good morning. tragedy in colorado. >> at that moment, i just remember thinking, i'm not going to die in here. me and my kids, we are not going to do i in here, i need to get them out. >> the nation in shock this morning, one day after a heavily armed shooter opened fire in a crowded movie theater, gunning down dozens of people. >> we walked up the stairs and all i hear is gunshot after gunshot and there's women and children screaming. >> there was definitely a moment when, you know, i thought, like, wow, this really might be the end. >> friends and family of the victims wondering why. >> you just don't ever expect something like that to happen. >> across the country, flags

lowered to half-staff in mourning, movie theaters from coast to coast stepping up security, as friends and family of the alleged shooter, james holmes, asks how could he do such a thing? and as they search for clues in one of the nation's worse ever mass shootings, authorities are carefully trying to enter his booby-trapped apartment today, saturday, july 21st, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to a special edition of "today" on this saturday morning. good morning. i'm savannah guthrie here in aurora, colorado. lester is on assignment this morning in london, and jenna wolfe is back in studeio 1a in new york. jenna, good morning to you. >> savannah, good morning to you. it's now been 24 hours since the shooting. can you tell us a little bit

about what the mood is like over there? >> jenna, this is a town that is in a shared heartbreak right now. people will just so stunned that another mass shooting could happen in the denver area, of course, 13 years after the shooting at nearby columbine high school, which is only about 50 miles from where we are right now. we want to bring you up to date on what we know this morning. 12 people have been killed, 58 injured. 11 of the victims are in critical condition at this hour. the gunman has been identified by police as 24-year-old james holmes. he's due to appear in court on monday. and investigators say he used a military-style semiautomatic rifle, a shotgun and a pistol and was armed with 6,000 rounds of ammunition. he had purchased all of it legally in recent weeks. police plan to enter his booby-trapped apartment later today using a robot to detonate what are believed to be explosive devices. it's a very delicate operation, jenna. >> you can only imagine this shooting has had ripple effects across the country.

stepped-up security at some movie theaters nationwide, one chain banning customers from wearing masks to the new "batman" movie. is there really any way to protect the public at movie theaters and other so-called soft targets? we're going to take a look at that. savannah? >> all right, and of course, the shooting is front-page news here. here's the front page of "the denver post," saying "our hearts are broken," and that really sums it up. coming up, we're going to have more on the gunman, history background and what possibly could have led him to commit this shooting, according to police. we're also going to hear from several victims who were in the theater but managed to get out alive. and we'll check in with my colleague, ann curry, who has an update on the injured from one of the hospitals treating them. first, the latest on the investigation, and for that, we turn to nbc's miguel almaguer, who's with me. good morning to you. >> savannah, good morning. they started lining up here at 6:00 p.m. on friday, among them reportedly the movie-goer james holmes bought his own ticket. police say he is the gunman who is allegedly responsible for the bloodshed.

>> 315 and 314, shooting at century theaters. >> reporter: chaos, confusion, bloodshed, a sprint to the exit. >> he would like shoot off a round of six to eight to ten shots, and it sounded like he was reloading, but you could hear the screams of, like, children. >> reporter: 70 victims total, 12 of them confirmed dead, dozens transported to the hospital. the victims soaked in blood, some carried out by family and friends. police say the alleged gunman, 24-year-old neuroscience graduate student james holmes, wore body armor and was armed with an assault rifle, a .12-gauge shotgun and two locked handguns. minutes into the "batman" movie, he opened fire, his hair dyed reddish-orange. he told police he was the joker. >> in the last 60 days, he purchased four guns at local metro gun shops and through the internet he purchased over 6,000 rounds of ammunition. >> reporter: witnesses say holmes entered through an exit

door, tossed what appeared to be smoke grenades, then, pointing his weapon into the air, fired a single shot. the suspect then opened fire on the crowd, spraying bullets at anyone that moved. holmes was taken into custody minutes after leaving the theater. >> he surrendered without any significant incident to our officers. >> reporter: today, detectives have no motive and believe holmes acted alone. just four miles from the crime scene, police swarmed his apartment. >> his apartment is apparently booby-trapped. >> reporter: friday, police found incendiary devices inside his home. the apartment complex had to be evacuated. across town, victims were rushed to multiple hospitals, the youngest 3 months old, the oldest 45 years old. >> the injuries range from gunshot wounds to the head, to the neck, to the chest and to the abdomen. >> reporter: even barton could see the carnage and can't shake the nightmare. >> the start of seeing the

muscle flash of the gun. at the time, i thought it was still fireworks. then i got hit here and i realized it was something much more serious. >> this is now the deadliest shooting here in colorado since columbine back in 1999. and of course, savannah, not just so many people in this state thinking about this tragedy, but people all across the country. >> they are. miguel almaguer, thank you so much. well, the people who went to the movies on friday morning just wanted to have a good time with their friends and family, and among them, a young couple who brought their children to the theater. nbc's ann curry is at the aurora medical center with more on their story. ann, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, savannah. that's right, of the 70 casualties, 30 people are still hospitalized, 11 are still in critical condition, 2 of them at this hospital you see behind me. two survivors, jamie and patricia survived with two young children, the youngest just 4 months old, and they tell a story of fear, courage and the value of life.

>> she threw her to the floor and i ducked with ethan. and when i ducked, his head, like fell back from 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's exposed, we're going to get shot. i was just thinking, should i play dead? is he coming up the stairs? like, how many are there? like, is it still just a game? like, what do i do? what do i do? and like, as you hear screaming, you're like, no, it's not a game, people are dying, people are dying. >> you were shielding ethan. you were shielding him with your body. >> i could see the balcony, and i'm just like, can i jump off? can i jump off? so, i like 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? and i was like, what if i land funny? what if i break his neck? shots just started going off

again, and every shot that you just thought, like, this is the way i do. >> did you get a look in the darkness -- >> no. >> -- at the shooter? >> yes, 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. >> how was it that you and your children survived? >> i just remember there was a point where the gunshots stopped, and i saw people running, and i thought, they're running, he's not shooting, just get up and go, and i just got up -- >> you ran, carrying your son, dragging your daughter -- >> yeah. >> -- with shrapnel in your leg, you thought you had been shot. you just ran. >> getting out of there as fast as i could. you think of all the faces you saw, the people, and you wonder how many of those people made it out, how many, you know, died in there. i mean, how could you hurt other human beings? there's kids, 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. i mean, they're in our prayers, and i -- 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'm just so, so, so sad for those who didn't make it out and for their families, and i just -- i'm praying. >> what does this community need now? >> each other. people come, we rush through life taking everything for granted. >> think what was going on that he just wanted to hurt people, you know? if you feel that way, get help, because i mean, so many people

are affected by this. it's just so sad that something that just could have been prevented. i mean, just love each other, treat each other with respect. there's no need for this, 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's going to be the last time. >> so, in the tragedy of this day, you realize you would ask patricia to marry you. >> 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. >> jamie said that he decided to ask patricia to marry him because he realized from this tragedy what he might have lost, and patricia felt that she never wanted to be without him and she wanted to grab another chance at life. these are two stories of two

people who, like many people here, need tremendous love and support. savannah? >> thank you. joining us now is darryl vilmas, who was in the theater right next door to where the gunman was opening fire. darryl, tell us what happened. gunfire came through your theater, didn't it? >> yes. we heard repetitive popping noises and we saw smoke, and then things were hitting us and we didn't know what that was. for my group, we were far enough away where it didn't hurt us, but we felt things hitting us. there were people running out with -- like a young girl, i remember seeing her holding her face. i don't know what happened to her, if she was hurt. they were sitting close to the wall where, adjacent to theater 9. >> when did it dawn on you that something was going terribly wrong next door? >> well, the fire alarm went off, and people started getting up and going out the exits, and i was in the military when i was

17, i joined. and at least in my group, i, you know, said hey, we shouldn't go out so quick, because if that was actually a gun, there could be somebody there ambushing us. and when i knew that it was real is when people did make it to the door, because the movie never stopped, and it was in the middle of a scene where there was gunfire on the screen, so all that was going on as well and it was dark. and people made it to the door and came back in and said, hey, there's someone shooting, and there's someone killing us, there's someone with a gun. so, that's when you knew something -- it wasn't fireworks, it wasn't a part of the movie. that's when we knew. >> so many people were hurt. when you walked out in the lobby, i assume it was chaos. what did you see? >> well, we -- the first exit we tried to go out was the lower exits by the screen, so once we heard that, we went up to the upper exits by the projector, and so you were above the lobby. so, the first thing we saw when we came out -- well, first thing we smelled, i should say, was the tear gas, the pepper,

whatever that was, and then we saw aurora officers, you know, pouring through the doors with shotguns. and most of these people were young kids, they were young, and people were asking what do we do, what do we do? and you know, we were echoing, show me your hands, make sure they see your hands. don't keep your hands down. so, once they saw us, they got us out, and so we didn't really see any of the chaos, because the lobby was kind of clear, actually. we saw it outside, is where we saw the carnage. >> and you are a pastor in this area. >> yes. >> did you try to counsel some of the victims? >> yes, we did. i was with a group of people that i serve with here in aurora, at chapel aurora. and one of the things that, after we figured out the immediate needs, that the people were hurt getting into ambulances and stuff, you know, the other switch kicked on where we started praying for people and just ministering to the people that knew they had losses. there were people that knew they had losses because they saw it

happen, so we were praying with them and loving on them and giving them a hope and a peace that only can be found in jesus christ. >> well, pastor darrel wilmoth, you were a great comfort and will continue to be. >> thank you. >> now to the alleged gunman. we know his name, james eagan holmes, but who is he? mike taibbi is outside holmes' apartment. mike, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, saveah. the police may begin start getting answers when they finally get into his apartment. they've spent all day thinking about how to do it safely. they're going to resume that attempt later this morning, an apartment that appears to be booby-trapped, the police said, just as the suspect allegedly said it was when he was apprehended after the massacre last night. until a month ago, james holmes was just another graduate student living quietly a few blocks from the university of colorado campus, but in june, he quit school, and a few days later, police say he bought the last of the four guns that were found at the scene of the massacre. james holmes had always been a

gifted science student, but neighbors and acquaintances found him withdrawn and even reclusive. jackie mitchell says holmes was with him and a group of other guys talking football in a bar tuesday night, except holmes said almost nothing. >> geeky, book-smart, you know, quiet. he didn't say too much. >> reporter: in fact, it wasn't much different during his san diego childhood. taylor adams and holmes were teammates on the westview high soccer team. >> he was not outgoing. i wouldn't say his personality, he was very reserved. he seemed to keep to himself. >> reporter: still, holmes was an academic high achiever, getting a degree in neuroscience at the university of california riverside. >> he was an honor student. he had a merit-based scholarships while he was here. >> reporter: but that was the high point. after riverside, he returned to san diego in apparent frustration, unable to land a meaningful job. and though he entered colorado's prestigious anschutz medical campus as a grad student with ambitions, he only lasted a year.

police say that days after quitting, he bought the last of four guns exactly like these and is the lone suspect in an act of savagery colorado governor john hickenlooper described this way. >> i mean, this is the act, apparent apparently, of a very deranged mind. >> reporter: the vigils and impromptu flower memorials have started, this one near the theater complex. and late friday, residents of the buildings adjacent to holmes' apartment that had been evacuated out of fear that his apartment was booby-trapped were allowed back under police escort for a few minutes to collect a few personal items, but not to return yet, an officer told adreanna ruiz. >> he told me maybe one day, one day. >> because they are investigating. >> they are investigating the bomb. >> see what's going on. >> reporter: but it could be longer. >> it could be longer. >> reporter: no bomb confirmed, but through the windows, police could see a lattice of trip wires and bottles and vessels of unknown substances throughout the holmes apartment, enough for the investigation to shut down for the night for another try entering on saturday.

>> it is a very vexing problem how to enter that apartment safely. i personally have never seen anything like what the pictures show us. >> reporter: one police officer told me this morning that the scene of the apartment from the outside looking in looks like a movie set from a horror film. again, that attempt to get in will resume later this morning. in the meantime, holmes remains in jail, reportedly not talking to the police, not cooperating, and he's hired an attorney prior to his first scheduled court appearance monday morning. savannah? >> all right, mike taibbi, thank you so much. and as we head back to jenna in new york, i should add, jenna, that as mike mentioned, the suspect will be in court on monday. i actually spoke to his defense attorney yesterday afternoon. the defense attorney's extremely frustrated because he says he has not been able to get in to see his client. he very much wants to speak to him, but as we just heard from mike taibbi, it does not sound like this suspect is talking to police right now. of course, this will all unfold in the coming days as we expect charges at any day now. jenna?

>> all right, savannah. we'll have much more from you out in aurora in just a little bit, but we want to turn our head now to this morning's other top stories from cnbc's courtney reagan at the news desk. courtney, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jenna. good morning, everyone. investigators now believe that two missing iowa cousins were kidnapped. they arrived at this conclusion friday after an fbi dive team failed to find the girls' bodies in a lake near where they were last seen a week ago. 10-year-old lyric cook-morrisey and 8-year-old elizabeth collins vanished after going for a bike ride in evansdale, a small town in northeast iowa. the u.s. department of agriculture has declared a drought disaster in more than 26 states, the largest such declaration in the history of the program. u.s. corn and soybeans are at record high prices while the nation's cattle herd is at its smallest level in at least four decades. forecasters say the hotter-than-normal temperatures, which helped create the drought, are expected to last through october. severe weather tore through north texas friday. high winds caused an 18-wheeler

to tip over on to a passenger vehicle near the dallas-ft. worth international airport. hail, lightning and heavy rain delayed several flights. no one was seriously hurt. separately, torrential rains caused part of a ceiling to collapse friday at a mall in charlotte, north carolina. shoppers say it was frightening, but fortunately, everyone got out okay. it's estimated that up to three inches of rain fell in about 45 minutes. turning to syria, where the rebels are pushing deeper into the capital of damascus in their fight to topple bashar al assad's regime. nbc's ayman moin dean is here with more. >> reporter: they have clashed for a seventh straight day in damascus. since an attack on wednesday killed the country's defense minister along with three other top security officials, rebel have been frequently ambushing troops and attacking police stations in the capital, but the syrian military is fighting back fiercely, attacking

neighborhoods with helicopter gun ships and heavy weapons, but it's not just the capital that is seeing the intense fighting. opposition activists say the past 48 hours have been the deadliest since the conflict began. more than 450 people were reportedly killed in the latest escalation of violence across the country. meanwhile, this is worsening a dire humanitarian situation. the refugee agency says between 80,000 syrians have left. as the u.n. pulls out observers after the 90-day peace plan expired on friday. >> a dire situation. ayman moy ha dean, thank you. the olympic torch arrived in london, flown in by a helicopter to the iconic power bridge. from there, it was rappelled down to the ground by the royal marines before being handed off to the first london torchbearer. the 2012 olympics begin friday,

july 27th right here on nbc. that's the news. now back to jenna and bill. >> all right, courtney reagan. courtney, thank you very much. bill karins is here with a check of your forecast. >> good morning. >> how are you doing, bill? we're doing good, but the middle of the country can't catch a break. that continues to be the story of the summer. you're having temperatures more familiar with phoenix, arizona. excessive heat warnings continue from omaha, topeka, kansas city, back up towards des moines. heat advisories in many other areas. look at the five-day forecast in kansas city. this is literally the same forecast i would give for phoenix this time of year, 100 to 105 straight through the middle of this upcoming week. so the drought is only going to get worse in this area, too. the only cool spots on the map, the pacific northwest and new england. everywhere else is pretty warm. and watch out in the southeast, you have a good chance of seeing showers and thunderstorms that could possibly rain out your saturday afternoon. that's a look a >> good morning. down at ocean city, clouds today and a bit of a surf, and folks are beginning to come out on the beach. it should be ok down there, but

there is a chance of rain. the farther south you go today, the higher chance of that's your saturday forecast. jenna? >> all right, bill, thank you very much. the tragic death of an aspiring sportscaster, still ahead. she just cheated death in another shooting in toronto. we're back with much more from new york and aurora, colorado. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

well, today this community will start to try to get back a little bit to how life was before the mall we are in right now, jenna, will reopen for business. it was closed yesterday, but the theater where these shootings

took place remains closed indefinitely. the ten victims who lost their lives inside that theater have now been removed. and just ahead, we'll have a conversation with a young woman who was in the front row of that movie theater when the bullets started flying. she said the gunman looked at her, pointed a gun straight at her but didn't shoot. also ahead, we're going to have a closer look at the alleged gunman, james holmes. were there possible warning signs that could have been missed? we're back in a moment, but first, these messages. >> good morning. i'm jennifer franciotti. the time right now is 7:25. here's a look at some of our

top stories this morning. authorities in at least six states, including maryland, are investigating whether a traveling hospital technician accused of infecting 30 people with hepatitis c in new hampshire exposed earlier patients to the liver-destroying disease. authorities say the suspect is known to have been infected with hepatitis c since at least june 2010. he was arrested in new hampshire on thursday, accused of stealing syringes of a powerful anesthetic from a hospital there. investigators say he would then inject himself is and then refill those syringes with saline that were later used on patients. 11 news has learned that he worked at the baltimore veterans medical center, southern maryland hospital, johns hopkins, and maryland general hospital from may 2008 through march 2010. >> he knew he had hepatitis c as of at least june of 2010. he continued to divert drugs and permit tainted syringes to be used on patients under his care. >> authorities say at least 30

patients have been infected with hepatitis c. state health officials say hospitals will notify patients who may have been exposed with instructions for followup. some mixed news on the jobs front here in maryland. the u.s. department of labor reports that maryland shed 11,000 jobs last month, and that marks the fourth straight month of jobs declines and puts the state's unemployment rate at 6.9% in june. that's up from 6.7% in may. the one silver lining -- the agency revised those may findings, saying employers cut 2,900 jobs rather than the 7,500 initially reported. we're going to get another check on your weekend forecast with john. ♪ ♪

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>> we have rain showers around the area this morning. it's mostly light. here's the city and right around the beltway, so some smours on the eastern shore. south of us, most of the rain is south. northern anne arundel county, p.g. county, back into the northern part of the district, and even parts of howard county are getting a little bit of light shower activity at this time. it's 64 degrees, a lot cooler than it has been. 96%, the humidity. this is at b.w.i. northeast wind is at 13. we will have an easterly wind. that front has pushed farther south, so we're in the cooler air. but as long as the front is in the neighborhood and we have that northeast wind, we're going to see a chance for some rain today, although i think it will be higher this morning and more drizzly the farther south you go this afternoon. a lot of clouds and cooler with a few scattered rain showers, especially south of us. northeast winds at 10, mostly in the 70's to near 80 for the

high. the ocean city forecast, rain today, but dryer on sunday. are there any vigils planned? we're back with more of this special edition of "today" on a saturday morning, the 21st day of july 2012, one day after one of the worst shooting sprees our nation has ever seen. at least 12 people are dead, 58 more injured when a trip to the movies turned into mass carnage. and good morning, again, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie reporting from aurora, colorado. jenna wolfe is back in studio 1a. and coming up in this half hour, we're going to have the latest on the investigation into what happened here at the century 16 movie theater. >> the alleged gunman, james holmes, has been in police custody for more than 24 hours.

when he was apprehended, he told police "i am the joker." holmes also warraned investigats that his apartment was booby-trapped. since then, we're told he has not been cooperating with investigators. we're going to talk to a former fbi profiler about what authorities are doing to build up a case against him. >> also, of course, security has been beefed up this weekend at movie theaters across the country. so, will what happened here make us rethink our security at places that are usually considered safe, like malls and schools that some people call soft targets? >> then, we're also going to tell you about a woman who just missed getting caught in a mass shooting in toronto a month ago, only to die in colorado. coming up, her friends and family will talk about what an amazing person she was. >> quite a story. and then later, we have an exclusive interview with a young woman who was saved in the shooting by her boyfriend, the military man who sacrificed his own life for hers. but we begin this half hour with

22-year-old jennifer seeger. she was in the theater with her best friend at the time of the shooting, and i spoke with her on friday and asked her to describe what happened. >> i was sitting in the front row, and it was about 20 minutes into the movie. the gunman comes in, and everybody thinks he's part of the show. they thought he was an entertainer. >> what do you think? >> i thought so, too. i didn't know any better. i figured they were trying to make, you know, the show seem more interesting as far as that goes, but then everybody started realizing that it wasn't a show, it was not even entertaining. he literal haey just chucked a canister of, like, tear gas material, sort of, into the crowd, and then everybody started coughing and then just the first fired to the ceiling. at which point, everybody panicked, screaming, there's a gunman, we've got to get out of here. and i was panicking myself. at that point, he literally took the gun and pointed it at my

face. >> let me stop you right there. >> yeah. >> what were you thinking? >> honestly, i don't think i was thinking, to be honest. i was just trying to survive. i knew that if i didn't move, i was going to get shot, so i had to do something. i just dove into the aisle, try to get myself underneath the chairs and i'm trying to protect my best friend. >> he had all this gear on, the gas mask, the vest. he must have been frightening. >> you know, he very much so was. i thought he was a cop and there was somebody in there that was in trouble. that's what he looked like, a gentleman from a s.w.a.t. team or something. he was tall, probably 6 foot, 180 pounds and he was very muscular and he had a gun in his hand. anybody with a gun in heir hand is terrifying. >> this just happened, it's so fresh, but do you think this is going to be something that changes your life? >> oh, completely. i don't see how it couldn't. honestly, when you're that close to death and you're seeing so much death around you,

especially something as innocent and sweet as a kid or a mom or a dad or a brother, it's really, it's just something you can't even comprehend. you just kind of take it as it comes, take it with a grain of salt, because you know, i -- i'm not going to be the same person ever again. >> jennifer seeger, who was in the theater yesterday. and we're learning more now about people who lost their lives in this senseless attack. among them was an aspiring sportscaster who narrowly missed becoming a victim in another shooting rampage just a month ago. nbc's kate snow has her story. ♪ >> reporter: her name was jessica ghawi, and she called herself a texan spitfire. >> i could interview you, if you want to. >> and i think i'm going to host the interview. >> reporter: friends say if you had to know one thing about jessica, it was that she loved hockey and sportswriting. she wanted to make it as a sportscaster. peter burns was a friend and mentor. >> you talk to anybody here in the sports scene that knew her it was an infectious, you know,

attitude that she had that everyone loved. >> so, friday y'all are playing texas. >> reporter: this is an interview she did on the ice in her hometown of san antonio, texas. >> she's not two seconds on the ice, and sure enough, she falls flat on her rear. >> there we go. >> reporter: and she clearly loved to laugh, even when it was on her. >> please! >> reporter: twitter was her thing, too. she persuaded an old buddy to go to the movies, and of course, she tweeted about in under her work name, jessica redfield. she joked about convincing her friend to go. "people should never argue with me." and then, another tweet from the theater. "movie doesn't start for 20 minutes," she wrote. that was the last thing she ever tweeted. it went to her friend, jesse specter. >> i like to think of her as just being so excited to go see the movie and as excited as she was about doing everything else that she did. >> reporter: jessica's family heard the awful news in the

middle of the night. >> it started with a phone call, early morning, san antonio, texas, from my mother, hysterical. >> reporter: jessica's friend told them that all hell broke loose. jessica and her friend dropped to the ground. she was shot in the leg. >> but he remained calm and took care of my sister when she got hit with the first rifle round in the leg and was trying to treat her on scene, or actually in the movie theater, in the line of fire, when he sustained an injury, a rifle round. >> reporter: he suddenly realized that she was no longer screaming. she had been hit in the head. remarkably, just weeks ago, jessica had cheated death in another shooting. she was in toronto, canada, visiting her boyfriend when a gunman opened fire in the food court at a busy shopping mall. jessica had been standing there only minutes before. >> man, what are the odds that you're in one of those incidents once in your life, let alone twice within, you know, a two-month span? >> reporter: in a blog about the shopping mall shooting in toronto, she wrote, "i say all the time that every moment we

have to live our life is a blessing. so often i have found myself taking it for granted, every hug from a family member, every laugh we share with friends." in that same blog, she also wrote this, "we don't know when or where our time on earth will end, when or where we will breathe our last breath." jessica ghawi was 24 years old, full of life and laughter. >> and that was nbc's kate snow reporting. let's go back now to jenna in new york. >> all right, savannah, thank you. bill karins is back with another look at the weather forecast. hey, bill, good morning. >> good morning. take a little break and help everyone plan their weekend, if you're doing some outside plans. we don't have a lot of bad weather, not too many washouts for your weekend plans. the best chance of that would be through the southeast. that stalled frontal boundary caused problems yesterday with thunderstorms that show up around charlotte, and once against today from raleigh to charlotte, atlanta all the way down through alabama, mississippi, louisiana, your best chance of storms. your sunday forecast, not a lot

changes. middle of the country continues to sizzle. we'll see the hot air beginning to expand, too, heading back into areas like st. louis, indianapolis and eventually we'll be back near 100 as we start next week around chicago, so a lot of locations got a little mini break in this heat wave and it looks like it's going to expand as we go through the tail end of our weekend into next week. hat's a look >> good morning. drizzle and light rain near town. you can see it on the lens of our sky cam. the rain chances will back off today, but we'll see clouds and temperatures in the 70's. and that's your weekend forecast. jenna? >> all right, bill, thank you. up next, inside the mind of the man accused of one of the worse mass shootings in united

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james holmes, the suspected shooter in the aurora movie theater killings, is scheduled to appear in court monday morning. so far, police have not released any comments he's made while in custody, and they haven't talked about a possible motive. so, where does the investigation go from here? clint van zandt is an nbc news analyst and former fbi profiler.

clint, good morning. thanks for being with us. >> sure, jenna. good to be with you. >> take us inside this investigation a little bit. what are the big questions police are trying to get answered at this point? >> well, we all want to know motive, to begin with, but you know, we've got to be careful. i've seen people on television yesterday just flippantly, well, he's a sociopath, he's a psychopath. you know, in america, we all want to put a label on somebody, we want to say what is the cause and what is the cure? we want that real quick. i've got the flu. i shook hands with somebody who had the flu, chicken soup is going to cure me. well, with the human mind, that's not the same with a complex person, but the authorities are trying to understand motive, but jenna, they also want to make sure, because they know, for example, in 75% of mass murder cases, somebody other than the shooter knew something, they knew it was going to happen, they knew the person was accumulating weapons, they knew the person was angry, frustrated, rageful. so, they're trying to find out, number one, did he have any

help? number two, was there anyone else who at least knew? and of course, we've got the big question that looms, too, is that apartment. why was that apartment booby-trapped? did he want to destroy evidence? did he want to set up a situation where an explosion took place just prior to his shooting, and therefore, the police would rush to one side of the town so he would be free to shoot on the other? or was he trying to kill first responders? >> right, well, let's talk about that apartment a little bit more. i understand police say there were trip wires, there's sophisticated explosive devices, a number of different potential bombs in the apartment. talk about the process of clearing this apartment out and what lies ahead in the next hours, possibly days, for the police at this point. >> well, number one, they really want to take their time. there is no hurry, there is no ticking bomb that we know of that's inside that place. and the last thing we want to do after all this other murder and mayhem we saw yesterday is to lose a police officer, an fbi bomb tech or anything like that. so, they're going to take their

time. there's probably evidence in there that law enforcement needs to get their hands on. so, they're going to be very methodical. there is no rush, there is no hurry. they've got days to clear this place, so they can get in, number one, render safe any explosive devices, chemical devices, and two, get to the critical information. is there anything there that indicates his planning, his preparation? and was this just a one-two punch, the shooting and then the apartment, or would there be each a third phase we're not aware of? that information would likely be in that apartment. >> clint, we're not saying this is any sort of copycat situation, but you say there are aspects of this tragedy that remind you of the shooting in norway last year? >> absolutely. realize, two days from now will be the one-year anniversary with that horrific shooting in norway. and as you remember, jenna, in that situation, the shooter in norway first set off an explosive device that killed people and had law enforcement

rush to that explosion. while they did that, he then went over to this island where all these young teenagers were, and methodically started mowing them down, killing them. another killing field just like we saw in that theater. jenna, a lot of times, people are not original thinkers, they're copycats, and somehow, i've got to imagine that may have impacted on him, notwithstanding that he dyes his hair a color and tells us he's the joker. >> we have a lot of questions still needing answers. clint van zandt, as always, thank you so much for your insight. >> thank you, jenna. up next, can you really feel safe anymore in public places? that's right after this. i love cash back. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna.

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join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. there were gunshots flashing to my right, and i just see people falling, and i'm like, i've got to do something, i've got to do something. >> this community of aurora, colorado, is reeling after friday's deadly shooting at this movie theater. it is just the latest example of innocent people being put in harm's way in a place they had considered safe, and it has a lot of people wondering today, is there really any way to protect the public when a gunman comes on a mission? more now from nbc's michael isikoff. >> reporter: in movie theaters across the country this weekend, police step up security at showings of the new "batman" movie to reassure anxious patrons. >> the new york city police department is covering all 40

locations in new york city with police officers that are showing "the dark knight rises." >> reporter: the aurora shooting has shocked "batman" fans. >> like, it's kind of scary. >> reporter: why? >> because just knowing that, like, all those innocent people have been, like, injured or, like, killed. >> reporter: but they're still lining up. >> probably be looking out a little bit, but i think that's just natural after hearing news like this anywhere. >> reporter: a national group is talking to local and federal officials about ways to beef up security. that a movie theater has become a scene for a random, mass shooting is unnerving security experts. they've long been worried that so-called soft targets like this are virtually impossible to protect. what are soft targets? a tucson shopping mall where congresswoman gabrielle giffords was shot and six others killed by a deranged gunman, a church school in oakland where seven people were killed by a former

student, a soccer field near wilmington, delaware, where just this month three fans were killed and two wounded. nationally, there have been about 60 multiple shootings in the past 18 months, a recurring theme, say gun control activists, is the ability of these shooters to obtain high-powered weapons, such as the ar-15 assault rifle and glock pistols used by alleged aurora shooter james holmes. >> the common denominator for all these tragedies is that a dangerous person had far too easy access to a gun that can deliver this kind of carnage in seconds. >> reporter: but the powerful national rifle association has blocked any move for stricter gun laws, meaning that, for now, beefed-up security and greater vigilance may be the best protection against horrific attacks like the one in aurora. for "today," michael isikoff, nbc news, washington. >> and we have much more still to come from aurora, colorado,

site of one of the nation's worst shootings. but first, this is "today" on nbc. still thinking of replacing the truck? i just don't know where to start.

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jenna, there are so many stories here in aurora of unspeakable heartbreak, but also incredible courage. and still ahead, a true hero. the military man who gave his life to save his girlfriend. we will speak with her exclusively. she's alive today because of his bravery. >> we'll look forward to that. plus, more on the investigation as police try to find a way to enter the suspect's booby-trapped apartment. but first, these messages. with no added sugar. just one glass equals two servings of fruit. very "fruit-ritious." or try ocean spray light 50, with just 50 calories, a full serving of fruit, and no added sugar. with tasty flavors like cranberry pomegranate and cranberry concord grape, it's like a fruit stand in every bottle. [ splashing ] just, you know, demonstrating how we blend the fruits.

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friday's shooting in colorado brought painful memories for the family and friends of a baltimore county man. this man was randomly shot as he watched one of the x man movies. a friend of his spoke to 11 news. he said the rampage in colorado drew several similarities to the murder of his friend. >> i'm starting to think to myself that this particular incident almost sounds like some what of a copycat. to see this happen again, you know, it makes me think that maybe the theater should have some kind of detectors that might catch a person going into the theater with a knife or a gun. >> his killer was found guilty, but not criminally responsible. he was committed to a psychiatric facility. meanwhile, the on and off rainshowers did not stop people

from going to the opening of artscape. this year's festival features displays from a large human head to your uncovered portal bodies. in addition to the visual attractions, there are 50 food vendors ready to sell. there is also tons of light music. it is the largest free art festival in the nation. more than 300,000 people will report for this event

the good morning. we are in the 60's. cloudy with light rain. basic picture shows light shower activity. stronger storms down to the south. a lot of clouds all over the area. the front that has been stuck over us will slip further to the south and we have a northeast wind bringing moisture and of steel into goshen. waves moving across the front. at least we are cooler now. our temperatures today will only be in the 70's, much like yesterday. we are in the 70's for the high. today is the case -- light rain chances. scattered rain showers. deeper in the day, a higher chance of rain will be pushed to the south. i do not think it will be a washout. 77 to 81 is the high. 10 miles per hour for the wind. rain chances higher for ocean city. diminished on sunday. temperatures of around 80 or so.

we have another rain chance coming by early next week. >> thank you. thank you for joining us. we are back in 25 minutes with another update. see you then. this is an act that defies description. we can't connect emotions that we commonly think of. >> colorado's governor on the latest on this senseless shooting rampage, this time at a crowded movie theater, and it happened just miles from columbine high school, site of one of the nation's worst school shootings. and we are back with more of this special edition of "today" on a saturday morning, "tragedy in colorado." good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie in aurora, colorado. lester is on assignment overseas and jenna wolfe is in studio 1a in new york. jenna, good morning to you. >> good morning to you,

savannah. all this happened more than 24 hours ago. has it started to sink in there in aurora yet? >> you know, i think people here are still just in shock. and honestly, the biggest question still remains -- why? why would a gunman do something so heartless, so senseless? so many innocent people. and it may be a question that's unanswerable. here is the latest that we do know. 12 people have died, 58 were injured. 11 of those victims are in critical condition. the suspected gunman has been identified by police now as 24-year-old james holmes. he's due to make his first court appearance on monday. investigators say he used a military-style semiautomatic rifle, a shotgun and a pistol, and was armed with 6,000 rounds of ammunition. he had purchased all of that legally in recent weeks. police plan to try to enter his booby-trapped apartment later today using a robot to detonate what are believed to be explosive devices, incredibly

delicate work and a frightening situation for everyone in that area, jenna. >> unimaginable. also after that, coming up, we're going to talk to a young woman who went to the movies with her boyfriend, a military man, when the gunfire erupted, he shielded her with his body and he saved her life. sadly, he died in the process. she'll talk to us about his heroic, last act in an exclusive interview in just a minute. savannah? >> jenna, thanks. we want to first turn to nbc's miguel almaguer, who has the latest on this investigation. miguel, good morning again to you. >> savannah, good morning again to you. fans started lining up to see this movie at 6:00 p.m., hours before it was actually to start showing. among those in the crowd is believed to have been the gunman, who purchased his own ticket. police say james holmes is the man who is responsible for the movie massacre. >> 315 and 314 for a shooting at century theaters. >> reporter: chaos, confusion, bloodshed, a sprint for the exits. >> he would, like, shoot off a round of six to eight to ten

shots, and it sounded like he was reloading, but you could hear the screams of, like, children. >> reporter: 70 victims total, 12 of them confirmed dead, dozens transported to the hospital. the victims soaked in blood, some carried out by family and friends. police say the alleged gunman, 24-year-old neuroscience graduate student james holmes, wore body armor wand armed with an assault rifle, a .12-gauge shotgun and two glock handguns. minutes into the batman movie, he opened fire, his hair dyed reddish-orange. he told police he was the joker. >> in the last 60 days, he purchased four guns at local metro gun shops, and through the internet, he purchased over 6,000 rounds of ammunition. >> reporter: witnesses say holmes entered through an exit door, tossed what appeared to be smoke grenades, then, pointing his weapon into the air, fired a single shot. the suspect then opened fire on the crowd, spraying bullets at anyone that moved. holmes was taken in to custody

minutes after leaving the theater. >> he surrendered without any significant incident to our officers. >> reporter: today, detectives have no motive and believe holmes acted alone. just four miles from the crime scene, police swarmed his apartment. >> his apartment is apparently booby-trapped. >> reporter: friday, police found incendiary devices inside his home. the apartment complex had to be evacuated. across town, victims were rushed to multiple hospitals. the youngest 3 months old, the oldest 45 years old. >> the injuries range from gunshot wounds to the head, to the neck, to the chest and to the abdomen. >> reporter: stephen barton would see the carnage and can't shake the nightmare. >> this started being, you know, the muscle flash of the gun. at the time, i thought it was still fireworks. then i got hit here and i realized it was something much more serious. >> this is now the deadliest

shooting in the state of colorado since the columbine massacre in 1999. and of course, savannah, it's not just the state thinking about this tragedy, it's much of the country. >> of course. miguel almaguer with the latest on the investigation, thank you. well, some of the people at the movies thought the smoke and the shots were part of the show. my next guest's boyfriend, a military member, knew better. john blunk immediately threw jansen young down to the concrete floor, covering her with his body, saving her life, and ultimately, sacrificing his own life. jansen young is with me now. good morning. we send our condolences. >> thank you. >> how are you doing? >> i'm alive. i'm doing okay. like, the hardest part is realizing that this is real, i guess, you know? i'm still trying to work through it. i've only got three hours sleep since the incident, because it was like no option at all yesterday, so, i'm still trying

to, i guess, sort through the whole thing. >> when you think back to what happened inside that theater, do you remember the moment you realized, there's a gunman, he is shooting, this is real? >> it was kind of all, like, it was scattered. like, i would think it was real for a minute and then i would kind of change my mind and be like, no, this can't be real, these people are acting, this can't be real. and probably, i mean, it was the most real, like, i knew for sure was when i finally tried to sit up and realized, like, me and a few others were left in the movie theater, and i was like, whoa, oh my gosh, this really is real. because even though things were going crazy, and you know, people were screaming, "i've been shot, i've been shot!" i was like, oh, my gosh, this is real. no, this can't be real, you know, this is a joke. >> and john immediately kind of

pushed you to the floor, didn't he? covered you with his body? >> yeah. well, he immediately did like a bomb, or something. it flew up behind us, like up in the left-hand corner if you were looking up in the screen, and it just went boom, and he immediately, he, like, pushed my hips down to the floor and he's like, "jansen, get down and stay down," and i was like, what? what is going on? why? because i have to question everything. and i was just like, what's going on? and he kind of pushed me in under the seat and pushed on me real hard and he was, like, laying up against me. he kind of whispered in my ear, "there's someone with a gun and he's shooting people," and i just didn't know, but he knew immediately that it was real. >> you were down on the floor. he was hovering you. what could you hear? what could you sense? what could you feel on your own body? >> there was someone, like, they were probably sitting a row above me.

it was a female and she was screaming "i've been shot! i've been shot!" and i didn't know, i kind of felt a little bit, but i didn't really know what that was. then it was like a whole bunch of wetness everywhere, and i started thinking, like, this is definitely, that's water pouring, that's too much wet to be anything but a water balloon. and then people -- a person just kind of stepped on me on the way out and was screaming "jesse's been shot!" and i could hear people breathing. >> and it was blood that you felt on your body. >> yeah, and i didn't know that until after, obviously, i had gotten out. >> there came a time when you did have a chance to get out, but you realized that john was lifeless. did you know that he was gone at that moment? >> i think so. i kind of -- i tried to shake him, like john, john, we've got to go, and i tried to call 911. i was trying to find his cell phone to call 911. i didn't know if they knew.

then i kind of poked my head up at that point and realized, like, oh my gosh, nobody's in here, it's just us. there were, like, a few other heads here and there, people i could see, but really the theater was empty, it felt like. so, that's when i got out. and yeah, i thought, i kept thinking, like, oh, my gosh, i think john just took a bullet for me. i was thinking about what a great hero he is. and like, he provided me the opportunity to survive through that, and he just knew, you know? >> he was obviously a wonderful person, what he did for you in those final moments. what would you want people to know about this man that you loved? >> he was just a hero last night. he has been a hero, you know, forever, and well before i even -- one thing he said to me

was, we were, like, talking, and one thing he said was, jansen, i was born to serve my country. because he was re-enlisting, and it was just what he wanted to do, and he loved it, you know? i know, even though, like, he saved me and he did me the opportunity to live, he would have done it for anyone that day, you know? the person sitting next to him, he would have been like, this person needs my help now. that's just who he was, and everybody knew it. he went above and beyond to help everyone, and he was an incredible person. >> when you think about that, the fact that he saved your life, you must feel such incredible love for him. >> oh, my gosh, yes. like, i even, laying down in bed last night, going, i don't know if i can sleep, i don't know if i can sleep. and the last thing i felt was tired, but all i could think was, i know the most incredible man, and i love him so much.

i prayed to john last night, saying, like, john, i love you. it's so great for what you have done for me. >> did you have a chance at all to speak to his family? >> a little bit. we got to -- a lot of his family's not in colorado, so of the few family members that are here, i got to talk to them yesterday at the high school, and i got to talk to a little bit more of his family over the phone, and we're trying to work through it. >> i can't even imagine what you must be feeling and thinking right now. this must just be something that has already changed your heart and will change your life. >> i think so. >> have you thought about how you might go forward, how you might be able to heal? >> i can't even fathom it. i can't even fathom not coming home to john, you know? like, i don't even know at this

point if i'm willing to stay in colorado. i mean, three days ago, i was coming back to colorado because i was going to live with john, be with john. now i'm like, what, what am i coming back here for? my family's not here, you know? like, i graduated. i don't know. >> i can't thank you enough for sharing your story and telling the world about the wonderful man that you knew. and we're so glad that you're here with us. >> thank you. >> we really appreciate it. jansen. and now we want to head back to jenna, who's in new york. >> absolutely heartbreaking, savannah. thank you very much. we want to take a little break from aurora now and get a check of this morning's other top stories from cnbc's courtney reagan at the news desk. courtney, good morning. >> good morning to you, jenna, and good morning, everyone. law enforcement officials say the first of two missing cousins has been reclassified as an an dupsion after an fbi team failed friday to find their bodies in a lake in northeast

iowa. 10-year-old lyric cook-morrisey and 8-year-old elizabeth collins disappeared a week ago while riding their bikes near the lake. and the sentencing phase begins today in the court-martial of an air force instructor convicted of raping a female recruit and sexually assaulting several others. staff sergeant lewis walker was convicted friday of the most serious charges in a sweeping sex scandal involving instructors at lackland air force base in texas. he could be sentenced up to life in prison. mitt romney will audition on the international stage next week when he travels to england, israel and poland. aides say the republican candidate will be looking to establish credibility as a potential commander in chief in his challenge of president obama. the death toll is rapidly mounting in the latest fighting in syria. more than 450 people have been killed in the past two days as rebels push deeper into the capital of damascus trying to topple bashar al assad's regime. the u.n. says thousands of terrified civilians have fled to

lebanon and iraq to escape what's being described as some of the worst violence of the 16-month uprising. and finally, a london taxi driver is hoping to make some extra money during the olympics. he's converted the back of his traditional black cab into a single bed for those who want to sleep in a most unusual hotel. the bedroom will eventually be fitted with curtains and a solar-powered fridge. the 2012 olympics begin friday, july 27th on nbc. i hope our nbc colleagues have secured their hotel rooms so they don't have to see a cab. now back to you, jenna. >> i feel like they're all set. i feel like they're good. >> they're going to be all right? >> just my feeling. bill karins is here with a check of the weather. hey, bill. >> well, good morning, everyone. this weekend's forecast is much more of the same, broken records. we're looking at the same hotspots day after day. it's shifted a little bit. we had a break yesterday in st. louis, but the heat's going to quickly return, so i hopo enjoyed it. but today, look at dallas up through central kansas, 105 to 107 degrees. this is the drought map, one of

the big stories this summer. all the farmers' fields from kansas to arkansas from the corn belt, through illinois, indiana and ohio, really struggling. we need the moisture. the green on the map is where it is raining, and we're not getting it in the spots we need. we're appreciating it a bit in the southeast and northern plains, but it's really in the heartland that we need a soaking, and it's not coming. ot >> good morning. down at ocean city, clouds today and a bit of a surf, and folks are beginning to come out on the beach. it should be ok down there, but there is a chance of rain. the farther south you go today, the higher chance of that's your saturday forecast. jen jenna? >> all right, bill, thank you. coming up next, colorado reeling after yet another shooting spree. that's right after this. ♪

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back now with more of a special edition of "today," "tragedy in colorado." this shooting spree has haunting echoes of the deadly attack at columbine high school back in 1999, just 15 miles away. we are joined now exclusively by colorado governor john hickenlooper. governor, good morning. thank you for being with us. >> you bet. good morning. >> so, these numbers are just so hard to wrap your head around. 58 injured, 12 people killed. can you tell us a little bit about the conditions of those injured, those who are still in the hospital right now? >> well, i haven't seen this morning, but as of yesterday, yesterday afternoon, we still had 11 people in critical condition. so you know, we have the best doctors. one of the untold stories so far is just how the medical community in the middle of the night came together incredibly,

i mean, without -- just seamlessly in terms of making sure with that level of a disaster, the right people got to the right hospitals. we had surgeons there literally within minutes. that, i mean, it could have been much, much worse -- as horrific as it is, it could have been a lot worse. >> that was the silver lining there. i want to ask you about the suspect, james holmes. neighbors have described him as a recluse, as somewhat of a loner. what have you learned about him? do you have any sense of why at this point he might have done something like this? >> well, and you asked one of those things, even if we had opinions, which we don't, you want to make sure that there is justice in this case and we want to make sure that we're not prejudicial. we do know that he seemed to have been a loner or a recluse, obviously very bright. that's been also reported. i mean, i'm not sure we're ever going to know. obviously a deeply troubled individual, and whether we'll ever get to know where that trouble came from and how it manifested itself in had i

hideous way, we still have to see. >> we've been hearing so much about his booby-trapped apartment. we understand that one of his neighbors actually went upstairs because he had left his music blaring so loud, she almost opened the door. she did call 911, we understand. do we have any sense of who these booby traps were targeted for? was it police, an unsuspecting neighbor trying to quiet a noisy tenant? have you spoken to police about any insight there? >> you know, i think they're still gathering information at this point, again, trying to make sure they have a thorough investigation before they release details, you know, a piece here and a piece there. >> all right, well, governor, all our thoughts and prayers are with you in the days and the weeks ahead as you and your community come to terms with everything that's happened. governor john hickenlooper, thanks again for joining us this morning. >> well, we appreciate it. thank you. >> we're back in a moment with much more from aurora, colorado, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

as we continue our coverage from aurora, colorado, still to come on "today," in his own words. an aspiring college football player who was shot in the neck and survived. jenna? plus, savannah, we're going to talk to an er doctor who treated patients from the shootings 13 years after doing the same following the columbine high school attack. but first, these messages. every room deserves to look great. and every footstep should tell us we made the right decision. so when we can feel our way through the newest, softest, and most colorful options... ... across every possible price range... ...our budgets won't be picking the style. we will. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get 10% off or up to 24 months special financing on carpet purchases with your home depot credit card.

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is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. >> this is wbal tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am jennifer franciotti. here are our top stories.

authorities in six states are investigating whether a traveling hospital technician accused of investing 30 people with hepatitis b in new hampshire exposed earlier patients. the suspect was infected since june of 2010. he was arrested in new hampshire on thursday and is accused of stealing syringes. he was going to inject himself and refill the syringe is the same way and would later use them on patients. he worked in the baltimore area at the veterans center and also the general hospital from may 2008 through march of 2010. >> he knew he had hepatitis at least june of 2010. he continued to divert drugs and permit to tainted syringes to be used on patients. >> least 30 people have been

infected and state health officials say hospitals will notify people with instructions for follow-up. mixed news on the jobs front in maryland. the u.s. abortion of labor reported maryland shed 11,000 jobs last month. it marks the fourth straight month and put the unemployment rate at 6.9%. that is up from 6.7% in may. the agency revised the findings say that employers cut 2900 jobs, rather than 7500. we will

>> drizzle and light rain showers this morning. the front is further south along with colder air. any we will keep you cloudy as moisture comes in off the atlantic ocean. temperatures will be held down. we will be in the 70's. kind of like yesterday. rain chances is tyra -- or higher. it is more than likely the rain will push further south. at least some dread or -- drizzle today. 77 to 81. for ocean city, thunderstorms. the rain chances go down on sunday. money does not look bad. sunday, there could be an isolated tower. each hour. for us, rain chances go up monday and tuesday. >> thank you. thank you for joining us. 11 news saturday morning starts in 25 minutes. see you then.

i just buried my head down and just in the aisle, you know, and just started to pray. >> that is one of the victims describing the sheer horror in the movie theater here in aurora, colorado. 12 dead, 58 others injured in one of the nation's worst ever shooting attacks. and we are back with a special edition of "today," "tragedy in colorado," on this saturday morning, the 21st day of july, 2012. good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie. jenna wolfe is back in studio 1a. jenna, when the gunfire rang out early friday morning, at least one of the bullets pierced the wall to the theater next door, and we're going to hear from a young man who was hit by that

bullet in just a moment. >> yeah, savannah, we're also going to talk to an er doctor who helped some of the victims in the tragic shooting and also at columbine high school back in 1999 as well. plus, movie theaters nationwide stepping up security after this attack, but is it enough to make people feel safe? we're going to get into that a little bit more, savannah. all right, jenna. we're also going to talk about the survivors, the guilt they may feel and how you can talk to your kids about this attack as well. but let's begin with one of the victims who was injured in friday's shooting. zachary goldich was watching "the dark knight rises" in the theater next to where the shooting happened, but one of the bullets went through the wall and struck him in the neck. he talks about what happened in his own words. >> the movie started and everything was good, you know. we were having our batman masks, having a good time, you know. then there was actually a scene in the movie, you know, where guns were actually fired in the movie, and it sounded like someone tossed, you know, like

fireworks or something. i actually had no idea that there was someone in the other theater, like, shooting. i look over and i can see the smoke, you know, like they said there was some type of firework. next thing i know, i turn around and a second or two later, like bam, right in the back of my head. i thought my ear had got blown off or something, you know. i just kind of fell into my friend's lap and, you know, just was screaming because of the pain. i feel the blood just hitting my hands and it's hitting pretty rapidly, and i got cut pretty good. i'm saying i've got to get out of here, because i'm losing blood pretty quick, you know. so, i hopped, i had to jump over a row of seats and i run out of the theater. i didn't know i was actually hit with a bullet until i was, you know, kind of cleaned up in the hospital and they're like, hey, man, you got shot with a gun. it missed the vitals, like the nerves and veins and what not. still, it's still pretty painful, but they just said i

was really, really lucky, you know. like an inch turning my head this way or, you know, if i would have done something different, who knows where the bullet would have landed in me. it is a significant event, but i'm just trying to be like, hey, okay, i was shot, let's move on, just be thankful that i'm here and i was able to make it out alive. >> that was shooting victim zachary goldich in his own words. and now we turn to an emergency room doctor in colorado who had seen too much tragedy. dr. chris palwell treated victims from the columbine shooting and then on friday night treated shooting victims at aurora and joins us this morning from the medical center. sir, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> as i understand it, your hospital treated seven of the victims. what condition were they in when you saw them? >> their conditions ranged from

very good condition to quite serious. we had some that we were able to treat and release from the hospital, and then others that needed to go to the operating room quite quickly. >> i imagine in a situation like this, everyone is still in shock. how were the patients and their families holding up when you saw them? >> well, we didn't interact with a lot of families at that point. patients were certainly holding up remarkably well under the circumstances. i think at that point, we were all able to better focus on the injuries, what needs to be done next, how we can best take care of them, not necessarily, at least at that time, think about the whole situation and everything else that's going on. >> for you, this must have been all too familiar. you were one of the physicians actually on the scene at columbine high school back in 1999. then you get a call in the middle of the night yesterday with another mass shooting.

can you talk about just how you felt at that moment? >> so, certainly, it certainly did bring back some very difficult memories. and thankfully, again, in a situation like that, we can concentrate on what needs to be done next, what our job is, what we have to do, how we can try to take care of the victims and anybody else that might need us. it's after it, after everything kind of becomes stabilized and you leave the hospital, go home and you sit down and try to think about, again, what happened, try to make sense of it, and in many ways, you just can't. so it's easier to focus on things we can make sense of, which is somebody who needs to be treated, somebody that we can help. >> i had heard that one of the nurses you work with who knew that you had been at columbine kind of pulled you aside for a moment yesterday. what did she say? >> no, she -- when i came into the hospital here, she saw me

walk in, said, thank god you didn't go to this scene. and i said i couldn't agree more. >> are there lessons learned in terms of the response, the medical response, that you got from columbine that you see in action today? >> well, i think certainly, we want to take advantage of, as tragic of a situation as columbine was, we want to try to learn that we can be better prepared if, god forbid, it could ever happen again. and sure enough, here ware looking at a situation. obviously different, but too similar in too many ways. and we do hope to get some learning objective from this, something to take away from it. and the same thing with columbine. we were able to learn about managing scenes like that, how to respond, how to focus on the patients, look at what we had,

prioritize who needs what resources immediately, who may need them in more of a delayed fashion. things like that are ways that we can be better at managing even tragic scenes like this, and i think we certainly were, as tragic as columbine was, better to manage these types of scenes than we were before. >> dr. chris colwell, thank you for speaking with us this morning and thank you for your good work, sir. >> thank you. have a good day. >> and now let's get a final check of the weather from bill karins in new york. bill, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, savannah. amazing stories all morning long out of colorado. let me help everyone with your weekend forecast, get you out the door, in case you have plans for the day today. only locations i'm minorly concerned with a possible rainout today, louisiana, watch out for thunderstorms, especially this afternoon, and up through the carolinas again i think we have a good chance of getting additional rain and pop-up storms. the northern plains, south dakota to northern minnesota also one of those spots that will be dodging the rain drops. but the middle of the country,

you're not going to want to be outside. temperatures will be easily above 100 degrees from dallas all the way up through nebraska. kansas continues to be the poster child for our amazingly hot summer, lately, easily in the 100s for at least the next ive days in a row. >> good morning. drizzle and light rain near town. you can see it on the lens of our sky cam. the rain chances will back off today, but we'll see clouds and today, but we'll see clouds and temperatures in the 70's. beep-bop-boop-bop boop-beep. [monotone] she says, "switch to progressive and you could save hundreds." call or click today. that's a look at your weekend forecast. jenna? >> bill, thank you. up next, movie-goers everywhere on edge after the tragedy in colorado. but first, these messages. >> at that moment, i just remember thinking i'm not going

to die in here. me and my kids, we're not going to die in here. i need to get them out. i need to get out. ♪

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the new "batman" movie is perhaps the most anticipated film of the summer, but anyone who is going to see it this weekend has to be thinking as well about the shooting in colorado. nbc's anne thompson now on the ripple effect. >> reporter: this movie had blockbuster written all over it, millions of devoted fans expressing their affection with costumes and cash, collecting record-breaking $30 million in back sales before the first frame flashed on the screen. but after the tragedy, caution

replaced excitement at screenings of "batman" across the country. >> i'm going to be a lot more aware of the exits around the movie theater from now on because of the news this morning that i saw. it's really kind of scary to think someone would do this. >> reporter: to calm fears, many in alexandria, virginia, saw an increased police presence. they are at 30 new york city theaters where the movie is playing. >> one for "batman," please? >> reporter: in chicago, joe jensen couldn't stay away, but couldn't ignore what happened, either. >> you're looking to do a little adventu adventure, and suddenly, that place is no longer a safe zone. >> reporter: kelsey phillips is one of those reassessing. >> if there is a movie with a midnight showing that i would really want to go see, i think i would maybe think twice about it just because you can't forget. >> reporter: the event made everyone pause. >> there's not one of us that doesn't read or hear this story, certainly anyone who has children, and think about it could be your child in that

movie theater. >> reporter: the fear reached all the way to paris. the french premiere canceled because of the shooting. the olympic torch arrived in london friday, but it was colorado that led britain's newscast. >> the night at the movies that turned into a massacre. >> reporter: at some theaters, there are new rules. >> the amc movie chain announced it will not allow customers to wear face-covering masks or bring fake weapons into theaters, and warned those in costume could be turned away. cinemark, the nation's third large yes theater chain and owner of the theater where the shooting took place, tried to reassure its customers. >> we have over 250 million people a year attend our theaters here and throughout the world, and the security or problems are very, very rare. >> reporter: where a place to escape to became a place to escape from. for "today," anne thompson, nbc news, new york. up next, dealing with survivors guilt. plus, how to talk to your kids about this tragedy.

but first, this is "today" on nbc.

the survivors of the colorado shooting are lucky to be alive, but the path to recovery could be long, especially psychologically. survivors guilt is sure to set in for some, which is common in a tragedy like this. dr. gail saltz is a psychiatrist and a "today" contributor. gail, good morning. thank you for being with us. >> good morning, jenna. >> first of all, explain to us, what is survivors' guilt? >> it's just that, it's guilt that you lived while somebody else died. it could be somebody in as close proximity as, you know, they shielded you and you feel guilty you survived and they didn't. or it could be more distant, like why did this happen to my family member, even if you weren't there, and not me? >> how does the guilt play into the role of recovery for the movie-goers, for the people that

did survive? >> i think for some of them, it probably will be very significant. you know, it depends a lot on the individual's psychology. in other words, are you someone that's prone to that type of guilt? what kind of relationship did you have with the person that you feel guilty that they died and you didn't? but there are definitely going to be people, because it was so random and because some, a family member was killed and the other one wasn't, a friend was, the other one wasn't, people shielded people -- >> right. >> so, i would be very concerned about some of the people who were there. >> where does post-traumatic stress syndrome fall into this? i mean, are these people going to be able to go back to the movies any time soon, or is that more of an individual thing? >> well, initially, you're looking at an acute reaction, which you expect everybody to be having. initially, they might have nightmares and feel very disturbed and fearful. post-traumatic stress disorder isn't something we would even talk about for a period of time, and only a small percentage of those will go on to develop that. so, they'll go on to develop avoidance of movie theaters or

anything that reminds them of that, maybe depression anxiety, difficulty sleeping, flashbacks. some may go on to develop that, and you would want to be on the lookout for those things because those people will need treatment. >> but this isn't just for them. i know for myself, the next time i go to a movie theater, i'll be thinking about this, looking for exits, wondering if this could happen. >> that's right. that's very normal. i think many people in this country, because this is such a visible story, such a disturbing story and so in our home, in our backyard, normal people will feel that anxiety, but that will dissipate, because the reality is, this is a bizarre and highly rare event. there are thousands of thousands of movie theaters across this country that are showing movies every two hours, and this has never happened. so, i think initially, people are realistically concerned about copycats, which is why issues like security are valuable now, but ultimately, living in a world of fear and limiting yourself because of

that would take much more away from your life than the risk that actually exists of this. >> then there's the issue of how you talk to your children about this. i'm sure a lot of children have been watching some of the coverage, are concerned that they go to a movie or what not. how does a parnth talk to a child and say this isn't going to happen, most likely, the next time you go see a movie? >> i think what you have to do is take the cue from your child. you want to be honest, ask them what they're thinking about, ask them what they're feeling, you want to honestly answer their questions, but depending on the age of the child, not offer that much detail. so, you know, for young children, you don't need to tell them all the specifics. it will just make it more graphic and more disturbing. you want to keep them away, quite honestly, from the media coverage. they shouldn't be watching this over and over, because for a kid, it feels like it's happening over and over, when they see it. and if your child starts to increasingly manifest anxiety along the way, then they may be an anxious child who's latched on to this to be anxious about, and they may need some help. but really, you want to reassure

them that this is unusual, highly unusual, and that the risk isn't really there for them. >> if anything, this is a process and it's going to take time. >> it's going to take time to heal, and depending how close in proximity you were to this event and the people involved, it may take longer. >> dr. gail saltz, thank you very much. appreciate you being here. we're going to take a break and come right back with some final thoughts. but first, these messages. i've been coloring liz's hair for years. but lately she's been coming in with less gray than usual. what's she up to? [ female announcer ] root touch-up by nice'n easy

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the community of aurora, colorado, is waking up to heartbreak this morning, as the reality of all that has been lost begins to set in. and of course, there are many painful days ahead as memorial services and funerals are planned for the 12 victims who passed away. and there is also a very delicate and dangerous operation for law enforcement, to require their skill, their expertise and also their courage as they try to get into the suspect's booby-trapped apartment, jenna. and of course, we'll continue to cover this story. >> yeah, such an unimaginable and horrific tragedy for this community, who has dealt with this way too often, especially after the columbine tragedy as well. we will be covering this story all day, so stay tuned to msnbc on cable, nbcnews.com and the internet, and of course, "nbc nightly news," savannah. >> all right, jenna, thank you. this has been a special edition of "today," "tragedy in colorado." we wish everyone a good day.

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>> live, local, latebreaking -- this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> at good morning. i am rob roblin. >> i am jennifer franciotti. >> the fda is warning maryland about shellfish distributed in the state. raw or partially-cooked oysters could lead to diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. signs have been showing up anywhere from a few hours to five days from consumption. check the tax if they were purchased from new york oyster bay harbor.

after june 1, they should be thrown out. lawyers for george hugh greet, are asking for a suspension of the wrongful death lawsuit. the defense argues that the civil case goes to trial before the criminal cases finalized, the fifth amendment protection against self-recrimination would be violated. b w y third marshall airport is getting a grand for a improvement to the runways, meant to bring them up to federal aviation administration safety standards. construction is expected to begin next month. >> it is if a cop 57. it is 64 degrees. -- 8:57. it is 64 degrees. >> the screening of the new

"batman" film turns into a court. >> and olympic debut. >> our weather feels like. we will talk about

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