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Further Connecticut Shooting Coverage; Newtown Mourns; The President On the Way to Connecticut

Aired December 16, 2012 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon reporting live from Newtown, Connecticut. A community in mourning after a gunman went on a deadly rampage at an elementary school killing 26 people, 20 of them young children. Throughout the day on CNN we are going to bring you the details of the victims and the investigation. We should tell you the president is on the way here. It has been a day of mourning in this community with memorial services. People are coming to this community from all over the tri-state area, from all over Connecticut, from New Jersey, from New York all around and paying their respects to people. As I drove here today just a few moments ago in this little idyllic town, the roads were all blocked because there were so many people who were trying to get in here just to pay their respects to the people who lost their lives and their family and their loved ones. We have some other big stories that we are breaking today and I want to get to Atlanta and our Deborah Feyerick. She's covering them from there. Hello, Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. And, of course, we will have a lot more coming up. We're going to return to you in Newtown there, Don.

LEMON: All right, Deb. Thank you very much.

But first, the mass shooting that has shocked and saddened an entire nation. Makeshift memorials are being set up and vigils are being held all weekend for the victims. It is an overwhelming outpouring of grief and sadness here for the families who have lost loved ones in Friday's massacre.

(music)

LEMON: 150 people attended a candlelight vigil in Newtown, Connecticut, last night. Many of them were sobbing as the names of the victims were all read aloud. President Barack Obama will try to comfort the victims' families today when he arrives here, he's scheduled to arrive in Newtown in just a few hours. He's going to meet with families and first responders and then tonight he will speak at an interfaith vigil and we are going to bring that service to you live in its entirety, it's in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour here on CNN, and the president will be speaking live here. And we have to get to the investigation now. It's important to tell you what we know. Police say they are confident that every question involving the crime will be answered. We're finding out more details about how the alleged gunman got into the school. I want to go to Alison Kosik who joins me now with more on that information. What do you know, Alison? ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now I'm standing in the neighborhood where Adam Lanza, the gunman in this massacre, used to live with his mom Nancy. We haven't confirmed yet whether or not this crime scene has in fact been shut down. We haven't seen any activity since yesterday afternoon. The focus, though, still seems to be on the school. Now, we are learning new details from the governor of Connecticut Dan Malloy. He was on a "State of the Union" with Candy Crowley this morning and he - we're getting just a better picture, a more devastating picture, of how this gunman made his way into the school, which by the way had security. You had to be buzzed into the school. There were security cameras there as well. But you had to be buzzed into the school as of 9:30 in the morning. Governor Malloy did confirm what our sources have been telling us, that this gunman literally blasted his way into the school. Here's how the governor puts it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. DAN MALLOY, CONNECTICUT: What we know is he shot his way into the building. So he penetrated - he wasn't buzzed in. He penetrated the building by literally shooting an entrance into the building. That's what an assault weapon can do for you. And, you know, we are unfortunately a violent society.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: And it's really scary to hear this, Don, if you ask me. Because you know, you think about how he did storm his way into this school. A lot of schools have this kind of security and now it leaves lots of questions, how secure really is that security system, Don?

LEMON: Yes. And Alison, we've also learned some new information about the victims' deaths. What do you know about that?

KOSIK: And this is really hard to hear. You know, I mean the medical examiner yesterday coming out and saying all of the victims were shot -- were shot multiple times, some shot anywhere from three to 11 times each. This is really hard stuff to hear. All of the children were six or seven years old, in first grade. Now, one thing we are learning from Lieutenant Paul Vance who had a news conference a short time ago, is that the process to release - of releasing the bodies to the families has begun. As far as the investigation goes, according to Vance, four weapons were found at the school, three were found at the house in the neighborhood where I am, where the gunman lived with his mother. Also we are learning that the ATF is finished with tracing the weapons and who owned these weapons. Well, now it looks like federal agents are chasing other leads. They're going to 30 gun ranges, 400 gun dealers and four counties surrounding this area because what they're trying to figure out, Don, is what this gunman was doing before this massacre happened on Friday. Don?

LEMON: Such horrific details. Alison, thank you. Joining me now, I want to bring in Lillian Bittman, she is the former chairman of the Newtown Board of Education. And she helped choose Dawn Hochsprung for the position of principal. She also volunteered at Sandy Hook for 15 years. I know it's difficult for you to join us today. You knew some of the victims' families. It's so -- I'm not even involved in this, and it's so hard to get your words out without even crying. How are you guys doing?

LILLIAN BITTMAN, FMR. CHAIR, NEWTOWN BOARD OF ED.: Well, my family has been affected directly and -- but I think the worst part of this, aside from losing all our angels and some amazing adults in our school, is that this school was so close and we had such an amazing set of staff and students and parent volunteers and so when you have something like this happen in an environment where there was so much love and joy, everyone just feels violated. I -- as someone, I was actually involved in the school for 17 years, and I just stopped being involved last spring and I worked with the children on a weekly basis on a newspaper program. All of my children went through the program. And it's just -- it's unbelievable that this could happen to a little school that had so much love and joy in it.

LEMON: Why did you feel it was important to speak out now?

BITTMAN: Because I need the country and the world to understand that out of this, we have to bring good. That this was an idyllic setting for children and now children, young, young children have died. And we keep seeing this in our country. When Columbine happened our school put in a buzzer system. Last -you know, a few months ago was Aurora. This keeps happening and I want the deaths of these little children, some of them siblings of my children's friends, to have meaning. And initially as a community we're going to give those deaths meaning through the love that we give to all the victims and that's what we're all doing. Meals have been set up. Everything you can imagine. But beyond that, good must come of this tragedy.

LEMON: Yes. I have been trying to tell people and explain to the audience and people on social media just how difficult it is to be here and it's difficult for the media, but this is our jobs.

BITTMAN: Right.

LEMON: But for the people who live here and the people who are affected by this, when you look at this town, it looks like - it looks like a Christmas postcard ...

BITTMAN: Yes.

LEMON: And you think about all those lives, there's not going to be any -- another person at Christmas.

BITTMAN: Right.

LEMON: It's not going to be another graduation.

BITTMAN: And it's bigger than that.

LEMON: Any of those things.

BITTMAN: It's bigger than that. This means that this school that was such a unit, isn't going to exist for some time. We're moving to Monroe, right? That's where that little school is going to be temporarily. It also has ripple affects out. The kids in college right now that went to that school, they're devastated because their memories of that school have just been crashed. It begins with the death of babies, and it ripples out. Everyone in Newtown knows each other.

LEMON: How do you explain to the people on the other side of that camera, what they can do? Everybody's asking me, what can we do to help? Can we pray? Obviously prayers will help. But what can they do, the people who are watching not only in the U.S., but around the world to help this community?

BITTMAN: I would like everyone to lead with love and not just help Newtown, but let's help our country come to terms with these situations. Sending us love and prayers, that's an amazing thing. I'm getting it from where I'm from in the Midwest and I can't say enough about that and I know all my friends are too. But, what is the most important thing we can do is lead with love and then look at our situation as a country and say, does it stop now? Do we have solutions? I'm not -- I don't know if it's gun control, I don't know if it's no more glass doors at school - in school buildings. If those doors weren't glass maybe this wouldn't have happened. But we as a country have to use this to come together and look at all the solutions, mental health, everything.

LEMON: Yes.

BITTMAN: So what can the world do? Love each other. And work together and no more gridlock on anything. Figure this out so no more 6-year-olds have to die or watch their teacher die in their classroom, in a place that has for years been a place of joy and love. That's just wrong. It's wrong.

LEMON: OK. Thank you so much.

BITTMAN: Thank you. I appreciate you being here.

LEMON: God bless you. And you know - you know some of the families.

BITTMAN: Yes.

LEMON: And how are they doing?

BITTMAN: It's - as a mess. They're a mess. How would you do?

LEMON: Yes.

BITTMAN: I mean, nope. Yep.

LEMON: Our thoughts and prayers.

BITTMAN: Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you.

BITTMAN: Thank you. LEMON: Thank you. We need to get to a CNN producer. We're hearing that there is some activity going on at a church and the producer joins us now on the phone. It's at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Newtown. What can you tell us?

BEN VON KLEMPERER, PRODUCER, CNN: I can tell you that about 30, 35 minutes ago, parishioners were seen leaving the church and numerous law enforcement vehicles entering the grounds at a rapid pace. I talked to one young woman who (inaudible) in the foyer of the church when she was told that authorities told everyone to leave. They weren't telling people why. She said that an individual in fire department gear said there had been a threat and that people were rushing out of the church.

LEMON: OK. And again, pardon that. I was trying to get the information to me. My producer is talking to me. So, it's Ben Von Klemperer who's on the phone. And so, what do you know anything about what's going on at the church or just seeing people leaving and there's police activity? No other information?

VON KLEMPERER: People left. There is no information as to why they were told to leave. There is heavy Connecticut state police activity here. Probably about ten minutes ago, a column of state police officers dressed in camouflage gear, carrying rifles with large clips, you know, wearing military style gear, went into a building that was across the parking lot from the church, which appears to be an educational center affiliated with the church. Right now, those state police officers are filing back towards the main building of the church and that appears to be all we know right now.

LEMON: All right. Ben, thank you. Keep an eye on that for us and we'll get back to you if there's new information on that. We'll keep watching that here on CNN.

There are some developing news coming out of Washington right now. House Speaker John Boehner has come up with a proposal, the president and Democrats can accept to avoid the fiscal cliff? Has he? We've got the details on that. Plus, Sandy Hook Elementary School had a security system, they conducted lockdown drills. We're going to talk to a security expert about what else could be done to help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I want to tell you about the developing news here on CNN. St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, there has been a threat, believed to be a threat there. The church was evacuated, people were leaving the church. That's a picture that we have there. Again, this church in Newtown, Connecticut, not any immediate word on exactly why that church was evacuated. But it is being reported by other media that it's possibly a new threat. And you can see the police are on the scene there, emergency workers on the scene and we are trying to figure out exactly what's going on. As soon as we get more information on that we'll bring it to you here on CNN.

There's a lot going on here in Newtown, but we want to head back to CNN headquarters in Atlanta and get to our Deb Feyerick for a look at some of the other news making headlines right now. Deb?

FEYERICK: Yeah, well, thanks, Don. Lawmakers could be closer to a deal avoiding the so-called fiscal cliff. A source tells CNN that House Speaker John Boehner has offered to include higher tax rates on millionaires. The White House is still holding to its $250,000 threshold. Unless a deal is reached by January 1st, practically everyone will be hit with a tax increase.

And it appears President Obama has tapped Massachusetts Senator John Kerry as his next secretary of state. The source says the president may make the announcement later this week. Kerry narrowly lost the presidency in 2004 to President George W. Bush. He's chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a decorated veteran of the Vietnam war.

In California a frightening incident for shoppers at a mall parking lot in Newport Beach.

A man in the parking lot, fired 50 shots in the air yesterday. Stores filled with holiday shoppers quickly locked their doors. No one was hit. But one person suffered minor injuries while trying to get out of the area. The suspect is in custody. Police have not given a reason for the shooting.

Now, let's go back to Don Lemon. He's live in Newtown, Connecticut. Don.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, Deb, very much. After the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, in 1999, schools across the nation started implementing stronger safety measures. I want to bring in now Ken Trump. Ken, come in here now. He is the president of the National School Safety and Security Services, a firm that does training and consulting on school security and emergency preparedness. Ken, at the Sandy Hook Elementary, I want to show you this, teachers, staff, students had been briefed on how to handle a lockdown situation. A security system was introduced this year for visitors to ring a bell, sign in and perhaps produce a photo I.D. after 9:30 a.m., the doors were locked. So, what, if anything, could have been done to prevent this tragedy if they had that in place?

KEN TRUMP, PRES., NATIONAL SCHOOL SAFETY & SECURITY SERVICES: That type of systems is fairly common for elementary schools across the country and any type of security technology is a deterrent for those who can be deterred, a delay for others possibly, but it's not foolproof.

What happens is we tend to rely very heavily on technology. We're hearing calls now about metal detectors. Do we need that in the schools? I say we need mental detectors rather than metal detectors, because we have so many people with mental health issues today. I mean, a metal detector doesn't give that guarantee that people want.

I'm a father. I have two elementary-aged children. I would love to have 100 percent guarantee, but the reality is, as a safety professional, I know nobody can give me that. What I want to see is that my principals are taking steps to reduce the risk. We try to reduce the number of open doors. We put the security technology in, train our staff, but -- and you prepare for to manage things as best you can.

LEMON: What about layers, where you have one door where you walk in, and then that door closes and then there's another locked door. Will that help to have those?

TRUMP: That's an extra tool. We're actually seeing that particularly in our middle schools and high schools now. Step into the first level, and then you get funneled into the office, buzzed in to there before you can get into the rest of the building. That's an extra tool, assuming the person goes to the front door. But the part of the technology and the design is, that it's only as good as the human element behind it. If you have kids and adults who prop open doors, staff who don't greet and challenge strangers because somebody can still get in, any technology is only as good as the weakest human link behind it.

LEMON: What about what Lillian Bittman, who worked here for the school system for a long time, what she said, maybe no more glass doors in schools. Is that feasible?

TRUMP: What you can do certainly is minimize the glass. Rather than having a full glass door, take it down to where half of the door is glass so that you can see through it. Because you want to have some visibility. You want to be able to see who's on the other side, but you don't need to have the whole door made out of glass.

LEMON: You and I have talked about this before. Do you remember Columbine? Security became a big priority in the years following Columbine, that was back in 1999. Do you think that a push has diminished in recent years for more added - for added security with schools?

TRUMP: Yes. We've seen a competition for time and money. Federal, state and local education budgets have been cuts. School security has been the first on the list. And we're also in competition for time. The hot button issues in education today are test scores, improving academics, education reform, and all of that unintentionally pushed school safety to the back burner. There are many things in education, but parents will forgive you if your test scores go down. They're much less forgiving if something happens to their kids.

LEMON: To the children. When you look at shootings on college campuses or in high schools, there are many disgruntled students. What do you think -- is your greatest concern the threat, as you said, of mental health when it comes to school-aged children?

TRUMP: You take a look at what's going on in our society. We have economic pressure, stressors on families that are intense now more than ever, and you have a lot of undiagnosed and untreated mental health issues floating around our streets. The challenge for educators is, if it's student oriented, we have access to those kids and may get some of the red flags. But if it's a stranger off of the street, how can a principal prepare for something that it doesn't - don't even know exists? LEMON: If this is - and we always say this, I hate to say this cliche about this, if this is a wakeup call. If this isn't, when you have these young precious children being killed, if we don't do something now, when are we ever going to do something?

TRUMP: I always say to that, the question isn't whether it's a wake- up call, the question is will we hit the snooze button and go back to sleep. We're talking about this in schools across the country in the upcoming weeks. Six months or six years from now, when we'll be without an incident, will we still have the same conversation? And the history tells us we typically don't.

LEMON: Ken Trump, thank you. I appreciate it. Wish we would see each other under better circumstances. Thanks a lot.

And as you can imagine, most people touched by this tragedy, well, they want to grieve and they want to do it in private. One father has spoken out publicly about the death of his small daughter, and his words are proving to be an inspiration to all of us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: On Friday, lives for many families in Newtown changed forever. It is unimaginable that parents sent their children off to school, and then in a matter of just a few short hours, they faced the horror of never seeing them again. But as CNN's Kyung Lah shows us, one father is speaking out about how he and his family will find peace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBBIE PARKER, FATHER: I don't know how to get through something like this. My wife and I don't understand how to process all of this.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How can you, asked Robbie Parker, when you lose your 6-year-old daughter, Emilie, his bright light? Artist with crayons, elder sister to a 3- and 4-year-old.

PARKER: She was the type of person that could just light up a room. She -- she always had something kind to say about anybody. And her love and the strength that she gave us and the example that she showed us is remarkable. She is an incredible person. And I'm so blessed to be her dad.

JILL GARRETT, EMILIE PARKER'S AUNT: We're just devastated that someone so beautiful and perfect is no longer going to be in our lives, and for no reason.

LAH: But then, just a day after losing this little girl to violence, her 30-year-old father said very simply, I am not angry.

PARKER: As we move on from what happened here, what happened to so many people, let it not turn into something that defines us. But something that inspires us to be better, to be more compassionate, and more humble people. Best thing that I can think of to do to move on is to help other people. When you help other people, you feel better about yourself. And the more people help other people, then the more people are blessed.

LAH: The family moved to Newtown from Salt Lake just eight months ago because Emilie's father got a job at the local hospital, where he cares for newborns. Brett Keller is the family's bishop.

BISHOP BRETT KELLER, PARKE'S BISHOP: I really don't know how they are coping and dealing as well as they are. They are just truly strong, faithful, and believing people, and I think they're focused on family, and the importance of family in their life is really what is sustaining them and helping them right now.

PARKER: You can never stop being the best parent that you can be. You can always be better. You can always be more patient, you can always be more loving and understanding and willing to accept your children for who they are. I really hope that as I continue to be a dad to my two children, that I can just -- if anybody looks back on my life, the No. 1 thing that they can say about me is that I was a great day.

LAH: Kyung Lah, CNN, Newtown, Connecticut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: For more information on how you can help those affected by the shooting, go to CNN.com/impact.

We want to update the developing news we told you about just a moment ago. The St. Rose of Lima Catholic church evacuated earlier here in Newtown, Connecticut. Police investigated a threat and said they have found nothing. It is all clear. If more information comes, we'll bring it to you. There are the pictures of police evacuating that church here. But again, they investigated a threat, found nothing, and it's all clear now.

So moving on, sharing their stories of loss as a way of healing. Some families like the one we just met find that talking about their loss and their lost loved ones, they find it helps. We'll meet another one of those families. Make sure you stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: In just about two hours, President Barack Obama heads here to Newtown, Connecticut. He's going to meet with the families of the 26 victims killed in Friday's mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school. The president will also speak at an interfaith vigil tonight. We're going to bring that service to you live here on CNN at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. The president will speak here in Newtown, Connecticut, and we'll bring it to you here on CNN.

We're following the very latest developments on the shooting investigation for you, and here's what we know right now. Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy says a suspect, a 20-year-old suspect, shot his way into the school. We've also learned all 20 of the children killed inside the school were shot multiple times, and all of them were 6 and 7 years old. Investigators are still processing that crime scene, and police say they expect all questions surrounding the cause in this case, I should say, will eventually be answered. The medical examiner's office starting to release the bodies of the 26 victims back to their families now. Funerals are expected to be held this week.

We are learning more about the lives of the shooting massacre victims, and CNN's Nick Valencia is back in the newsroom in Atlanta with more on that. Nick, we heard from one child's family last night, and I understand you have been in touch with another family?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good afternoon, Don. As you can imagine, some of the families that were victims of the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting, so far have been more private about their loss, but some, they really want you to know about the people and the loved ones that they lost. Olivia Engel's family is one of those, and as you can imagine, Don, this is a devastating time for the Engel family. Just a few weeks ago, they took these Christmas photos for the holiday season. They've since posted those photos on 6-year-old Olivia's official family tribute page on Facebook, and in a statement to CNN, Don, the family said "Olivia's physical loss will be felt every day by those who loved her most, but her sparkly spirit will live on."

Don, she loved school, especially math and reading, and even outside the classroom she was very active, involved in a lot of activities ranging from ballet to tennis. Even daisy Girl Scouts. According to her father Brian, her favorite colors were pink and purple, and each evening, Don, she led grace at the dinner table for her family.

Her family says she was smart, bubbly and unbelievably entertaining. In a music recital upcoming at the Sandy Hook elementary school, young Olivia was supposed to play an angel, and yesterday very poignantly a local pastor in Newtown, Connecticut, said today heaven has one more angel. Don.

LEMON: My God. Nick, I mean, such beautiful family, such beautiful pictures. I just -- I can't even imagine. Thank you.

VALENCIA: Thank you.

LEMON: Deb Feyerick, Deb is back in Atlanta. Deb has some other stories. What do you have, Deb?

FEYERICK: Don, a deal could finally be in the works to avoid the so- called fiscal cliff. A source tells CNN House Speaker -- that John Boehner has offered to include higher tax rates on millionaires. The White House is still holding to its $250,000 threshold. Unless a deal is reached by January 1st, practically everyone will be hit with a tax increase.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood declared a narrow victory in the first round of hotly contested constitutional referendum. This is only the first weekend of voting. The rest of the country will vote next weekend. Election monitors report some claims of voter intimidation and early poll closings.

And former South African President Nelson Mandela is recovering in a hospital in Pretoria. The 94-year-old Nobel laureate had gallstones removed yesterday. According to a statement from President Jacob Zuma's office, Mandela was hospitalized last weekend for a lung infection. He's been keeping a low profile for years, and is hailed as a hero of democracy in South Africa.

We're going to take you back to Newtown, Connecticut, for the latest there with Don Lemon. Don?

LEMON: And Deb, I know you're a mom, and you saw the pictures there of little Olivia and all the pictures we have been seeing. It's just, I hated to be so abrupt with throwing back to you, but what can you say? It's just --

FEYERICK: I was looking at that child at 6 years old, and I think of my daughter at 6 years old, and they have this incredibly full and rich life. And you say, my child is 6, my child is 6, and there is this little human being, and then they turn 7. And that 6-year-old is almost a memory. And then you have this beautiful little 7-year-old, and then a beautiful 8-year-old, and it's like you can't even imagine the years that they grow into and they develop and the richness that they bring, every single day to your life as they get older, as they mature, as their sense of humor gets keener and their intelligence, their intellect gets sharper.

You know, I think of my own kids just running around the corner, jumping on me whenever I walk through the door. And I don't even know what it would be like not to have that.

LEMON: As journalists, I have never been at a loss for words, and on this story I'm truly at a loss for words. And I woke up in the middle of the night thinking, I hope I'm dreaming, but sadly I was in another hotel room in another city covering another tragedy with a gun and young people.

Thank you very much, Deb.

The tragedy here in Connecticut is tough for the entire community, and those not directly affected still want to make a difference. We'll hear from them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

LEMON: That is from Saturday night live last night. Somber tribute to the victims in Newtown, Connecticut. The tragedy is tough for the entire community, and those not directly affected still want to make a difference. Yesterday I spoke with two women who are trying to do just that. Before you roll it, I want to tell you that those women saw me on television, was watching CNN and they wrote me a note. And I will explain to you what this note says after you hear from them. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: When you came up to talk to me, you ladies, you could barely get the words out. SHELLEY, NEWTOWN RESIDENT: This is -- there are no words. There are no words. And even right now we know that families are crying together, trying to get through day to day, and we feel that since we weren't directly impacted, we feel like we want to be able to use our voices to say things that we know that people are going to be saying for a long time. After the cameras are gone. And sometimes it's after the cameras are gone that things stop working and motion stops.

LEMON: For you? You've been crying the entire time you're standing here.

LAURA, NEWTOWN RESIDENT: There are no words. There are no adequate words to describe what has happened here. And how children and parents and grandparents and uncles and aunts and people who live far away who just know that we are here, there are no words. And this can happen to anyone, anywhere. We need to make our children feel safe to go back to school. And I want to know how we can do that? I want someone to give us an answer to this question.

And by you asking, some of those questions may be answered. You are making a difference. You are helping.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hope so.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hope so.

LEMON: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

LEMON: How old are your kids?

LAURA: I have an 11 and 14-year-old.

LEMON: And what grades?

LAURA: Sixth and ninth.

LEMON: Are you going to send them to school?

LAURA: I'm going to send them to school as long as I can tell them that somebody is doing something different to make them feel safe.

LEMON: How old are your kids?

SHELLEY: My daughter is 11 and my son is 8.

LEMON: Are you going to send them to school?

SHELLEY: If I feel -- if I feel they're safe. If I feel that they're safe.

LEMON: Thank you.

SHELLEY: This is unbelievable.

LEMON: Thank you. I'm so sorry. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that's all we can do.

LEMON: Thank you. Can I have this note?

SHELLEY: Yes.

LEMON: For every parent?

SHELLEY: Yes.

LEMON: Thank you, guys.

SHELLEY: Thank you so much for the kind of coverage that you're -- you've been very sensitive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: So, Laura and Shelley, thank you. This is the note. And I wanted them to be on camera because I thought that their voices needed to be heard. They didn't want to show their full faces on camera because they had been crying for 24 hours, they said. We don't look well, Don. Just shoot us from the side, and we did that.

The note says, "Earlier you asked someone being interviewed what we would want our country to do for our community. This is what we would like. Right away, we need specific plans and actions to improve safety for our children and our schools before they are expected to return to school. We feel we could be -- we could better ensure our children's safety by placing a permanent police officer in each of our schools in Newtown so they will know that someone is there for the purpose of protecting their school. They need to feel safe and to BE safe," be in capital letters, "BE safe, as safe as possible. But equally important are actions too. Once and for all, find ways to make these acts nearly impossible to carry out in the future. These are the only ways that this tragedy can lead to anything positive. It is our responsibility to do this for these victims and for all of us. Sincerely."

So thank you, ladies, for that, and I think the entire country hear your words right now.

I want to bring in clinical psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere. Jeff, it's hard to tell women like those women that I spoke to not to worry, and their kids not to worry, not to fear sending their kids to school in the future. Fear may be a constant for them now. How do we ease their worries in this moment?

DR. JEFF GARDERE, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, first of all, I want to personally thank you, Don, for the sensitive coverage that you've given and being aware that we can't in any way -- this shooter, make him some sort of an historical figure. Because other people will follow that, and that's been part of the problem, so thank you for that.

LEMON: Thanks, Jeff. How do we help these, how do we help these-- (CROSSTALK)

GARDERE: I think what we need to do -- first and foremost, you're absolutely correct. Fear is going to be part of their lives, not forever, but we need to reassure those children there in Newtown that they are safe. They must return to that school, because if they avoid it, then it will become what we call in psychology a phobic response.

So first and foremost. There should be a police officer, a law enforcement, in each one of those schools there for just a temporary amount of time. Just so they feel safe.

Secondly, parents need to go in with the children, every day, through the holidays, and after, probably through January, or have adults there that are trained to be with those kids and to reassure them that they're safe. There needs to be support groups, mobile crisis units, that are part of the fabric of those schools there, again, every day. They need to use the holidays, and the religious holidays to remember those that have been lost, to continue grieving their loss, to be able to talk about what that feels. And finally, we need to get them to help one another. Get those kids to help one another, to empower them so they don't have to give in completely to the anxiety.

And there will be the PTSD. No doubt about that. With so many of them. But as we address their issues right now, the prognosis will be better.

LEMON: And I went up to the car and I met the kids and saw the kids. I could just only imagine in those little voices, those kids saying mommy, daddy, I don't want to go to school. How, what if someone comes into my school? What do you say to a child who is asking that?

GARDERE: You tell that child that you totally understand that they are afraid. And that you, as the parent, to be honest with them, are afraid, too. But in this life, no matter how horrific things may take place, we must help one another. And we owe it to those kids who are no longer there, because there will be some survivor guilt. That's something that a lot of people have not talked about. And the way to attack that, the way to deal with it, is by going back to school.

So being as gentle and as responsive and as understanding as we can with our children and understanding that fear, but taking them by the hand, not forcing them, but together, going in, and saying, OK, I will help you, but you help mom and dad to be able to deal with this, let's go into this school together. Let's go and get this education together.

LEMON: Great advice, Jeff Gardere, appreciate it as always. Thank you very much.

GARDERE: Thank you.

LEMON: We're all grieving for Newtown, Connecticut. Thank you, thank you.

We're all grieving for Newtown, Connecticut, and when we return, the signs of support, the words of encouragement, and a memorial to the victims. We'll show it to you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: This tragedy in Newtown has brought people together to mourn and to comfort one another. Through words and memorials, we are feeling the heartfelt emotion flowing through this town and around the country. And as we end this hour, we pay tribute to those who lost their lives way too soon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just a tragic, tragic situation for the teachers, the principals, and those angels, that's all I keep thinking about is those angels.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When things happen to your children, and to other people's children, I can't look at my children's faces now without seeing the faces of every one of their schoolmates.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And for more information on how you can help those affected by the shooting, go to CNN.com/impact.