this is "nightline." >> tonight, the breaking news. panic inside a movie theater in louisiana. a gunman opens fire, several fatalities, including the shooter. >> just stood up and started shooting. >> we have all the new details right here tonight. >> it's sad. it's too close to home. plus, meet the polyamorous parents putting an unconventional spin on child-rearing as a trio. how they're challenging social norms and why they say it's working for their kids. could this be the new modern family? and it looks like a scene straight out of "mad max." but these crash queens are ready to rumble in real life. we're at the demolition derby where these moms who carpool by

day, crash cars on purpose by night. >> "nightline" will be right back. today, 1 out of every 4 american kids is hispanic. that means many of the future doctors who will care for us the engineers who will build our cities, the scientists and entrepreneurs of our country can be your kids. we all know how hard it is for you to send them to college. this is why we want you to know you are not alone, and every day, more people support you to make it happen. many support you, and the hispanic scholarship fund helps you prepare plan, and pay

for your kids' college education. hsf.net. ♪i see trees of green♪ ♪red roses too♪ ♪i see them bloom♪ ♪for me and you♪ ♪and i think to myself♪ ♪what a wonderful world♪ ♪music♪ ♪oh yeah♪ good evening. we start with breaking news out of lafayette, louisiana. 135 miles outside of new orleans, where just hours ago a man stood up in a crowded movie theater and opened fire. there are fatalities, including

the gunman. and we'll get the latest right now from abc's reena nyman. >> reporter: tonight, a mass shooting at this louisiana movie theater. police say 12 people were shot and three are confirmed dead including the shooter, who reportedly died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. authorities reporting that 20 minutes into the 7:00 p.m. showing of "train wreck," a 58-year-old white male opened fire with a handgun at the grand 16 theater in lafayette. >> my daughter was in the same theater, in the same row, as the shooter. she heard pops. at first they kind of thought it was part of the movie. then they started seeing flashes. that made them realize it was shooting. >> units were close by and responded immediately. our response time was less than a minute. four officers entered the theater to engage the shooter. they did hear shots being fired at that time. >> reporter: the gunman then turned the gun on himself. there were more than 100 people in the theater at the time.

authorities reporting he acted alone and at least eight people have been transported to the hospital. injuries ranging from non-life threatening to critical. "trainwreck" star amy schumer tweeting this note tonight saying my heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in louisiana. the shooter's motive remains unknown. witnesses describing the chaos inside. >> the whole group of people running out, telling everybody to run for their life. then we saw a lady with blood all over her leg. i just grabbed my child and we just all ran. >> all i saw was people running out. i thought maybe they got caught watching a movie they weren't supposed to. next thing i see is a lady full of blood in a dress. they said there was a gun. then i ran. >> reporter: governor jindal describing stories of heroism. >> a couple of teachers at a movie together one of the teachers jumped on top of the other, may have saved her life. literally took a bullet that could have hit the second teacher in the head. the second teacher was injured,

was shot but not life threatening. she's one of the ones being discharged tonight. despite the injury the second teacher was able to pull the fire alarm and helped save other lives. >> reporter: the police chief speaking out just hours ago. >> we do know the descenty of the shooter. we are not releasing it at this time. we are right in the middle of this investigation and we don't want to affect the integrity or the investigators' ability to do their jobs and get information on the shooter. >> reporter: late tonight police tracking down the suspect's vehicle. the bomb squad called in to detonate a suspicious package which they now concluded was not a bomb. tonight's tragic shooting comes just hours after jurors unanimously decided that the death penalty can be considered for james holmes the shooter in the 2012 aurora, colorado, movie theater massacre. and just today, president obama spoke to the bbc about america's gun laws. >> the united states of america is the one advanced nation on

earth in which we do not have sufficient commonsense gun safety laws. even in the face of repeated mass killings. >> reporter: calling this issue one of the most frustrating of his presidency. >> if you look at the number of americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism, it's less than 100. if you look at the number that have been killed by gun violence, it's in the tens of thousands. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm reena ninan in new york. >> thank you. of course abc news will stay on this breaking story throughout the night. but we are going to shift gears now in a major way to what was going to be our first story tonight before the breaking news out of louisiana. a cultural story and a controversial one at that, about an unusual modern family featuring two moms and one dad. they call it polyamory and abc's abbie boudreau has more.

>> reporter: oh, the sweet sounds of morning. as a new parent. the bed you once shared with your partner now a little more crowded. and all the more so when there are three parents in that bed. >> i'll take care of it. >> reporter: meet the phoenix-steins. dani, melinda, and john. and their babies ella and oliver. born just five weeks apart. these two moms and one dad are polyamorous. >> if you're not a couple, what do you call yourselves? >> we're a triad. >> some people say a triple. >> i like that one too. >> reporter: this triad wants to make it clear they are not polygamous like the families made famous in "big love." >> hello? >> what do you think you're doing? sleep well? >> reporter: and "sister wives." >> we have one man and two wives. so how is this different from

polygamy? >> polygamy is one man with two women who the women don't share necessarily a relationship together. polyamory, everyone is openly sharing love with one another equally. >> reporter: for them it's about sharing parenting responsibilities equally too. balancing work life and family time. there's almost always a parent present with the two children. >> there's just more parental support for having the children. it's always one of us that is able to be present. >> reporter: a strong family unit has been the goal since exchanging vows in an intimate three-way wedding ceremony last year. >> i'm married to jonathan. he's my husband. i'm married to danielle. she's my wife. i'm going to be committed to them with my heart and my body. >> reporter: although the union is not legally recognized. >> if marriage is defined by something legal, then we're not married. but marriage means something deeper than a signed piece of paper.

>> reporter: in a time when attitudes about marriage are shifting. last month the supreme court handed down this historic decision. >> that the united states is now a nation where gay people can get married. >> reporter: prompting some from fox news to ask, what's next? >> so suppose three people, say we want to be a marriage, what's to prevent that under this? >> reporter: the phoenix-steins are hoping, nothing. and they're pushing their definition of family with the web series "looks like love to me." >> seem at little bit -- you know, every time you guys leave together and it hurts because i feel like i'm missing out on that family time. >> who wrote the formula of one man, one woman, and two and a half kids? >> we're trying to be the pioneers, like in the civil rights movement. >> reporter: this trail blazing triad began as a couple. after four years together, dani and melinda were in a slump. melinda felt something was missing. a man. >> when she brought up this idea about having a man brought into your relationship, you guys were

already legally partnered. >> she was very direct. like, i want a family, i need a man, and we need to make this happen. >> i need a man? >> yeah. >> reporter: to make it happen, they both had to agree on the right guy. making a list of their ideal qualities in their future third. >> what were the most important things from that list? >> that he was masculine. we didn't want a feminine man because we're both very feminine. in walks jonathan. we're like, wow. all of a sudden we're recognizing this beautiful man. >> it was very exciting. in the very beginning there was a lot more of three people having sex together. often. >> our bedroom, our gigantic bed. >> oh my gosh. >> threesomes totally happen, obviously less frequently now that there's kids. as exciting as threesome sounds it's challenging to focus on one person and try and make sure you're including the other person. it's not only about sex. it's about family, it's about working together as a team, it's

about accomplishing your dreams. >> reporter: one of their dreams, having children. and they managed to do that all together too. ella and oliver are just five weeks apart. >> it's one thing to have your relationship and have it exactly how you want it. but then to bring kids into your relationship. do you feel like it's a healthy way to raise a family? >> a resounding yes for me. >> yeah. >> more breastfeeding, more opportunities, more teamwork. i can double breast-feed while melinda's making food and john is doing whatever it is. >> reporter: we're tagging along with the phoenix-steins to attend a barbecue to meet other polyamorous people in the community. >> so what's it like to have two wives? >> it's great. yeah. >> reporter: among some of the diverse attendees, 69-year-old ann valliant. she says polyamory is far from new. >> it's new to people who think the only way things are is one man, one woman. but that has not been true. >> do you think that people

would be surprised how many polyamorous people there are? >> i know it. >> which was harder to come out as? as a lesbian or as a polyamorous family? >> people nowadays are willing to accept the queer community. it's almost not a big deal. there's a huge poly community but unfortunately not many of them feel that they can be open. they have to be closeted. that goes to show you it's harder to be poly than gay or lesbian, i think. >> reporter: these relationships can be inherently tricky. >> there's times i've felt i needed more and i'm not getting back. then that comes up in conversation. >> reporter: remember, melinda was the one who initially wanted to expand their partnership. >> does it make you feel frustrated or angry? >> yeah. there's been times where i've felt, you know, melinda has her guy and she has a girl. and john has two women who he's attracted to. and i have a guy who's really fun and i have a girl who's pretty much straight. where's my sugar on top? >> was there a tad bit of you

that might feel a little guilty that she's not maybe as fulfilled as you are in a sexual way? >> no. just because we're always in communication with it. if it got to the point where she felt that she wasn't getting her needs met, then we would address that. >> i think our lives naturally created what we have now. >> reporter: for now they are not planning on expanding their triad. but it's not off the table. >> the family unit comes first. right now we just wouldn't even have enough time. you know? to date anyone else. >> what's wrong with seeking your own happiness and your own fulfillment with love? shouldn't we all be in a space where we're happy? >> we're not saying that polyamory is for everyone. we're saying, let's open a dialogue that there's other ways to do this. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm abbie boudreau in oakland, california. up next, something completely different. we're going to a demolition derby where some of the most aggressive drivers will probably

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talk about a double life. at home, the women you're about to meet are mommys. but at night, they switch from carpool duty to demolition derby. and they are dead serious about winning. here's abc's david wright. >> reporter: a rumbling arena. a roaring crowd. and gladiators gunning gas-guzzling machines. competitors ready to destroy each other. this is metal mania. $20,000 in prize money at stake. among those drivers revving their engines are moms. some of the toughest women on wheels. >> any woman that gets in a derby car for the first time either is hooked or hates it. >> reporter: meet kim pataki. mother to two girls. part-time little league coach. >> were you practicing? >> yes. >> reporter: who, when she's not carpooling the kids, can crash them up with the best of them. >> it's an adrenaline, something different.

you don't normally get a chance to hit people. >> reporter: kim is prepping for her biggest competition so far. >> i got it. >> reporter: she'll be squaring off against 300 top derby drivers. including her husband chris. >> not the first time that's happened. >> reporter: building the cars from scratch is a family affair, the kids pitching in. >> the cars are engineered to do one thing on the road but we're doing something different with them. to get them to bend the right way and roll the right way, do what you need it to do, to last. it's part of the fun of it. >> reporter: they strip out anything that can break or burn. >> jimmy: he's cutting the old motor mounts off. they were welded on the frame. >> reporter: mom's car has to survive crashing into this. >> my first hit will be amazing. >> reporter: that's vicki schutte. >> in 15 years i have won three features. >> reporter: a welder by day, a useful trade in this sport, her

destructive tendencies have paid off. >> i was actually the only girl that ever won my hometown derby. that was a really big accomplishment for me. >> let's start stripping. >> i've been doing demolition derby since i was 19 years old. >> my dad has done it since before i was born. >> reporter: her two sons, 14 and 8, already behind the wheel. >> do you have a license? >> not yet. >> reporter: her uncle runs metal mayhem every year. >> are you ready? >> reporter: demolition derby can be a dangerous game. after all, the main objective is crashing. >> it's just whichever car keeps moving forward? >> the last car to make a hit. >> this car has flipped over. they take safety very seriously. the guys have pretty much stopped the derby. >> do injuries happen? >> they happen. concussion, whiplash. deaths are very rare. >> reporter: every car has to pass inspection. >> we have a list of rules we

have to build the car to. they're looking to make sure everything's built properly. and that the car is safe. >> reporter: kim's passes with flying colors. vicki's vehicle has a problem. >> the spray foam. >> i don't know, trying to pull one over. you're kind of a bad-ass, aren't you? >> reporter: which leads to a frenzy of last-minute modifications. >> i need you to pull as much of this foam out as you can. >> reporter: her car finally ready -- >> i'm really hoping that i don't have some kind of small error take me out. >> reporter: kim is getting revved up for battle. >> first up, the rule is you never quit. >> reporter: they may call this the powder puff heat. there's nothing soft and dainty about it. for vicki, a serious glitch. exactly what she was worried about. her drive shaft fails. her car is a sitting duck.

>> the minute he said go, i made one hit and was done. i was devastated. my eyes kind of filled up with tears. because it was -- a lot of hard work was put into that car. >> reporter: kim, muddy but victorious, moves on to the finals. >> $20,000 for first place. >> reporter: but there's no time to celebrate. >> this point right now is the most pressure, it's the biggest. everybody trying to work, everybody trying to get together and make it back out. >> reporter: having already survived some serious scrapes, her car has to be fighting fit for the main event. >> wiring, trimming, clearing, we're getting everything done. but this is it. she won't be pretty but she'll be functional. >> reporter: and her former rival vicki shows up to help. >> vicki's helping. she didn't make it, and that's

what happens. if you make it you beg, borrow and steal what you can. >> reporter: the sisterhood kicking in because that final heat is all men except kim. 50 drivers, a lone woman, against 49 men. >> the men go after the women? >> it can be, yeah. i mean, we're easy targets. apparently we don't know what we're doing, you know? >> i'm sure that's not the case. >> yeah. well, we like to prove them wrong, that's for sure. >> reporter: the main event. >> the michigan girl. >> yes, sir. >> reporter: once they put on those helmets, it's tough to tell the men from the woman. it's a free-for-all. alas, not kim's day. she may be back to driving the carpool tomorrow, but already she's thinking about her next metal mayhem. i'm david wright for "nightline."

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thanks for watching tonight. we'll have much more on the