good monday morning. coming up on "early today," breaking news. a holiday shopper is confronted, shot and killed by carjackers at an upscale mall. new details surrounding the young colorado high school shooter in a high school and his motives behind friday's tragedy. mega million dreamers, the jackpot willing over $550 million, the fourth largest in lottery history. plus, a final good-bye to south africa's nelson mandela. and the passing of one of hollywood's most talented and gifted actor, peter o'toole. plus one heck of a day in the nfl. it's monday, december 16th and "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm richard lui.

we start with tragic news in new jersey. a man is shot dead in a carjacking after shopping with his wife at an upscale mall. it happened late sunday at short hills, about 23 miles west of new york city. the prosecutor says the 34-year-old had just left the mall with his wife. he was opening his car door when two men approached firing at least one shot. the man was shot in the head. his wife was unharmed. the two suspects then took off in the victim's 2012 silver range rover suv. now, the search is on for those two men. officials say there were no other incidents at that mall. now to centennial, colorado, the scene of yet another school shooting friday. arapahoe high school is closed today, and counselors will be available to the community. this morning 17-year-old senior claire davis is in a coma and in critical condition. she was shot point blank in the head by karl pierson who took his own life. nbc's ron mott has details. >> reporter: senior joe redmond

said he scrunched down in a hallway when the shotgun blast tore through arapahoe high friday before breaking down when he found out the shooter was karl pierson. >> my first instincts were to defend him. but i know that's wrong because it's indefensible to do what he did. it's horrible what he did. it's hard to process emotions like that. >> reporter: pierson and redmond co-captains on the speech debate team weren't best friends but he felt close enough to help him. >> speech and debate was his life. and the fact that he wasn't there crushed him a little bit and made him really tense and angry about that. >> reporter: it had been a stressful term for him. he had grown angry from losing his coveted spot on the team months ago which made the coach, librarian tracy murphy, a wanted man in tracy's eyes. >> karl and murphy did not along. whatever it was escalated to a death threat. >> his intent was evil and his evil intent was to harm innocent individuals. >> reporter: police stay pierson

stormed into the storm heavily armed, prepared to hurt more than just one person. as he moved toward the library looking for murphy, officials say, he shot 17-year-old claire davis in the head, point blank, eventually turning the weapon on himself. >> the karl that i knew was a good person. but obviously, the karl that came into school on friday was not. >> reporter: the violence only added to the disbelief and pain in a community especially hard hit by deadly spree killings. columbine in 1999. 13 dead. a movie theater in aurora, just last year, another 12. colorado's governor echoed what many have expressed here. what in the world is going on in the metro denver? >> god only knows. there's no rational explanation for it. happening here. i'm sick of it. i've had enough of this. i think everyone in colorado's had enough. >> nbc's ron mott with that report for us. implgts new developments now on the suspension of half a dozen catholic priests in philadelphia. 67-year-old father john p. paul

is now on leave from the ministry. he's accused of sexually abusing minors more than 30 years ago. also late sunday the archdiocese released its decision to remove five other priests. two years ago a grand jury found they violated standards of behavior and boundaries. catholic officials say all allegations are now in the hands of law enforcement. no criminal charges have been announced. there will be numerous head counts on capitol hill today. that two-year budget that sailed through the house with bipartisan support last week now in the senate. but some senate republicans say it raises spending levels too much. now leaders are trying to see if they have the votes to move forward. supporters need 60 votes to overcome the filibuster on tuesday's vote. president obama urges senators to pass the bill before the end of the week. john mccain said the u.s. could take concrete action against the ukraine, that is if its government cracks down on dissent. in the capital of kiev on sunday. they are angry at the

president's refusal to sign an agreement with the european union and instead focusing on russia. in support, mccain told protesters the destiny you seek lies in europe. mccain also spoke out sunday on robert levinson, the american held captive in iran for nearly seven years. the associated press reported last week he was working for the cia on an unapproved mission. mccain told cnn the cia did not tell the truth about levinson. the senator said he does not think there's any doubt about whether iran knows levinson's fate. the world has lost a legend over the weekend. british actor peter o'toole died saturday at the age of 81. despite full career highlights like the epic 1962 "laurence of arabia," o'toole never won an academy award. after eight nominations and zero awards, o'toole received an honorary oscar in 2003. o'toole quipping, always a bridesmaid, never a bride, my

foot. i have my very own oscar to be with me till death do us part, end quote. another acting giant pass ago way this weekend, joan fontaine known for her award-winning roles in numerous alfred hitchcock thrillers. she died sunday at the age of 96. when she won an oscar for "significance" at 24, she was the youngest best actress winner of all time. and actor/writer/director tom loughlin of "billy jack" died sunday at the age of 82. he'll be remembered as a pioneer in the film industry. he was one of the first filmmakers to advertise on television. a big cleanup in the northeast sunday after a weekend storm dumped more than a foot of snow in some parts. travelers were forced to deal with slippery roads and flight cancellations. bill karins is here. streets right now look okay, though. at least in snork city. new york city. not sure in other places, i'm sure. >> a lot of them cleaned all right.

here's the deal. i can get us on a flight, we can be poolside in l.a. by noon, maybe jump back on a flight at 5:00, get a tan. >> a $2,000 round trip? >> 83 in l.a. not fair sometimes. let's talk about this forecast. yesterday it was still one of those coolish-type days in many areas of the west. right now the big warm-up is under way. we're at 63 in l.a. already. 43 in vegas. that's a big temperature swing. not a far distance. still a little cold there, a little fog in oregon. but look in the last 24 hours. the temperature in l.a. is up 17 degrees. l.a., five. so the warming trend, significant warming trend has begun especially for southern california. there's high, thin clouds. really no rain. the northwest, a little rain tomorrow. bib may thursday in southern california, they'll have a little rain chance. but the mild air is starting to win out that cold high pressure starting to give way. as i mentioned, what a beautiful afternoon in southern cal. 83 today. san diego is going to be warm. phoenix not bad at 75 after a chilly morning, recovering

nicely in vegas and even san francisco. that's a lunch outdoors. 63 and sunny. that's your national forecast. now here's a look at thwith, especially fog this morning. a little warm air in the southern california. two days of it. and then temperatures drop. chances of rain towards the end of the week. so enjoy it while it lasts. >> it just doesn't seem right. 83? >> seems perfectly right if you're there. >> yeah, if you're from l.a., it does. today's high-tech screens may be a bit too visual for your eyes to appreciate. plus, busted for boasting and incriminating instagram pictures. and braving the cold on a few chuckles in skimpy bathing outs all for a good cause. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. it turns out friday the 13th, well, it wasn't so lucky. no tickets matched all six winning numbers from friday's mega millions jackpot. the prize now, look at this, climbing to $550 million. the next drawing is tuesday night. no doubt that jackpot, that number will no doubt grow by the time the balls fall. "the boston globe" has released a five-month investigation that offers new details about the lives of alleged boston marathon bombers tamerlan and dzhokhar tsarnaev. a florida man was charged last week on 142 counts of possession of weapons and ammunition by a convicted felon. how he got caught is the interesting part. police apparently used instagram and noticed the man's series of photos holding guns and wads of money. why are you posting? china's moon rover has begun sending back images showing the

lunar lander and rover burying a chinese flag. it's been almost 40 years since the last successful lunar landing. and in ohio, over 300 half-nude santas braving the cold to run in the second annual santa speedo dash for diabetes. the 5k was slippery due to sleet, rain and temperatures in the mid-30s. the jolly runners raised about $20,000. i would hate to fall in that if you're just wearing a speedo, right? now for business. turning to cnbc's seema mody. good morning, seema. >> richard, time is running out to buy your christmas tree. analysts say demand has been very strong this year partly due to fewer days between thanksgiving and christmas. sales over black friday weekend rose 16% and are up 7% overall from last year. today is the busiest pickup day of the year for u.p.s. with some 34 million packages being picked up worldwide. it's also the busiest mailing day for the u.s. postal service which expects to process 607 million letters, packages and cards.

lastly, hd or higher resolution doesn't always mean a better value. tvs and smartphones creating a sharper screen, but tech experts say consumers often pay for more than their eyes can actually see, and more pixels may not make much difference. richard, back to you. >> yeah, seema, as i get older, those eyes, a little more fuzzier. just ahead, your weekend sports highlights. and "the hobbit" ruled at the movies this weekend next.

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this is all so weird to me. i can't believe that you and mrs. claus are black. >> oh, she's not black. [ laughter ] >> no, no, no, no. do you think a black woman would tolerate living out in the middle of the snowy wilderness? no, if ms. claus were black, she'd be living in atlanta with her mama. let's get the latest in sports. the steelers keep the playoff hopes alive. great plays like this in the first quarter give them a 21-0 lead. brown returning a punt for six right there. in that play, watch this. the bengals' punter gets hit in the chin, fracturing his jaw. later in the fourth, the bengals surge with 13 points. it's not enough, though. the steelers stun trying to avoid the first losing season in a decade. a major choke for the

cowboys. the cowboys leading by 23 at halftime. but the second half was all green bay. they cut dallas's lead down to just five points. then green bay's eddie lacy with a clutch touchdown. packers' comeback win. the cowboys' playoff chances in question as the eagles are still first despite losing to minnesota. a tight game between the pats and dot fins sunday. first half, a field goal fail by miami. watch this. it bounced off the holder's face. then in the last-second comeback, tom brady throws that interception into the end zone. the dolphins surprise 24-20. it was a scoring bonanza. kansas city at oakland. and the chiefs' alex smith and jamaal charles kill it. four td catch as loan to charles, setting an all-time single-game record by a running back. andre holmes's circus catch here

with one hand. that effort is not enough, though, my friends. chiefs, 56-31, clinching a playoff spot. all hail broncos' quarterback peyton manning. "sports illustrated" naming him sportsman of the year. they say they looked at manning's entire career and imprint on his team and community. manning is about to break, by the way, two coveted 94-year-old nfl records. season tds and yards. we'll be watching those. and hail jameis winston. the youngest ever to win the heisman trophy. he got 668 first place votes. yeah, lift that thing up. compared to runner-up a.j. mccarron who got just 79. famous jameis leads florida state against auburn in the bcs championship game january 6th. olympic snowboarder shaun white pulled out of a key tournament after getting injured in competition. he has a sprained ankle. the question is what this might mean for the 27-year-old's olympic participation. and in the nba, we finish with this, an incredible buzzer beater in overtime.

109-109. portland a damian willard nailing right there two from the paint. portland beats detroit, 111-109. just ahead for you, "family guy's" brian back from the dead? plus, we've got a preview of how the first family is celebrating christmas this year. and north korea's kim jong-un decides, well, not to execute another family member. details next. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this monday morning. hope you had a wonderful weekend. it's almost like clockwork. when areas of the west continue to get warmer, usually we get colder in alaska. fairbanks right now sitting at minus 27 degrees. it's 4 in anchorage. as far as today's highs go, even with full sun, only getting up to 10 in anchorage. it stays bitterly cold all day. juneau, by the way, you have a chance to get into some wintry-type weather today. travel safe there. and the big warm-up, 83 in l.a. today. careful, some fog in areas of oregon as we go into tuesday, we'll start to see more clouds and showers moving in. >> lots of people loving that weather. embarrassment of riches in the west, huh? >> yes. >> except if you're in alaska. the late paul walker's ashes were laid to rest over the weekend in the hollywood hills. only close friends and family were invited to attend the burial at the forest lawn memorial park cemetery. another invitation-only gathering will be held at an undisclosed location. "the hobbit" capturing the gold this weekend, taking the top spot with $74 million.

taking the second spot, $22 million for "frozen." sunday night brought life back to "family guy." brian griffin came back from the dead with the help of -- bill karins, you called this early on -- >> in a time machine. it's too obvious. >> yeah. stewie's time machine brought him back. fun to talk about it. creator seth macfarlane tweeted, "i mean, you didn't really think we'd kill off brian, did you?" chloe kardashian filed for divorce friday. she cited irreconcilable differences from her husband of four years, lamar odom. john goodman hosted "snl" for 13 times on saturday night. the not-ready-for-primetime players were able to have a bit of fun with the mandela interpreter. >> and without a doubt, we've seen huge improvements on our website. we've had our best people working on it.

our very best people. >> you knew they were going to do this. >> had to. >> easy pickin's. see that picture right there on instagram? they flamed it the most liked image of 2013, justin bieber as well as will smith. it got over 1.5 million likes. >> have you seen that picture before today? >> i haven't. >> neither had i. >> i did not like it. >> i guess we're not teenage girls. >> not yet. in "american hustle," aim a adams and jennifer lawrence share a kiss. adams says it's one of j-la's special talents. >> she's very good at it. she has very soft lips. she's a really awesome woman. and i'm richard lui. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day right here on nbc.

a tragic story, groom struck. he and his bride were on their way to a hotel from their wedding reception saturday night. they stopped to help the stranded woman who was also killed in that accident. and on nbcnews.com, kim jong-un's aunt appears safe after husband's execution. analysts say the sister of kim jong-un's father, the former leader of north korea, may have been spared because of how close she was to kim jong-il. she's also the wife of the uncle, kim jong-un executed last week for possible support of her nephew's decision to oust but not execute her husband may have also helped her case. some stories you might have

missed. after ten days of mourning, mandela is laid to rest in south africa. the former south african president is remembered as a man who emerged after 27 year ifs prison to forge a new democratic nation by forgiveness and reconciliation. he died at 95. the funeral drew 4,500 guests including oprah winfrey and entrepreneur richard branson. this just in, terminal "a" in san jose has been evacuated after a water main break. a crew from kntv reporting water is coming down through the roof, and the lighting and that it looks like it's raining inside the terminal. and it's beginning to look a lot like christmas in washington. the first family attending the 32nd annual christmas in washington concert sunday. it's a benefit for the children's national health system. the first family collected presents for patients and met with five young patients dressed as elves. president obama said christmas teaches us an important lesson. the special airs on december

20th. i want you to meet a rebel crossing guard who refuses to stop shaking her groove thang, shall we say. canadian kathleen byers has been on the job ten years. her dancing has been a cause for concern for some evidently. she was asked to stop because it was considered safety hazard or distraction to drivers. >> if no kids are getting hit, what's the problem sf. >> there are many who admire her moves. so this dancing queen, she's going to still cut the rug, but only on the sidewalk. i mean, wouldn't that be more distracting? i don't know. because being on the sidewalk, people still watch her. >> you're a crossing guard in canada. she's moving to stay warm. >> on top of that. yes, you're right. coming from a weatherman. in a "today" exclusive, the nevada family who spent days stranded in the snowy wilderness speak out about the ordeal. and rockin' around shakira's christmas tree. she opens up about her favorite holiday traditions and being a new mom. keep it here for more news, weather and sports. i'm richard lui along with bill

karins. thanks for watch

nchts good morning, everyone. it's 4:30. bre breaking news inside the airport. this is the aftermath of the pipe that burst in the airplane and the terminal is evacuated. bob just got to the airport with the water still running.