jesse childress. >> we will remember. >> reporter: but the strength that comes in numbers, still not nearly enough to over com the pain and raw emotions, so much lost for so many. it has been difficult for the police officers as well. including the officer who tried unsuccessfully to save the youngest victim, six-year-old veronica moser. >> i have met with the officer. we're all coping with this. >> reporter: as they continued to try to work on the investigation, agents tried to process and gather evidence inside james holmes's apartment. tomorrow morning, the 24-year-old suspect will be seen for the first time since the attack when he stands before the judge, the start of what will likely be a long and difficult legal case. >> we will convict him. >> reporter: confidence and ultimately a conviction. this reeling community desperately needs it. now the hearing tomorrow is an initial advisement. the district attorney here saying that a decision on official charges and whether to pursue the death penalty will likely come later this week. in aurora, colorado, i'm jay gray, diane, back t

jesse childress died trying to save a female air force colleague.riday was alex sullivan's 27th birthday. today would have been his one-year wedding anniversary. veronica moser's mother was still in critical condition when she was told she will never again see the six year old who loved to play dress up. alexander boik was secretly engaged to his girlfriend. last night was honored at his high school. >> played on the baseball team. he had more friends than anybody i had known. >> reporter: jessica ghawi was well loved, too, an aspiring sports reporter. 23-year-old micayla medek, an avid green bay packers fan. rebecca wingo was a working mom pursuing a degree. and 27-year-old john larimer a petty officer in the navy, the youngest of five siblings. >> he was an outstanding ship mate, a valued member of our navy team and an extremely dedicated sailor. >> reporter: the oldest victim 51-year-old gordon cowden was a devoted father at the movie with his two teenagers. 12 lives lost to their loved ones and the world. >>> this is a special report from nbc ne

friends who served with him in the air force, grieving the death of 29-year-old staff sergeant jesse childressse, i think of big nerd. someone that was always humorous. someone who always made the office brighter. >> fun loving, caring, and going out of his way just to help anybody inside the unit and outside the unit. >> childress was on active duty just a few miles from the movie theater where he was gunned down. his friends urged him to join him at the screening. they were in theater eight. childress was in theater nine. >> we walked around for about two hours looking for sergeant childress and other people that were with him. >> you never found him? >> we never found him. >> buckley air force base lost two young men that night, petty officer third class john larimer, 27 years old in the navy only a year. >> john had that calming personality that everybody seemed to gravitate to. he was one of those very extremely competent professionals that had, you know, an extraordinary work ethic and was truly dedicated to the mission, the navy, and really all the sailors that he worked alongside. >> h

. >> jesse childress. >> we will remember. >> gordon cowden. >> we will remember. >> jessica ghawi. >> we will remember. >> john larimer. >> we will remember. >> matt mcquinn. >> we will remember. >> micayla medek. >> we will remember. >> veronica moser-sullivan. >> we will remember. >> alex sullivan. >> we will remember. >> alexander teves. >> we will remember. >> and rebecca wingo. >> we will remember. >> community promising we will remember. that was colorado's governor at the memorial just days after the shooting. you can hear it in the voices of the crowd. people determined not to make this about a gunman but about a father of four great kids. about a baby sister working to earn enough money to see the world. about a multitalented mom pushing new horizons. about a 6-year-old girl. we will remember. these are their stories. not far from the century theater, 12 white crosses honor those whose lives have been cut short. airman kevin came to mourn his friend, staff sergeant jesse childress, a 29-year-old cyber systems operator. stationed at buckly air force base. >> i think of a big

kevin came to mourn his friend, staff sergeant jesse childress.tion the at buckley air force base. >> when i think of jesse, i think of a big nerd, someone who was always humorous, someone who always made the office brighter. >> reporter: a.j. boik is being remembered for his laughter as well. only 18 years old, he'd recently graduated high school. his friends have made a facebook page in his honor, posting videos of him dancing and smiling. you can't find someone with a brighter smile and more positive outlook, one friend wrote. gordon cowden was the oldest of those who lost their lives. the 51-year-old father, devoted to his kids. he owned his own business and loveled the outdoors. he'd taken his two teens to see batman. the kids survived. 26-year-old jonathan blunk was also a father. he died shielding his girlfriend. their 4-year-old daughter now takes comfort listening to him speak on his voice mail message. >> johnny was the type who wants to help anybody. he always wanted to make people smile and laugh. he was very optimistic and outgoing. >

her friend and co-worker, jesse childress was killed in the attack.saving her life. sergeant graveli is joining us live to tell us her story of what happened that night. it is my understanding, you hadn't known him that long, but sergeants childress was a fast friend in just a month or so. >> eric. >> yes, he did. >> reporter: tell me about him as a person? >> he was -- as a sergeant, he was a very hard worker. there was never a job he left undifferent he was very patient. he showed me everything, answered every question i had when i got here, since i was the new person and i needed to be shown around, he did that all while getting his job done. so, outside of t just a the niceest guy. >> reporter: on that night, eight of you, i understand, eight colleagues from the air force decided to see "the dark knight rises" premiere. he was seated next to you in the fifth row? tell us what happened? what do you remember? >> yeah. there were only four of us. it was myself, sergeant childress, our supervisor and his wife. really, when we saw the canister flying f

jesse childress was an air force reservist and alex delavan was celebrating his 27th birthday by going to that movie premiere. we also hear stories of heroism including one teenage survivor of the shootings who tried to save a six year-old girl by giving her cpr. the 13 year-old tried to save another but an adult had fallen on top of her >> i was asking the person who was on top of the one i was trying to help if they could move that they kept saying they couldn't, they were numb, and i was begging them to please try because we have to get out of here. >> she says she kept struggling until police arrived but sadly, the girl did not survive. her mother is still in hospital recovering from injuries. the community is coming together including the denver broncos. six of the players met with survivors and their families at the medical center. here at the theater you can still see crime scene tape up around the parking lot. there are personal items of the victims inside that theater. police hope to get in there sometime today. >> within the past half-hour, the n.c.a.a. has announced stiff pe

. >> staff sergeant jesse childress was laid to rest in colorado. stay tuned for the complete tragedy in aurora, log on to wjz.com for more. >>> an investigation is underway after a boat sinks in ocean city. it happened 46 miles offshore. the coast guard said nine people were sent into the water and the boat sank a half hour after the call came in. everyone on board was rescued and is expected to be okay. >> police in south bam more are investigating a suspicious death. a man with trauma to his upper body was found on south charles street. >>> detectives say it is not clear if he was shot and we are awaiting an autopsy report. >>> turning to the olympics and all the excitement in london. michael phelps will get another chance to win a medal. we have the report from london. >> reporter: superstar ryan lochte made a big splash so far. he blew michael phelps out of the water. >> we were hoping ryan would win. he is the underdog. >> reporter: lochte said he was still in shock when he touched the wall. phelps couldn't believe it either. >> you would thin

. >>> and air force reservist jesse childress buried today at a private service and colorado. controversial billboard has people angry and others ask questions it compares the president to the colorado the massacre suspect. >>> danielle nottingham in israel, mitt romney arrives in israel. >>> a beautiful day in the bay area changes are coming mid- week. what is happening next will do the weather forecast in a few,,, >>> republican candidate mitt romney is in israel tonight the second stop of his three country toward to bolster his foreign policy credentials. danielle nottingham reports at the mistakes in london he hopes the stop is more successful. >>> mitt romney arrived in jerusalem saturday night in the country to show support for israel but also courting jewish voters. this republic and is one of 150,000 american citizens in israel eligible to vote in november and backs romney's. >>> the president has cool down relations between the united states and israel that is a problem for us >>> romney hold support called support from jewish voters will shore upper support. >>> it s

jesse childress as well. and a 6-year-old veronica sullivan. >> we will honor you by celebrating life, by living our lives better. >> sunday the president flew to colorado to privately meet with victim's family members. >> it was an opportunity for families to describe how wonderful their brother or their son or daughter was and the lives they have touched and dreams they held for the future. >> no one has provided insight into the psyche of james holmes the 24-year-old suspect with no criminal record. he was reportedly brilliant and relatively isolated. he has been accused of planning a diabolical attacked. now a community is enough to hold memorials in the wake of a madness that no one can comprehend. >> all of us in this local community were affected by what happened on friday. we will never be the same. >> the suspect is scheduled to make his first court appearance on monday. jay korff reporting, abc 7 news. >> mitt romney says the president was a decision to visit colorado was the right thing and that he

. >> jesse childress. >> we will all remember. >> reporter: but the strength comes in numbers, not nearlynough to overcome the pain and raw emotions from so much and so many lost. earlier in the day president obama shared the sorrows and compassion of the nation with survivors and families of the victims. >> i had a chance to give folks some hugs and to shed some tears. >> reporter: it has been difficult for aurora police as well. including the officer who tried unsuccessfully to save the youngest victim, 6-year-old veronica moser. >> i've met with that officer. we're all coping with this. >> reporter: as they continue to try and work through the investigation. agents have finished gathering and processing evidence inside james holmes' apartment. the 24-year-old suspect will be seen in public for the first time since the attack when he stands before a judge. the start of what will likely be a long and difficult legal case. >> we will convict him. >> reporter: confidence and ultimately a conviction, this reeling community desperately needs. jay gray, nbc news, aurora, colorado. >>> poverty

this is jesse childress. age 29. jesse was an air force cyber systems operator based at buckley air force base. he loved to play flag football, softball and bowl. he was a devoted fan of the denver broncos, for which he secured season tickets. and he was described by his superior officer as an invaluable part of the 310th family who touched everyone he worked with. this is gordon cowden, age 51. gordon was originally from texas and lived in aurora with his family. he was -- quote -- "a quit-witted world traveler with a keen sense of humor." he will are remembered for his devotion to his children and for always trying to do the right thing, no matter the obstacle. gordon took his two teenaged children to the theater the night of the shooting, both of whom thankfully made it out unharmed. >> this is jessica ghawi, age 24. jessica was an aspiring journalist, most recently interning with mile high sports radio in denver and went by the nickname redfield. she was hard working and ambitious with a generous spirit and kind

jesse childress in the air force, a reservist.e died a hero, driving in front of a friend, female service member. >> just the kind of guy you want on your team. >> reporter: john larimer's team wouldn't leave him behind, dragging out his body after he leapt over a seat to save his girlfriend. there is one story that defies the odds. a story with a lesson for all of us. jessica ghawi, an aspiring sports journalist, ironically just a few weeks ago escaped another mass shooting in a toronto mall. so many of these victims were just starting out in life, most of them were only in their 20s out for a night of fun. now for their families, the next chapter is planning a funeral. cecilia vega, aurora, colorado. >>> officials and people there in aurora, saying, let's not, let's try to minimize the suspect's name, make this about the victims, not give him publicity he was seeking. the 6-year-old girl who was killed, her mother, just 25 years old, is pregnant -- of shot in the abdomen. in addition to losing her little girl, she may lose her u

jesse childress, 27 years old, among those killed at that movie massacre shooting. 27-year-old jesse e-duty air force reserve. his family in california telling cnn that they found out about his condition that he had died about 1:00 a.m. this morning. also john larimer, another service member of one of the four that were wounded in this attack. he is also 27 years old. he was in the u.s. navy for less than a year and you're looking at a photo there. his family sent it to us this morning. i spoke to his father scott and he sent us a statement saying we send our thoughts and prayers to the families of other victims and those still recovering in the hospital. we-you, john, and we will miss you always. scott larimer says he's having a lot of trouble dealing with his son's passing including that of matt mcquinn. he agonized for hours about finding out about the condition of their son and he there was with his girlfriend and her brother on friday and he shielded his girlfriend from being shot from the suspected girlfriend james holmes, that he himself, his life was taken there after he shiel

staff sergeant jesse childress was in the air force. mikala attended the local community college and alex tevis was a grad student at the university of colorado. aj boice was an aspiring journalist. >> she was a fiery red head. there were so many word to describe her and none were negative. >> alex sullivan was killed on his 27th birthday. tomorrow would have been his first wedding anniversary. >> this can't be real. jansing young spoke to savannah guthrie on today. about her boyfriend, john blunk who also served his country. >> he was a hero, he has been a hero forever. >> matt quinn died saving his girlfriend samantha. when gunshots rang out, he shielded her with his body. >> that are just really devoted to each other and very much in love. >> stories of personal loss pain shared by an entire community. >> tomorrow night there will be a memorial miles from here. the governor and the victims will be in attendance. there might have been more deaths here. if it weren't for a speedy response by police and emergency rooms. the university o

tuned into the last hour, our pentagon correspondent barbara starr confirming staff sergeant jesse childress of the u.s. air force. if you remember, randi, four servicemen in all shot and wounded early friday morning in the aurora, colorado, movie theater shooting, but we've just confirmed staff sergeant jesse childress of california. he was a member of the air force reserve, active duty. his family telling cnn that they were notified at about 1:00 a.m. this morning of his death. john larimer, petty officer with the u.s. navy, also among the list of deceased that cnn has been able to independently confirm. he's a 27-year-old, was in the u.s. navy for less than a year, and was serving his first post there in colorado. the family notified about his death last night. we spoke to -- i spoke to his father, scott, from crystal lake, illinois. he said "we send our thoughts and prayers out to families of the other victims and those still recovering in the hospital. we love you, john, and we will always miss you." matt mcquinn also being listed among the deceased. like many others, his family waiting

jesse childress die n. front of his friend. rebecca wingo was a mother of two.essica ghawi survived another shooting just last month. >> she had an epiphany at that moment. >> reporter: the youngest victim was just six years old, veronica moser sullivan who's mom is in critical condition and pregnant. how the shooting affected her pregnancy isn't clear. >>> in that colorado court rule, the accused gunman approached the judge and a sea of onlookers. >> reporter: with dyed orange hair, 24-year-old james holmes sat silent in a colorado courtroom looking dazed and tired. >> you're currently being held on a no-bond hold. >> reporter: this is our first look at holmes since free day morning when he opened fire inside a movie theater killing 12 people, injurying dozens more. >> i'm trying to not deal with the anger. it's a decision when you feel like you can forgift guy but you know he's going to get justice. >> reporter: holmes is being held on a single murder charge. >> i would say there's no such thing as a slam dunk case f is a case -- case. it is a case where we're

as mentioned, 27-year-old petty officer third class john larimer and jesse childress is 29 years oldis a staff sergeant, we're told. any details that are coming from the press conference we are certainly going to be bringing you in an upcoming here for you guys on fox news channel. gregg? >> heather: so sad. veronica moser, the six-year-old, the youngest victim, her mother in critical condition in the hospital right now. family and friends, unable to bring themselves to tell her that her six-year-old daughter is dead. >> gregg: oh, boy. what a heart breaking situation. >> heather: beyond awful. >> gregg: all right. there are still so many unanswered questions this hour about the man at the center of this deadly shooting massacre. just yesterday, we saw our first glimpse of the 24-year-old's father arriving at denver international airport, likely going to see his son who is now behind bars. high school yearbooks revealed this picture and a young james holmes who excelled in science. he was destined for a bright future. some of his friends describing him as really a typical guy, never

also 27-year-old just like jesse childress.e was in the navy less than a year and this was his first post just outside of aurora, colorado. had not seen combat duty yet. his family was notified of his death late last night and wrote to cnn. i spoke to his father in illinois, scott larimer, who is obviously very upset and distraught. he said, we send our thoughts and prayers out to families of other victims and those still recovering in the hospital. we love you, john. and we will always miss you. matt mcquinn was the fifth person we've been able to confirm. matt mcquinn, like many others, again, his family agonizing for hours only to find out that he had died. he's just got a remarkable story, don. he shielded his girlfriend according to witnesses from those bullets of james holmes taking the bullets instead of his girlfriend. he was not able -- the girlfriend there was not able to confirm his death, unfortunately, because of the strict hipaa laws. she is not related to him. just making matters worse. all the more worse for his

. >> staff sergeant jesse childress was also laid to rest saturday at a private service in colorado. stay with wjz for complete coverage of the tragedy in aurora. for the very latest on the suspect, the victims and the investigation, you can log onto wjz.com. >>> meanwhile, back here in maryland, nine people are recovering tonight after the boat they were on sank. it happened just east of ocean city. the coast guard got the call this morning that the boat was taking on water. it sank about a half hour after the call came in. everyone on board was rescued and pulled from the water. >>> a howard county police officer is recovering after the car jumped a curb and hit his cruiser. happened in north laurel at washington boulevard and davis avenue, just after 1:00 saturday morning. officials say this woman here, yolanda merchison drove her car over the median. she is charged with driving while intoxicated. >>> they found an adult male with trauma to his upper body here in the 300 block of south charles street. the man died of trauma. and tonight, detectives are waiting for autopsy results.

. >> jesse childress. >>> we will remember. >> nine people are seriously ill. >> i think the reason stories like this have such an impact on us is because we can all understand what it would be to have somebody we love taken from us in this fashion. >> the authorities are still building a case against james holmes. he is due back in court in the week. it could be many months before people know what motivated the lone gunman to kill so many people. bbc news in colorado. >> one of the most striking details is where it took place. the city of aurora is next to denver and only 15 miles from columbine high school where in 1999, 12 students and a teacher were killed. two gunmen killed themselves. he was a high school junior who survived by hiding in the cafeteria. he dealt with the pain than and said years later, another friend was killed while watching the film is an aura. he spoke to us about the dual tragedy and painful memories flooding back. >> i was sitting on the ground. i was holding my friend. we were crying. i told him i was sorry. i feel like this is just following me. >> my name is sa

jesse childress die adhere row, diving in front of a friend, a female service member. >> you want him on your team. >> reporter: john larimer leapt over a seat to save his girlfriend. and there is one story that defies the odds. jessica ghawi a few weeks ago escaped another mass chushootinn a toronto mall. >> she had an epiphany at that moment that it could happen to any of us at any time. and instead of being afraid of that, she embraced life more fully. >> reporter: david so many of the victims were just in their 20s, just starting out in life. and sadly, the next chapter for their family will be planning their funerals. david? >> so much loss here in colorado and the vigil late they are evening. >>> we are going new to the investigation. peer area thomas is reporting on the weapons and bullets. tonight, the gunman's semiautomatic assault rifle did jam in the attack. the question now, could the rampage have been far worse? >> reporter: the plan to massacre the crowds in a movie was flawlessly. james holmes fired again and again with an assault rifle, holding 100 rounds. sources tell

jesse e. childress, 29. jonathan t. blunk, 26. [ applause ] alex m. sullivan, 27. [ applause ] micayla c. medek, 23. [ applause ] matthew r. mcquinn, 27. [ applause ] alexander c. teves, 24. rebecca ann wingo, 32. and gordon w. cowden, 51. please join me as we pray. heavenly father we come to you now and ask that the comforter of your holy spirit would wrap your arm around each one who tonight suffers, suffers in their bodies, suffers in their mind. for those who are feeling the ripple effects, their families and their friends, may you comfort them. may you walk with them in the days ahead and may they continue to know that they have received an out pouring of new friends in this community, of new friends in this nation and that we as a family together will continue to love, to support, to encourage them and to help them in any way that we can. may the comforter of your holy spirit be with them in the night and in the wee hours when there are so few to talk to and most of all may they know your healing. may they know your love. may they know your powe