at least five people killed. several wounded, including a police officer. police investigating seven different crime scenes from denver to lakewood. authorities late today identifying the suspect, saying he was known to law enforcement and harbored extremist views. news tonight about the 14-year-old girl accidentally shot and killed by police in los angeles. her mother in tears, describing her daughter dying in her arms. authorities releasing body camera video. officers opening fire on a suspect inside a store, not knowing the girl and her mother were in the dressing room nearby. america's travel nightmare continues. roughly 1,100 flights canceled today. pilots, flight attendants and other essential staff testing positive for covid, forcing the ground. keep their planes o- two people killed in an avalanche in montana. heavy mountain snow slamming the west. why authorities are now urging drivers to avoid using navigation apps in some areas. and the winter blast from the great lakes into the northeast. rob marciano timing it all out. the deadly plane crash in california. the learjet slamming into a neighborhood in a ball of flames. four people onboard. the pilot's chilling radio calls as the plane was going down. american history locked away for more than 130 years. the time capsule found after removing the statue of confederate general robert e. lee. and america strong tonight. the husband who wanted a do-over. the surprise proposal after 25 years of marriage. good evening. it's great to have you with us on this tuesday night. i'm whit johnson in for david. and we begin tonight with the covid surge approaching record levels. the u.s. set to begin another difficult year with thousands of americans infected and thousands of others hospitalized with the virus. after a holiday backlog, the u.s. is now reporting more than 440,000 new cases, a single day pandemic record. across the country, the long wait for testing. this line of cars snaking through clayton, new jersey, today, a flashback to the earliest days of the pandemic. as the omicron variant takes hold, a new cdc report tonight finding that the incubation period may be three days, 25% faster than delta. the debate over those new cdc guidelines on isolation and quarantine after infection or exposure. some doctors asking, why not require a test before being in the clear? the nation's largest school system, new york city, announcing school will reopen next week, with stepped up testing. they will no longer quarantine entire classrooms. abc's victor oquendo leads us off. >> reporter: with the covid surge now nearing record levels, averaging 240,000 cases a day, scenes reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic. lines of cars stretching as far as the eye can see. >> right in there. you are all set. >> reporter: from virginia to new jersey, miami to philadelphia, americans spending this holiday week waiting hours for covid tests. >> it's crazy. i can't even go to my neighborhood drugstore. and then coming here, well, we just got shut down, saying they're not taking anymore people. >> reporter: tonight, soaring demand for tests and a backlog of holiday reporting have driven covid cases to 440,000, the highest one-day total ever. but a true snapshot of the winter surge won't be known until after new year's. still, hospitals under strain are warning it will only get worse. >> we have no beds. we're holding patients in the e.r. for multiple hours, if not days, multiple days. >> reporter: and tonight, new clues about omicron. a cdc report suggests the incubation period may be as little as three days, as compared to four for delta and at least five days for the original strain. just yesterday, the cdc shortened the recommended isolation period for asymptomatic people to five days followed by five days of masking. but the guidance making no mention of a test before leaving isolation. >> i actually think it would help a lot if we did ask people to get a negative test, as well. it would actually make a big difference. so i don't know why the cdc did not put that in. i suspect it might be because tests are still hard to come by and that may make it even harder. >> reporter: but new york city plans to make testing the center of a new plan to keep more students in the classroom. >> this is how we're going to look at schools from this point on. keep them safe. and keep them open. >> reporter: the country's largest school system will no longer quarantine entire classrooms exposed to covid. instead, they'll ramp up testing after a positive case. students who are asymptomatic and test negative with an at-home kit can stay in school. >> this new variant is affecting children more than the past variants. >> reporter: it comes as covid cases in children are soaring to nearly 200,000 last week. hospitalizations up 80%. nearly all of those patients unvaccinated. >> typically, we see children over 5. two-thirds of them have a comorbidity. and that comorbidity is typically obesity. but one-third of them are otherwise perfectly normal. so therefore all children are at risk. >> reporter: we met 9-year-old valentina and her mom gaby from a safe distance here in miami. i hope you feel better soon, okay? both are vaccinated but valentina tested positive the day after christmas. you still have symptoms? >> yeah. >> reporter: what are you feeling now? >> i still have runny nose, sore throat, and my head hurts a little bit. >> she woke up almost crying of how much it hurt. we're very thankful that we were able to vaccinate her right before this, so -- i'm sure that has helped. >> reporter: tonight, some officials are warning against large gatherings on new year's eve. >> omicron and delta are coming to your party. >> reporter: and more broadway shows are going dark. just days ago, actor hugh jackman paid tribute to broadway's understudies after covid sidelined his costar. >> found out at 12:00 noon today and at 1:00, she had her very first rehearsal as marian paroo. >> reporter: tonight, "the music man" canceling performances after hugh jackman revealed he, too, has mild symptoms from covid. >> so many shows and events impacted by this surge. victor oquendo is back with us now from miami. and victor, the cdc tonight is also updating its estimate of omicron cases in the u.s. >> reporter: whit, that's right. the cdc now estimates omicron makes up nearly 59% of all new cases. that is lower than last week's initial estimate of 73%. still, omicron is the dominant strain and the cdc says cases are steadily increasing. also new tonight, the fda says that rapid antigen tests work, but may be more likely to miss omicron cases. whit? >> that these a big concern. victor, thank you. and tomorrow morning, cdc director dr. rochelle walensky will join us on "good morning america." next, the deadly shooting spree in the denver area. at least five people killed, three others injured, including a police officer. the violence unfolding across seven different crime scenes, ending in a busy shopping area, where the suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. late today, authorities saying the suspect was known to law enforcement and harbored extremist views. here's abc's mireya villarreal. >> reporter: tonight, fbi agents and local police are pouring over at least seven different crime scenes. the deadly gun battle playing out across denver, spilling into a busy shopping mall. >> this is the holiday season. to have this type of spree take place is not normal for our community. >> reporter: sources confirming to abc news the spree started at a tattoo parlor just after 5:00 p.m., with the intended victim, an acquaintance of the shooter, according to law enforcement. he survived, but two women inside were killed, including alicia cardenas, who leaves behind a 12-year-old daughter. >> like no one you've ever met. very gregarious, very friendly. but she's very -- she was a very determined person. she knew where she was going. >> reporter: the suspect sources tell abc news is lyndon james mcleod. and law enforcement was aware he harbored extremist views and had a history of mental episodes. police say before exchanging gunfire with officers, mcleod killed another man a few blocks away from the tattoo parlor. then fled to the denver suburb of lakewood, targeting a shopping mall. inside, families hiding to stay safe. >> we were just in there, my husband and i. and they just -- you could hear just the popping outside. and it was like one shot and then maybe five or six more and a couple more after that. >> reporter: police say the suspect escaping to this nearby hyatt hotel, shooting a clerk and a lakewood police officer before being shot and killed. >> it's a tough day for the lakewood police family, obviously, when this happens to one of our own. >> so many families hurting, as well. mireya joining us live now. and we heard from law enforcement there that the suspect was known to them and they were aware of his extremist views, but any word on a possible motive tonight? >> reporter: whit, agents are now scouring the writers of this suspect, both physical and online, to try to figure out what led to this shooting spree. fully have confirmed that he did know all of the denver victims and we also have been able to confirm that the second shooting location was once a tattoo parlor owned by the suspect back in 2017. in total, there were five shooting victims, six dead overall, with the shooter in mind. whit? >> all right, mireya, thank you. another story we're following tonight, anguished parents speaking before the cameras today following the death of their 14-year-old daughter. she was killed when officers opened fire on a suspect inside a department store, not knowing the girl and her mother were in the dressing room nearby. the girl's mother describing her daughter dying in her arms as she prayed for her life. here's abc's zohreen shah. >> reporter: tonight, lapd releasing new surveillance and body camera video of officers opening fire in a department store -- >> we have a victim down. victim down. >> reporter: -- that left 14-year-old valentina orellana peralta dead. >> never should this 14-year-old little girl ended up as collateral damage at a shopping plaza. >> reporter: her parents speaking out for the first time. her mother soledad saying they were trying on clothes for christmas when they heard screams. both of them sitting down on the floor hugging and praying when something hit valentina. >> reporter: lapd saying the incident happened when police responded to 911 calls of an active shooter at this north hollywood burlington last thursday, the day before christmas eve. >> it's just -- it's -- it's just shots. >> so, he -- he shot the gun? >> yes. >> reporter: the suspect, identified as daniel elena lopez. lapd say they later discovered he was armed with a bike lock and not a gun. he can be seen in surveillance video attacking multiple customers. >> hey, slow down, slow down. let me take point with the rifle. >> reporter: several officers with guns drawn responding to the scene, finding one of the victims bloodied on the ground. >> she's bleeding, she's bleeding. >> reporter: police opening fire, shooting and killing lopez. one of their bullets also went through a wall, striking valentina. her family saying she had her entire life ahead of her, with dreams of becoming an american citizen and an engineer to help others. her father tonight demanding that the officers who killed his daughter held responsible. >> reporter: the family's lawyer says, at this point, they want more answers, to see if the officers involved could have been more measured. the lapd at this point, they have placed that officer who shot that stray bullet on leave, and they have started their own investigation. whit? >> zohreen shah with those new developments tonight. thank you. a new round of holiday travel chaos today. nearly 5,000 flights canceled since christmas eve. luggage separated from travelers piling up at the sea-tac airport in seattle this morning. airlines are welcoming the new cdc guidance reducing quarantine time, but some are worried that workers may feel pressured to go back on the job too soon. here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: tonight, the new year's wave of the holiday rush under way, as we enter a fifth day of covid-related cancellations at airports around the country. >> it's very stressful. i'm constantly checking to see if there are any changes. >> reporter: more than a thousand flights cancelled every day since christmas eve. >> cancellation at 12:00 at night, didn't sleep. and now i'm over here trying to get a flight. >> reporter: but tonight, some hope that the cdc's move to cut covid isolation time to five days from ten might help keep airlines staffed and flights moving. delta, whose ceo was the first to ask last week that the isolation time be reduced, calling the move "a safe, science-based and more practical approach based on what we now know about the omicron variant." but some are worried. >> several of the airline labor group unions have said that they are concerned that the reduction in the isolation time means that employees who are sick could be put back at work. >> reporter: meanwhile, many passengers already stressed over cancellations now also coping with the anxiety of flying during the current widespread covid surge. >> statistically, there are people here with covid, right? so i think we take a risk any time we go somewhere. >> reporter: and whit, the crowds are far from over. some 14.5 million flyers are still expected to travel between now and new year's. january 2nd and 3rd expected to be the busiest days ahead. whit? >> alex, thanks. now to the winter blast sweeping across the country, especially dangerous in the west. the weather stretching into the great lakes and reaching the northeast. two people killed in an avalanche on scotch bonnet mountain in montana. and in california, a 70-mile stretch of interstate 80 closed since christmas day. law enforcement urging drivers to avoid using gps in a winter storm in some areas. blizzard conditions in moorhead, minnesota, a car disappearing from sight. snow falling at a heavy rate in parts of illinois. let's get right to abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano, and rob, where could we see the biggest impacts from all of this tonight? >> reporter: well, tonight, we have another fast-moving system moving through the great lakes and the northeast, much like last night. we have winter weather advisories that stretch from minnesota through upstate new york. there you see the snow. chicago with the first measurable snow of the season, finally. this all comes through late tonight and clears out, mostly in the morning, but there will be slick spots again, especially inland. in the afternoon, another pulse brings severe weather to the mid-south. memphis, nashville, you're in it. and another pulse of energy coming into southern california with more rain and mountain snow. whit? >> all right, rob, thank you. there is news tonight out of washington the house committee investigating the january 6th capitol riot is planning a more public phase of their work. they will hold public hearings in the new year and aim to release an interim report next summer, with a final report to follow in the fall. the midterm elections giving their work some urgency. house republican leader kevin mccarthy saying that if the gop retakes control, they would conduct another investigation into why the capitol was so ill-prepared. next, the deadly plane crash in california. a learjet with four people onboard plunging into a san diego neighborhood. a doorbell camera capturing that plane falling to earth, as we hear the pilot's chilling radio calls as the plane was going down. and a warning -- the audio and the video are disturbing. here's abc's will carr. >> reporter: tonight, four people are dead after a plane crashed into a southern california neighborhood. >> oh [ bleep ]. oh [ bleep ]. >> reporter: the pilot heard screaming just seconds after asking the control tower to turn up the brightness on the runway lights. surveillance video capturing the plane dropping in the darkness of night. then exploding into a fireball on the ground. according to the faa, the learjet took off from john wayne airport in orange county and was heading to gillespie field in san diego county. >> threw open the front door, ran outside. the neighbor's house was on fire. >> reporter: the plane taking out a set of power lines, igniting a trail of flames, scattering wreckage in the street. authorities say the four killed were in the plane. nobody in the neighborhood was hurt. and it comes on the heels of another crash near gillespie field in october. that plane hitting two homes in broad daylight, killing the pilot and a u.p.s. driver. there was bad weather in the area monday night. a lot of rain and a lot of wind. now it's up to the ntsb to figure out exactly what went wrong. whit? >> will carr, thanks to you tonight. when we come back, news tonight about former new york governor andrew cuomo. what one district attorney is now saying. we do it every night. every night. i live alone, but i still do it every night. right after dinner. definitely after meatloaf. like clockwork. do it! run your dishwasher with cascade platinum and save water. did you know an energy star certified dishwasher uses less than four gallons per cycle? while a running sink uses that, every two minutes. that means even small loads can save water. so why not do it? run your dishwasher every night with cascade platinum. the way tsawater. fries or salad? salad! good choice! it is. so is screening for colon cancer. when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. hey, cologuard! hi, i'm noninvasive and i detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers even in early stages. early stages. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider if cologuard is right for you. 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(swords clashing) -had enough? -no... arthritis. here. aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme. oh, man that is wrinkly. like, not even just a little wrinkly, that's a whole lot of wrinkly. there are wrinkles on top of wrinkles! how do you even let your clothes get that wrinkled? how?! at least my shoes look good! looking good starts with bounce wrinkleguard. the megasheet designed to help prevent wrinkles in the dryer. finally tonight, america strong. after nearly 25 years of marriage, the surprise proposal. it was supposed to be a mother/daughter trip to new york city, but while out on a walk in central park, katie prentice was stunned to run into her husband, brian, of almost 25 years. >> what are you doing? why are you here? >> katie thought he was back home in portland, oregon. >> so, you didn't get a romantic proposal the first time around. >> oh, my god. >> so -- i thought i'd try again. >> this was not just your everyday proposal in central park, but a re-proposal for a with fr 2 decades, weathered life's ups and downs together. >> you are the most amazing, fearless, beautiful, wonderful people ill have ever met and after 25 years, i would love to spend the rest of my life with you again. >> down on one knee, brian even presenting katie with a ring. >> if you'll take this. >> oh, my god. >> we can -- you can make me happy forever. >> their daughter abby was in on the surprise. brian insisting it's never too late to get it right. >> i didn't feel like she got the proposal that she deserved the first time around. it wasn't romantic. >> i was shocked. i was blown away. >> katie later posting the video on tiktok, now viewed close to 10 million times. katie with this message tonight. >> make some magic for yourself. it's never too late. >> never too late. congratulations on 25 years. i'm whit johnson in new york. have a great night. >> breaking news, death of hall of fame writers coach and videogame icon john madden. >> the larger-than-life figure died unexpectedly this morning at the age of 85. >> let's bring in sports anchor chris alvarez for more on this. chris: i met him back around 2009-2010i was walking near the city of san francisco, saw john madden sitting by himself at a coffee shop, i walked by and said to myself, that is john madden. i i circle back around to say hello. i'm glad i mustered up the courage to say hello paving the 85-year-old football icon grew up right here in the bay area and eventually became a hall of fame super bowl winning coach for the oakland raiders. he became the namesake for the popular madden video football games. >> on behalf of the organization, i just want to send our condolences to the madden family. what a live, what an incredible figure in american sports. obviously a legend here in the bay area, both as a resident and what he did for the raiders and what he did for sports broadcasting. our thoughts go out to the madden family. what a life he led. >> he made things fun. he made the sport of football more fun, everything else was more fun if john madden was part of it. the commissioner said it, there will never be another john madden.