dr. jekyll-mr. hyde. who was this guy? guy that i knew was so honorable. >> others hinted at a different side to his character. >> he was frustrated with the government. as a veteran, he did not feel like he was getting treated right or fairly. >> he joined the navy reserve in 2007, where he served as an aviation the tricks and -- electrician and fort worth texas. he had a number of weapons related incidents in his name. in 2000 10, he was arrested on suspicion of firing shots -- 2010, he was arrested on suspicion of firing shots in and out parliament. his father said he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. they were related to the events of september 11. he was forced to leave the navy reserve. he found work as a waiter and converted to buddhism after developing a keen interest in the thai culture and language. >> he is a good guy. i cannot say if he did it or not. nothing told me he was going to be aggressive or that he was going to kill someone. >> he moved from texas to the u.s. capitol a few weeks ago we

dr. jekyll mr. hyde. who was this guy? the guy that i knew was so honorable. >> reporter: friends of aaron alexis were shocked by the shooting. his family said that alexis was suffering from ptsd. he was also arrested twice in the last ten years on gun-related charges. but they were eventually dropped. the contractor who hired alexis said the government should have made his previous record known saying if they knew then what they know now they they have would have hired him. al jazeera. >> a major coffee chain is caught in the middle of the gun control debate. starbucks is asking customers to leave its guns at home. but the company insists it is not an outright ban. they refer to local laws of some states that allow weapons to be brought into stores. >> meteorologist: i'm meteorologist nicole mitchell, and for many of you you're enjoying a lovely midday to the week. you'll be sneaking out of work a little early, but a lot of sunshine out there, that is for sure. here is the big picture across the country. you know, you can

dr. jekyll & mr. hyde. who was this guy? >> rescuers continue to search for survivors of colorado's deadly flash floods while stories of heartbreak and loss emerge from the disaster zone. >> but my mom told her, don't worry about me. save yourself. >>> and road to recovery. the 11-year-old girl whose fight to receive a lung transplant who made headlines is now breathing on her own. captioning funded by cbs captioning funded by cbs >>> this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, september 18th, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. >>> well, a troubled portrait is emerging this morning of a man who opened fire at the washington navy yard early monday morning killing 12 people. the behavior of aaron alexis had come to the attention of authorities a number of times over the years and even before the shooting. he had struggled with reports of mental illness. reports say just two days before the attack, the former navy reservist tried to buy an assault rifle from a gun store in virginia, but a state law

dr. jekyll, mr. hyde. who was this guy? the guy that i knew was so honorable. it breaks my heart. >> reporter: alexis' family has told investigators that he suffered from mental illness for a decade. he sought and received treatment through the department of veterans affairs. just last month, there was an incident in newport, rhode island. alexis called police there on august 7 to say he was hearing voices and that people were stalking him and using a microwave to send vibrations into his body. at the time, alexis denied ever having a mental episode. he also had several run-ins with authorities. twice he was arrested in minor shooting incidents. in seattle in 2004 and in texas in 2010. the texas shooting case led to alexis' discharge from the navy reserves. source say it was the last straw in a string of 8-10 misconduct incidents. now, we understand the navy wanted to dispatch alexis with a less-distinguished general discharge but after he appealed, that was then upgraded to an honorable discharge. scott, he then went on, as we know to become a defense contract

dr. jekyll and mr. hyde. but who was this guy? >> new information about the gunman who murdered 12 people at the washington navy yard. his troubling past and what may have triggered his shooting rampage. we are live with more. >> it's worse than i thought it would be. we lost absolutely everything we own. >> oh. devastation in colorado. residents returning to homes destroyed by the worst flooding that state has ever seen. we will show you the towns and areas hit hardest. >> so sad, i was reading a report this morning about a woman who was talking about her experience. she was telling us, the readers, you have no idea how bad it is. >> it's days and days. unbelievable. good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start." >> i'm zoraida sambolin. it's nice to have you with us. it's wednesday, september 18th. it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. >>> we're going to begin with new potential clues in the washington navy yard shooting. we're learning that suspect aaron alexis who killed 12 people before he was shot dead, he displayed erratic behavio

dr. jekyll mr. hyde. who was this guy.he guy that i knew was so honorable. >> friends of aaron were shocked by the shooting. his family said alexis was suffered from ptsd. he was al arrested twice in the last ten years on gun related charges. but they were eventually dropped. the contractor who hired alexis says the government should have made his previous record known, saying if they knew then what they know now, they never would have hired him. >> now, aaron alexis received this high level clearance while he was still enlisted. as we get a clearer picture of exactly who he was, we are beginning to see how some red flag issues we had fell through the cracks when it came to checking his background. >> juan carlos, thank you so much. for a closer look the role mental health issues could have played. a clinical psychologists who specializes in trauma. thank you for coming in this morning we appreciate it. >> when you hear things like he said he heard voices what does that mean to you? >> well, here auditory hallucinations, w

dr. jekyll and mr. hyde. who was this guy? the guy that i knew was so honorable. >> reporter: police records show alexis called authorities in rhode island six weeks ago claiming he was hearing voices and people were stalking him. officers alerted the navy, but the contractor kept his security clearance. investigators are trying to figure out why alexis did it. they also want to know why someone with reported mental problems had such easy access to the navy yard. the defense secretary says the military is reviewing all security procedures. >> with every there are gaps, we will close them. -- where there are gaps, we will close them. where there are inadequacies, we'll address them. >> reporter: the building is a crime scene. only essential personnel are allowed back in the navy yard. danielle nottingham cbs news, washington. >> the white house says president obama plans to attend the memorial service sunday for navy yard shooting victims. >>> in other news, across the bay area, san jose just installed a new razor wire near par

dr. jekyll, mr. hyde. who was this guy?rter: melinda downes spoke to aaron a week ago, saying there were no hints his friend was on the brink of launching a violent killing spree. >> you ask yourself, you go from denial to reality to fear to blame. is there something i could have done. is there something i could have saw, is there some type of behavior that i ignored or didn't see that i could have prevented this. but there is no answers. >> reporter: but there are clues that aaron alexis started unraveling mentally in recent months. according to newport, rhode island police, alexis called officers to his hotel room there in august. alexis told police that three individuals talking to him through a wall were sent to quote, harass him. he told police the harassers were using a microwave machine to send vibrations through the ceiling, penetrating his body so he could not speak. but alexis' friends in texas say they never saw this side of him. >> i can honestly tell you aaron was not hearing voices. there was no mental illness

dr. jekyll and mr. hyde. but who was this guy?n about the gunman who murdered 12 people at the washington navy yard. his troubling past and what may have triggered his shooting rampage. we are live with more. >> it's worse than i thought it would be. we lost absolutely everything we own. >> oh. devastation in colorado. residents returning to homes destroyed by the worst flooding that state has ever seen. we will show you the towns and areas hit hardest. >>

dr. jekyll and mr. hyde.ssad must go, there is a red line, then the next moment he's vacillating and trying to do anything but what he has said. what we've also seen for the first time is a congress abandon him including some of his staunchest supporters in the democratic party. you've seen people like the congressional black caucus, members like the hispanic caucus members say we're not going with you, and you've seen a lot of criticism coming even from democrats on his administration, the lack of clarity, the lack of vision, the lack of position, the lack of strategy. i've had congressmen who left those classified briefings, i can tell you, mario diaz balart, he wanted to vote yes, but that briefing was like hearing from the keystone cops, and i might be offending the keystone cops. >> a friend said it's easy to be critical. someone said, look, i don't know what the answer is, but what would you have done differently at any stage along the way is the question. >> well, if i were president? >> yeah. >> oh, t

dr. jekyll and mr. hyde. who was this guy? is there something i could have saw?ior i ignored or didn't see that i could have prevented this? but there is no answers. he was very intellectual. his mind was sound. he could hold a conversation with the best of us, and he didn't -- he was not hearing voices. and if he did, he hid it very well. >> wow. wendy walsh, psychologist, joins me now. what do you make of this? you hear one thing. his erratic behavior. from someone else, he was fine. what do you make of that? >> well, this is -- brooke, this is actually kind of common. if you have one of these organic progressive mental illnesses that has a biological piece to it that may involve hallucinations or dilutions, you're not bonkers 24/7. you can come in and out of things. i want to go back to the police interviewing him and him talking about hearing voices, et cetera. again, you cannot arrest somebody for being mentally ill in america. that's not a crime. and as we know, so many mentally ill people are in our society, not getting the help they need. but the thing th

dr. jekyll & mr. hyde. who was this guy?ontinue to search for survivors of colorado's deadly flash floods while stories of heartbreak and loss emerge from the disaster zone. >> but my mom told her, don't worry about me. save yourself. >>> and road to recovery. the 11-year-old girl whose fight to receive a lung transplant who made headlines is now breathing on her own.