i'm chris jansing, live from aurora, colorado. a community is dealing with a tragedy. we're expecting an emotional night. right here, a little more from an hour from now, from will be a public vinl ill for the victims gunned down in a crowded movie theater. a shocking attack that killed 12, injured 58 more. left a nation stunned. president obama has arrived in aurora and this hour is meeting with the families of the victims. and also speaking withexpecting

from the president within the hour. president obama was here to tour damage for the wildfires in colorado springs, that up rooted so many lives and now this unspeakable tragedy. before we hear from president obama, we have the latest information on the only suspect in this case. james eagan holmes, and clues could be revealed tomorrow morning when he makes his first appearance in court. law enforcement spent the day today, gathering evidence from his apartment, which he had booby trapped, forcing police to defuse explosives. it's still unclear why this young man would take so many lives, a fuller picture is beginning emerge of how it was done. for more, let's go to nbc's mike tybee.

good evening to you. i understand that police feel that they've gotten all of the evidence out of the apartment they think they can get. >> well, that's correct, chris. good evening. they have now finished what they call the forensic examination of the formerly booby trapped apartment. one of the investigators said they found evidence of an intricate and sophisticated plan. there seems to be a plan long on detail and short on mistakes, if the goal was maximum mayhem. when the investigation of james holmes began early saturday morning, it quickly became clear how complicated the task might be. when bomb technicians on saturday used a controlled explosion to des nature the trip wires in his apartment, police knew once inside they were dealing with what they called an intricate scenario. they found 30 softball sized explosive devices, later trucked to a remotimoat location.

they found paintball battle gear, and one computer. holmes purchased four weapons exactly like these at local sporting goods stores. much ammo and tactical gear was allegedly purchased online and shipped to his apartment or the college where he was a grad student. >> we think this begins to explain how he gets his hands on all of the magazines and ammunition. >> reporter: a spokeswoman at the university of colorado's medical campus confirmed to nbc news that the school is cooperating with the police probe of any shipments to a campus address until he dropped out in mid-june. one supplier shipped $306 of tactical gear, a ballistic vest and ammo carrier among that. and he was shaken by how the gear was allegedly used. >> we were all shocked and appalled. >> reporter: holmes didn't get everything he wanted. he applied on line to join a local gun range, but the manager told nbc news the suspect's

answering message made him suspicious. >> i said this guy is not scheduled, but if he shows up, he goes no place until i see him and talk to him. >> reporter: dan oates says the evidence is overwhelming. >> the most important thing is that we put this evidence together in and assist the prosecutor in holding this person accountable. >> do you think you have a strong case against mr. holmes? >> we will convict him. >> reporter: holmes has been in the arapahoe county jail since saturday morning, segregated from the general prison population. he has had no visitors, and he's not talking to police. his first scheduled court appearance is tomorrow morning and he will be represented by top two attorneys from the county defender's office. back to you. >> mike, you mentioned that there was this message that made the gun range suspicious about james holmes. do we know what it was specifically that made him

suspicious? >> reporter: the manager told our colleague what he generally does when he gets an online application, that he schedules an appointment. the answering machine message was rambling, incomprehensible. loud music, incomprehensible. and he added the word freakish and he felt like something was not quite right here, and he told the staff about what should be done if this individual ever showed up. he wasn't going to get in. chris. >> all that evidence that came out of the apartment behind you, some will be shipped to quantico, what kind of test willing they do, mike? what are they looking for? >> i guess they are going to look, and you have been through some of these cases as i have, chris. they will look at what exactly the composition was of some of the incendiary dwirss, ieds, taken out. some were detonated yesterday at a safe distance from town.

some were being sent to the fbi lab in quantico for more detailed analysis. to find out how close he came, this individual allegedly came to creating mayhem here and what the plan might have been for use of these devices if another part of his operation if that's the word, of the alleged operation was being carried out at the century 16 cinemas. >> mike thank you very much. we have been learning more about victims today. family members have been leasing photos, and the coroner's office did publicly release the list of 12 names. from that list, portraits have started to emerge about the lives cut so brutally short. nbc's kristen dahlgren has their stories tonight. >> reporter: 12 people killed in the simple act of going to the movies, but sometimes the real super heroes aren't on the big screen. 26-year-old john blunk wanted to

become a navy s.e.a.l. but his life ended in the line of fire right at home. >> what a great hero he is. and he provided me the opportunity to survive. >> matt mcquinn took a bullet shielding his girlfriend and her brother. 24-year-old alexander tevez was hit as he pushed his girlfriend out of the way. and jesse childress died trying to save a female air force colleague. today would have been alex's one year wedding anniversary. and veronica moser is still in critical condition. alexander boik was secretly engaged to his girlfriend and was honored at his high school. >> played on the baseball team. had more friends than anybody i have ever known. >> jessica ghawi, an as spiring sports reporter, and micayla

medek, a green bay packers mom. and 27-year-old john thomas larimer, a petty officer in the navy, the youngest of five siblings. >> he was an outstanding ship mate, a valued member of our navy team, and an extremely dedicated sailor. >> reporter: finally, the oldest victim, 51-year-old gordon cowden, a devoted father, at the movie with his two teenagers. 12 lives lost to their loved ones and the world. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, aurora, colorado. >> and so so much healing that needs to be done here. you can see in that last shot from kristen's piece, that there were white crosses, 12 of them brought here by a man from illinois who also brought crosses just 13 miles down the road to columbine during that tragedy and now, perhaps you can see people starting to gather behind me for this vigil tonight. miguel almaguer has been here in

what has been a day, a really fast moving developments, but i think it's at its heart, the people here in aurora, want it to be a day of healing. >> we're expecting upward of 5,000 people to arrive. certainly a lot of people have come to support victims, remember those who lost their lives. 12 people. we know this event should start relatively shortly. we'll hear from the mayor, we'll hear from other elected officials, as well as the governor. we know this is a time for folks that really want to come together and be part of a healing process. all in the same place at the same time. so it allows an opportunity for all of these folks who are grieving with losses and different categories to come together and unit as one. >> i know you started your day at one of the area churches, and we -- we sort of joked with one of the pastors here earlier, he said this is a time we get a lot of people in church. it means so much to be able to come together. looking for people to share their emotions with. >> they are sharing their stories of how they knew the

victims, sharing stories of how they are connected to the scene, where the crime happened. obviously just down the road from here. so many people have been to that theater. everyone has some type of feelings invested in this, whether they knew somebody directly or indirectly. all connected to the story. this is a relatively -- third largest city in colorado. >> 325,000 people. >> but it feels like a small community. >> it does. >> folks know each other here. >> i was for a while this morning at the memorial. i know you were there as well. they are just drawn there, people are bringing flowers and teddy bears and candles. >> people are coming from other parts of the state. they want to come, be part of this. they want to help their friends, their community, move forward and do it together. >> and little -- little by little, as we've been hearing some of the stories emerge, we've also been hearing a lot of stories of heroism. the obvious ones inside the movie theater. the first responders got there within 60 to 90 seconds.

the number of people who have started funds to help some of the families. there are just spontaneously, people coming up with ways to help. >> people donating money when they go to a local grocery store or coffee shop, you will see the donation cans and signs that say if you want to help the victims, want to help the families, people leaving a couple bucks here, some leaving much larger checks. be together, move on together. 12 lives lost, but more than 70 people injured. you are really talking about a large number of people in the community. >> if there is one overriding thing we've heard, you and i have talked about this before, it's that people want to feel like something good can come out of this evil. >> and i think that's why they are gathering here today. they are here now, you can see people putting their arms around each other, holding hands. a time to grieve together. >> and there seems to be a very positive reaction to the president coming as well. michael al ga measure, gomaguery

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in the hospital rooms, with the families, amongst the community, we're not going to let this -- this son of a gun win. we're just not going to let him. >> welcome back. i'm chris jansing in aurora, colorado. we can see behind me people

gathering. there will be a vigil in a little bit. before that event begins, we expect to hear from president obama, who right now is visiting with victims and their families. and joining me is joseph wynn, a writer for "the denver post" covering aurora and adams county. thank you for being here. >> my pleasure. >> you spent almost your whole life in aurora. >> i grew up here, since i was 2. >> what a shock. >> absolutely. >> how do you think the community is dealing with? >> they are in shock. everybody i talked to on friday, it really felt like it was a mixture of emotions. at one point, it's like we've seen things like this happen before like in columbine and a lot of people are just confused, why here, why again? here is a movie theater, we just wanted to go have some fun. >> and do you think that it's important for people to be able to come here tonight? we're starting to see a crowd gather with the vigil? >> absolutely. i think -- i think people just want to heal. they have their -- they are

filled with emotions right now. looking for an outlet. this is a good way for them to come out and see people who feel the same way. >> we've been trying to describe this community. i've been here before. i was shocked to hear that 325,000 people live here. the third largest city in colorado, because somehow it has a more small-town feel. a community feel to it. >> it's funny. aurora is about the size of buffalo, new york, terms of population. huge and vast. >> does it cover parts of three counties, did i read that? >> yeah, arapahoe county, douglas county, and adams county. there are different community, so up north, a completely different feel than down south. >> yet appointment of have some sort of commonality in this. i was talking about it with miguel almaguer a couple of minutes ago, and everybody i

spoke with said we have to make a way for this to mean something. it can't just be about evil. something good has to come about it? do you feel that can happen as a member of this community? >> as a member of the community, it's so early on right now, i think everybody is just trying to grasp what has just happened to us. ultimately, i hope something good comes out of this, i mean, like being someone who grew up this is my neighborhood, this is my home. so it's like -- i really do hope something does come out of it. >> i think obviously, the question everyone wants the answer to is why, and we don't have the answer to that yet. but as a reporter, what is it that you think is unanswered, besides that obvious question of motive? what are the stories that have not been told here yet do you think? >> the stories that have not been told? i don't know. so many little things. what can come out of this. i saw on the zagut site, girls

posted a picture of their uncle, who received lungs of one of the victims supposedly. not sure if that's true or not, but it got a lot of people to feel a lot better. >> and many stories we've heard of heroism inside the theater, outside the theater. and i think one of the most remarkable things is the response was so quick and intense. police were on the scene in 90 seconds and they literally were able to surround that parking lot and -- >> and that's definitely something that came through columbine. when that happened, it took a lot longer time to go to the scene. they had to wait for s.w.a.t. they had to do all of these other things, didn't know thousand respond to something like that as this happened, as regrettable as it is, they know what they are supposed to do. >> i heard if it wasn't for columbine and 9/11, emergency crews wouldn't do the things

that they were worried they would do and save some lives here. i'm sorry for what your community is going through, thank you for taking the time to come and speak with us. i know you will be working again and doing some reporting. >> thank you. >> after tonight's vij, the next big event in colorado will be the first court appearance by the suspect in the mass shooting. james eagan holmes will appear in court here tomorrow morning. already, he has been appointed a public defender. a short time ago, i spoke with veteran denver legal analyst scott robinson and psychologist jeff gardere, and i asked them how the public defender will approach the case. >> the defense doesn't have a choice. they don't have identity as an issue, they don't have premeditation as an issue. it's clear this is the perpetrator and the crime is first degree murder. they have to take the only tool they have, and that's the insanity plea. >> and so what is it, jeff? tell me. what would psychiatrist who is

hired by the defense be looking for? it starts with, even if he's competent to stand trial. beyond that, if you're looking for an insanity defense, what kind of questions would a psychiatrist be asking? >> a psychiatrist or psychologist would want to look at whether there was any history of mental health issues, would probably want to know if there were any sort of auditory or visual hallucinations, whether he had broken with reality before. just the anger in itself, just having some sort of a -- a severe personality disorder, is not going to get him off on this as far as not guilty by reason of insanity. is he going to have to be a full-blown paranoid s schizophrenic with command hallucinations, all of those things, which we're not really seeing right now. your attorney is right, i think they have to go for this

insanity plea, but i doubt it will be successful. this guy was extremely disturbed, emotionally unstable. but i don't know if he will qualify for an insanity plea. they will do the plea, but i don't know if he will be able to get off on this one in that way. >> and, scott, we're a little bit away from that, from pleaing, even knowing what the charges are. he will be in court tomorrow. what will happen with him when he appears in court? >> probably only that he will be advised of his rights. probably won't be charges for him to be advised about. certainly it's a little early for the defense to raise competency. i suspect it will be a relatively nonevent type of legal proceeding, except for the fact that we have 12 dead and 58 wounded. >> and colorado law says that we will know about charges fairly quickly, right. what is it, 72 hours? >> 72 hour rule. honored in the breach as often

as it's honored as it's written. but at the very least, we should have charges by thursday. judges are pretty easy going in giving extensions to prosecutors in cases that deserve a lot of attention, like this case obviously does. >> veteran denver legal analyst scott robinson and jeff gardere, a psychologist. in the meantime, we're waiting for remarks from president obama and the prayer vigil here in aurora, colorado. we'll be back with more. >> i can't tell you how important this visit is i spent 90 minutes with the families on friday afternoon and this was during the period where the ten deceased, the bodies were still in the theater, and they were so desperate for confirmation, and i couldn't give it to them. and they were hurting so much. and we were so pleased to be able to tell them through our victim advocates contacting the families yesterday that the president was coming here. these families need that kind of contact. ♪

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it's been tough, and the -- the key there is that -- that anger, where you want to strangle this guy, at a certain point, that has to translate into sbaish into rising, helping our community rise back up, which they will. >> colorado's governor, we are expecting him here tonight. for this vigil. perhaps you can hear some of the music, and we are waiting for the president to arrive. he is meeting with the families of the victims killed and wounded in the early friday morning attack. we also want to update you on some of the injured. there are still 24 people in local hospitals. 9 of them listed in critical condition, and we're told by the mayor here in aurora, that some of them may not survive. they still have what are considered to be

life-threatening injuries, so much healing needs to be done here, both at this vigil and by the president. joining me now, former pennsylvania governor ed rendell, and eugene robinson, pulitzer prize winning columnist for "the washington post." as we wait for the president, gene, you have to think of the many difficult things that the president has to do, being the consoler in chief has got to be among the most difficult. >> it has to be. president obama has done it before, you recall in the -- in the wake of the tucson shooting in which congresswoman giffords was so badly injured. the president went out, gave a speech. saw victims. it's something that -- that presidents have to do, and the sort of touchstone i think is -- for me at least, a speech that

president reagan gave after the challenger disaster, the brief, televised speech that just sort of hit absolutely the right buttons, and didn't make people feel better, but helped us get through it. and i think that's what a president tries to do in this situation. >> and i'm sure you have been in difficult situations of your own, governor, when someone perhaps had been killed in war or in any tragedy that befell them. and what do you say that when maybe the natural reaction is there are no words? >> well, there are hardly words, and as mayor, i have to talk to the family of police and firemen killed in the line of duty, and as governor, you're right. guardsmen killed in the line of duty. you can try to imbue their families that they died with some real families, trying to

protect someone, try to bring freedom to a war-torn country. but what do you say to these 12 people's families who died for no apparent reason at all? to me, it's the toughest thing in the world. i can't imagine what the president -- he is very eloquent in person. i can't imagine what he's saying. >> do you think it's important, governor, that he be here? to you think it sends an important message, not just to these families, but to people all around the country who are looking at what happens who are feeling the pain of these families, and saying, why? why does something like this have to happen? >> well, it certainly elevates in the victims' families minds, it elevates the importance of what occurred to their loved one. the fact that the president of the united states flew all the way from washington to be with them, that raises their spirits and gives them a little consolation. it won't last, but u.s. a little

bit of a feeling that this important and the president represents all 300-million plus of us and it conveys to the families in a way they may not know, that we all as a nation are grieving for them this is just horrible. when i heard the -- the short biographies of those 12 people, chris. i couldn't stop from tearing up. it's just unbelievable. >> we are looking at pictures, i don't known you can see them, governor and gene, but a man from illinois brought 12 crosses. he did the same thing for columbi columbine. i was there earlier today, you see families with young children. people writing on the crosses, leaving messages. they bring all sorts of flowers and stuffed animals and particular messages to victims. gene, as we watch these pictures

and realize that a lot of the people i saw there this morning, they didn't know any of the victims, and many of them weren't even from this community. they just felt drawn to be there. they wanted to express their own personal grief. at times like this, whether through these images or what we'll hear from the president in a short time, can there be some sort of useful, national dialog? >> there can -- there is a sort of useful i think -- one hopes it's useful, national empathy. we feel -- i don't know, a one ness is the word that comes to mind. we want to be with the families in aurora and we want to console them and want them to know that we feel their pain and we sympathize with them. the president's first reaction, i send my daughters to the movies. we all react personally in that

way. i think frankly, it's rare we come out of these sorts of tragic situations having any sort of dialog about policy or about issues, because in the final analysis, it's so -- why? who can answer the question why? we can talk about how, but in the end, we don't know why. and if it's unanswerable. i think it's not so much about the dialog, but us coming together in sympathy and grief. >> can i say something, chris. >> sure. pless please do, governor. >> gene is right, but we have to have a public dialog among sensible, rational people, about why we would let a citizen have an assault weapon made for combat and made for killing

people. why is that legal for a citizen to have. why a citizen can have 100 bullet magazine clip that can fire rapid bullets, and i understand from the police that this fellow fired off over 60 rounds in less than a minute. where do we allow those things to happen. if we care about what happened to the victims and we want to make sure that the chances of this mass type of killing are reduced, it's a discussion we have to have. it's crying out for to us have it. >> gene, are there two parts of this? there are questions we want to have answered, about gun control, mental illness, questions about how we deal with people who may be showing signs that perhaps they could be violent. when i was at that memorial this morning and talking to people, the thing that they talked about repe repeatedly to me was this. this coming out, being here for each other, in these moments it

shows what america truly is. not that somebody goes into a theater and opens fire and indiscriminately kills innocent people. and the measure of what this country is should also be how we respond to it and how we come together, gene. >> i think that's right, chris. i do agree with governor rendell. i hope we have that dialog, i hope we talk about these issues. perhaps tonight it's so soon after this awful tragedy isn't when we're going to have that sort of rational nuts and bolts discussion, that i believe we need to have. but i hope we do get there. tonight perhaps, what's enough is to let the people of aurora know that the nation is with them, and does feel their anguish, and hopes to help them

get through this. >> former pennsylvania governor, yes, go ahead. go ahead, governor. >> after gabby gifford, we said we were going to have that dialog. we lost a 9-year-old girl there. we said we were going to have it. and we never had it, and now we've lost a 6-year-old. how many are we going to lose before we start discussing real issues. i don't know. >> very difficult questions on a night that many hope will start the healing process. ed rendell and eugene robinson, thank you, both, for being here and for this provocative discussion. we'll talk to you again shortly. again, we're waiting for the presses. we expect to hear from him shortly and in the next hour, tonight's prayer vigil will begin. we will bring both the president's remarks and that vigil to you live in aurora, colorado, where the crowds are starting to gather. we'll be right back.

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survivors of the mass shooting here in aurora, colorado, say they are the lucky ones, and one young family, father, mother and their two little children were in that cinema 16 theater early friday when their lives changed forever. they sat down with nbc's ann curry and explained how quick reflexes may have saved their children's lives. >> she threw aza to the floor, and i ducked with ethan, and

his -- when i ducked, his head like fell back, because of the way i was holding it, into the crack in the seats in front of us and like got stuck, and he was crying, and i was like his head is exposed, he's going to get shot. i'm thinking should i play dead? are they coming up the stairs? how many are there? is it still just a game? what do i do? what do i do? you hear screaming and you're like, no, it's not a game. people are dying. >> you were shielding ethan. shielding him with your body. >> i see the balcony, and i'm like can i jump off, can i jump off? i stand up and like lean over to look how high it is, and i'm like can i get ethan to jump off, can i jump off with him and him be okay. what if i land funny, what if i break his neck. shots started going off again, and every shot that you just saw this is the way i die. >> did you get a look in the darkness at the shooter? >> no. >> if i seen him, he sees me,

and if he sees me, i'm dead and he's dead, we're dead, and that's all i could think about. like try not to get seen, and -- >> how was it that you and your children survive? >> i just remember there was a point where the gunshots stopped. and i saw people running, and i thought they are running, he's not shooting, get up and go, and i just got up. >> you ran carrying your son, dragging your daughter, with shrapnel in your leg, you just ran. >> i ran as fast as i could. you think of the faces you saw, all of the people, and you wonder how many of those people made it out. how many died in there. how could i -- you heard other human beings. there are kids in there. >> is there anything you want to say to parents who are grieving the loss of their children in this tragedy? >> i don't even know what to

say. they are in our prayers, and -- i just -- i don't even know. you don't know what to say. and that's what makes it so hard, is because i'm so happy and we're so blessed that we got out, but i feel so sad for those who didn't make it out and their families and i'm praying. >> what does this community need now? >> be kind to each other. people come -- we rush through life. taking everything for granted. >> think what -- what was going on that he -- he just wanted to hurt people? you know, it's -- if you feel that way, get help. because, i mean, so many people are affected by this, it's just so sad. it's something that just could have been prevented.

i mean, just love each other, treat each other with respect. and there's no need for it. no need to go and hurt other people. >> call your friends, call your family. kiss your son, kiss your daughter, hug them. you never know when it will be the last time. >> the tragedy of this day, you realized you would ask patricia to marry you. >> it's just -- i just never want to be away from her again. >> he asked you this question today. >> in the hospital. >> in the hospital. and what did you say? >> i said yes. >> survivors of the terrible event inside that movie theater. i want to bring in now from washington, d.c., colin goddard who survived the mass shooting at virginia tech five years ago and now works at the brady center to prevent gun violence. colin, thank you for joining us. good evening. >> good evening. >> i'm wondering if listening to that young couple describe the

chaos and uncertainty when the shooting began and the fear, that you could hear in their voices, does it come back to you what happened to you? >> absolutely. everything they said hiss hits me right to my core. i remind myself of when i was in their position, on the other side of this newscast, and it's -- it's terrifying. you know, they are absolutely right. you need to come together, you need to be with your lued ones, with the people close to you. you need to think about the people who aren't close to you anymore and why that's -- why that's happened. you know, the american people need to know we can come together after this, and we all deserve better. we can do better than this. >> how did you get through it? and if one of these survivors came to you and asked that question, if they told you they didn't know how they would take that next step, what would you say? >> there is no set path that people follow. everyone reacts to this differently and there is going

to be a whole range of emotions from sadness to remorse to guilt to anger to happiness. all around again. and to just -- when you -- when they will experience the overwhelming positivity and love that the american people give them, they will receive things from people they never met before, quilts from old ladies, teddy bears from kids, they will meet the president of the united states of america, knowing america has got their back that will help them get to the next stage. u.s. a day by day thing. and i've been able to turn something around negative in my life to something positive, because i don't want happened to me, what happened to those families to happen to any more families. we need to come behind, to honor those people to make sure nobody else goes through something like this. >> we are looking at pictures, colin, behind me and seeing hundreds if not thousands of people now gathering here. and there will be this vigil.

these kinds of coming together of people who reach out to you in the days and weeks after, they can help? they can make a difference? >> absolutely. every single act of kindness can -- can magnify itself in ways that you really don't know. but just touching someone who has been affected by this in whatever way will help them get to the next day. but we need that to happen now, but we can't end with that. it cannot end there. we must continue to work so these situations don't happen again in the future. we can do better than this americans need to have that conversation. >> was there anything in the days, weeks and maybe even months following your own experience that surprised you? just meeting other families, other people who have been in similar situations who have been shot or lost a loved one tin a

shooting. it's a connection no one else can understand. it's a feeling you never felt with anybody else before. knowing there is another family there, knowing there is somebody there who can understand the craziness that is your life after something like this, and the craziness that is people -- peering into your life and asking and trying to touch you. you know, that's something that you never forget. meeting somebody else who has deputy through that helps you understand i am not al lone in this. that's what we need to do is all come together. >> i know you have tried in your way to help, and your work with the brady center against gun violence, colin goddard, thank you for taking the time to speak us with. >> thank you for having me. >> and we believe the president is still with the families and the victims over at the university of colorado. he will not be coming here to the vigil where you see the

crowds, but he will be coming to the microphone to make brief remarks before he gets back on air force one. we'll have the remarks and the vigil for you live. you're watching special coverage of the tragedy in colorado on msnbc. >> we needed to pay our respects. just felt i needed to do something. >> we just needed to show our respects. a deranged man has taken something away from us. ♪ ♪ i want to go ♪ i want to win [ breathes deeply ] ♪ this is where the dream begins ♪ ♪ i want to grow ♪ i want to try

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back live in aurora, colorado. we know that the president has met with the families of some of the victims of the tragic shooting here because we just saw a tweet from jordan ghawi. it's his sister, an aspiring sportscaster, who touched so many people with her beautiful photo and also his stories of her and the vie bran sy of the life and this is what he tweeted. sat down with president obama. he's been incredible. he, too, has agreed not to mention the shooter's name. and he was one of the people who came out first and said, he wants to be in the forefront of making sure that we remember the victims and that's something positive can come out of this tragedy. joining me now to talk more about it is pastor reed hedeck. thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> how does a community get through this?

>> it's hard. it really is hard because so many of us know, if you don't know the victims you know people who know the victims. and it's hard. i mean, i think everybody -- everybody in this community felt like we got kicked in the gut. i mean, i heard about it, you know, early friday morning and just sad, sickening feeling. but you get together with friends and family and neighbors and realize there's things to be hopeful for and this is a good community and so -- >> what have you seen in this community that made you proud or made you feel hopeful in the midst of something that seems so hopeless? >> it's so exciting to see the job gnat early responders did. i mean, the cops and firemen did a fantastic job. our mayor and other leaders, just stepped up. and then just people from the community jumped in to help at crucial moments. we have had businesses that responded to help and to give and it shows a real spirit of the community that it is a loving, caring, giving place

full of generous people that want to do the right thing. we don't want to be defined by shooters. i mean, we want to be defined by the people that really live here. >> pastors like you are a first line, first responders. >> what have your parishers said to you and what do you say to them? >> you have to be honest. it hurts. there's a sense of pain and loss and can't pretend it isn't there and real people hurting tonight. but there's still some hope. you know? that there are people that survived and there's a community that cares. and there's families that are loved and that even in the midst of the tragedies, good things come out. you hear the great, heroic stories. we're people of faith where we believe that god is still in control. even when it looks like everything is falling apart. we have a god that hears us when we pray and comforts us and we'll get through this. >> one of the things i noticed

since coming here friday morning the makeshift memorial near the theater, a lot of families, not just here but elsewhere in the community, looking out on the growing crowd before the vigil -- >> it's great. >> there's a child. there's children in strollers. i saw some boy scouts selling water. the idea of family at a time like this. >> this is a very family-oriented community. it's family friendly and the way we live and do things and the school systems are great. and we really do value family. and it's -- it's kind of strange i suppose to bring small kids to an event like this but i think it's because we're going to do this together. we are going to stick together and fight together and come through this. we want to do that with still the spirit that we know that there are people in pain and hurting. so there's a sense that it's solemn and it's sad. and yet, there's hope. >> well, we hope that some of the folks here feel hope coming out of this vigil and i know you

have to go to be a part of it. pastor reed hettich, so kind of you to speak with us. thank you so much. >> thanks for being here. >> he will be delivering the closing prayer tonight. we'll have all of it for you live. more coverage of this emotional night in aurora, colorado, coming up. stay tuned. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels.

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