but so far, aurora's police chief says there is no evidence of any additional shooters, and the fbi says there's no indication the incident is tied to any terrorist organization. >> we've talked to a lot of witnesses this morning who have designed an absolutely terrifying scene. a man who was at the front right of the theater came in right near the right-hand part of the screen, fired something into the air, and then opened fire on the crowd. according to investigators and our own pete williams, he was heavily armed with at least four weapons on him in addition to the tear gas, he was wearing a gas mask, dressed in all black and appeared to have a bulletproof vest. >> a lot of questions because according to just about every eyewitness, he came in through an emergency exit. normally, as you know, those exits cannot be opened from the outside. but one eyewitness described seeing a man inside the theater get up, use a cell phone or at least pretend to use a cell phone and then go out through that emergency exit. he said he thought it was unusual at the time. and a short time later, that emergency exit opened again. this time entering the room was a man dressed in black from head to toe with a gas mask and weapons. kusa's jayce larson is on the phone joining us on the phone from near the scene. jayce, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. right now from the fbi and the atf as well as local police are trying to get to this person's apartment to see if there's anything inside that could be explosive. they have indicated that that is the case. right now there is a ladder from a fire truck that has been elevated into the air, and it's up to the third floor of a brick building. and we can't quite see whether there is anybody at this point going into a window as we had seen earlier in the day. they had been actually using some type of camera on the end of a pole to stick into one of the apartments. it looks like now they have moved to a different apartment. the big question out here is are there any explosives in that apartment, and we simply don't have that answer at this point. >> and obviously, they're taking this very carefully. we saw some images earlier on, jace, of a robot unit, a remote-controlled robot, being used, still in darkness outside that movie theater going into that car and opening the trunk and opening the side doors. and then later we saw police officers -- here's the footage i was talking about where they went in looking for explosive devices. we have been told by pete williams they did not find them. again, we'll learn much more about this when we hear from the police at a news conference in just a little while mountain time. jace larson, thank you very much. >> we want to get to jennifer seger. she was inside that packed theater when the gunman walked in and pointed the gun directly at her. jennifer, good morning. thank you for joining us again. if you would, please take us back through what happened. what you heard and what you saw. >> as far as i could see, this gentleman came in through the right-hand side. i was in the second row. i was in the second row in the front. and there was another girl in front of me, and i was on the second row. i was the only other person on the right-hand side. he came in and i thought he was part of the show. i honestly didn't think he was a bad guy, somebody who was going to hurt anybody. i thought he was just being theatrical because he was dressed up like some of the guys that are in the movie. he at that point threw a canister of gas, tear gas or something like that. it looked like a little grenade. he threw it into the crowd, and it exploded. and then it just had gas everywhere. and it was making me cough. it was making me just tear up. it was just really bad. at that point he went ahead and shot a fire to scare everybody in the ceiling, and everybody knew at that point it was the real deal. >> jennifer -- >> at that point -- yeah. >> i was going to ask you, i know probably time stands still at a moment like that, but can you estimate how long this whole incident took, how long the shooting took place? >> yeah, i can't put a time on it. honestly, it felt like forever. maybe 15 minutes or 20 minutes of just pure chaos, you know. it's enough to last you a lifetime, honestly, especially when somebody puts a gun in your face, you know what i mean? he had put the gun in my face. and at that point, i had five seconds to do something, and i just jumped deep within the aisle and curled up in a ball and tried to duck and cover at that point. he opened fire on people right behind me. and the gun shells were falling on my forehead. i was trying to remain calm. you know, i told all the people in the aisle, just crawl. just crawl, you know. try to get out of here. we've got to get out of here. i couldn't breathe. i was freaking out. all you hear is ladies and children -- children like a 6-year-old kid got shot. i'm 22 years old. why did he spare me? why did you take me instead of that 6-year-old kid? that was the worst for me. there was dead bodies everywhere. there were people hurt everywhere. there's blood and guts everywhere. i was just trying to get out, you know. as people were trying to escape, apparently they were running back inside saying no, we have to come back inside because he's going to shoot people that are trying to escape, and he did. so it was just a back-and-forth thing. finally once he got out, i was about ready to collapse. i said i couldn't breathe anymore. i was having a panic attack. tear gas was getting into my lungs. i finally started crawling my way out. i saw a 13-year-old girl on the stairs. there was a gentleman i nudged into. i didn't know if he was dead or alive. i heard him moaning. as a trained emt, i started taking his pulse. i knew he was on the verge of death. i tried to pull him. they were, like, let him go. the gunman's coming back. he's going to shoot you. i got scared and ran. at that point all the cops came in with their guns. i don't know how he exited. and everybody's kind of confused about that. i have no idea. i was staring at the ground trying not to get shot at that point. there were so many people in there that were hurt at that point. >> you talk about being -- you talk about, jennifer, being curled up in a ball. and there were these brief moments where he was reloading that weapon or those weapons. although i know there was screaming and chaos and panic during those times, you know, were people jumping up trying to run out while he was reloading? >> yeah. yeah, exactly. no. all you hear -- it was pure silence. and when he was reloading, and everybody was trying to fight for their lives and screaming at that point. it didn't matter who it was. he didn't have an agenda. he was going to shoot whoever was in his way. it didn't matter, babies, dads, moms, little brothers. he was shooting whoever. it didn't matter. and it was just pure chaos. it was scary because i had gunshots, you know, over my head. for all i know, he would have shot me in the back, you know. >> jennifer, i'm obviously struck, i think, as all of the people listening to this by your story of that man who was on the ground that you tried to help and then were forced to flee. do you know by any chance if that man survived? >> i have no idea. i mean, as far as -- i was just thinking about, you know, maybe i know somebody in there. maybe somebody -- like one of my people i care about is hurt. and i had no way to know because everybody dropped their cell phones. everybody dropped their wallets pwallets. they were running for their lives. he looked 18. he still had a whole lot of life to live. i pray that he's okay. >> jennifer, unfortunately for you you came face to face with this man. did you say anything? how was his demeanor? how did he look to you? what was his build and his dress? >> right. he never said a thing. he just threw the gas can. and his demeanor -- as far as i could say, he was probably about 6 foot, 6'3", 185, 200 pounds, very muscular, very strong looking. he doesn't have anything exposed, no skin color, no nothing. he had like a regular gas mask on to be able to breathe. he had a rifle. that's all i saw. apparently he had more weapons. i had no idea. all i saw was a rifle in my face. he looked like he was from the s.w.a.t. team, you know. so i can imagine how he could escape and not get caught because, you know, he looked similar to what a s.w.a.t. team would look like. >> well, if there is any good news, he did get caught, and he's in police custody. and jennifer -- >> thank god. >> -- i hope you don't feel guilty about having to leave that person behind in there. you did what you had to do at the time. >> yeah. and it was just kind of an instinct for me. i would have gladly given my life for that man if it came down to that. >> jennifer seeger, thank you for sharing your story with us this morning. >> no problem. >> again, the suspect has been identified as 24-year-old james holmes. let's go to nbc's justice correspondent pete williams who's been gathering information through the fbi and other law enforcement sources throughout the morning. pete, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning. we're told that he was born december 13th of 1987, 24 years old, apparently had lived in aurora, colorado, for the last year or so. but there's no record of any criminal association with him. he wasn't on any kind of terror watch list, no list of militia groups or extremist groups. he was basically unknown to law enforcement. and aurora police say the only record they ever have of any contact with him was a traffic ticket in 2011, sometime last year. he has no military history. we don't know exactly when he came to the aurora area. but the car that was outside the movie theater, which is apparently the one that he drove to the theater, had tennessee plates on it. so they're trying to figure out why that is, what his connection, if anything, was to tennessee. his parents were living in san diego. authorities have been in touch with them. witnesses say that when he came in after he set off this tear gas or smoke bomb, he began by firing one of apparently four weapons that he came to the theater with. he started firing a shotgun. now, that's one that fires pellets through a cartridge that spray out in a kind of a pattern. and then when he had fired the shotgun, he then picked up a rifle and resumed shooting with that. he also had a handgun with him and apparently another handgun that was still in the car. now, one of the very odd things about this man is that he didn't either turn the gun on himself, which sometimes happens in these situations, or tried to flee. he was, in fact, arrested, standing right near the car that he apparently drove to the theater right near the door that he used to get in. he told the police that there were explosives in his car and his apartment. they didn't find anything in the car. they're still searching the apartment very carefully right now to see what's in there. he's not in any, as i say, any of the kind of databases. and so they're still trying to figure out the biggest question here, matt, which is what was his motive? he's given no indication of that whatsoever. >> the firearms he brought into that theater, pete, and i'm not a firearms expert, but i do want to mention that a shotgun can also have a single slug in it. you can put a shell in it that has a single lead slug in it, and those can be devastatingly dangerous if they hit somebody. but yes, i think most often they do have various-sized shots in them. but again, we're going to learn more about this when we hear from the police in a short while. pete williams, thank you very much. by the way, before i let you go, you showed us some footage before, and i'm going to ask the control room to cue it up. this is the footage that we see from the helicopter of what this suspect was wearing when he was arrested. >> right. and you can see the mask at the top. you can see the bulletproof vest that he was wearing. and everyone says that that's how he was dressed, all in black with a mask on his face which obviously was a gas mask, and then bulletproof vest as well. and there's the white car. that's right near the exit to the theater. that's the one that he said had explosives in it. you showed the robot. they searched that and didn't find any. but nonetheless, they're assuming that there may be in the apartment because the word i think he used to the police was that it was booby-trapped. >> pete williams, our correspondent in washington, pete, thank you very much. we have a new statement from warner brothers which is the studio that produced "the dark knight rises." it says, quote, warner brothers and the filmmakers are deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. we extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time. >> we're getting word from here in new york that the new york police department is stepping up security at theaters that are showing "the dark knight rises" after this colorado massacre. we have this part of the statement. "as a precaution against copycats and to raise the kmfrlt levels among patrons in the wake of the shooting in colorado, the new york city police department is providing coverage at theaters where "the dark knight ris rises" is playing in the five boroughs, the five boroughs of manhattan. that according to police commissioner ray kelly in a statement that was released just a short time ago. president obama released a statement as well, and he's expected to make additional remarks from florida later this morning. and our kristen welker is traveling with the president. kristen, good morning. what can you tell us? >> reporter: good morning, savannah. well, we are learning at this hour that president obama has called the mayor of aurora to extend his condolences. president obama has been briefed by counterterrorism adviser john brennan as well as his chief of staff. now, president obama will address the tragedy as his previously scheduled campaign event here in fort myers, florida. we expect him to do that at the very top of his remarks. and then he has canceled the rest of his events for this day. he's going to head back to the white house. he did have a campaign event scheduled in orlando for later on this day, but that has, again, been canceled. president obama will make remarks here and then head back to the white house. i want to read you a little bit of that statement that you mentioned, savannah, that president obama put out a little bit earlier on this morning. he said, "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, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. as we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one american family." so, again, president obama set to address this tragedy at 11:20 this morning. he was notified about these incidents at 5:26 this morning. he has been kept abreast of the developments. and again, he will be heading back to the white house so he can continue to stay on top of this developing situation and monitor the situation from the white house. savannah? >> nbc's kristen welker traveling with president obama this morning. we also have a statement from the presumptive republican nominee, myth romnitt romney. "ann and i are deeply saddened by the news of the senseless violence that took the lives of sa people in colorado and injured dozens more. we are praying for the families and loved ones of the victims during this time of deep shock and immense grief. we expect that the person responsible for this terrible crime will be quickly brought to justice." i should mention this is a statement that came out earlier, and we have had revised estimates of the death toll here. that's obviously a developing situation. and mr. romney's expected to address this when he holds an event a little bit later this morning. >> this is the story for obvious reasons that we're spending the bulk of our morning covering. there are other headlines, though, as well. let's go over to the news desk with natalie. >> good morning, matt and savannah. as the situation in syria deteriorates, the civil war, president bashar al assad made his first televised appearance in weeks. he was seen swearing in a new defense minister on state tv. the successor to one of the four top officials killed in a bombing in damascus on wednesday. this morning the syrian national security chief also died from wounds sustained in that blast. syrian activists say more than 310 people were killed across the country thursday which would make it the deadliest day since the syrian uprising began 17 months ago. to some important health news now, whooping cough is rising at epidemic rates in this country. as the u.s. is set to have its worst year for the potentially fatal illness in more than 50 years. some 18,000 cases have been reported nationwide so far, killing at least 9 children. health officials blame the outbreak on vaccine protection wearing off. officials are hunting for the identity of a suicide bomber in bulgaria who detonated on a bus packed with israeli tourists, killing himself along with six others. u.s. officials say iranian militant group is behind the bombing, and israel is vowing retaliation. iran, however, denies any involvement. this as bulgarian officials say the suspect had tried to rent a car and was denied because his fake michigan driver's license raised suspicions. he reportedly spoke english with an accent. a suspect in an attempted kidnapping caught on tape has turned himself in to philadelphia police. 33-year-old carlos fago faces a number of felony charges. police believe he's the man seen in the security camera video from tuesday grabbing a 10-year-old girl who was walking with her 2-year-old brother. the girl escaped with superficial injuries. and a new study out today shows risky private lending has sent student loan debt soaring, spiking from $5 billion in 2001 to more than $20 billion in 2008. the government report says the ballooning debt mirrors the subprime mortgage crisis. tit is now 7:19 pacific tim. let's turn it over to matt, savannah and al. >> mr. roker, what can you tell us about the weather? >> we look out west, and we see we'll be looking at severe weather, risk of strong storms throughout the plains. wet weather streaming into the coastal pacific northwest region, interior showers in the northern rockies. as we look at the forecast for you, los angeles going to be 86 degrees today. but you get into the southwest, phoenix, 107 degrees. boise gets up to 96, as does billings. denver, colorado, 101. seattle, cool, showery and 69. medford, oregon, will see a high of 87. the rest of the country today, we do look for a risk of strong storms out to the east, especially from the southeast into the mid-atlantic states. as we said, the western plains will see severe weather. look for sunshine but sizzling conditions into the central midwestern regions anywhere from 100 to 110 degree heat indexes from denver to kansas city on into salt lake. that's what's going on aroun >> you made to the friday. good morning. the time is 7:20. this is san rafael completely blue above the low deck of clouds. situated right at the coast and into the bay this morning. we have a good looking day shaping up at the coast. 70 degrees in san francisco, you'll be warm today in sl of the inland cities. the peninsula nice and mild, 81 in los gatos. 81 in san jose. hot out to the east bay, 90 in concord, 88 in livermore.