ibrahim ramaha's family fled from kuwait before the first gulf war. now ferguson is all too familiar to the home he left. >> i left the war zone and now i'm back in a war zone. >> it's clear the local and federal officials believed there was a plan in place to protect local businesses as you heard in our piece. we reached out to the justice department for their response. they have no comment. that's it for "the lead." i'm jake tapper and i turn you over to wolf blitzer in "the situation room." situation room." have a very happy thanksgiving. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com happening now, poised for protests. they're bracing for more trouble. they're investigating a homicide discovered there during the first night of violence. did police break the rules. new questions are emerging right now. they're being asked about unorthodox procedures after the shooting of michael brown and in the investigation which followed. and holiday storm.

winter weather is affecting millions of thanksgiving travelers on one of the busiest travel days of the year on the highways and at the airports, it's a major mess out there. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." this is cnn breaking news. and we're following two breaking stories right now from snow-covered highways to backed-up airports, a major winter storm makes travel a nightmare for millions of people trying to get away for the thanksgiving holiday. as night draws near ferguson, missouri, police and the national guard they are now on the streets once again. they're poised for more protests. police have identified the homicide victim found shot in the head near the scene of the michael brown shooting. it happened during the first night of the burning and the looting which followed a grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer darren wilson for the shooting death of michael brown. there were fewer acts of vandalism last night and fewer arrests in the ferguson, area, but across the country the

protests spread to at least 130 cities as marchers blocked roads and bridges and tunnels. the naacp president cornell william brooks, he's here in the situation room standing by along with our correspondents, our analysts and newsmakers. let's begin with our national creighs creig correspondent, jason carroll and he's live on the streets of ferguson. >> reporter: wolf, a few tense moments when we were out here last night in front of the ferguson police department. still not what we saw here on monday night. having said that going forward, whether or not these protests are small or large, police say, wofr wolf, they are ready. >> police continue to look into the death of 20-year-old deandre joshua found dead monday night in a car near the scene of rioting in ferguson. his death ruled a homicide, not clear whether it was related to the unrest over the grand jury verdict. meanwhile, overnight protests continue. a police cruiser overturned and

protefrters tried to set it on fire, but police moved in quickly, surrounding the car, dispersing the crowd. the number of demonstrators smaller than sunday night. police made fewer arrests. 44 taken into custody. >> generally, it was a much better night. >> a change in law enforcement tactics used tuesday, heavier police presence and a quicker, more aggressive and nimble response. also, the national guard pulled into action for support, more than 2,000 on hand to help. >> we made sure those resources were where they needed to be, but also we got help from our community today. so it's about that partnership. >> community leaders saw a shift in the response as well. >> on tuesday night i think you saw more officers come into the ferguson area, and the response to what leaders were saying give us the protection that you demanded to give us. >> but tensions remain and not just from protesters. this officer's frustration caught on camera.

>> all these people are protesting everything. everything in the city. 25 years i've been in this city and this is terrible! >> everybody forward! >> from california to new york, people shutting down highways and disrupting traffic. a nationwide show of support for michael brown. his parents outraged, not just about the grand jury's decision, but also for darren wilson's comment following the decision. wilson telling abc news he feared for his life when he shot brown and has no regrets. >> the reason i have a clean conscience because i know i did my job right. >> his kofshence is clear? how can your conscience be clear after killing somebody even if it was an accidental death? >> wolf, for the past three months, as you know, come rain or shine, protesters have been out here. it is snowing and it is cold here today in ferguson, but you can expect protesters will be out here again tonight. wolf? >> and the national guard is ready. we're looking at live pictures

by the way, jason. it seems like something's going on not far from you. do we have a clue going on? because we saw some activity just a few moments ago. >> reporter: wolf, i can just tell you as we've been here in front of the ferguson police department, a number of cars have come by honking in support of michael brown. as you say, national guard members are here and they've been here throughout the day. we saw them here again last night. no serious incidents to report again. things have somewhat of a calmer sense around here than what we've seen in the past few days. we'll wait and see what happens tonight. >> we'll continue to watch live pictures. jason, thanks very much. >> as the sun goes down, the streets of ferguson are scarred by two nights of violence and some buildings are burned out and others are boarded up and residents are also bearing the scars of the violence and the tensions that led up to all of this. let's bring in ed lavandera who is also in ferguson with more of this part of the story.

what are you seeing, ed? >> hey, wolf. i think a lot of people here in the city of ferguson are hoping that the weather will be the big story today. this is the scene you see here of the national guard patrolling and protecting the area around the command center that has been stationed just up the road from what we've seen, the most intense protests over the course of the last few days and we'll take you down here along the road. this is west fluorescent road and this is where everything unraveled monday night after the announcement was made of darren wilson that would not be indicted by the police -- by the grand jury here in the st. louis area and the scene here this afternoon after monday night was a total mayhem. this is the strep of road where many businesses were looted and burned and torched and you can see here a much different scene, wolf, over the last two nights and this is what west fluorescent looks now, about a mile stretch of the road completely shut down.

this is looking north up the road on the southern edge of where the most violent protests and damage was done monday night and this is the way the scene has been for the last 48 hours now completely shut down to car traffic and what's different back in august during the protests when michael brown was shot. a lot of this was shut down to traffic, as well, and they allowed foot traffic and now very much different and this is as close as we can get and we'll make the turn and you're not allowed to drive on the stretch of west fluorescent. technically, authorities consider that a crime scene because of the businesses that were burned and arson investigations going on and that stretch of road right now, wolf, is considered a crime scene. >> that mcdonald's we're seeing, you're showing us live pictures from your vehicle. i take it that mcdonald's was burned out, as well? >> i don't think that suffered in any fire damage, but we were there monday night when a group of people started is that correct out the windows and

going through it and obviously that was shut down and a lot of those businesses were shut down in anticipation and fear of what happened and a lot of those businesses were shut down and no car traffic and no foot traffic and nobody allowed in. >> ed lavandera is driving around ferguson right now. >> national guard troops. they are very, very visible right now and for good reason. the authorities believe if people see the national guard out there on the streets that will deter violence from breaking out. so you see what's going on and they're worried this is the third night that's about to begin. they're worried about the potential for violence there and so the national guard is very, very visible presence. the president of the united states, he has spoken out on the violence in ferguson. he's calling for a dialogue, but his tone has been measured as he continues a very careful balancing act when it comes to these issues of race. >> let's bring in our senior

white house correspondent jim acosta. this is a very, very delicate line for the president to have to deal with, right? >> it really is, wife. aides of the president said that there will be an announcement soon on what the administration is calling conversations on this lack of trust and law enforcement that exists in minority communities. for the president it's another opportunity to confront the issue of race in america head-on. >> it was a split screen presidency as the violence broke out in ferguson on one side the president calling for calm. >> we need to recognize that this is not just an issue for ferguson. this is an issue for america. >> watch it. >> for millions of people glued to their sets it was another sad episode of race in america in black and white. and a president hesitant to jump into the fray. >> when things settle down there. >> let's take a look and see how things are going. >> ten years ago a young state senator obama raised hopes of uniting a bitterly divided nation. >> there is not a black america

and a white america, a latino america, an asian america, there is the united states of america. >> as a presidential candidate he condemned his former pastor for making racially inflammatory comments and insisted the country's old wounds could still heal. >> what we have seen is that america can change. >> reporter: but as president the reality has been different. mr. obama's response to the verdict for the man acquitted of murdering trayvon martin while personal -- >> when trayvon martin was first shot i said that this could have been my son. >> was viewed as inadequate by some african-american leaders. >> what's lacking in this moment is moral leadership. the country is begging for it. they're craving it. >> reporter: but the president responded with initiatives like the my brother's keeper program aimed at young minority men. >> if america stands for anything, it stands for the idea of opportunity for everybody. the president's defenders say he

can't do it all alone. >> the president, no matter what color or what party can only do so much, but can set a tone and provide leadership. >> the question is whether that opportunity was missed. >> ferguson signifies the end of the age of obama. it's a very sad end. we began with tremendous hope and we end with great despair. >> soon, the obama administration led by the president's pointman on ferguson, outgoing attorney general eric holder will be starting a national dialogue on that elusive goal of equal justice under the law. >> i want all those folks to know that their president is going to work with them. >> and white house aides say this issue of mentoring and supporting young men in minority communities is a top priority for the president, but as you heard the president the other night, wolf, he wants to work with young people who want to build their communities up, not burn them down. >> no word from the white house

if the president will go to ferguson. that's right. still under consideration and haven't ruled it out one way or the other. >> let's go in-depth right now and joined by the president and ceo of the naacp, cornell william brooks. thank you very much for coming in. >> thank you. >> the quote from the princeton university scholar when he says it's over, basically, in effect suggesting the president has failed. your reaction? >> i believe that the issue is much bigger than president obama. it predates the obama presidency and it will likely outlive the obama presidency. what we have is a situation where we have a criminal justice system that mistreats african-american males routinely and regularly. when we think about the fact that after can american males are 21 times more likely to lose their lives at the hands of police officers. when you think about the fact that in any given month one out of every four african-american males reports that they've been

mistreated by the police. we have a reality problem as well as a perception problem and those are the fact and this is not a matter of striking the right racial tone and it's about striking the right american substance and dealing with systemic, fundamental reform and reform that reflects the conscience, the common sense and the -- the constitution of our country. that's what this is about. >> it's hard for me to believe that in this day and age, 2014, so many years after dr. martin luther king, the civil rights movement, i lived through that period and we're seeing national guard troops on the street to prevent this kind of violence in this day and age. it's something that i didn't think we'd be seeing again. >> it is a very disturbing sight. i've been in ferguson and i'm headed back to ferguson and here's what i know, 50 years ago it was the young man by the name of jimmy lee jackson who lost his life at the hands of a police officer. that death led to the selma to montgomery march.

the naacp is back in ferguson and we're leading a march from ferguson to the state capitol, to jefferson city. over 100 miles, over seven days. it saddens me that we have to have that kind of march in 2014, but we do. this mission is that critical. dr. ben carson, he's the johns hopkins medical school neurosurgeon. he's thinking of rung for the republican presidential nomination and he's pinning a lot of the blame directly on the first african-american president of the united states. listen to what he said on the hugh hewitt radio show. >> a bunch of progressive, manipulate particularly minority communities to make them feel that they are victims and, of course, if you think you're a victim you are a victim. >> and he went on to say i actually believed things were better before this president was

elected and i think things have gotten worse because of his unusual emphasis on race. >> i believe dr. carson, with all due respect, should stick to the operating room rather than the campaign trail. these are the facts. bee have a criminal justice system that overincarcerates and und undereducates, broadly speaking. african-american males are overincarcerated. police departments all around the country understand, well understand that there is another way and so the fact of the matter is this cannot be pinned on president obama. this is bigger, larger and more important than political rhetoric or partisanship. so with all due respect, dr. carson is not particularly thoughtful on this issue. >> you know he's resonating with a lot of americans out there. he seems to be getting some momentum especially with conservatives. >> well, this issue is much bigger than liberal or conservative.

here's what we're talking about. we're talking about our youth, our children, our sons and daughters. so if we believe that young people are the future then we have to stand with those young practitioners of democracy in the streets of ferguson and missouri and all across this country who are simply saying we as a country are better than this. we can do better than this. michael brown was not killed by the word victim. he was killed by a bullet, a bullet that was fired by a police officer. i happen to believe that we could do a lot better than this and what we have to do is focus on a couple of things. number one, the systemic reform of the criminal justice system. >> a ban on racial profiling. the passage of the federal racial profiling act, a reform of state and local policing. we have the models around the country. we have best practices around the country, but the fact is we have to model our best practices

and put them into place. >> we have to take a quick commercial break and when we come back much more with mr. brooks, national guard troops, they are on the ground once again for this, the third night. we'll go back there live in just a few moments. they take us to worlds full of heroes and titans. for respawn, building the best interactive entertainment begins with the cloud. this is "titanfall," the first multi-player game built and run on microsoft azure. empowering gamers around the world to interact in ways they never thought possible. this cloud turns data into excitement. this is the microsoft cloud.

save your coffee from the artificial stuff. switch to truvia. great tasting, zero-calorie sweetness from the stevia leaf.

come from all walks of life. if you have high blood sugar, ask your doctor about farxiga. it's a different kind of medicine that works by removing some sugar from your body. along with diet and exercise, farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. with one pill a day, farxiga helps lower your a1c. and, although it's not a weight-loss or blood-pressure drug, farxiga may help you lose weight and may even lower blood pressure when used with certain diabetes medicines. do not take if allergic to farxiga or its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include rash, swelling or difficulty breathing or swallowing. if you have any of these symptoms, stop taking farxiga and seek medical help right away. do not take farxiga if you have severe kidney problems, are on dialysis, or have bladder cancer. tell your doctor right away if you have blood or red color in your urine or pain while you urinate. farxiga can cause serious side effects, including

dehydration, genital yeast infections in women and men, low blood sugar,kidney problems, and increased bad cholesterol. common side effects include urinary tract infections, changes in urination, and runny nose. ♪do the walk of life ♪yeah, you do the walk of life need to lower your blood sugar? ask your doctor about farxiga and visit our website to learn how you may be able to get every month free. as ridge simmers in ferguson, missouri, right now and erupting, indeed across the country, look at these live pictures from police, national guard troops and they're patrolling the streets and trying to show some deterrence

to prevent people from going out tonight and demonstrating. they can demonstrate as long as they do it peacefully and not burning down stores or torching cars or anything along that nature. we are back now with the president and ceo of the naacp cornell william brooks. i know that the naacp is the preeminent civil rights organization and you're working hard. you're recommending a seven-day march. >> yes. >> tell us what you want to do. >> what we're trying to do here is evoke the memory and legacy of the selma to montgomery march. as i mentioned, it began with the death of a young man jimmy lee jackson at the hands of law enforcement nearly 50 years ago and here we are 2014 and what we're trying to do is dramatize to the nation that through non-violent, peaceful protests we can call for systemic fundamental change in the way policing is done in this country. we want to create a narrative. this is not about looting. not about rioting and not about

burning down buildings, but rather building a more civil, more just society and we can do that. think about this, over the course of the last 20 years we had the lowest crime rate. the first time in 40 years we have less crime and fewer people in prison. so the thing is criminal justice reform is possible. we have fewer young people being locked up in juvenile lockups. so the point being here is we can bring about reform as a society as we put our hearts and minds together. >> when the police officer in question in ferguson, darren wilson, when he says he would have reacted the same way he reacted if the person on the street wasn't black, was white you say? >> i say that's laughable. tragically and sadly laughable. it is not likely that a white police officer driving through a white community would come upon a white teenager and ask them to get the "f" off the street and on to the sidewalk. that is not standard operating

procedure and not courteous treatment. it is not the way you speak to people and when you read his testimony over and over again he speaks about this teenager as though he were some kind of beast, stomping, grunting, a blank look. i believe fundamentally this police officer did not see michael brown's humanity and that, at the end of the day, is what this is about. >> what does this is a, this whole incident and it's a tragic, very sad, painful to young african-american boys and men, and i know you have a young son. i assume you've had special conversations with him, as well. you're a yale law school grad and i have had a high school senior and a high school freshman and i've talked about the need to be respectful and to carry yourself with dignity and the police officers are not always your friend and they don't always represent officer

friendly. be wary, conduct themselves in a law-abiding fashion and to make them abundantly clear that they're obeying the law, but that being said, they know that they're subject to being profiled. as a yale lawyer, i can tell you this, i've been stopped any number of times by police officers, not because i was speeding or disa obeying a lou. if that happens to me why would it be different for my teenage sons or for the sons of other parents all across this country, but we can change that. >> i hope we can. it's a sad commentary that it hasn't been changed yet. cornell william brook, the president any ceo of the naacp, thanks for joining us. good luck. >> coming up, did police break the rules in ferguson? there are new questions, merging right now about unorthodox procedures that were used after the shooting of michael brown and during the investigation which followed. plus, michael brown's parents, they're speaking out to cnn and they'll hear what they now have

to say about the officer darren wilson's account of the fatal shooting. stay with us. you're in "the situation room." how could switchgrass in argentina, change engineering in dubai, aluminum production in south africa, and the aerospace industry in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 70% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing.

the grand jury testimony indicates the ferc son police took some unorthodox steps after the police officer darren wilson shot michael brown. that's raising some serious new questions about the investigation and the grand jury process itself. our justice correspondent pamela brown has been looking into this part of the story for us. what are you finding out, pamela? >> we are finding out that the way the investigation was

handled in those crucial first moments involving issues like wilson's gun and the initial interview right after the shooting is raising questions over whether key forensics were jeopardized. officer darren wilson breaking his silence and insisting what he did was right. >> the only emotion i'd ever felt was fear and then it was survival and training. >> you are absolutely convinced when you look through your heart and your mind that if michael brown were white this would have gone down in exactly the same way? >> yes. >> no question? >> no question. >> but now as evidence presented to the grand jury have become public. new questions are asked about how the investigation was handled from the start. officer wilson washed blood off his hands. he told the grand jury from everything we have always been taught about blood, you don't want it on you. i had to wash my hands so i go directly to the bathroom. i actually washed them. and officer wilson's gun was not turned over or fingerprinted immediately after the shooting.

instead, wilson brought it back to the police station and put his own gun into an evidence bag. >> i think all of those were problematic. i think that the gun should have been taken and secured. i think that the blood should have been swabbed and secured. >> the police sergeant who was the first to interview wilson after the shooting told the grand jury he didn't take notes or record it, saying number one, i did not have a recorder. number two, i didn't take notes because at that point in time i had multiple things going on my mind besides darren was telling me. a former fbi inspector who conducted shooting investigations say procedures vary for each police department. >> these smaller departments and they may not have had a shooting in many, many years which is great, but that also means they don't have a practiced, rehearsed procedure in place. >> photos were never taken by the medical examiner.

the prosecutor dead did you take any photographs? the medical examiner replied no. when asked why not? the medical examiner said my battery in my camera died. the medical examiner also told the grand jury it wasn't necessary to take any distance measurements at the scene. i got there, it was self-explanatory what happened. somebody shot somebody. cyril wecht is a forensic pathologist who has handled many high-profile cases. >> i cannot believe that anybody would have the odd asity and stupidity to have made that statement. you want to note everything in terms of measurements and photography. you want to get everything in meticulous detail. >> and other forensic experts we spoke with say the way the procedures were handled in this case is insignificant to the overall investigation and would not have affected the outcome. wolf? >> pamela brun, good report, thanks very much. let's discuss what's going on. joining us our cnn legal analyst

sunny hostin and tom fuentes and former assistant director and community activist joining us from ferguson. tom, what do you make of these mistakes? significant? not so significant? it sounds disturbing to me. >> the first thing about the officer washing his hands is true in the day of hiv, police, first responders, firefighters try diligently to avoid having anybody else's blood anywhere on their body, but in a situation like this that was unavoidable. the part about taking the gun home, that's true. that was not handled correctly and all of that chain of the custody and evidence should have been done immediately at the police station. i thought maybe it was, when you see pictures of him in his t-shirt in the hospital was because they had taken his uniformed shirt and taken his pants and placed it in evidence storage. as far as the scene of the camera dying, the battery dying and that's absurd. >> they kept that body there for

four and a half hours on the streets of ferguson. we thought they were doing a really detailed forensic investigation. >> yeah. you would think, and that was done by st. louis county medical examiner and their evidence response team. they had been doing another crime scene 30 minute away and that's why they got there late. they didn't get to the scene until 1:30, an hour and a half after the shooting, but if your battery dies you send someone to get another one whether it's in the trunk of your car or a nearby store, i don't know what exotic photography equipment they were using, so all of those things were problematic, but i would question taking them side by side, procedurally to see if they would have materially affected -- >> let me ask sunny. you've covered these investigations. would it have made a difference with the st. louis county prosecuting's approach to the grand jury if some of these mistake his not occurred? >> i think given his approach, i think that the outcome would have likely been the same. i've been critical of his

approach since the very beginning, wolf, because it was just so very different, the grand jury proceedings just aren't conducted that way and had this evidence been in fronts of the grand jury, a grand jury that seemed to be very actively trying to seek the truth, absolutely, i think it could have changed the outcome and the aftermath of the decision what we heard from so many analysts was let's look at the forensic evidence. look at the forensic evidence. it coincides directly with what officer wilson said. well, sure, it coincides directly. we now know that the scene may have been contaminated, that protocol was not followed and quite frankly, officer wilson wasn't spoken to. he didn't really give his information for quite some time. that is also not what the protocol is. you don't allow a prospective defendant weeks or months to sort of, you know, put a story together. it's just simply not done. so certainly, i think this proceeding and the investigation is extremely troubling. >> what's your reaction, john,

when you hear this? >> john? >> i lost him. >> can you hear me, john? >> i can hear you. >> what's your reaction when you hear about these mistakes, what's your rea action? >> it just goes to show how people here in the community feel. the investigation has been botched from the very beginning and what you have just shared with me does not help confidence and trust in local law enforcement here. since the very beginning, people there within the community have talked about some of the inaccuracies, have talked about some of the things that are out of the ordinary. since the very beginning of this investigation and legal analysts on your network have said this is so unusual to hear that a photographer's battery, he didn't have access to a battery so he didn't take photos? i mean, quite honestly, wolf, i

wouldn't be surprised if that further escalates the anger in the community. >> it may escalate the anger, but let's hope it remains peace frl and not violent. i want to be precise. stand by for a moment. i want to continue this conversation. new information coming in, michael. brown's parents also speaking out to cnn. they spoke to our own sunny hostin and she'll join us once again and you'll hear what they think of officer darren wilson's account of the shooting incident which took the life of their son.

big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked. made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift? ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern. and our big idaho potato truck is still missing. so my buddy here is going to help me find it. here we go. woo who, woah, woah, woah. it's out there somewhere spreading the word about americas favorite potatoes: heart healthy idaho potatoes and the american heart association's go red for women campaign. if you see it i hope you'll let us know. always look for the grown in idaho seal.

that it's given me time toabout reflect on some of life'seen biggest questions. like, if you could save hundreds on car insurance by making one simple call, why wouldn't you make that call? see, the only thing i can think of is that you can't get any... bars. ah, that's better. it's a beautiful view. i wonder if i can see mt. rushmore from here. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

toasty or frosty? exactly the way you want it ... until boom, it's bedtime! your mattress is a battleground of thwarted desire. enter the sleep number bed. don't miss the ultimate sleep number week going on now. he's the softy. his sleep number setting is 35. you're the rock, at 60. silent night not so silent? elk bellow sleep number's even got an adjustment for that. give the gift of amazing sleep only at a sleep number store. this week only, save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed.

know better sleep with sleep number.

>> take a look at this. these are live pictures coming in from ferguson, missouri. national guard troops are bracing for another night in the ferguson area. we're watching closely. let's hope it's a peaceful night. demonstrations are fine, as long as they're peaceful. joining us again our legal analyst sunny hostin and law enforcement an hift tom fuentes and the former fbi director and community activist john gaskin. sunny, you had a chance to sit down with michael brown's parents in new york. let me play a clip from your interview. listen to this. >> so do you believe when officer wilson first approached your son and told him to move out of the roadway that your son's first response was "f" what you say? >> no. >> do you think that's even possible? >> no. >> no. >> do you think it's even

possible officer wilson is saying that your son reached into the car and tried to grab his gun? >> no. >> do you think it's possible that your son told him you are too much of a qwe"p" word to sh me. >> i don't believe any of those words were exchanged at all. >> all right, sunny. so what are the facts out there in the investigation show? >> you know, i'll tell you this, wolf. one of the reasons i asked that question is because we were discussing how as black parents most parents, i think the attorney general has discussed this, our president has discussed this, that have black boys, black sons have a discussion with them about how to interact with law enforcement and so i asked them that question, and i asked them whether or not they, too, had had that talk that so many parents like myself have had,

and that is why they responded that they did not believe it was possible that the first words out of mike brown's mouth was, you know, "f" what you have to say or "f" the police because he had been taught that would be a death sentence. that's what his father told me. i would say in terms of evidence what the brown family is saying that altercation, that incident only took 90 seconds. they don't understand how all of those words could have been spok spoken, how their son could have run away, exchanged blows with the police officer and turned around, and charged towards a police officer in 90 seconds. they just don't think that the evidence supports it and they say that they've known him for 18 years, not 18 seconds and given what they know they just don't believe that it could have happened that way. >> you know, tom, here's darren

wilson. he's the police officer in his interview with abc news offering this point of view. listen to this. >> when i am back peddling away from him because he's running through these shots. they weren't phasing him. it didn't matter to him and he was looking through me and as he gets 15 feet after i fired the second round of shots he gets eight to ten feet and as he starts that he starts leaning forward like he's going to tackle me. and eight to ten feet is close and if he's going to tackle me he's going to tackle me and i looked at the barrel of the gun and it was the head and that's where it went. >> does that corroborate with the facts. >> brown charged him for a second, stopped at which time wilson stopped shooting and then brown continued to advance toward wilson and wilson shot back again, and it is an

explanation for how an entry wound into michael brown was made to the top of the head so he could have been bent over and still charging when that happened. so really, there's no dispute as to the fact that brown had continued toward him when you listen to the other witnesses. >> i think -- >> can i disagree with that very briefly, wolf. >> we're up against the break. >> i think there is, you know, dispute in that area because there are seven witnesses that are saying that he didn't charge and that he had his hands up, and so the suggestion that there is no contrary evidence to this charging story is just not accurate. >> that's not true, sunny, because the individual on the street that was jumping up and down where you see that video of him when he gave an interview afterward he referred to that brown was moving around, he wasn't standing still and that the officer was back peddling as he continued shooting until the fatal shot. no officer is going to back peddle unless someone's coming at them so that just doesn't

make sense -- >> sunny, hold on. tom, hold on. john gaskin, i'm going to have you stand by, as well and we'll have much more of sunny's interview and also with the parents of michael brown coming up here in "the situation room." stand by for all of that. events in ferguson are creating tension between federal and local officials and we have details in this part of the story. that's coming up, as well.

(coffee being poured into a cup.) ♪ save your coffee from the artificial stuff. switch to truvia. great tasting, zero-calorie sweetness from the stevia leaf.

a secure retirement. a new home. earning your diploma. providing for your family. real associates, using walmart's benefits to build better lives for their families.

opportunity. that's the real walmart.

we'll get back to ferguson, missouri in a moment. but there's other breaking news we're following. an east coast storm is affecting millions of thanksgiving travelers on roads, at the airports. it's a major headache out there. brian todd knows that firsthand. he spent the day driving along some major interstates along the east coast. brian, what's going on? >> reporter: wolf, this was a major challenge today to get out

on the roads for millions of holiday travelers. we'll show you the camera that looks out the front end of our vehicle as we travel south of i-83 south of harrisburg, pennsylvania. you can see snow falling, heavy volume of traffic. people have been negotiating conditions like this all day long up and down the eastern seaboard. for millions of travelers, this was the worst day for this storm to hit. from the airport to the highways, a messy travel day in the northeast. coastal rain and inland snow causing delays for drivers and airline passengers alike. >> this day of all days is pretty frustrating. but i have reunion of like 30 family members i'm trying to get to tomorrow in pennsylvania. so nothing is going to stop me. >> reporter: it started this morning in virginia with snow in the mountains. a wintry mix during the day from d.c. to new york. but inland it's snowier, causing more tie-ups and accidents. snow continues into tonight in pennsylvania, new york and new

england. here is hartford, connecticut and central massachusetts this afternoon. already plenty of wet know and more to come. >> a little tough to change lanes and stuff like that right now. so visibility is getting really bad. >> reporter: good news for the ski resorts but bad news for the 41 million people expected to drive during this holiday nationwide. especially in the areas shown in red. at airports, already hundreds of flights delayed or canceled by mid afternoon. >> we were notified that the flight was canceled. so we're sitting here in the airport, waiting for the next flight out. >> reporter: and the weather is turning colder this evening. stranded passengers may find it hard to rebook on a day when most flights are already full. >> it's not too bad yet, but i foal bald for people flying out later today. >> reporter: everyone, we're going to show you what some of the people are up against as we hit the evening hours. i'm going to get out and show

you what it's like on the side of the road here. the problem now with these conditions, wolf, these roads are going to start to freeze over, temperatures along the eastern seaboard in some of these areas are going to be in the 20s and 30s. you have slush possibly turning into ice. >> brian, thank you very much. coming up, authorities now back on the streets bracing for more trouble in ferguson, missouri, as police investigate a homicide discovered there during the first night of the violence. with new questions being raised about police procedures, the way the grand jury process played out, i'll speak with the brown family attorney, daryl parks.

big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked. made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift? ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern. having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pick-up truck slams into your brand new car. one second it wasn't there and the next second... boom! you've had your first accident. now you have to make your first claim. so you talk to your insurance company and... boom! you're blindsided for a second time. they won't give you enough money to replace

your brand new car. don't those people know you're already shaken up? liberty mutual's new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car plus depreciation. call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. switch to liberty mutual insurance and you could save up to $423 dollars. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

happening now, breaking news. deadly discovery. police now identify a young man found killed in his car as riots swept across ferguson, missouri. will tonight see more violence? michael brown's parents speak to cnn, sharing their initial reaction to the news darren wilson would not be charged in their son's death. >> he was just like, like i had been shot. like you shooting me now. just no respect, no sympathy, nothing. >> i'll speak live this hour with the family attorney. also, holiday storm. a wintry mix of rain and snow creating travel chaos for tens of millions of americans trying to get to their thanksgiving destinations. caught on camera. a deadly confrontation between police and a 12-year-old boy carrying a fake gun.

what new details are investigators learning right now from the just released video? we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." we're following two breaking news stories this hour. snow and rain affecting some 30 million people from north carolina all the way up to maine. snarling air and road traffic during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. also, breaking news out of ferguson, missouri, as well. police there have identified a man found dead in a car as the rioting raged in the city. 20-year-old deandre joshua was shot in the head and someone tried to burn his body. an investigation is under way as the world waits to see what will happen next in ferguson. we're waiting to see what happens in the next few hours. we're covering all of that, much more this hour with our correspondents, our guests, including the michael brown

family attorney, daryl parks. he's standing by live. our reporter evan perez begins the coverage. you are learning more about the tension between federal and local authorities. >> reporter: all this violence has really exposed all the infighting that's been going on behind the scenes. not only among federal officials, there's tension between federal officials and local and state officials. you have all these jurisdictions for trying to secure this city. you have the feds, you have the st. louis county, you have the state, which is in control of the national guard. and what happens on monday night, there was a period where the police pulled back, if you remember where our stephanie elam was right on the scene. you saw the police pull back and almost cede the streets to some of the rioters. a lot of that is being looked at as to what caused that.

you're hearing local officials who are complaining that, well, we tried it your way. there was a lot of criticism of how the police handled protests back in august, that it was too heavy handed. now you have local officials saying we tried it your way, see what happened? and now we're going to bring much more force to bear to make sure it doesn't happen again. >> what do you hear about the criticism that some local officials are blaming the white house, if you will, or the justice department for interfering and, in effect, they're saying they were responsible for the disaster monday night. >> right. it doesn't take long for politics to enter into this. that's exactly what is happening. we know that the national guard was called out a week before the decision came out. >> by the governor. >> by the governor jay nixon. there was immediate criticism that this was too heavy handed and it was preparation for war. so you had the situation where the governor had the national

guard held back. however, in some parts to have region in st. louis city, for instance, they didn't have the same issues. so you have a city and county issue. it's an issue of jurisdiction. we talked to federal officials. they say they did not interfere with the way the national guard was being deployed. they say there's nothing they did that caused some of this. >> stand by. we'll get more from you shortly, as well. evan perez watching the story very closely, doing an amazing job for all of us. let's go to ferguson right now. jason carroll is on the streets of ferguson. what are you seeing there now? i guess a lot of folks are bracing for more trouble, is that right? >> reporter: well, they're hoping that's not going to be the case, wolf. but they are bracing for it just in case. there's been so much talk about the national guard. if you take a look over here at the ferguson pd, you can see national guard standing there ready to help out, if necessary. they did that last night when we were out here, and the help was

definitely needed. there were a couple hundred demonstrators gathered right here at this spot and marched up in front of city hall, overturning a police car and trying to set it on fire. that's when police moved in very quickly. we've seen a different tactic out here tuesday night opposed to what we saw out here on notre dame night. much more of a presence out here. police moving in much more aggressively. much faster than they did on monday, whenever they see a problem, they're sure to come out now and address it quickly. that's not really what we saw on monday. we'll have to wait and see what ends up happening tonight. wolf? >> there have been arrests. i don't know how many arrests, but there were arrests last night. there was some arrests monday night, as well. right? >> reporter: 44 arrests last night, wolf, for a variety of reasons. what we did not see last night as opposed to what we saw on monday night was the looting. there was a lot of looting, as you now, that we saw on monday

night. did not see that last night. the feeling that i'm getting from some of the demonstrators that i've been reaching out to, just in text messages and calls, tonight's crowd is expected to be smaller, but there will be a crowd nonetheless. >> and this homicide police are talking about, this young 20-year-old man who was killed. apparently a gunshot to the head and then they tried to burn his car. what do we know about this? >> reporter: deandre joshua, 20 years old. he was found in his car monday night in the same neighborhood where michael brown was shot. this young man, his death was ruled a homicide. police at this point trying to determine whether or not there is a connection. they have not determined if there was any sort of connection to the looting. but the situation on the ground is such that whenever you have a shooting, and at the same time that you've got this looting going on, the situation is such that police are going to be

taking an extra look at cases like this, like the case that we see with deandre joshua. not sure if there is a connection between his death and the looting but police are looking into it. >> we'll stay in close touch with you, as well. there's huge reaction of the first interview with darren wilson, including from the parents of michael brown. cnn's ed lavandera is in ferguson with this part of the story. what's the latest there, ed? >> reporter: wolf, a lot of people talking about that interview that darren wilson has done with abc news. as you might suspect, there's a lot of people who are questioning what exactly he is saying. darren wilson says he wants the world to know that he was just doing his job the way he was trained as a police officer the day he shot and killed michael brown. >> do you feel any remorse? >> everyone feels remorse when a life is lost. like i told you before, i never wanted to take anybody's life.

>> reporter: in his first interview with abc news, darren wilson defended his actions saying he feared for his life. >> described as a demon. >> uh-huh. it was a very, very intense, intense image he was presenting. i was so shocked by the whole enter action. this escalated so quickly from a simple request to now a fight for survival. >> reporter: michael brown's father says he's crushed by the grand jury's decision not to indict officer wilson. brown's parents say wilson's version of events doesn't add up. >> i don't believe a word of it. i know my son far too well. he would never do anything like that. he would never provoke anyone to do anything to him, and he wouldn't do anything to anybody. i don't believe a word of it. >> for one, my son wouldn't -- he respected law enforcement. two, who in they right mind would rush or charge at a police officer?

it sounds crazy. >> reporter: darren wilson detailed the series of 12 shots he fired at michael brown, and says he has a clean conscience of how he handled it all. >> i had actually seen that bullet go into his head. i saw that. i saw that him go blank. everything was just blank. when he landed, he fell face first and actually slid on his face and upper body. as he did that, his feet had come up in the air from all the momentum he had. as he came to rest, his feet collapsed. i need immediately he was dead. >> when you look back, is there anything you could have done differently. >> no. >> nothing is >> no. >> reporter: since the shooting, protesters argued that ferguson cops like darren wilson unfairly target black residents across the city. but wilson insists the shooting had nothing to do with race. >> you're absolutely convinced

when you look through your heart and mind that if michael brown were white, this would have gone down in exactly the same way? >> yes. >> no question? >> no question. >> reporter: and wolf, now darren wilson's future with the police department is very much in question. he's still technically a police officer here in the city of ferguson. but we know there have been talks about negotiating his departure. his attorney has told cnn his career in law enforcement is essentially over and he'll have to find another line of work. we spoke with a state lawmaker who said despite all of this and the interview, darren wilson is not someone who will ever be welcome in the city of ferguson. >> he's technically on administrative leave, right? >> reporter: right, paid administrative leave. >> ed lavandera, thank you very much. let's talk about all this and more with daryl parks, brown

family attorney. thank you very much for joining us. when the officer, darren wilson, says that michael brown had been white, he would have done exactly the same thing, do you believe him? >> i really don't, wolf. when you use terms like, demon and hulk hogan to describe michael brown, a person who is deceased, obviously it starts to give us some light as to how he viewed michael. he didn't see him as a person. and so that's a very, very big problem for me why i just can't believe him. >> you believe that michael brown was profiled, is that what you're saying? >> well, no, i'm not saying he was profiled. i think this officer could have used other means to subdue michael. for example, one of the things i just heard for the first time was a piece that you played when he talked about how close michael was to him and he saw his face. one of the bullets that killed michael was at the very top of

michael's head, it came out around his eye. that means the officer had to have been over him to some degree. now, that taken, that means that if this officer believed he needed to subdued michael, he could have used other means to subdue michael and failed to do so. if michael's head and body is down, the officer is over him. he could have taken him down to the ground and arrested him. he did not have to use the level of force that he used given the situation. >> mr. parks, i want you to stand by. we have more questions that you can answer. we'll take a quick break. much more with daryl parks, the attorney for the michael brown family, right after this. i can... order safety goggles. play music for seedlings. post science fair projects.

schedule guinea pig feedings. video chemical reactions. take pics of mr. bones. time the next launch. calm down principal jones. i can do all that with my android from tracfone. 90-day plans start as low as $20. unbeatable nationwide coverage. no contract. the samsung galaxy centura android smartphone. tracfone. do everything for less. and cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved

to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial.

so far, you're horrible at this, flo. yeah, no talent for drawing, flo. house! car! oh, raise the roof! no one? remember when we used to raise the roof, diane? oh, quiet, richard, i'm trying to make sense of flo's terrible drawing. i'll draw the pants off that thing. oh, oh, hats on hamburgers! dancing! drive-in movie theater! home and auto. lamp! squares. stupid, dumb. lines.

[ alarm rings ] no! home and auto bundle from progressive. saves you money. yay, game night, so much fun.

we're following the breaking news. police identifying a young man apparently killed as the riots raged in ferguson. 20-year-old deandre joshua was found shot in the head, someone tried to also burn his body. that comes as the police and the national guard are bracing for more potential violence. we're back with attorney daryl parks. do you know anything about the death of this 20-year-old young man, deandre joshua? >> obviously, i heard about it once it was discovered and reported by the news agencies and certainly our hearts go out to his family on behalf of both michael brown jr.'s parents expressed their condolences to his family for his life. we don't know what happened. obviously we will all learn once the police do their investigation into his death. but it's very sad. >> very sad indeed. we don't know if it's connected

at all, but the police are ruling it a homicide right now, and they're investigating as they obviously should. we're talking about darren wilson, the interview he gave to abc in which he said he felt his life had been threatened and he looked at his face, michael brown's face, obviously a big young man, 18 years old, and a lot of people acquainted to that surveillance video in the convenience store only moments earlier. you've seen it, michael brown allegedly stealing some cigars there, walking out of the store, the owner supposedly comes over to confront him to ask him not to take the cigars and he gives him this angry look and just intimidates him with his strength and his size and walks away. when you see those comparisons, when you see people making that argument that this is not necessarily such a nice guy, you say? >> well, certainly -- let's differentiate what we're looking

at, wolf. when you see michael walking out of the store, and the store owner approaches him, michael doesn't approach him, the store owner approaches michael and michael makes a gesture toward him. he doesn't hit him. he doesn't -- it's not what we all know to be violent. violence is taking your fist, hitting someone, attacking them, taking them to the ground. that's not what he does in that particular video. so i think we have to differentiate the level of violence that we all know that could have taken place. that's not what happened. he pretty much intimidated him and that's it. that's not extreme violence as we know it in this country. >> but he does shove the owner as he's at the door. he does engage him. >> well, let me say this here. a good differential. he engages him and maybe he touches him, but does he put his hand on him? does he try to hit him in the head or choke him? no, he does none of that.

so we have to draw a huge difference there. what we're seeing is not deadly force, not trying to cause great bodily harm to the store owner in any way. that's not what we see in that video. it's regrettable what michael goes -- >> right there you see him walking out and he pushes the owner to the side. he does lay his hand on his shoulder. >> he lays his hand on his shoulder. he could have hit him in the mouth, he could have shocked him. the level of deadly force -- we don't see anything that you could say is something that would cause great bodily harm to that store clerk. compare that to what officer wilson tried to describe to hus. two totally different situations. nothing about the store video shows that he would have put that store owner in any type of deadly force harm, compared to what we know that officer wilson did toward michael.

he used deadly force for the situation that happened, taking michael's life. >> just for the record, did michael brown have any criminal record? >> not that we know of. >> but you would know. you're the lawyer for the family, right? >> certainly. but our research has not shown any type of criminal record that michael would have had, other than some school stuff. but that was it. >> what does that mean? >> i mean, just -- he was a typical kid. he went to school and did kid stuff. but no type of criminal history whatsoever. >> i just want to be precise on that, because some suggest that he did have a criminal record, but you're saying he didn't. let's talk about the prosecutor, the st. louis county prosecutor robert mccullough. he says there was at least one african-american eyewitness who saw michael brown charging at the police officer, darren wilson. you've seen that testimony in the transcripts that have been released? >> yes, and let me say a few

things, wolf, about this situation. we now know a few things. number one, we know that there was a serious tussle at the car where the officer's gun went off, and more likely than not, the injury from the gun was the injury to michael's hand. it was right here in the fatty part of his thumb. we knew about it, obviously. we knew that michael probably was wounded there, and as he left the car, he was dripping blood. that's why we were not surprised when you heard the prosecutor say that there was blood at the car door. we knew there would have been blood there. but this wound was pretty bad, and most of the blood we saw, the trail probably came from his hand. so as he walked away, the officer knew he had hit him because he saw the blood. when michael turned around and was trying to surrender, michael was already wounded and the officer knew that. there was no need at that point to use deadly force.

there was testimony, michael said hey, why are you still shooting? well, we know at that point that the officer describes nothing to eindicate that he saw any weapo on michael. that's important, because we're allowed to talk in general terms about the threat, but it doesn't adequately describe a real threat. a real threat in terms of people who do criminal law is do you see something that looks like a weapon? do you see anything that could be a weapon. he describes none of that. he only talks about fear that he has for whatever reason. michael coming toward him, this officer is a trained law enforcement officer. he has the ability to take down. he is just as tall michael, 6'4" to 6'4", so it's not like it's a dominant situation. but he describes he feels like a 5-year-old against hulk hogan. how could that be, you're both 6'4", a trained officer. but this guy that you're confronted with is already injured from your gunfire. >> he says he weighs about 210

pounds, the flavor. michael brown weighed close to 300 pounds and that's why he says he was intimidated. >> but also too, he's equipped with mace, he's equipped with a gun and he could also use in a manner to use to subdue michael. he did not have to take his life is all we're saying, wolf. there were other options available to this officer that he could have used. for example, given the fact that we now know where michael's head was compared to the gun, he could have pushed michael to the ground. that's how close he was. there was no problem, especially that he knew his hand was already injured. so that being said, this grand jury should not have been the type of instrument to weigh all these facts. gr grand juries are not designed as that. this grand jurygrand jury actedl

jury in essence. we should have had a public trial where we have a petty jury to weigh the evidence, all the evidence, to be tested, confronted, cross-examination and all the things we do in a criminal trial, both in fairness to the officer but most importantly in fairness to the legacy of michael brown jr. we know michael brown, jr. the truth. not what we have experienced thus far, this version of justice that is uncommon. the prosecutor talks about that, this is not what he normally does in the grand jury process. but for whatever reason, he chose to do it in this case. that's why people are upset. when young black men lose their lives, we shouldn't alter the process. we should let our judicial system do what it normally does. when our system does what it normally does, it works for everybody and is fair. when we make changes to that system, that's when problems arise like we're having here. >> we're getting some new reporting, mr. parks, that the

bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms, and explosives, evan perez, our justice reporter, is now learning they're investigating the fire that occurred at the church where michael brown, the brown family church, michael brown, sr., his church, what occurred there monday during those disturbances. what do you know about that, if anything? >> i don't know anything, but i do know michael brown, sr.'s pastor, pastor lee. i have met his pastor before. we've had a chance to talk and be counseled as we've done various things with the family. so whoever church it is, our hearts certainly go out to them. this shouldn't be a situation where people should be doing harm to churches. this doesn't serve anyone well. our hearts go out to the congregation and to the pastoral leadership at that church. >> the michael brown family is urging everyone to be peaceful,

right? >> correct. you know, we can't say it enough. it's so important that we remain peaceful. it's very tragic that michael lost his life. but wolf, yesterday i received a communication from the high commissioner of the u.n. in geneva, commenting on the situation. today we also saw many other countries. michael brown's legacy, as tragic as his death was, his legacy can't be something good. this family has worked to make sure his family is something good. i was so proud of them and i told them today while they were in new york of how strong they were and holding themselves back and trying to do the right thing, and trying to be peaceful. i think you saw that today in the interviews that they did. they're really working hard to be peaceful. as angry as they are, they're finding it in their hearts to say the right things to bring people together to be positive.

>> and they're -- the ugly words that the stepfather of michael brown said, we all saw "the new york times" videotape, they condemn that, right? >> we all condemn that. our whole legal team, the parents condemn that. i'm sure he regrets he said it, too. i know the stepfather. he is a wonderful guy and he's been great. we've been involved with them in the course of this case. that's not who he is. he was angry. he loved michael, and he didn't mean to say that. and so i think i can say on behalf of lewis head, his apologies and it was the moment, the moment. imagine how they feel after all they've went through, the great injury that they know michael jr. suffered. they were very disappointed and

their local prosecutor blaming michael for everything. we heard the litany, the story given how it justified the officer. that is wrong. so they were very upset about that. >> darrell parks is the attorney for the michael brown family. mr. parks, we'll continue our conversations here on cnn. thank you very much for joining us. much more on the breaking news coming up. much more coming in from ferguson right now. there is fear of a fresh wave of violence tonight. we're standing by. disturbing new surveillance video just released on a deadly confrontation between police and a 12-year-old boy with a toy gun. creeping up on you... fight back with relief so smooth... ...it's fast. tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue ...and neutralizes stomach acid at the source. ♪ tum, tum tum tum... smoothies! only from tums.

sea captain: there's a narratorstorm cominhe storm narrator: that whipped through the turbine which poured... surplus energy into the plant which generously lowered its price and tipped off the house which used all that energy to stay warm through the storm. chipmunk: there's a bad storm comin! narrator: the internet of everything is changing how energy works. is your network ready?"

get three yearsuncer: interest-free financingweekend and save up to $400 on beautyrest and posturepedic. even get three years interest-free financing on serta icomfort and tempur-pedic. mattress price wars ends sunday, at sleep train.

we're getting word of more breaking news out of ferguson, missouri right now. the federal bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms and explosives is leading a new investigation into the fire that destroyed the church where michael brown sr. is a member. let's big deeper with tom fuentes, john gaskin, sunny hostin, and also joining us, evan perez. evan, you're getting word on this atf, we still call it the

atf, even though they added the "explosives" part to it. what are you learning? >> the concern is, was this church targeted monday night when it burned, was it targeted because of the relationship with michael brown sr.? he's a member of that church. so what the atf is doing, they have jurisdiction when -- federal jurisdiction when there's a fire of a house of worship. so what they're doing is they're doing -- their arson investigators are in there. they know that the fire started in a foyer area near the front where someone broke into the church. and what is disconcerting for them is that this church is some distance away from the strip of commercial property that burned that night. so that also is suspicious, because nothing around this church was burned. so they're going to be taking some time to take a look at all that. the church is a total loss. >> totally burned down?

>> the church is mostly burned, and the rest of it is in danger of collapse. so the atf is having problems getting into the site, and it's probably -- they're going have to rebuild and it's going to take some time. >> this happened monday night, and there's no suspects? >> they don't have any suspects. they did have intelligence that there was some groups that were looking to use the cover of the protest to cause problems. >> what kind of groups? >> we're talking about groups that target law enforcement in any type of situation, either imf meetings or world trade meetings. in this case -- >> you mean like an anarchists? why go after a church? >> there is no answer to that. they just want targets of opportunity. again, it's about confrontation. >> this is basically an african-american church? >> it's an african-american church. again, it's a church that michael brown sr. attends. >> we'll continue to watch this story. obviously very disturbing information coming in from evan.

sunny, you had a chance to speak with michael brown's parents today. you had an extensive, very lengthy interview with them. i'm going to play a little clip of that interview. then i want to discuss a couple of points. listen to this. >> we've all seen the video of you going to where the protesters were in front of the ferguson police department. and you were on a car, and you're speaking to the people. why did you feel the need to do that? >> i felt the need to do that, because they never addressed us. and two, you've heard our pleas and our cries for everything to go the way it should be. and then third, while we heard this, and it was just like i had been shot. like you shoot me now. just no respect, no sympathy, nothing. so my emotions were raging, and i had to go over there and just

to let them know, you just really don't care, do you? why don't you care? this could be your child. this could be anybody's child. >> well, when you were on the car, your husband, you've been married since may, got up on the car and said, burn the b down. and cnn and other outlets have been replaying that. some are saying that he single handedly started the rioting and the fires. what do you say to that? >> i say that this is impossible. these things happened since august 9 when it first happened. his emotions were taken over him just like mines. he just spoke out of anger. it's one thing to speak, it's just a different thing to act. he did not act. >> we're talking about her husband, the stepfather of

michael brown. has he apologized? has he expressed remorse for those ugly words? >> she explained they were both emotional. that he responded in anger. she said they've always called for calm and peaceful protests. that this was just something that was very emotional, and that he certainly -- they certainly aren't condoning looting or rioting. in fact, when i asked her about those that are looting and rioting in her son's name, she, as well as michael brown, sr., both wanted to stress that they do not want anyone looting. they do not want anyone setting fires. they do, though, maintain that they want people to peacefully assemble, peacefully protest, and that they want change. >> you were there, evan.

you're just back in washington. you were in ferguson monday night. did you get the impression that those words atop that car instigated a lot of that violence? >> yeah, wolf -- >> or was it already going on? >> it didn't help. the one thing is, however, some of these people were there already. there were people who brought cars full of bricks. there were people who had molotov cocktails. they were ready to go. i do know for instance, that the prosecutor there had asked the brown family not to come to the county justice center, which is where the grand jury was hearing -- was making its decision. one of the concerns was that it might -- their presence alone might instigate some public safety issues. so they didn't come there, they went to the ferguson police department where that video was shot. it didn't help the situation, but i wouldn't say it caused it. >> john gaskin, you're in ferguson watching what's going on. you've been there the last several days.

you're a ferguson native to be sure. it would be helpful if the stepfather were to come out publicly and urge everyone and express regret for what he said that night and urge everyone to demonstrate, protest, do and say what they want, but to do it peacefully, right? >> i agree. you know, when i watched bob mccullough's press conference, some of the words and things he mentioned i felt were a little inappropriate, especially referencing the media saying they were bias, referring to social media. i thought that was inappropriate. but as it pertains to leslie mcspaden's husband, i believe he spoke out of anger, and that's unfortunate, and i was angry. there were many people, wolf, that were in their living rooms across this nation that had tears rolling down their eyes. did they say that publicly in the sector where he said it? no. but i believe that he said that

out of anger. i believe he's hurt. throughout this entire thing, many people have felt that there would not be an indictment, but to hear it, to have it confirmed, it's heart wrenching and it's crushing, especially for many people in this community. we thought there would be some type of justice in this situation. i can't speak for him. but i note michael brown senior went out of his way to create psas here in the community, speaking with gang members and organizations and law enforcement to help promote peace. that's primarily what he's been doing since day one. and leslie mcspaden has promoted that. so i believe that they're sincere when it comes to their call for peace and to act in a dignified light. i believe that. as for his statement, i believe it was out of anger and it's very unfortunate that he said that. but i don't believe that single statement there that eving is what caused all the rioting and looting. i don't think it helped. but i can promise you there were

some people that came there from the beginning that felt like they were going to cause a disturbance either way. >> tom fuentes, very quickly, the portrait that the parents, and they're loving parents, they love their son, it's a tragedy. their son, 18 years old, is dead. they're painting a portrait of a nice kid who was about to start college. you got a problem with that? >> you know, wolf, my heart goes out to the parents, too. i don't want to take that on with them at this point. i just don't -- i agree, they're grieving. it's a terrible thing that they're going through and i sympathize with what they must be going through, even now as they see their town burn. i just don't want to comment about that. >> i want you to stand by. we have much more breaking news coming out of ferguson, missouri. stand by. we'll be right back. a secure retirement. a new home.

earning your diploma. providing for your family. real associates, using walmart's benefits to build better lives for their families. opportunity. that's the real walmart.

having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pick-up truck slams into your brand new car. one second it wasn't there and the next second... boom! you've had your first accident. now you have to make your first claim. so you talk to your insurance company and... boom! you're blindsided for a second time. they won't give you enough money to replace your brand new car. don't those people know you're already shaken up? liberty mutual's new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car plus depreciation. call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. switch to liberty mutual insurance and you could save up to $423 dollars. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light.

liberty mutual insurance. sarah seidener just spoke with the mayor of ferguson. how did that conversation go? >> reporter: look, we asked him a lot of questions. obviously he's devastated about what's happened to the two streets in this town that have been damaged, burned, looted, destroyed. very upset about it. he grew up here. he talked about riding his bike through some of these areas when he was a child and now he has been able to get down there where most of us can't see what it looks like in the daylight. he said it's really bad. we asked him a couple of questions. one of those was about the national guard and the police, asking does he think that they did the right thing by not

showing up as early as some folks thought they would? >> again, however, i was assured, and our community was assured that if it was getting out of control, at that point, you're beyond antagonizing, the destruction is already under way. there's no reason not to deploy them. i have no idea why they weren't deployed. that's frustrating. >> do you think they -- >> reporter: you could hear his frustration with the fact that he thinks the national guard should have come forward much sooner, basically at the moment they saw the destruction was beginning. he also talked about firefighters and how some of them responded and then he said some of the fire trucks were shot up and they were trying to put out some of these fires. extreme frustration on his part.

there's also something else, and that is who is to blame. he talks about the the absolute blame he puts on those with the criminal activity who came out and decided to burn and loot this town, a town that so many residents here love so much. >> the national guard, they are very visible tonight, right? >> reporter: they are visible tonight. i'm going to move out of the way so you can get a look. they are standing just behind me there, down outside of the city of ferguson police department and municipal court. we're not seeing the numbers that we saw yesterday. i'm going to step back into frame now. yesterday far more members of the national guard standing there. but that is for a very good reason. because just to my left where the protests normally are, there isn't any one. >> thank you very much, sara

sidner on the streets of ferguson. let's hope it is a quiet night. just ahead, more breaking news. and we are bracing for a potential third night, we are bracing for it, let's hope it doesn't happen, a potential third night of violent protests. for lotus f1 team, the competitive edge is the cloud. powered by microsoft dynamics, azure, and office 365, the team can gain real time insights and instantly share information around the globe. when every millisecond counts, staying competitive begins with the cloud. this is the microsoft cloud.

♪ ah, ♪ h it. ♪ push it. ♪ p...push it real good! ♪ ♪ ow! ♪ oooh baby baby...baby baby.

if you're salt-n-pepa, you tell people to push it. ♪ push it real good. it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. i'm pushing. i'm pushing it real good!

we want to warn you that the next story contains disturbing video. a surveillance camera showed a disturbance between police and a child with a fake toy gun. >> this video was recorded on a security camera in a cleveland

park. and it shows tamir rice moving in and out of view. keep in mind these are the last moments of the 12-year-old's life. a video his family wants you to see. first he is pacing the sidewalk, looking to be brandishing a weapon. at one point, taking a two-handed shooting stance, all the while police say he was being watched. >> the gentleman sitting in the gazebo was the gentleman that called into the dispatch. >> here is the initial call to 911. >> i'm sitting here in the west boulevard park. there is a guy with a pistol. i haven't seen his face but he's pointing it at everybody. >> the caller points out twice the gun is probably fake. >> the guy keeps putting it --s it probably fake, but you know what, it is scaring the -- out of me. >> here is why the man called 911. the object that looks like a

handgun we know now is really a toy pellet gun and rice points it at this person whose identity is blurred. he's also seen here reaching for a cell phone and then having a conversation. minutes later, rice moves to the gazebo where he is now alone. this is just minutes before police arrive and now we know exactly what the dispatcher told the responding officers before they arrived. notice how she never relays the information that it may be a fake gun. >> everybody is tied up on priorities. there is a guy on swings pointing a gun at people. >> a few seconds later she describes rice but fails along to pass on the words the 911 caller used about the gun probably being fake. >> in the park by the youth center, is a black male sitting on the swings, wearing a camouflaged hat and a gray jacket with black sleeves, and he's pulling a gun out of his

pants and pointing it at people. >> what happens next happens very quickly. the officer driving and over lowman in the backseat. >> the officers ordered him to show his hands and to drop the weapon and the young man pulled the weapon out and that is when the officer fired. >> in the dispatcher's audio you can hear the officer's grim call for help. >> shots fire. male down. black male. maybe 20. black revolver or black handgun. send elms this way. >> police released the video at the family's request, not to exonerate anyone but to be completely transparence and they say the two officers are on administrative leave pending a criminal investigation. >> what a heartbreaking story that is. what a tragedy indeed. lessons to be learned, no doubt about that. thanks very much, george. there is other breaking news

we're following affecting a large portion of the united states. a major storm snarling travel as millions of americans take to the road and skies for thanksgiving. rough going out there. more than 8,000 flights delayed or canceled. we are over at reagan national outside of washington, give us a quick update? >> frustration here in washington. people are being smacked with cancellations and delays. here out of d.c. 176 delays and more cancellations. here is what travelers are seeing. this nasty red color indicating cancellations and delays and many of those are flights trying to go north where the majority of the bad weather is. new york, la guardia, and those trying to get south are seeing

problems too. >> thank you very much. to all of our viewers out there, thank you for watching. have a happy thanksgiving. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. "outfront" tonight, breaking news, federal investigators are looking at whether arsonists targeted michael brown's forg s father's church and setting it on fire. and we are learning that officer wilson is still with the ferguson police department. and the medical examiner did not take photos of the crime scene and they didn't take notes at the first interview. can we ever know the truth. and huge traffic delays and hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the middle of an ice storm. let's go "outfront" tonight. and