still smirking. >> pierre thomas reporting from tucson tonight. >>> and, a programming note. abc news will be bringing you live coverage of the president's remarks tonight at the memorial service. i'll be here. so, stay tuned for a special one-hour edition of "nightline," as well, after our special report. >>> and, now we'll turn to the dramatic weather across much of the country. something rarely seen. fresh snow is on the ground in 49 of the united states. only florida is spared. but nowhere is it worse tonight than in new england, being bombarded by the storm that left the south glazed in ice and killed at least 17 people. jeremy hubbard is in boston. >> reporter: dr. jackson williams had to get to the pediatric ward today. so, this is how he made the five-mile trek. >> the nurses had a good laugh >> announcer: this is an abc news special report. tragedy in tucson: a presidential address. >>> i'm diane sawyer at abc news headquarters in new york here with george stephanopoulos. and we're briefly interrupting your programming to take you out to giant university of arizona,

here's pierre thomas with our report. >> reporter: the life of john wheeler iii and his death, at first glance, appear to be completely at odds. a life filled with honor, west point cadet, military man, harvard, yale, white house aide. mover and shaker who literally helped build an iconic memorial in washington. >> let me now introduce to you mr. john p. wheeler, chairman of the board of the vietnam veterans memorial fund. >> reporter: yet, in the hours before he died, caught on surveillance tape looking confused and dazed walking with one of his shoes in his hand. then, murdered and thrown in a dumpster. dumped like trash in a landfill. >> the fact that he's in the landfill is the most disgraceful part. >> reporter: who would want to kill wheeler? nobody yet knows. the police say it's homicide. but won't say how he died. so many questions. police don't even know where the murder took place. now, a small 60-man police force in a town of about 30,000 that averages 1 or 2 homicides a year and sometimes none, must unravel a puzzle with missing pieces. wheeler worked in washington as a cons

and we begin on all of this with pierre thomas who is here tonight. pierre? >> reporter: diane, sources tell us that loughner's planning for that deadly rampage appears to have been much more meticulous than we previously knew. loughner was apparently contemplating every aspect of his assault, including the likely punishment. according to an official familiar with the investigation, loughner used his home computer to browse a website with information about the effects of lethal injection. the source says he appeared to want to know what death by injection felt like. lethal injection is the method of capital punishment imposed by the federal government. loughner also allegedly browsed the internet for information about sol dare confinement and perhaps more disturbing, he had been researching political assassins. it paints a picture of cold-blooded fore thought and an obsession with assassinating congresswoman giffords. some believe the new evidence makes an insanity defense a long shot for success even more difficult. >> the extent to which he planned the shoo

pierre thomas is on the story again tonight. and pierre, this really raises the stakes for security officials. >> reporter: george, it really does. the device was sent to a postal facility not far from where i'm standing. as you can see, police have sealed off the area. the devices, as you said, are similar in nature to two devices sent to maryland officials yesterday. the device was sent, as you said, to homeland security secretary janet napolitano. she and her team have been informed and now officials across this region are on high alert. >> you say that her team has been informed, but has there been a change in her security? >> reporter: no change. one official told me, this device did not have a prayer of getting anywhere near homeland security secretary napolitano. >> last night, you reported as the fear security officials had about copy cats. are they any closer to figuring out who might be behind this? >> reporter: george, a profile is developing. this is someone very angry at the government. in particular, very upset and

pierre thomas, abc news, tucson, arizona. >> one of congresswoman's giffords staffers wounded in the shooting rampage left his hospital room for the first time. ron barber was greeted by hugs and shouts of support as he was wheeled by that growing memorial there on the hospital lawn. family members say barber remembers everything about saturday's shooting. >>> and in the wake of the tucson tragedy, a move now to rearrange shooting at the upcoming state of the union address is gaining momentum. instead of being separated by party affiliations as usual, lawmakers from both sides now are pushing for a mixed seating plan to show solidarity. a decision is still pending. >>> from the senate, news that moderate texas republican senator kay bailey hutchison won't seek re-election next year. the 67-year-old hutchison says she is ready to retire and spend more time with her two young adopted daughters. she was first elected to the senate back in 1993. >>> and late ambassador richard holbrooke will be honored with a memorial service this afternoon in washington. he was the obama administration'

hundreds have been killed in those incidents. >> our chief justice correspondent, pierre thomas. >>> and when we come back, more on the congresswoman fighting for her life, and her astronaut husband who was preparing for his own mission when he heard the news today and raced to her side. we'll be back with this special edition of "world news." hi, may i help you? yes, i hear progressive has lots of discounts on car insurance. can i get in on that? are you a safe driver? yes. discount! do you own a home? yes. discount! are you going to buy online? yes! discount! isn't getting discounts great? yes! there's no discount for agreeing with me. yeah, i got carried away. happens to me all the time. helping you save money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. you struggle to control your blood sugar. you exercise and eat right, but your blood sugar may still be high, and you need extra help. ask your doctor about onglyza, a once daily medicine used with diet and exercise to control high blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. adding onglyza to your current oral medicine may hel

and pierre thomas has been reviewing the tapes released late today. pierre? >> reporter: from the first radio transmissions, it was clear something horrific was unfolding. >> we have a shooting at the safeway, a man with a semiautomatic weapon. yunlts responding, advise. >> reporter: soon it becomes clear that a congresswoman has been shot. >> we have a caller who believes that gabrielle giffords was shot. it's multiple victims. it sounds like many people are shot. >> we have at least seven, eight, maybe ten gunshot wounds here. we're going to need -- we have -- i believe giffords is here. >> reporter: moments later, an army of law enforcement and rescue personnel is racing to the scene. >> start multiple med units. people down, i'm counting at least ten. >> and how many victims do we have? >> there are multiple victims. we need a lot more units here. >> i need robbery and assault detectives called out. please advise them, multiple, multiple victims. >> reporter: loughner was arrested at the scene. >> customers have tackled the suspect. they are holding him d

each contained an identical note and pierre thomas is in annapolis to tell us about it tonight. pierre? >> reporter: diane, i'm standing across from one of the buildings where one of the devices ignited. while they were small in size, i can tell you, they put a lot of people on edge across the state of maryland. now, they were sent to the governor of maryland and also to the state department of transportation. they were designed to detonate upon opening, and they were powered by small batteries and contained explosive chemicals. now, they appear to have been sent by someone very, very angry at the government. and as you said, one of these packages contained an angry message. and let me read it to you. it says, "report suspicious activity, total bull. you have created a self-fulfilling prophesy." diane? >> well, we also heard that the new york city police department has sent out an alert. does this mean they're worried about other parts of the country, around the country? >> reporter: absolutely. the concern tonight is about copy cats. these devices are very similar in design to p

our senior justice correspondent pierre thomas has been looking into all this. pierre, good morning to you in washington. >> reporter: dan, in a scene that i can't recall in more than a decade of covering the fbi, the director himself is in arizona overseeing an investigation and focused on a young man who apparently descended into madness and there's concern that an accomplice may still be on the loose. by all accounts, 22-year-old jared lee loughner was a troubled young man. what authorities believe is loughner's myspace page suggests he had been preparing for a murderous rampage. a few hours before the shootings he allegedly wrote a message entitled "good-bye, friends." it begins "dear friends, please don't be mad at me." eyewitnesses say loughner was coldly detached as he shot the congresswoman and victim after victim. he appears to have been obsessed with violence and was apparently angry at the government. look at this youtube postings. it's one of his favorites. let the bodies hit the floor. ♪ let the bodies hit the floor >> reporter: loughner also left hi

pierre thomas is here in brooklyn where the attorney general announced the arrests. pierre? >> reporter: george, many of those arrested are high ranking mob bosses, taken down in a bust that stretches from here in new york all the way to italy. scores of suspected mobsters, la cosa nostra, made men, today, arrested in raids across the new york region. so many, the suspects had to be taken to an army base for booking. >> the reality is, it is an ongoing threat. a major threat. >> reporter: the charges? racketeering, extortion, murder, involving corruption of every kind. from construction sites to union workers. today, they were the scenes that tony soprano feared. the feds came, just like in "good fellas." >> we have a search warrant here for the premise. >> would you read and sign it? >> reporter: among those arrested, anthony cavezza. also known as tony bagels. benjamin castellazo, known as the claw. and vincenzo frogerio, vinny car wash. >> time and again, they have shown a willingness to kill. to make money, to eliminate rivals and to silence witnesses. >> reporter: in ca

for "this week," i'm pierre thomas in washington. >> there have also been so many stories of courage fortitude around this tragedy. the person who tackled loughner to the ground and also a young intern, 20-year-old daniel hernandez, who held congresswoman giffords as he saw her go down running towards the gunfire. he joins us right now on the phone. daniel hernandez, thank you for joining us. it must have been an incredible moment as you ran towards the gunfire when it all broke out. tell me what happened yesterday. >> of course, because there is a pending investigation we're trying to make sure that everything that we talk about is just -- watching what we say and just things after the shooting. yesterday i was helping congresswoman giffords at an event where she would try to meet with her constituents and before the shooting happened, we had a lot of excited constituents who were very happy to get the opportunity to speak to their congresswoman because everybody was going to get a chance to speak with her one on one for about three to five minutes, however, as you know, there was a

. >> and our senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas, will have all of the latest details, coming up on "good morning america." >>> another city is on alert this morning in london. more police officers are on duty and security has been heightened at transportation hubs on word that terrorists could be planning to attack. there are reports that emergency services were recently briefed on how to respond to a mumbai-style attack. but the country's overalterer threat level has not been raised. >>> president obama fills out more of his new economic team today, by tapping another clinton administration adviser. his concentration on the economy comes as new numbers are released. for details, we're joined by emily schmidt. >> reporter: good morning to you, mike. more holiday spending. fewer people applying for first-time unemployment benefits. today, we have the next big test. there is hope today that 2011 is off to a good economic start, as december job numbers are positive. >> we're going to see this year, be a year of rebounding, maybe even better than what we've anticipated. i think g

let's begin now with pierre thomas and what he has learned about the suspect. pierre. >> reporter: diane, police are still working this crime scene behind me. they say a clear picture has emerged. this was a deeply troubled young man and many who know him say he was a ticking time bomb. today, jared loughner calmly walked into federal court with a shaved head. he showed no emotion as prosecutors read the charges against him and appeared to smirk as the judge spoke to him. while many in the suburban town struggle with why he did it, turns out many of those who knew loughner were afraid of him because of increasingly bizarre behavior. >> he was mentally unstable. you know, he was, felt isolated, kind of a social loner, so to say, just kind of kept to himself. >> reporter: in a june 14th e-mail, one of loughner's college classmates seemed terrified. "we have a mentally unstable person in class and that scares the living crap out of me. some of his neighbors thought he was dangerous. >> i told my mother i thought he was a serial killer the first time i saw him. >> t

pierre thomas is in tucson tonight, and has learned more about what people saw and what might have been done. pierre? >> reporter: diane, i'm standing right outside of loughner's house. and as you said, we just got an emotional statement from his parents. tonight, investigators are trying to piece together what is going on inside this man's mind, behind those eyes and that sinister smile. today, the loughner family released their first statement. "we don't understand why this happened. it may not make any difference, but we wish we could change the heinous events of saturday. we care very deeply about the victims and their families. we are so very sorry for their loss." last night, neighbor wayne smith went to see loughner's father. >> he can't get out three words without crying. not only is he sad for his son, he is devastated all those people that was involved. she's in bed and she's just broke down, nervous wreck. >> reporter: but other neighbors say the parents were part of the problem. >> i saw a child that wanted to come out and play and wasn't allowed to come out and play for wha

more now on this story from pierre thomas. >> reporter: police in delaware are working feverishly toap in the life and death of john wheeler iii. the word mystery is overused sometimes. but this feels like a mystery. >> it does. it does. we don't have the answers yet. >> reporter: wheeler was seen in wilmington on december 30th at 3:30 p.m. right here at the corner of 10th avenue and orange street. a day earlier, just a couple of blocks away, wheeler had an odd encounter with a parking attendant. >> it was really cold out and he had one shoe on, and like he was just kind of like wandering around. >> reporter: police don't know yet who killed him but they do know his body was dumped at 9:56 a.m. in this landfill in wilmington the next day. ten miles away in newark, they found disturbing clues. turns out the garbage truck held the first key to the case. police traced the garbage pickup to ten dumpsters in a one-mile area. wheeler's body was stuffed in one of them. from there the trail grows cold and the case gets harder. they still have no idea where wheeler was murdered. >> you'd love

here now is pierre thomas. >> reporter: by all accounts, john p. wheeler iii was a man of stature.point grad. military man. vietnam veteran who helped spearhead efforts to build the memorial wall in washington. the nature of his recent untimely death feels completely at odds with his life. wheeler was murdered, his body discovered dumped at a landfill. not far from his newcastle, delaware, home. >> very prominent gentleman. and why anyone would kill him would be beyond me. >> reporter: monday, police were back at the landfill desperately hunting for leads. >> there are no suspects. again, we are still looking to determine where the crime scene actually occurred. >> reporter: wheeler has homes in delaware, washington, and new york city. he was believed to have been in washington prior to being found dead on new year's eve. he was a white house aide to president reagan and worked in the administrations of both bush presidencies. his passion, soldiers. he pushed hard as chair of fund-raising for the vietnam veterans memorial, seen by 4 million annually. >> do our lives reflect the bes

we have more from pierre thomas on the shooting. >> the suspect is identified as 22-year-old jared loughnerpage suggests he was preparing for a violent onslaught. a few hours before the shootings he posted a message, goodbye friends, it begins. please don't be mad at me. >> he appears to have been obsessed with violence and was angry at the government. look at this youtube postings. in this video, a u.s. flag is burned. in another youtube posting, current government officials are empowered for their currency. he appears paranoid suggesting the government was monitoring his communications. he also discusses mind control and brainwashing methods. they are tracing the firearm in the shooting. they describe it as a semi-automatic pistol. the f.b.i. is dissecting his background. >> a comprehensive investigation is currently underway. at my direction, the dr. director bob mueller is helping coordinate these efforts. >> u.s. capitol police are assisting in the investigation and plans were underway to step up security for congressional leaders. >>> six people were killed in tucson yesterday. they i

as pierre thomas reports, investigators are also investigating saturday's police radio transmissionsnd what happened and when. >> reporter: from the first radio transmissions, it was clear something horrific was unfolding. >> we have a shooting at the safeway. a man with a semiautomatic weapon. >> reporter: it becomes clear that a congresswoman has been shot. >> we have a caller who believes that gabrielle giffords was shot. it's multiple victims. it sounds like many people are shot. >> we have at least seven, eight, maybe ten gunshot wounds here. we're going to need -- i believe gabrielle giffords is hurt. >> reporter: moments later, an army of law enforcement and rescue personnel is racing to the scene. >> start multiple med units. people down. i'm counting at least ten. >> and how many victims do we have? >> there are multiple victims. we need a lot more units here. >> i need robbery and assault detectives called out. please advise them multiple, multiple victims. >> reporter: loughner was arrested at the scene. >> customers have tackled the suspect. they are holding him down at t

pierre thomas has the latest. >> reporter: by all accounts, john p. wheeler iii was a man of stature. west point grad. military man. vietnam veteran that helped spearhead efforts to build the memorial wall in washington. the nature of his recent untimely death feels completely at odds with his life. wheeler was murdered, found in a landfill not far from his delaware home. >> very prominent gentleman. why anyone would kill him would be beyond me. >> reporter: monday, police were back at the landfill, desperately hunting for leads. >> there are no suspects. we're trying to determine where the cream scene occurred. >> reporter: wheeler has homes in delaware, washington and new york city. he was believed to have been in washington prior to being found dead on new year's eve. he was a white house aide to president reagan. and worked in the administrations of both bush presidencies. he pushed hard as chair of fund-raising for the vietnam veterans memorial, seen by 4 million annually. >> do our lives reflect the best that is in the lives of those whose names

here's pierre thomas. >> reporter: police in delaware are working feverishly to fill in a critical 18 and death of john wheeler iii. the word mystery is overused sometimes. but this feels like a mystery. >> it does. it does. we don't have the answers yet. >> reporter: wheeler was last seen in wilmington on december 30th at 3:30 p.m., on the corner of tenth avenue and orange street. a day earlier, just a couple blocks away, wheeler had an odd encounter with a parking attendant. >> it was cold out this evening. he had one shoe on. he was wandering around. >> reporter: police don't know yet who killed him. but they do know his body was dumped at 9:56 a.m. in this landfill. ten miles away, they found disturbing clues. the garbage truck held the first key to the case. police traced the garbage pick-up to ten dumpsters in a one-mile area. wheeler's body was stuffed in one of them. in fact, this could be the dumpster. from there, the trail grows cold and the case gets harder. they still have no idea where wheeler was murdered. >> you would love to have a crime scene. obviously, that gives yo

our pierre thomas is in d.c. this morning with the latest. pierre, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, dan. today, they're hoping to get things back to normal at this postal facility. these devices may have been small. but i can tell you, they caused a lot of concern. a new, suspicious package sent authorities scrambling to a postal facility in washington, d.c. >> the package had been described as popping, smoking. and with a brief flash of fire. and then, it extinguished itself. >> reporter: sources tell abc news, the package was addressed to homeland security secretary janet napolitano. the sources suspect that the same person who sent similar devices to maryland government official on thursday is behind this attack. that suspect appears angry at the government. especially about homeland security's efforts to increase public awareness about terrorism. a message was contained in the packages sent to maryland. it said, report suspicious activity, total bull. you have created a self-fulfilling prophecy. that's believed to be a reference to ro

. >>> for the latest on what law enforcement know, let's go to pierre thomas who is also live in tucsonor us. good morning, pierre. >> reporter: robin, there are eyewitness accounts of loughner jumping up and down like a madman when the shooting rampage took place. and his neighbors say in recent days his behavior had become increasingly bizarre. those who know loughner say in recent days his behavior had gone from peculiar and distant to potentially dangerous. >> i told my mother he was a serial killer the first time i saw him. >> reporter: not a serial killer but a spree killer whose deadly plot was premeditated. he may have been planning to kill the congresswoman for quite sometime. prosecutors say an envelope found in a safe in loughner's home contained a letter with the words "i planned ahead, my assassination and giffords." there was also a letter from congresswoman giffords indicating the two had met before. and there was evidence loughner was unraveling over the last few months. he withdrew from college after school officials found a rambling incoherent youtube video he posted.

abc's pierre thomas has more on the story. >> the suspect is identified as 22-year-old gerred lee logace.com page suggests he was preparing for a violent onslaught. he posted a message entitled good-bye, friends. he was apparently angry with the government. look at this youtube.com posting. it's one of his favorites. let the bodies hit the floor. ♪ >> in this video, a u.s. flag is burned. in another youtube.com posting, logner writes and appears paranoid. i know who is listing he wrote. he discusses mind control and brain wash methods. officials plan to trace the firearm used in the shooting. the weapon is a semiautomatic pistol with an extended clip. the f.b.i. has begun to dissect his background and look for any possible accomplices. >> a comprehensive investigation is currently underway and at my direction, director bob muller is en route to arizona to help coordinate these efforts. >> u.s. capitol police are also assisting in the investigation and plans were underway to step up security for congressional leaders. >> the shooting now brings out the serious issue of security for pol

pierre thomas has more on the story. >> the suspect is identified as 22-year-old jared lee log ner.pace.com page suggests he was preparing for a vie least onslaught. he posted a message entitled good-bye, friends. it begins dear friends, please don'ts be mad at me. he was obsessed with violence and apparently angry at the government. look at this youtube.com posting. it's one of his favorites. let the body hit the floor. in this video a u.s. flag is burned. another youtube.com posting loughner writes he appears paranoid suggesting the government was monitoring his communications. i know who's listening he wrote. he discusses mind control and brain wash methods. the weapon was a semiautomatic pistol with an extended clip. the f.b.i. has begun to dissect his background and look for any possible accomplices. >> a comprehensive investigation is currently underway. and at my direction, director bob muller is en route to arizona to help coordinate these efforts. >> u.s. capitol police are also assisting in the investigation and plans were underway to step up security for congressional lea

pierre thomas reports. >> reporter: scores of suspected mobsters, la cosa nostra, made men arrested insociates. big ron preveti helped to put 50 mob members behind bars. >> you're always concerned about retribution. >> reporter: and big ron's take on whether the massive arrests would truly wound or kill the la cosa nostra in the u.s. -- >> the italian mob is not dead now. they will never be dead because as long as there's people out there that gamble, go to prostitutes, borrow money, there's always going to be somebody to cater to them. you'll be dead. i'll be dead. the italian mafia will still be here. >> reporter: so the short answer is, forget about it, pierre thomas, abc news, new york. >>> congresswoman gabby giffords takes the next step in her long road to recovery. she's moving moved to a rehab facility in houston. before leaving tucson, giffords and her husband mark kelly took one last look of the mountains from a hospital balcony. doctors say being outdoors is key to getting better. >> the next step is literally get her out to a deck where there's open exposure to sunlight. we

and we are also hearing from loughner's family for the first time, as pierre thomas reports. >> reporterwhy this happened. it may not make any difference, but we wish we could change the heinous events of saturday. we care very deeply about the victims and their families. we are so very sorry for their loss." neighbor wayne smith went to see loughner's father. >> he couldn't get out three words without crying. and not only is he sad for his son, he is devastated over the people that was involved. she's in bed, and she's just broke down, just a nervous wreck. >> reporter: but other neighbors say the parents were part of the problem. >> i saw a child that wanted to come out and play and, you know, wasn't allowed to come out and play for whatever the reason might be. >> reporter: one of loughner's friends offered new insight into why his behavior was often so erratic. he tells abc news loughner was a heavy drug user. >> i know he had smoked pot. i know he had used psilocybin mushrooms. i know he has used salvia divinorum. >> reporter: meanwhile, 100 fbi agents continued to scour the crime s

pierre thomas joins us from arizona, where jared loughner has gone back to court. >> reporter: 16 daysar grin he wore in his mug shot. still smiling. he wore a prison jumpsuit hands shackled. no longer bald. his wear had grown back. and he was wearing glasses. he smiled frequently. even appeared to chuckle, up until the time the judge walked in. during the hearing that lasted 15 minutes, loughner never spoke. judge larry burns entered a plea of not guilty on loughner's behalf. there was no hint of strategy going forward. loughner's counsel may pursue an insanity defense. but others believe such a defense is not likely to be successful. >> the burden of proof is on the defense. and jurors are skeptical about insanity pleas. >> reporter: the justice department is considering additional murder charges that could bring capital punishment. loughner's counsel may have a guilty plea deal that would save him from a death sentence. but given the overwhelming evidence and horrific nature of the crime, it's unclear what prosecutors have to show leniency to loughner who went back to prison last ni

pierre thomas has the latest from tucson. pierre? >> reporter: george, this morning, there are serious questions about why no one intervened to stop the suspect, who clearly had mental health issues. and now, his very family life is at issue as well. this mug shot of jared loughner may say a lot about his mental state. loughner's family has yet to release a statement on the tragedy. and has yet to address what happened to their son. the family is described by some neighbors as fiercely reclusive. besieged by the media, the house is boarded up. but one neighbor was allowed inside to deliver the mail and talk to loughner's father. >> he was crying. it was obvious. he said, i need your help. not only is he sad for his son. he is devastated other people -- over the people that were involved. >> reporter: he went on to describe loughner's mother. >> she's in bed. and she's just broke down. just a nervous wreck. they want to be alone. and they didn't bother me. >> reporter: some neighbors are sharply critical of the loughners. and one fami

pierre thomas has the latest from annapolis, maryland. good morning, pierre. >> reporter: hi, robin. one of those devices was sent to the building right behind me, and today mail rooms across this region are on high alert because of those dangerous packages. the target, a state office in annapolis and a department of transportation building in hanover. >> it looks like the building has been evacuated at this point. >> it's a little bit unsettling but it's happened in more than one building. >> it's really scary to think that the building you work in, you know, received a small explosive. >> reporter: the packages were located just 25 miles apart. the annapolis device ignited at 12:30 p.m. it was addressed to the governor. the device in hanover ignited 15 minutes later. that one addressed to the department of transportation. the return address listed a washington, d.c., location, which authorities say is a parking garage. sources tell abc news the packages appear to be sent by someone very angry at the government. a message included with th

pierre thomas is in tucson with more. erre. >> reporter: george, newly released police tapes show authorities knew quickly a nightmare was unfolding right in front of them in broad daylight. 10:10 saturday morning just outside the safeway the shooting begins. police radio dispatchers respond. >> we have a shooting, a shooting at the safeway. customers have tackled the suspect. they are holding him down at the safeway. >> reporter: arriving at the scene officers quickly realized the scale of the attack. >> multiple med units. people down. >> requesting additional units. >> how many victims do we have? >> there are multiple victims we need a lot more units here. we have at least seven, eight, maybe ten gunshot wounds and i believe gabrielle giffords -- >> reporter: you knew the james jared loughner that day but now investigators are desperate for every detail of his life. abc news not the first look inside the sheriff's operation command center where police are overseeing the investigation and securing large-scale memorial s

pierre thomas, abc news, tucson, arizona. >> and our coverage of the tucson tragedy continues throughoute presidential memorial last night on "america this morning," and we'll also hear from a shooting survivor on "good morning america" later today. stay with us on abc news. >>> a threat against another lawmaker led to the arrest of a southern california man of palm springs appearing in federal court on the charge of making threatening phone calls to washington democrat, jim mcdermitt. a complaint says he left his name and phone number on the congressman's voice mail before threatening to kill him. he could be released on bond as early as today. >>> the sister of quarterback brett favre will be in a mississippi courtroom when 34-year-old brandy favre faces drug charges after being arrested along with four others. favre was charged with manufacturing crystal meth. this isn't the first time she was in trouble. brandy favre was arrested twice in the late '90s. >>> the roller coaster ride of internet sensation ted williams has taken a plunge. williams is heading to rehab for alcohol and drug

pierre thomas has more on this. good morning, pierre. >> reporter: hi, robin. the fbi is reviewing surveillance video that captured the rampage in chilling detail. safeway surveillance tape allegedly shows jared loughner walking into the picture at 10:10:00 a.m. he moves around the table. and shoots congresswoman giffords in her left forehead just above her eye. at the time the shot is fired, loughner is three feet from giffords. then, according to the officials that have seen the video, loughner turns to his left, facing the crowd. and the shooting continues. footage allegedly you shows muzzle flashes as the gun is fired. >> we have at least seven, eight. maybe ten gunshot victims. >> reporter: then, an act of heroism, captured on video. the suspect shoots ron barber. federal district judge john roll tries to help barber. barber survived. roll did not. in all, investigators say loughner fired 32 rounds before he was tackled by participants at giffords' event. >> i ran over to him. and i knelt down and put my knee in his back. and pulled out my handcuffs. and c

pierre thomas is in tucson with more on this. good morning, pierre. >> reporter: hi, robin.we have a fuller picture of loughner's life. and the more details we get, the more troubling this tale becomes. last year alone, campus police at loughner's community college were called five times to investigate his behavior. some of the incidents were bizarre. about a year ago, after hearing a poem about abortion, loughner said, "why don't we just strap bombs to babies?" over time, loughner's behavior became more strange. in september, after another disruption, the officer who responded wrote, "loughner's head was constantly tilted to the left and his eyes were jittery." the next week, when officers went to tell loughner he had been suspended, he just stared at them. it took him an hour to speak. and when he finally did, he said "i now realize that this is all a scam." that information apparently never made it off campus. did the community college police ever make that information available to your department? >> no. that came to light as this investigation occurred. >> reporter: and

pierre thomas, abc news, tucson, arizona. >>> meanwhile, doctors say they are seeing encouraging signsesswoman giffords. her injured brain remains swollen, but the pressure has not increased. and giffords is still responding to their commands, even giving a thumbs up sign. and they say that is very good news. >> i am optimistic. i was optimistic yesterday when i saw the case and i saw the brain and the amount of injury that had gone through. but overall, this is about as good as it's going to get. >> just the fact that she survived and on top of that is able to respond to our commands is miraculous. >> the first funeral for the shooting victims is set for thursday for 9-year-old christina-taylor green. she was the youngest person to be killed. >>> the attempted assassination of congresswoman giffords may turn out to be one of those watershed moments in our nation's history. >> many are calling now for a change in all the angry rhetoric that has been so much of the political landscape in recent years, including fox news president roger ailes. john hendren joins us from washington with m