. >> asked what ashley smith thought what his purpose was. she said to go to jail, pay for what he did and try to minister to people in prison. smith then told bryan nichols she had to leave to she her daughter and in her amazement he let her go. she immediately called 911, first she got two busy signals and then she finally got through. >> the victim is advising that he is in the apartment at this time. there are three weapons underneath the bed. she's advising he is wanting to turn himself in. >> heavily armed officers have now cordoned off the apartment complex. they've got their guns drawn. we've seen a sniper team. >> authorities surrounded the at, bryan nichols surrendered peacefully. >> we expected suicide. we never counted on ashley smith. we never took that into consideration. but ashley, with your calm demeanor and handling of the situation, with your cool-headed reasoning, you were able to overcome a very serious situation, and we want to say thank you. >> it's natural to start to form the conclusion of any story, but my role was r