tonight, the world is reacting to the death of nelson mandela. >> he no longer belongs to us. he belongs to the ages. >> millions are gathering to celebrate his life and legacy. >> like a grandfather, you know. he's the father of the nation. >> for my generation, he's a leader we've all looked up to. >> good evening. he was a former boxer who would spend most of his long life fighting for freedom, renouncing violence and fighting for sgrus just. nelson mandela would become one of the world east most iconic figures. >> he was later elected president of south africa. he died today at the age of 95,

but his legacy lives on. at howard university dozens gathered for a candle light vigil in his memory. outside of northwest d.c. tonight, people are leaving flowers and talking about his impact. president obama called mandela one of the most influential, a courageous and profoundly good men that ever lived. >> i would study his words and his writings. the day he was released from prison, it gave me a sense of whatans ca they're guided by their hopes and not by their fears. >> to honor the memory of nelson mandela, president obama has ordered flags to be flown at half staff at the white house and all publi buildings. >> tonight, the tributes in his honor. but let's begin with more on the growing crowds outside mandela's home in johannesburg. nelson mandela's suburban

mansion in johannesburg. the crowds have been building the last few hours, singing songs of the anti-apartheid struggle, singing the south african national anthem. late in the evening, the south african president went on national television and broke the news. and in doing so, broke the hearts of millions of south africans. >> our nation has lost its greatest son. our people have lost a father. >> nelson mandela went into hospital six months ago, first seriously ill, then critically ill, then he was returned to his home here in september where he was receiving the same level of care as he did in the hospital. so this day was not unpredictable, but painful nonetheless. the father of this nation, nelson mandela, dead at the age of 95. nbc news, johannesburg.

>> our team coverage continues tonight with shamari stone. he's live outside the south african embassy in northwest washington where there's been a steady stream of people turning out to remember nelson mandela. >> that's right, jim. a steady stream of people all evening long. it's a somber night here at the embassy. people have been stops by this chain link fence behind me dropping off flowers. along with quotes right here. nelson mandela statue at the south african embassy, paying tribute to the iconic former president. peter boyes remembers his heroic life of -- >> freedom, hope, a great fighter, a father, a gentleman. >> a mother brings her young son to place flowers in front of the ten-foot statue that was unveiled a couple of months ago. some snap photos admiring

mandela's courage and life-long struggle against apartheid. he was a light of hope for the oppressed. >> i want to pray for his family. >> for my generation, he's a leader we've all looked up to. >> in the 1980s, activists staged sit-ins and protests at the embassy that helped spur the u.s. to impose economic sanction against apartheid. and as you can see by the sign, the embassy is under construction right now, which is why there's a fence here. some folks say this barbed wire fence represent oppression and they wanted the embassy to take it down. some opened the fence and moved the flowers to the foot of the statue. johnny molado is the deputy south african ambassador. he said the fence is up to protect people from falling at the construction site. >> tomorrow morning, we will clear some space where people can come and place flowers. tonight he's focused on remembering a great man. >> he just carrying himself with such dignity. >> reporter: you're now looking

at a live picture of the nelson mandela statue with his fist raised. the deputy ambassador told me that officials will have a condolence book here tomorrow o and people can get closer to the statue and drop off flower flow. they will also have a memorial but they have not announced the time yet. of. >> howard university celebrates nelson mandela's accomplishments. his life, struggle through apartheid and triumphant release from prison and years as south african's president and statesman. the exhibit is called "nelson mandela -- character, comrade, leader, negotiator, statesman." one howard graduate said she just wanted to see the photos again to remember a great man. the exhibit started in october. it will last through april. no city in the u.s. has stronger ties to the late nelson mandela than the nation's capital. jackie benson joins us live from the howard university campus

from a vigil just wrapped up. jack jackie? >> this campus is one of the first places that nelson mandela visited in washington. [ bells tolling ] >> reporter: a solemn candle light vigil on the grounds of howard university commemorated the words and actions of nelson mandela. >> difficulties break some men but make others. no ax is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying. >> reporter: the university is currently hosting an exhibit on the south african leader's heroic struggles. >> it chronicles the life of nelson mandela and equally important chronicles the life of south africa in the last century. >> people at howard understand the big impact he made, especially in terms of south africa and anti-apartheid mooumt and all that. >> elsewhere, d.c.'s delegate to congress recalled the historic protests at the south african

embassy. >> washington did have a very special connection. even the years before the four of us went into the south african embassy with the initiation of what was to become a series of arrests of people of every variety and background. >> reporter: the mandela exhibit here at howard is a smaller version of the one in the apartheid museum in johannesburg. live at howard university, jackie benson, news 4. >> one washingtonian who spent significant time with nelson mandela is rita jo lewis. she's now a candidate for d.c. mayor. but back in 1990, she was the national tour director for mandela's eight-city tour of the united states. and the moments she spent with him, she will cherish. >> it was just truly awe inspiring to walk into a room and to see a man who had just come out of prison 27 years ago be ready to move through our country like the united states,

to thank americans. >> lewis also said mandela was humbled on that tour by all of the americans he encountered, young and old, who overwhelmingly supported him. much like the world is humbled to have known his strength and courage. mayor vincent gray and other local leaders are offering their condolences tonight following mandela's death. we posted their comments online. you can also find several photo galleries of mandela on our website, nbcwashington.com. >> we're covering breaking news in prince george's county right now. chopper 4 is up above the scene as crews try to put out a fire at a commercial building. apparently, there are hazardous materials involved, but we don't have many details about what kind. this fire is happening off van duzen road at laurel. foam units are rooifing to help fight the flames here. no homes or people are in danger. this is happening in prince george's county. the other big story tonight, the

weather. an early winter storm impacting more than half the country, from heavy snow to ice and bitter cold. millions are feeling its effects. the system has the po ten btitio spread widespread power outages. slick conditions on the roads are also a major concern. >> here's a look at just that, this video out, kansas city tonight, showing the dangerous coating of ice that's already on the roads there. temperatures dipped well below freeze, and it's about to get a whole lot worse tomorrow. the entire state could see snow from a light dusting to several inches worth. >> our area will also be affected by the arctic blast. doug joins us from storm center 4 with the latest. >> we saw a beautiful day today with temperatures close to 70 degrees in parts of the area. most areas at least in the upper 60s, but that is all about to come to an end. take a look at our storm team 4. you can see what we're dealing

with across the area right now. we've got rain moving in and a lot more back towards the west. shower activity across our area tonight, but this is what's going on. we've got rain across our region. snow back to the northwest, ice down towards the southwest, and all of that mess is going to move our way. first off, wire going to be dealing with some shower activity. we do have some rain across the area, shower, prince william county down towards fauquier county, winchester, i-81. we will see rain first. this is what you can expect early tomorrow morning. a mild standard, areas of rain, some fog, breezy temperatures, 50 to 58 degrees. even with the rain, this is the best time period in the entire seven-day forecast. i've got it for you coming new a minut -- in a minute. >> sex and drug scandal rock the d.c. police department. three officers are under a investigation. >> plus a tribute to a young girl tonight who was bullied in school. her parents say they did everything by the book, but she lost her life. and tonight, they rear sharing

her story so others don't fall victim. >> metro riders speaking out about forced air hikes. how much more you could fork out? >> and an outpouring of reaction from local athletes like rg3. stay right here. ♪

>> prosecutors claim there are crime scenes showing victims of domestic violence and naked girls. another officer is now on desk duty, being questioned on whether he alerted washington that he was about to be arrested. and the third officer is now being investigate for a possible prostitution ring involving teenage girls. he has not been charged. >> tonight, grieving family and friends of a virginia girl believe she might have been bullied to death. 13-year-old faith committed suicide last weekend. a viewing was held in herndon. her stepfather says he wants

more people to know about bullying. >> faith's friends are devastated. >> right now, the parents and community are focused on the children to make sure they come out okay from this. >> clark county school officials did not immediately respond to our request for comment on the family's concerns about bullying. >> fed up over possible fare hikes. news 4 transportation reporter lets us know how much you could be forced to fork over. >> talking metro air increases with riders. should there even be talk of an increase. >> i'm not sure why they're raising fairs, but i do think they need to come up with another method instead of raising fares. it's not fair to anyone. >> banna joebz doesn't think it's fair to raise the price.

we asked the head of metro if he thought it was fair. >> why is it fair? we have to operate and maintain the system. there should be a balance between what the jurisdictions and the taxpayers contribute and the fare riders. >> nobl finalized, but a number of proposals being talked about to raise fairs. metro has proposed an increase of 10 crepts for the average rail trip. many on the bus would pay 15 cents more. and parking fees would go up 25 cents system wide. before any decision is finalized, the public will get a chance to weigh in. the earliest any increase will take effect is july. back on the rails, every day rider keith rodie said if the fares do up, make sure the system is improved. >> until then i think we're going to be bitter about the increased fare. >> on lines like the red line, fare hikes could be a tough

sell. >> you've had a tough couple of weeks and people say why am i paying for that service? >> well, we' had a good year. we're up to about 92% on-time performance. >> doug is back with more about our weather. and beautiful day today. but it's all downhill from here on out, huh? >> it really is. continue to get all the latest data here. >> we'll take care of that for you. >> take a look at the latest data and tell me what it's saying. we're gong to be seeing a real mess out there over the next couple of days. tonight was the night to glet out and enjoy because temperatures were in the 60s. zoo lights going on at the national zoo. it was a beautiful, beautiful night tonight. a lot of people taking advantage of this nice weather. if you're thinking about hitting that tomorrow night, you're going to have to completely different story. take a look at the number, 62 kst, wind out of the southwest at about 12 hour. those winds picking up a little bit. going to be a little on the breezy side tonight.

we'll also stay rather warm overnight. 53 in martinsburg right now. 66 in culpepper. at this hour, it's 11:00. we're near 70 down towards fredericksburg. very warm air around the region. 62 d.c., 22 in chicago. very, very cold air. making its way our way. towards minneapolis. that's the cold air that will continue to move on in across the region. as far as the rain is concerned, not a lot right now from d.c. off to the east. but back to the west, around winchester, around i-81, back towards martins burg, you're seeing the shower activity. that's what we're gong to see as you move on through the night tonight. this is front back towards the west. a lot of rain associate withe wh that. the ice, the snow. this isn't going to come in our area on sunday. that's from a totally different storm system that's going to get the act together during the day on saturday. let's break this down for you and take a look at the timing for you and notice where you live. thursday, 11:00, we have some

shower, very warm. tomorrow morning, around 8:00, most of the area dry. a few showers across the region. i do expect tomorrow morning just to see some periods of rain. around noon, i do think the rain will move back in. tomorrow will just be wet as far as the rain is concerned. the colder air will move in during the afternoon. by 5:00, still seeing areas of rein. not an all-day rain tomorrow, just some showers. cold and breezy by 5:00 tomorrow evening. this will turn from a mild rain to a cold rein. wind chills down around the freefzing mark all day on saturday. that sets the stage on sunday. everybody seeing snow across the northern tier of the region and then down to the south. this is changing to freezing rain.

and then for the rest of us, i think a freezing rain sleet mixture will be here for most of the day. this is a messy situation lingering through monday morning. again 55. a high of 43 on saturday. only 34 on sunday. another chance for some snow coming up during the day on tuesday and the bottom drops out again with highs in the 30s. so if you like today's weather, so if you like today's weather, bottle it up.

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>> nelson mandela also an inspiration for sports heros. >> tiger woods has talked about him, muhammad ali. he's impacted at&t leets now and before. mandela didn't attend major sporting events for political gain. he genuinely and enthusiastically embraced them. rugby, boxing, soccer, crick pept those are just a few. he understood the different role sports play in breaking down prejudice.

nelson mandela has the unique ability to make people color blind. at the conclusion of the world cup final between south africa and new zealand, president nelson mandela who had only been in office for a year walked on to the field too congratulate his team on a remarkable victory. incredibly, he wore the team embl emblem, a long-time symbol of oppression to forgive a moment of racial forgiveness. 60,000 white people in the crowd chanted "nelson, nelson, nelson." he transformed the phrase one team, one country, into more than just a slogan but a symbol of hope. today, the reaction was coming in via twit per .the south african rugby team tweeting rest in peace, nelson mandela. we will never forget the role you played in our country, for our sport. and for that, we're eternally grateful. robert griffin iii road rest in peace and nelson. what a life he lied.

a living picture of the power of forgiveness. and from john wall, my prayers and condolences go out to the mandela family. what a great man. >> all right, to some college basketball now. georgetown hoyas looking sharp tonight. scored more points in the second half than their opponent did all game. let's go out to the verizon center. first ever meeting between the high point panthers and georgetown. first half, georgetown already up 13. starks fakes the three. off the glass and in. 18 points and five assists. 34-point lead. the hoyas turning up the defense here. the turnover and ran the break. the flush. georgetown with an easy night. they win it 80-45. a lot more excitement in richmond where vcuested eastern kentucky. first half, jevon lewis from the

three-point line. and drains it. vcu knots it up at 36-36. final seconds at 66. we are tied. vcu's grant drives, loses the ball, eastern kentucky goinghe other way. the buzzer beater, no good. guess where we're going? a little ot. caution, havoc. rob bradenburg in the corner, rob bradenburg in the corner, nothiyou won't take my life.

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this is the first time bobby the dog and the owner have seen each other for five years. bobby ran away from home near miami in 2008. just yesterday he was picked up by animal control and brought to the same shelter from which he was adopted as a puppy. the shelter checked, found a mike chip and called his long lost owner.

[ cheers and applause ] [ cheers and applause ] >> jay: thank you very much! thank you, thank you.