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tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  July 21, 2012 10:00pm-11:00pm EDT

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"denver post." "our hearts are broken." certainly are all across the country. i want to get to our ed lavandera who is near the suspect's apartment building. we just saw that controlled explosion. why did they do that and are the people who live there are they allowed to go back home now so many people who have been displaced? >> they are allowing people to begin the process of coming back but the building where james holmes lived that is still cordoned off and still roped off and people will not be allowed to go back in there. just a short while ago, the police department here in aurora, colorado, said all of the materials that needed to be removed, the explosive and dangerous materials inside the apartment of the 24-year-old james holmes have, indeed, been removed so the heavy presence with the bomb technicians and those people have left the
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scene. what was described inside that apartment is extremely eerie. the police officer saying what holmes left behind in his apartment was a sophisticated trap design to seriously injure, if not kill someone, and they are not happy about it either. >> make no mistake, okay? this apartment was designed, i say based on everything i've seen, to kill whoever entered it, okay? and who was most likely to enter that location after he planned and executed this horrific crime? it was going to be a police officer. make no mistake about it what was going on there. if you think we are angry, we sure as hell are angry. >> reporter: don, i talked about there was a trip wire along the front door of the apartment that if anyone had unsuspectingly opened that door and tripped that wire, that that would have triged a large explosion that could have potentially been deadly whoever was walking into
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that apartment. which is terrifying to think the neighbor who lives below james holmes in that apartment and some of my colleagues spoke with the person who lives below him and said that at some point, the night before, all of that loud music that was coming from the apartment, that she had actually gone in there and almost opened the door. the door was opened. so i imagine just how much worse this could have been had that happened. but those authorities have spent almost 36 hours here clearing out that apartment and that very dangerous work has now come to an end. don? >> just think if the suspect had made some sort of mistake when he was having this stuff delivered and putting it together. and large volumes of deliveries we are told by law enforcement over the past couple of months, ed. why? >> reporter: well, this is one of the things that the police chief here in aurora talked about and they shared a little bit of this yesterday. the work that had been done over the last few months getting the guns we learned from law enforcement officials that the
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guns were purchased at several area gun stores here in the denver area. during the last three months, there was a great deal of ammunition, some 6,000 rounds that authorities say james holmes purchased online and had delivered to him, as well as all of the explosive material and all of the gear that he wore to the theater early friday morning, that all of that was purchased and delivered to them. they say what that shows is a great deal of deliberative process, planning out this attack and authorities putting that out there, because they are trying to anticipate what his defense attorney might be saying and if they go for a defense of insanity or some sort of mental condition, authorities here want to show how well thought out and how planned this attack was. >> all right. ed lavandera, stand by. i want our viewers to imagine living in that area, in that apartment complex where james holmes lived, that boobytrapped apartment right near there, and not able to go back to your home and not knowing when the possibility of an explanation. cnn's poppy harlow spoke to
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people who live there and here is her story. >> it's frightening. we don't know when we can go home. they say it could be tonight or another couple of days. >> reporter: forced to evacuate following friday's horrific mass theater shooting, paum mcqueen is shaken. his children terrified. their apartment building right next to the suspected shooters. for those who live here, forced to leave their home, it has been a day bull of angst and questions. first and foremost is we need to render the area safe. the most immediate threat is the trip wire. >> reporter: two hours later, progress. >> we have been successful in defeating the first threat, which includes defeating the trip wire and the first insinary device. >> reporter: but also this. >> this trip wire was set up to clearly detonate when someone
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entered that apartment and it was set up to kill that person. >> reporter: kaitlin fonzy says she lives in the apartment below the suspected shooter. she heard loud tech know mustec his apartment on friday. went upstairs and found the door unlocked but decided not to enter. >> hearing the latest news that device was designed to kill whoever enters that apartment is a lot to swallow right now. >> reporter: a little before noon on saturday, firemen shout "fire in the hole!" and then this. >> we have been successful in detonating the second triggering device. we are confident that we have eliminated all major threats at this point, however, there are -- there are many hazards that remain inside this apartment. >> reporter: and much unease for the evacuated families. what has this been like for you as a mother? >> it's really horrible. like it's terrifying because i'm a mother of four children and
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just knowing that what happened in the theater to the families, the loved ones. >> and he lived next to us! >> come to find out, he's right next to us and it's kind of hard because what if he would of just came out and happened to just start shooting at the kids? >> i didn't know, like, if they were going to be okay, if that place was going to blow up while i was at work or you know what? it was really scary. >> reporter: for now, though, that risk while not eliminated, at least in the fbi's words, significantly reduced. poppy harlow, cnn, aurora, colorado. >> amid this tragedy we are learning about some amazing stories of survival. corbin dates was in this theater behind us when the gunman opened fire and saw the whole thing happened along with his friend jennifer seeger. jennifer last night said she is doing okay. how are you holding up? >> i'm doing better today as
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opposed to the night when it happened. glad to talk to people who went through the same thing and let them know i'm there if they need me. >> we heard over and over from a number of people inside that theater. i didn't ask anybody last night and yesterday when i was here, what is it like being here with that building so close? >> honestly when i look at that building, i just get -- i just get a blank feeling inside. it's kind of hard to look at it. honestly i try not to think of the event that took place because i'm still seeing flashbacks. >> you say you don't like to look at? you don't want to look over as we are pointing? >> i will look over but it will give me a very uncomfortable feeling. >> you were very close. jennifer last night said the gunman got really close to her and pointed the gun at her but didn't shoot her but shot behind her and you were right next to her. what happened to you? why didn't you get shot? >> when the gunman came into the
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auditorium, first thing he did, he threw a canister into the audience which later we found out was toxic gas and as soon as that went off, about two seconds when the gunshots started firing, i immediately went to the ground and we stood there and jennifer fell right behind me and we stayed there for probably about a good ten seconds before we decided we needed to crawl to the other side. >> you said when i asked you why didn't he shoot you, you said that's a good question. you don't know. >> you never know when your number is up. >> you don't. >> is that right? >> yeah. >> i'm sure your family is glad to have you back. what do you say to the people around the world who are watching this and thinking, my gosh, colorado, what is going on? there was columbine and now this shooting. what do you say about -- to the country and the world about that? >> i will say to them, events are uncertain, uncertain
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circumstances can happen at any time. as you were saying, you never know when your number is up up. when you're still here, try to make the most with your family, your friends, colleagues. people that you probably had bad past relationships with because you don't want to leave knowing you said something or didn't say enough. >> corbin dates, take care of yourself and tell jennifer we said hello. thank you very much. up next a young man pulls two teenage girls to safety and comes face-to-face with a shooter in the process. he joins me. and this. >> he's the only reason we all went. just sucks, you know? >> a victim of the shooting speaks from her hospital bed about the best friend she lost. ♪
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- a biofuel made from renewable sugarcane. >>a minute, mom! let's broaden the world's energy mix. let's go. a. jcha.j. voight like lacr and had a girlfriend. they went to the movies that night with a friend. a.j. and the girlfriend survived a barrage of bullets from holmes but a.j. did not. he died in the theater. >> we just talked with a witness who survived the horror in the
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theater just behind me here. i'm joined now by eric hunter. he was watching the "batman" movie next door in theater eight. the horror happened in theater nine. you came face-to-face with that gunman. what was your reaction when you heard the gunfire? some of us thought it was the promotion for the movie. >> when it first happened we heard three gunshots that came through the wall. we thought they were firecrackers or something of that nature. we thought it was a part of the moving going experience they were trying to create. >> did you try to head to an exit? >> when that happened, we sat back down after that and seen some commotion and people staggering out but thought they were trying to get the attention of the theater. at that particular time we heard nine more shots and seen it come through and that's when we knew we had to find a way out and i went down the stairs. >> the gunman you say his face was pretty much covered but you could see his eyes or maybe his mouth. did you see any expression? did you look into his eyes?
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>> when di geti did get a glimp him, i did see his eyes. >> did he ever come over to the other theater or is it just that one? >> no. it was just nine. bus, i think he was going to try to enter the theater after seeing the girls were over there. once i pulled them in and closed it, he couldn't enter. so thank god. >> how are you feeling today being back here? i asked the guest before you being back here at this theater and seeing all of these people out here. >> it's emotional. i mean, it's just emotional. you're happy you're alive but then again you're sad you know certain people died. you know children died and you wish, you know, why not me instead of them? you just feel bad, you know? >> we have been talking a lot about the suspect in this and many people are saying you know what? i don't want to hear so much about the suspect. i want to hear about the survivors and the families. does it upset you to talk about him? >> it doesn't upset to talk about him but i am angry the
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fact he did what he did. we have to talk about him if we can figure out how to convict him and how not to let this happen again. we have to talk about him but i understand where they are coming from. i don't want to turn the tv and watch the news because i'm affected by it. >> it has changed your life? >> i will be more cautious. i'm going to live my life just a little bit better and just enjoy myself. >> all right. eric, thank you very much. we appreciate it and good luck to you. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. up next on cnn, she served a tour in iraq only to be shot in a movie theater and i talk we are about the shooting in aurora. if it was anything like she had seen in a war zone and about the loss of a good friend. well another great thing about all this walking i've been doing is that it's given me time to reflect on some of life's 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.
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the first known victim of the aurora colorado mass theater shooting jessica ghawi was an
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aspiring broadcaster who moved from texas to aurora the last year to chase her dream. last month she survived a mall shooting in toronto while visiting her boyfriend. according to witnesses, she died from a gunshot wound to the head. >> reporter: a good friend of alex sullivan. christina blatche is another victim of the shooting massacre in aurora, colorado. she was here with her friend and she survived. >> reporter: a couple of hours ago or day or so you were a manager of a restaurant and then this. >> yeah. you can't ever expect it. you know? you're always that person that says that will never happen to me. whentives going on, i didn't really know it was going on the first three minutes that it happened. i thought it was kind of like movie theater antics when there is midnight movie premieres they kind of sometimes put on shows
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or have people dress up in costumes and come around and what not. i honestly that might be what was going on because it was in the middle of a movie scene where they are fighting and then when the thing that was thrown and kind of like you could literally count to five and this, like, bomb went off. it was two rows in front of me. then you hear pop, pop, pop, pop. it was gunfire. that's when it hit me, this is actually happening. i should get to the floor. i went to get to the floor and that's when i was shot. >> people are going i've been hit so they started to run and duck? >> everybody is saying "get out of the theater! get out of the theater!" and people were falling over each other and falling down. next thing you know, you're just hearing, oh, my god, help me. oh, my god, help me. there was, i mean, blood everywhere. you could see it. you just turn your head and kind of look around. there was blood everywhere.
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so it kind of clicks once you see, you know, that much blood and people not moving. and then my friend that was sitting next to me, his face was down next to me, blood coming out of his head kind of -- i didn't get an update until this morning about what had actually happened, if he made it or night. >> your friend alex? >> alex sullivan, yeah. >> what did you learn? this morning? >> i learned that he died. >> reporter: hard to fathom. >> he is the only reason why we all went. so just sucks, you know? i don't want to say -- you know, nobody deserves something like this. >> reporter: christy as they call you. you were in a war zone. like you were in baghdad. why is this worse than being in a war zone? >> they just weren't -- nobody
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saw this coming, do you know what i mean? nobody that was there saw it coming. nobody was prepared for it, you know? if you're going over to a war zone, you know there's potential you're going to be shot at. potential that mortars are going to come over the wall. potentials that somebody is going to throw a grenade at you. whether you're sitting in a movie theater trying to watch a movie with your friends? who expects to be shot at a movie theater? none of us did. >> reporter: can you forgive the gunman? >> probably not today, not tomorrow. eventually. i'm a pretty, i guess, laid back and outgoing person. i like to move on. i don't like to keep dwelling on the past. so, eventually, i can'yeah. . he cared about somebody i cared about and he injured a heck of a lot of of my friends. for right now, no. down the road, yeah. >> my thanks to christina
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blatche. here's a look at the colorado shooting story how it was told around the world. on the left, there's the front page from puerto rico translated the headline reads "night of terror in colorado." on the "tell a graph" from india, the headline "vampire at bat night." next, we look into james holmes' past.
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flexfit adjustable base. only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699. matt mcquinn's family agonized for hours before they found out he was killed in the aurora movie theater shooting. he was at the movie with his girlfriend and her brother. witnesses say he died while
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trying to shield his girlfriend from the barrage of bullets from the suspected gunman james holmes. to make matters worse for his girlfriend, the hospital wouldn't confirm his condition to her because she was not related. we want to get to new video just in to cnn. we heard earlier that all of the explosive material. removed from that suspect's apartment. this is an undisclosed lotion that you're looking at outside of aurora and you can see police disposing of the material they found inside of that apartment, blowing some of it up. they say that one incendiary device is a mixture hyperbolic that can cause an explosive reaction if it mixes with other things. that would be other substances as well. so all of that material that they have removed from the apartment it is being sgofdispo at this hour.
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we will continue on this story and follow-up if we get more information and more pictures on this. in the meantime, our investigative correspondent drew griffin is here and he jins joins me now. james holmes has been described as clean-cut, responsible, smart. hardly anyone seemed to have known him well. drew when you're looking into building and when you hear about these explosive materials, this doesn't surprise you, considering what you have found about this man? >> actually it really only deepens the mystery. a professor said james holmes gave no reason whatsoever why he was leaving the school and withdrawing. not in writing and not verbally to anyone. we also know from a police dispatcher that the university of colorado's campus police, they did do a search of all their records, don, on everything they have on that campus and james holmes name did not come up at all. earlier today, we were at the building where he studied, where he worked in the lab, the
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neurosciences building. we do know that the police can a dog sweep of those buildings today. the campus was closed. it looked more recautionprecaut. we contacted one student who said he was beside him in the labs last summer. he said, quote, i couldn't say i was close to him. i couldn't say anyone was close to him. we are not finding anyone in this town or anywhere elsewhere james holmes lived that gives any indication as to why this happened. >> reporter: he had been living not far from this movie theater the past year, because it was also close to the university of colorado medical school where holmes was a graduate student in neurosciences. according to the school, he was in the process of withdrawing as a student last month. the school, frankly won't tell us about the classes he took. he did give a lecture this past month on something called micro
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rna biomarkers. if you look up it's about an emerging study of neuroscience. they say holmes worked in a paid position there as well but no details. before that it was a middle upper class upbringing in california. high school in san diego. and undergraduate degree from the university of california in riverside in 2010. school administrators there said he had an outstanding academic record. so how is this honor student, this ph.d. suddenly dressed and armed to kill? >> the suspect was dressed all in black. he was wearing a ballistic helmet, a tactical ballistic vest, ballistical leggings and a throat and groin protector and a gas mask and black tactical gloves. >> reporter: was the person delusional and was there mental
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illness involved? as we try to piece this together i want to share you what new york city police commissioner ray kelly relieved what he learned of the suspect that may have tied to the actual movie. >> we have some information. i believe most of it is public. clearly looks like a deranged individual. he had his hair painted red. he said he was the joker. >> reporter: we're finding no evidence from friends, in teachers, from the university officials say has what would lead to that behavior. i think the fact they were able to take that apartment without blowing anything up there might be clues there or from the family. this guy was a ghost in this town. >> we talked about all of the material that has been removed from the apartment and over our shoulder where it happened the investigators on the scene now. we saw them circling around the building and bringing things out. the investigation continues and
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mystery deepens. ahead, a look at james holmes' life prior to his move to colorado. we will learn more about his family and upbringing and his time as a camp counselor for underprivileged children. that's ahead. and this. here is a scene in california. president obama has ordered that all flags nationwide be lowered until sunset on wednesday in honor of the victims of the colorado shootings. next, the gunfire. the chaos. the police scanner traffic as a tragedy unfolded. [ kimi ] atti and i had always called oregon home. until i got a job in the big apple. adjusting to city life was hard for me. and becoming a fulltime indoor cat wasn't easy for atti. but we had each other and he had purina cat chow indoor. he absolutely loved it. and i knew he was getting everything he needed to stay healthy indoors. and after a couple of weeks, i knew we were finally home!
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planned to ring in his 27th birthday with a special midnight screening of "dark knight rises." his relatives describe him as a gentle giant. he was funny, witty, smart with a big loving heart. he and his wife were expected to celebrate their first wedding anniversary on sunday. the horror that night is almost
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unimaginable. the thrill of being first to see one of the biggest movies of the year and as anderson cooper explains the fight turns into confusion and then a fight for survival. >> reporter: 12:30 a.m. and 20 minutes or so into the premiere of "the dark knight rises." a gunman throws a canister of may have been tear gas into the room through the exit door which he propped open earlier after purchasing a ticket to the movie and sneaking out of the theater. the canister ignites. causing confusion among theater-goers who don't know the danger they are in. >> i thought it was fireworks or firecrackers like someone playing a prank or a joke or something, you know? then some smoke started rising in the lore right corner of the theater. >> reporter: witnesses say the gun map enters the theater and first fires on the ceiling and then turns his gir on the crowd. >> he came down with the gun in my face. three feet away from me at that point. i didn't know what to do.
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i was terrified. >> reporter: the terror spreads. eyewitnesses describe the gunman as calmly firing into the crowd. >> somehow i got my little sister and grab her and we go down on the ground and hiding below like the chairs and the guy is standing right by the exit just firing away. he is not aiming at a specific person just aiming everywhere trying to hit as many people as he can. all i remember is i was down on the ground and covering myself when i was trying to go up to try to see the guy and tear gas was getting me and my eyes were watery and i felt like i was bleeding from my nose. hard to breathe. i ducked down and telling my sister to go forward and pushing her forward while guys and girls running on top of me or jumping away from the seats and trying to escape. the guy was firing. the shooting lasted probably a minute or two minutes. >> reporter: the gunman doesn't discriminate. children are also shot. this mother is wounded in the leg as she tries to escape the
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gunfire with her 4-month-old son and 4-year-old doubt. >> i grabbed the baby. i just drug my daughter and got her out as fast as i could and just ran out. i didn't turn around. i didn't look behind me. i just got out and then a moment my daughter tripped and i pulled her up and dragging her and thought we got to get out. even then, i got to get out the door! just get my kids out of here! it was so horrible! >> reporter: at 12:39 a.m. the first calls come into 911. >> 315 for a shooting at century theaters. they are saying somebody is shooting in the auditorium. >> reporter: police arrive within 90 seconds to soon learn that 71 people had been wounded. the cell phone video shows panicked and bloody victims streaming out of the theater. inside, ten people are dead. >> we need rescue inside the
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auditorium! multiple victims! >> my god! seven are down! >> i got a child victim. i need rescue at the back door of the theater nine now. >> that was cnn's anderson cooper. the death toll stands at 12 and 26 people are still in the hospital. if you want to learn more about the victims of the colorado shooting, pay tribute to them or post messages to their loved ones you can do so by logging on to cnn.com/coloradovictims. those victims are sharing their stories now. in nsome cases, they are tales of incredible sacrifice. >> i was in so much pain and agony. i need some help. please, somebody. of course, i have many other best friends. >> caught in the crossfire. this vet didn't panic. his quick thinking may have saved the lives of his two friends. ♪
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>> reporter: dozens of bullets flew through the air. one rip the through his calf and lodged in his arm breaking the bone. >> i see this big hole in my leg and arm. that's when brandon is saying stay down. >> he flattened himself on the floor and hearing the gunman walk and wait. he must survive for his two sons, he says, whose pictures he carries in his wallet.
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9-year-old eric and 7-year-old ryan. then the gun jammed. if that gun had not jammed, that you'd be here? >> i know i wouldn't be here. if that gun, that gun did not jam, i am full certain i probably would not be here. >> reporter: how are you feeling today? >> scared. you know, of course, i'm glad it's over with. and, yes, i am glad i am alive and i get to see my kids. but i also think about you know, the other people that is not as lucky as i was. i mean, there's kids, mothers and fathers that was there and they are dead. i'm still alive. >> reporter: amid the horror of what happened inside theater number nine, we are hearing an extraordinary story repeated among the survivors. the number of people who threw themselves on top of friends and family members to shield them from the flying bullets.
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>> brandon and denise are two of the best people you would ever know. >> reporter: is that why you jumped on top of them when the bullets started flying? >> i did. i did not want to see those two go. i think they have every right to live. and be happy. they just got married. >> it's no longer a friendship. it's not even family. it's like something deeper. >> because there's -- this is something that will never leave. >> no. >> reporter: his friends won't leave his side now. helping nolan through a second surgery as soon as he can. nolan has only one thing he says he must do for his emotional recovery. >> i want to go back into that theater and i want to go back into that auditorium and i want to look straight down that same seat and say, "i beat you.
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you did not take this life." >> boy, oh, boy. kyung joins me now. >> reporter: i satisfiys he has surgery on monday and then physical therapy. >> what about his military training? >> reporter: he said he is allergic to -- he wants people to remember that this what happened here is terrible. >> for him i mean sorry or sad for him. >> reporter: what he wants is for people to understand positive things happened. people came together and people fought and he says this community is going to keep fighting to get ahead. >> we wish him well. thank you. we appreciate that.
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we want to give you another look how the shooting in colorado is seen around the world. "i'm the joker he shouted." on the front page of "the irish daily mail." ♪ [ female announcer ] pop in a whole new kind of clean. with new tide pods. just one removes more stains than the 6 next leading pacs combined pop in. stand out. do you have any idea where you're going ? wherever the wind takes me. this is so off course. nature can surprise you sometimes... next time, you drive. next time, signal your turn. ...that's why we got a subaru. love wherever the road takes you.
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23-year-old medic was one of the victims shot in the theater killing. described as independent woman what was great fun. >> one of the mystery surrounding the movie massacre centers on the alleged shooter himself. was there anything in his past that might have foreshadowed the horrifying crime he is accused i committing? dan simon went to his hometown to find out. >> reporter: the face is familiar and then he remembered. david casper owns a san diego pawn shop and recalls holmes looking at some guns a few months ago. >> to find out that he used firearms in the commission of this crime and he had been in here looking at firearms is a little bit unsettling. >> reporter: a few miles away in the first class neighborhood where holmes grew up a portrait is emerging. not as someone violent or an
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intense interest in weapons but a quiet, intellectually astute young man. >> he had the ability to be successful in anything he wanted to do. >> reporter: out of the students in university of california riverside holmes was among the brightest according to the school's chancellor. he graduated in 2010 with a degree in neuroscience, considered one of the most challenging scientific ka r curriculum. >> it leads to careers in medicine and science and research and a whole host of allied health areas. >> reporter: holmes appeared to come from a stable family. his father seen here understandably sdrefed is a manag -- disstressed. >> they are working with and communicating with authorities and all we can say. >> reporter: julie adams played on the same soccer team with
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holmes. >> it's a neighborhood that people move to because of poway unified school districts is probably one of the top school districts in the nation. >> reporter: holmes spent one of his college summers here. working as a camp counselor to underprivileged children. he was responsible for approximately ten kids. we were told there were no incidents and nothing happened out of the ordinary during his time here. a few answers for those looking to understand how this academically gifted young man could now be accused of being a violent killer. >> you know, the people of aurora, colorado, they are numb from shock and from sadness but
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the death of 12 people in aurora on the minds of all americans here tonight. here vigils like this one are held all across the city. residents searching for an answer why this tragedy had to happen here. mourning and much the way the area did 13 years ago at the columbine high school tragedy. this is an area that understands better than most how to respond to these types of tragedies. a place where people in the
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words of governor john hickenlooper have a remarkable ability to support one another in times of crisis. this is certainly one of those times and the whole world is watching and the whole world is praying and thinking about the folks in aurora, colorado. the white house announced moments ago that president barack obama will come to aurora, colorado, tomorrow. that is sunday. to honor the victims of this shooting. the president will be here tomorrow. cnn just learning that from the white house. i want to take a moment here to look ahead at what the people of aurora, colorado, will face in the coming days. sad and shocked people of this city will take their grief to cherchs and houses of worship tomorrow. the most agonizing funerals and burials of 12 people killed in ma movie theater. one is a 6-year-old girl. then there are the people who live here. in this apartment building the
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former building of james holmes where police found a pile of explosives rigged to explode. what a frightening thing to learn that apartment next door, the place where you live contained a bomb and an arsenal. one final note to tell you about. cnn will cover the wheels of justice will start to turn for him and, finally we might find out when he faces a judge, when he goes to that hearing exactly what happens. maybe he'll say something. we don't know. as i've been saying throughout this broadcast and coverage here of cnn the world is watching. people are praying. our thoughts and prayers are with the folks here. and we are not going to leave here until we -- until we deem it's necessary. we want to cover this story. this is the largest mass shooting in u.s. history. it may be a black eye for this community, they may feel that at this moment but not really.
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we love you guys here and praying for you. again, we will be here until we decide that the story no longer warrants that. i'll see you back here an hour from now at 10:00 p.m. eastern. tonight on cnn presents. soldier guinea pigs. >> they were never supposed to know about this. it was top secret. guess who we found sleeping outside of this house? betrayal of trust? sexual assaults on the rise of the nation's prestigious military academies. >> i remember him turning off the lights and me asking what are you doing? >> women who feel betrayed by the military they committed to serve. the pentagon's battle to do
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something about it. revealing investigations. fascinating characters. stories with impact. this is cnn presents. tonight's host, drew griffin. >> reporter: a special look at the men and women who have served our country and eye-opening investigations into the unbelievable injustices done to them. we begin with the startling story of how u.s. soldiers were used as human guinea pigs. during the cold war, the military embarked on a top secret program to test chemical and biological weapons but researchers used animals but believe it or not they also used humans. volunteers from the army who had no idea what they were signing up for. well, nearly half a century later, some of these human guinea pigs are emerging from the shadows with disturbing stories about what the military did to them then and how they are being treated now. dr. sanjay gupta investigates.

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