigation continues at the suspect's apartment complex. they have evacuated neighbors around that complex, and inside we see a ladder. and as they try to figure out exactly how to carefully enter that complex with a s.w.a.t. team and fbi poking at the window and working at the window trying to see if as some pointed out maybe it's booby trapped, what is inside. the suspect apparently telling police that he had other explosives. cnn obviously continues coverage of this breaking news event. we continue with "cnn newsroom." fredricka picking up our coverage right now. this is cnn breaking news. >> we were watching a movie. and as one of the action scenes started up, gunshots were firing. and we heard like explosions or something to our left. >> it was just chaos. you saw injured people. there was this one guy who was on all fours crawling. there was this girl spitting up blood. >> gas bombs. as they were leaving. and then just gunshots all over the place. and it started in the theater that i had bought tickets to. >> horror and tragedy in aurora, colorado, this morning after a mass shooting at a batman movie premiere. so far, 12 dead. and 38 injured. as a community searching for answers. a special edition of "cnn newsroom" starts right now. hello, everyone. i'm in for carol costello. we welcome viewers from around the world watching on cnn international. a night at the movies turned into a night of terror for moviegoers in colorado after a gunman opens up a rampage. and here is the latest of what we know. gunshots erupted just outside of denver in an aurora, colorado, theater during an early morning screening of "the dark knight rises." that is the new batman movie. 12 people are dead, 28 more wounded. a 3-month-old baby is among the wounded. police have a suspect in custody, a young man. a witness saw that man burst into the theater. >> somebody kicked in the emergency exit and

Related Keywords

Vietnam ,Republic Of ,Fort Myers ,Florida ,United States ,New York ,New Hampshire ,Littleton ,Colorado ,Virginia ,University Hospital ,Washington ,District Of Columbia ,Samoa ,Swedish Medical Center ,Iraq ,Tennessee ,Sweden ,Springfield ,Paris ,Rhôalpes ,France ,America ,Swedish ,American ,Tom Fuentes ,Dan Coates ,Nicole Williams ,John Burman ,Gil Alba ,Quentin Caldwell ,Tony Roman ,Clinton Caldwell ,Janet Napolitano ,Christine Romans ,Ann Hathaway ,Zach Eastman ,Dan Oates ,John Berman ,Rebecca Bradshaw ,Denver Metro ,Carol Costello ,Bruce Wayne ,Dan Austin ,