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Continuing Coverage of the Connecticut Elementary School Shooting; Taking Comfort from Scripture; New Details on Shooting; Kerry as New State Secretary; Interview with Levar Burton

Aired December 16, 2012 - 16:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And we're coming to you live from Newtown, Connecticut, here. The pain is really, really great as the country, not only this town but the country, indeed, much of the world, mourns what has happened in this community.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And we were just hearing, Wolf, Lieutenant Vance say this will probably be the last time we hear from him tonight but some of the latest things that he said, Wolf, that they still don't know the motive. They say that is going to come later. It's going to take them more time before they're able to talk about that, and also saying it's impossible to say how many shots were fired, Wolf. They're saying there were multiple high capacity rounds, each magazine had about 30 shots and he said hundreds of bullets at least.

BLITZER: This Connecticut State Police lieutenant is doing an excellent job briefing us. He is being very precise on all of the details. He doesn't want to get ahead of the information that they have and so far, I have been very impressed.

BURNETT: Yes, and you know, to that point, when they asked about Nancy Lanza. He says I don't know which gun she was shot with but he does know that it was the Bushmaster that was the one that was used in the school, very specific and very careful so we know what we are getting is right. We are learning some new details about how the victims died and the ongoing investigation this afternoon.

Here is what we know right now. Wolf, police say crime scene investigators are wrapping up work in the parking lot of the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Work continues inside the school and as you just heard Lieutenant Vance talking about, there were three guns found next to the body of the suspected gunsman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza. He killed himself with the handgun and used the Bushmaster AR-15 to shoot his victims. The semiautomatic rifle was the main weapon used. We have also learned that the 20 children who were killed inside the school were shot multiple times, every single one of them, Wolf, was, of course, six or seven years old.

BLITZER: So heartbreaking to hear the details come out and to learn about these young kids. 20 of them. Six and seven years old. All first graders. Six adults as well. President Obama is on his way to Newtown right now. He has touched down in Connecticut just a few minutes ago. He is not going to be able to chopper here, he is going to have to drive because of the inclement weather. He will meet with families and with first responders then later tonight, he will speak at an interfaith vigil right here in Newtown. We are going to have live coverage of the service in its entirety. That will begin at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

BURNETT: Well, today, the families of the victims are grieving or starting to try to understand the horror of what has happened. During the time of sorrow, some are starting to remember, people are of an age, right you six and seven, what you do is bring joy to the people around you's lives. Nick Valencia is in our newsroom in Atlanta, and I know that families, Nick, some of them are starting to put pictures of their children online?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are, Erin, good afternoon to you, and Wolf. Erin, some of the families so far, as you can imagine have been very private about their loss but they still want us to know about their loved ones so some are issuing statements to us and they're slowly starting to put pictures of those kids.

One of those families is a family of young Olivia Engel, just six years old, and as you can imagine, Erin, this is a devastating time for them. Just a few weeks ago, they took these photos for Christmas, for their holiday season cards. She loved school more than anything. She loved reading and math and she was especially active outside of the classroom as well. She played tennis. She went swimming you. She was in ballet and the Daisy girl scouts.

In a statement to CNN, the Engel family said, "Olivia's loss, physical loss, will be felt every day by those who love her most but her sparkly spirit will live on." According to her father, Brian, her favorite colors were pink and purple and every night, Erin, every night, she sat at the dinner table and led grace for the family. She was just six years old, and this is just a devastating time for the Engel family.

One other family that we have heard from is the family of Jessica Rekos. Jessica Rekos also just six years old, and the family understandably, as you can imagine, did not want to talk at length about Jessica's loss but did want her to be remembered. They also issued a statement to CNN. I want to read that for you, they said "Jessica loved everything about horses. She devoted her free time to watching horse movies, reading horse books, drawing horses and writing stories about horses. We had promised her she could have her very own horse when she turned 10." This year, they said she asked Santa for a new cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat. "She was a creative, beautiful little girl who loved playing with her little brothers, Travis and Shane." Right now, the Rekos family is struggling to explain to their little brother, Travis, why he can't play with his best friend anymore.

Earlier this year, six-year-old Jessica, one of her dreams came true, Erin, she loved horses but she was also a big fan of whales and her family took her to Seaworld. She got to see an Orca whale in real life. But she - those two victims, Jessica Rekos and Olivia Engel, two of the six-year-olds taken too soon from us in the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting there at Sandy Hook Elementary schools.

When we get more information from other families as they begin to reach out to us, Erin and Wolf, we will get in touch with you.

BLITZER: Nick, thanks very much. You know, it is interesting, some of these parents, they want to talk right now about their six-year- old or their seven-year-old, and tell the world how much they loved them. Others want privacy, we respect, of course, that completely but they want us to see and learn about them. And it's very helpful in these kinds of tragedies, I have discovered, Erin, over the years, people react in different ways. And you know, what's good for one parent is not necessarily good for another.

BURNETT: People do grieve so differently.

BLITZER: Yes. There's been some police activity in the alleged gunman's neighborhood. Right now, Alison Kosik is joining us with the latest information. Alison, what are you learning?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is interesting is we have been trying to confirm whether or not the neighborhood here where Adam Lanza lived with his mother, Nancy, where the scene has been cleared from the investigation. We haven't yet gotten confirmation on that, but what happened about, I would say 20 minutes ago, about six police cars drove up here, about six officers got out, talked in the middle of the street here behind, got back in their cars and then drove into the neighborhood. So not sure exactly where they were headed. We can only assume they are headed to the Lanza home or in that area.

We are also learning new information today about how the gunman got into Sandy Hook Elementary. And it's interesting to hear these details. Because you have to remember the school had security in that you had to be buzzed in by - around 9:30, the doors would be locked and you had to be buzzed in and the people inside the school could see on a security camera who would be trying to get into the door. What we are learning from Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy that what this gunman did, and he is actually confirming what our sources have told us before is that what this gunman did was basically blast his way into the school, basically shoot an entrance, his own entrance into the building.

Here's more of what the governor had to say.

(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, penetrated by literally shooting an entrance into the building. That's what an assault weapon can do for you. We are, unfortunately, a violent society.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: As we learned in the news conference just a short time ago more about the weapons that the gunman mostly used or only used a Bushmaster to mow down these kids to just massacre these kids and six adults inside this school, that he used that automatic weapon to do so inside the school and then turned the hand gun on himself. At the same time, we are learning more about what authorities are doing to track these weapons. The ATF has already traced the weapons. Now, what federal agents are doing right now, they are chasing new leads, they are looking at 30 gun ranges. They are looking at 400 gun dealers in a four-county area surrounding Newtown and what they are trying to do, Wolf, they are trying to figure out what this gunman was up to in the days leading up to this massacre. Wolf?

BLITZER: Alison Kosik with the latest on this part of the story. There are so many parts of this story, so many questions that still have to be answered. We are beginning to get few of them. I suspect in the next 24 to 48 hours, we will get some more.

BURNETT: Of course, the big question out there is why and we don't know the answer to that yet. Across the country though, children may be having a hard time getting ready to go back to school. A lot of parents who are watching maybe kept their kids away from the television all weekend and are deciding now on how to talk to them. We are going to talk to a psychologist next about how to help children face some of the fears they might have in the wake of the violence.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: young students across the country preparing to go back to school for the first time since the massacre. So how do parents deal with any fears that the children may have? Dr. Charles Sophy is a psychiatrist and a medical director for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Dr. Sophy, thanks very much for coming in. So what's the most important thing parents can say or do to alleviate any concerns for these young kids?

DR. CHARLES SOPHY, PSYCHIATRIST: I think the most important thing for parents to be able to do is make sure that they're as solid as they can be and their emotional responses are kind of intact so that they are not reacting and their children become frightened. After that, you need to have that discussion. So talk to the children, ask them what they know. If they don't know anything, give them a little bit of an education about what happened. No gory details and then listen. The key is to listen to your children and then answer age appropriately the questions. But answering less information is more information and listen to your children.

BLITZER: How do parents make sure they don't project their own fears onto the kids?

SOPHY: I think there's several ways that parents can protect themselves and not worry that they are going to put onto their children their own fears and concerns and that's by talking to each other as parents, talking to other parents and making sure that they have at least dealt with the fact that they can assure some safety to their children and that they, themselves, feel safe but dealing with some of the stuff by talking to other adults is the only way they are going to be able to alleviate their own pressures and guilt and fear so that they can listen to their children without projecting. BLITZER: What about the parents working together with their schools - with the children's schools to make sure the kids feel safe? What should the parents be doing?

SOPHY: Well, I think it's key for parents of schools to group themselves together so that everybody is talking, everybody is processing this as a group so that you limit the ability for rumors and for misinformation, miscommunication to get out there and then everybody is on the same page. Nobody is hearing something different that isn't really here, happening. And your children aren't coming home with stories that you can't explain. All parents together, unified as a community are going to be better communicating together for their children and making it more streamlined and consistent. And it really limits the ability for problems, rumors, anxiety and even more emotion to come out of this.

BLITZER: I'm sure, Dr. Sophy, there are some parents out there who are saying to themselves maybe I should keep my child home from school tomorrow. They are afraid, god forbid, of a copycat or something like that. What do you say to these parents?

SOPHY: Well, I would tell them that those feelings are absolutely normal to have but please don't get trapped within the fear of that, because once you give into that, it's going to be very difficult to break that but I think it's important to discuss with your child, if you think they are going to be afraid to separate from you, and even if it's you that's afraid to separate from your child, do some transitional object type of thing. Write them a note that they can keep with them, take a teddy bear to school with them. I think some way to allow them to stay connected to you emotionally and vice versa through the day will alleviate it for both parent and for child.

BLITZER: Dr. Charles Sophy, thanks for that good advice. We appreciate it very much.

SOPHY: Thank you. Thanks.

BLITZER: Lets check in with Deb Feyerick, she has got some other top stories making news today. We will be back here in just a moment with more of the latest from the scene.

DEB FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, of course, things happening elsewhere, Wolf. A deal could be closer to avoiding the so-called fiscal cliff. A source tells CNN that House Speaker John Boehner has offered to include higher tax rates on people making $1 million in exchange for entitlement cuts. 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.

Well, it appears that President Obama has tapped Massachusetts Senator John Kerry as his next secretary of state. A source says the president may make the announcement later this week. Kerry narrowly lost the presidency in 2004 to President George W. Bush. He is chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee. He is also a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. And tomorrow, the State Department gets a look at a detailed report about the attack on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton ordered this review. Members of Congress are scheduled to get the classified briefing on Wednesday. Clinton will not testify. She is recovering after a concussion from fainting due to dehydration.

And as you prepare to send your children to school tomorrow, you may have to address some fears. Our next guest will help us find ways to talk to our children about tragedy and look at ways that we all can move forward.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Explaining what happened here in Newtown to your children or to any children can seem like a daunting tax. So as grownups, we don't know how to make sense out of what has happened here, never mind for a young child.

Vigils are taking place around the country, people are trying to understand, trying to begin to heal. For children the process can be very different. You may know our next guest from "Reading Rainbow." We want to bring in Levar Burton who is host of the PBS Children's series. Levar, thanks for taking the time.

You know, a lot of parents that I know have said "look, so far this weekend, I haven't told my children. I have kept them away from media and away from television because I didn't - I didn't know how to tell them. I didn't know if I should tell them. For those parents watching, should they tell their children before they go to school tomorrow because the children could hear from friends or from teachers? What do you do?

LEVAR BURTON, HOST: Without question. Erin, thank you and Wolf for the opportunity to be here. I got to say at the outset you just had a great child psychologist on in the previous segment. I'm not a child psychologist but I spent a lot of time communicating with kids and the experts all say, yes, it is important for you as a parent to get out in front of this mess. You control the message because if you don't, as soon as they hit school tomorrow, it is going to be controlled by kids who are just a little older than they are, your children.

So, take the time tonight and I know that it's - it's uncomfortable, especially when we, as parents, are still trying to process this ourselves. So, we have to have the courage to really have that difficult conversation with our kids and to, in an age-appropriate way. And you know your kids better than anybody in terms of what they can handle and what's the right language to use, what's the right framing for this thing that has happened to all of us, and listening to your kids is really, really important.

BURTON: Levar, to that, when you talk about listening to your kids, you know, Wolf and I were just talking a moment ago, about how, when you tell some children, they may be sort of silent and stoic and that may be because they are bottling it up inside, whether they are afraid or upset but other kids may truly not be that affected by it and as a parent it is so hard to know which category your child falls into. How do you try get the tone right and not take a child who isn't afraid and make them become afraid?

BURTON: Again, it's a dance isn't it? But I think the most important thing we can remember is as much as we want to go and hug our kids and that is like the thing to do now right now. Take some time to process yourself as parents. Truthfully, take a bath, really. I mean, during times of trauma, water seems to help. Not just a shower, I'm talking about - guys, I have done the same thing, I have immersed myself in water today to help me process what I just don't seem to have a way to understand. And so I would recommend, you know, bathe your kids. Throw them in the tub and make sure you get a bath yourself. And allow yourself to really feel what you're feeling and know that your kids are feeling it, too and let them be the guide.

Take the cues from them. But if you've got one that's really silent and stoic then it is important to sort of sound them out on what they know, what they are aware of and how they feel about it, because it's going to be the national conversation on playgrounds, in office buildings, in schools, in America, for days to come.

BLITZER: Because, Levar, we got to make sure our children know they're safe. So what's the best way to communicate that to the kids?

BURTON: Well, I'm all for letting them know that the person responsible for this is no longer a threat to anyone. And we, the adults in the world are taking care of all the things that need to be taken care of in terms of the aftermath of this, but they need to know that they are safe and that they are going to continue to be safe. I recommend a lot of hugs. Sit and read with your kids. It's a great way to pass this time.

Once, you know, I'm loving the fact that a lot of families around the country are really limiting their children's exposure and own exposure to the news coverage. We have to take breaks from it. It's really easy to become absolutely saturated and overwhelmed by it. So, these are all good things to remember. Most of all, we just have to remember to be gentle with ourselves and each other for a while. Because we're all sort of walking around open wounds.

BURNETT: Are there positive ways to address this tragedy with children, perhaps when the children ask questions about the other children, when they ask questions about those six and seven-year-olds?

BURTON: It is always appropriate to acknowledge the feelings of children. Look a lot of what I know I learned from the master, from Fred Rogers, and he was always one for meeting kids where they are and that's something that we can all do. Just be present enough to hear what it is they have to say and again don't forget those hugs.

WOLF: Finally, Levar, how has this tragedy affected you personally?

BURTON: Well, it's been difficult. I'm having a hard time with it. I really am. I'm having a hard time. And I think that being able to express myself on it helps an awful lot. We - we are all experiencing this together and we are in unchartered territory here, so in this moment, I'm - I feel like I'm helping and so I am a - I feel like I'm, you know, I'm fine. I'm functional, but I know at the same time, I'm altered. I'm different today than I was yesterday.

BLITZER: Not just you, I think all of us feel exactly the same way. I think you're speaking for a lot of people and I suspect that when we hear from the president tonight at this interfaith vigil right here in Connecticut, he will be making some of those same points.

Levar Burton, thanks very much for what you're doing. Thanks very much for joining us.

BURTON: Thanks, Wolf.

BURNETT: Wolf, we're now hearing that the president wrote his speech virtually all himself, not relying on speechwriters or anything like that tonight.

BLITZER: And I suspect also, as a father, as opposed to being president. He knows he has to comfort the nation right now, that's his responsibility, but he is also speaking from the heart as the father of two girls.

BURNETT: We do have new information about how the suspected gunman got into the Sandy Hook Elementary School. We just found that out a few moments ago from the Connecticut State Police and about the weapons he used in the rampage. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. We are here following the aftermath of the horrific, horrific tragedy that happened here Friday morning, 9:30 a.m. Friday morning, all of a sudden so many lives changed and millions of people around the world, I think their lives changed as well.

BURNETT: Wolf, at that moment, I was overseas and I thought that it was a typo as I'm sure many people did that it was impossible to comprehend that but on my way back, there was people around every TV screen, watching CNN.

BLITZER: You were in Afghanistan with the secretary of defense?

BURNETT: Yes.

BLITZER: And all of a sudden, you come back to the - you think there's violence there and there's horrific violence right here in Connecticut when you think about it.

BURNETT: Yes.

BLITZER: Police in Newtown here in Connecticut, they just wrapped up a news conference on the mass shooting of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Friday morning. Here's what we know right now: investigators say the suspected gunman, the 20-year-old, Adam Lanza, fired hundreds of bullets, yes, hundreds of bullets from multiple magazines from a Bushmaster assault-style weapon. They also say that the assault weapon was the main weapon used in this attack, in this mass murder. Police also say the suspect's mother, Nancy Lanza, she died of what they are saying now multiple gunshot wounds, not just one, multiple gunshot wounds and they report that Adam Lanza died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound himself.

BURNETT: The president is expected to arrive in Newtown any minute now. We know that he has arrived in Hartford; he just touched down in Connecticut, literally, Wolf, about 30 minutes ago. He is in a motorcade coming here, unable to take a helicopter because of the inclement weather, he is going to be meeting with families and first responders, and tonight he is going to be speaking at an Interfaith vigil, the speech that we can tell you, he wrote himself. We will bring that service to you live in its entirety. It begins at 7:30 Eastern Time and it is expected to last, Wolf, just about 90 minutes.

BLITZER: Yesterday, I did meet with the minister, a rabbi and others who are leading this vigil and I think they are all grateful that the president decided in his role as what we call comforter and chief to come here, not only speak publicly and address the people here but also address the nation and the world on this tragedy and he is also meeting privately with family members, with first responders and others.

BURNETT: This is a moment of grief that everyone's feeling, a hole and emptiness. All right. We want to get to Deb Feyerick in Atlanta for some of the other major stories we are following on this afternoon.

DEBRA FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks Erin. Thanks Wolf. Well in California a frightening incident for shoppers at a mall parking in Newport Beach.

(gunfire)

FEYERICK: More gunfire, this time in that parking lot a van fires 50 shots in the air yesterday and stores filled with shoppers, could they lock their doors? No one was hit but one person did suffer minor injuries trying to get out of the area. The suspect is in custody. Police have given no reason for the shooting.

And in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood declares a narrow victory in the first round of a hotly contested constitutional referendum this is only the first week of voting. The rest of the country is expected to vote next weekend. Election monitors report some claims of voter intimidation and also early poll closings.

In London, the duchess of Cambridge is attending her first public engagement since her pregnancy was announced this month. A spokesman says Katherine is to appear at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Awards tonight. She was last seen December 6th leaving the hospital after several days of treatment for acute morning sickness.

There's lots more news coming up, but right now, we want to go back to Wolf Blitzer, he is in Newtown. And Wolf, you are talking about healing and this service tonight and people just need so much time to just wrap their head around what has happened there. BLITZER: It is hard to believe what has happened. I have been here now for a couple days, Deb, and I'm not even sure I understand completely the enormity of this huge, huge tragedy, a very, very sad story from a to a and I suspect it's -- as we get more and more details, it will just become even more shocking.

The shootings here at the Sandy Hook Elementary School have resparked also the debate across the country over gun control in America. Today, lawmakers took to the air waves on the Sunday talk shows to argue both sides of the controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: It's so unbelievable and it only happens in America. And it happens again and again. We kill them in hospitals we kill them in religious organizations, we kill them when they are young, we kill them when they're old and we just got to stop this. It's time for the president, I think, to stand up and lead and tell this country what we should do.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, (D) CALIFORNIA: I'm going to introduce in the senate and the same bill will be introduced in the House, a bill to ban assault weapons, but the purpose of this bill is to get just what Mayor Bloomberg said, weapons of war off the street.

SEN. JASON CHAFFETZ, (R) UTAH: I own a Glock 23, I have got a shotgun, I am not the person you need worry about and there are millions of Americans who deal with this properly. It is our Second Amendment right to do so. But we have to look at the mental health access.

GOV. DAN MALLOY, (D) CONNECTICUT: These are assault weapons; you don't hunt deer with these things. And I think that's the question that a lot of people are going to have to resolve in their own minds where should this line get drawn?

REP. LOUIE GOHMERT, (R) TEXAS: Every mass killing of more than three people in recent history has been in a place where guns were prohibited and hearing the heroic stories of the principal lunging, trying to protect Chris, I wish to god she had had an m-4 in her office locked up so when she heard gunfire, she pulls it out and she didn't have to lunge heroically with nothing in her hands, but she takes him out, takes his head off before he can kill those precious kids.

SEN. DICK DURBIN, (D) ILLINOIS: I honestly think that that argument just doesn't hold water. When you think about it, are we talking about arming principals, arming teachers? Is that going to make us a safer America? I don't think so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: President Obama's promising to take some action. Right now, it's unclear what he is going to do, but the pressure certainly will mount in the coming days, weeks and months. As the people here in Newtown try to come to terms with their grief, can religion provide comfort? A bible expert will show us what religious scripture has to offer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: As this tragedy in Newtown has brought people together to mourn and to comfort one another, through words and memorials, we are feeling the heartfelt emotions flowing through this town, not just this town, but around the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Died doing what you love, protecting the kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First we start off with a moment of silence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give us rehenity to endure what sometimes may be unbearable.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: I want to tell people to be strong and keep faith in god because at these times, it is necessary.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: I thought I should come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: That music "You will Never Walk Alone." Well, the killing of so many innocent children and their teachers has generated lots of grief and anger; these powerful feelings extend well beyond the city of Newtown. Associate Professor Brent Strawn of Emory University's Chandler School of Theology is here to talk about how religious text can provide some comfort, especially in this holiday season. Thanks so much for being here. Let's talk about grief and joy and how they are linked so tightly sometimes.

BRENT STRAWN, EMORY UNIVERSITY, CHANDLER SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY: The bible is full of text that links grief and sorrow and then tries to work through those on the way to joy and happiness. But it is seldom an easy road.

FEYERICK: We look at it, grief, sorrow it is about vulnerability; it is about so many people feeling just so close to the edge. What does the bible tell us about walking through it, to the light?

STRAWN: Well it is Christmas time, it is interesting to note that in Matthew, the new testament, Jesus' birth is accompanied by the slaughter of children, King Herrod is so frightened of Jesus that he decides to kill all the male children in Bethlehem up to 2 years of age, it is called the slaughter of the holy innocents and it shows death of evil that can be done, innocent children even at Christmastime.

FEYERICK: You look at what happens and the question is how can this evil exist in the world, something that's so senseless, that normal people can't even comprehend this depth of the evil. What does the bible say?

STRAWN: Well the bible is full of texts that articulate this grief and sorrow over tragedy, the Psalms probably are the most articulate expressions of those, like, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?"

The bible shows these Psalms that people who are religious fill the full emotional weight that is associated with tragedy and they pray in that tragedy because they need help. And the prayers also show that they frequently -- that those prayers frequently help, that the Psalms end frequently in hope and confidence affirming that God hasn't despised or detested the suffering, those who suffer but actually listened to them and attended to them and helped them.

FEYERICK: There is that question that so many people ask at a time like this. And that is how could this happen? How could God let this happen?

STRAWN: Yes. There is no easy answer to that question. All religions try to deal with the problem of suffering and evil one way or the other. But I think the bible holds precious several convictions. One is that God is with us when we suffer. Another is that God really knows our suffering, listens to it, sees it, even experiences it, and that somehow will help us through it maybe precisely through these tools of prayer and texts like the Psalms, but there are two other things I think the bible is helpful on in this point.

One is that the bible contains the hope that one day that God will set the world straight. And it's exactly events like this that lead to that conviction and that hope that we all need and want to live in a world where none of this ever happens again. The other thing the bible says in the mean time, we have a lot of work to do to help God set the world straight and that work includes comforting those who mourn and also doing whatever we can to contain violence and restrict it and restrict evil so that none of us have to mourn like we are right now.

FEYERICK: And every good deed, every act of evil people do is a way to heal what is a broken world, to repair a broken world.

All right. Well Brent Strawn, thank so much, we really appreciate your being wit us especially at this difficult time when people really are looking for words of comfort, looking for ways to come together and unite and not feel as if they walk alone. Thank you, appreciate it.

STRAWN: Thank you.

FEYERICK: Well Connecticut police lash out against what they call crimes being committed on social media involving their investigation. What are those crimes? We will find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BORGER: A stern warning from Connecticut police today about social media. They say some posts are false and even threatening and authorities say they will prosecute. Josh Levs is covering this part of the story for us. Josh explain what is going on.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes Wolf very interesting. Really took a lot of people by surprise today when the authorities were talking about the latest investigation. Listen to what police said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. J. PAUL VANCE, CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE: This information is being posted on social media sites. There has been misinformation coming from people posing as the shooter in this case, posing -- using other Id's, mimicking this crime and crime scene and criminal activity that took place in this community. There have been some things in somewhat of a threatening manner. It is important to know that we have discussed with federal authorities that these -- these issues are crimes. They will be investigated statewide and federally and prosecution will take place when people perpetrating this information are identified.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: There could be some real new legal steps we haven't seen before here and this raises a lot of questions. I want you-all to know that we don't know which posts they are talking about, we have all seen, those of us who cover this, have seen some posts out there that are or appear to be fake. I'm certainly not going to show you them or conjecture about which ones they might be talking about, because the authorities won't say. But this introduces a very important question to face the entire country, in a nation that has freedom of expression, when do you cross the line into doing something that is consider illegal? And for the answer to that I reached out to a cyber law expert.

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RYAN CALEB, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON: Freedom of speech based on in this country. And so for instance saying things about the Connecticut shooting somewhat in a threatening manner that is not going to be actionable, for the most part. If you intentionally interfere with an investigation, mislead officers trying to conduct an investigation on purpose, well then, yes absolutely, you're going to be prosecuted. Another is where you intentionally create a public panic. But understand what the prosecution would have to show is the post or the tweet or whatever it happens to be was done intentionally, was done on purpose, in order to interfere with the investigation in order to create a public panic and that is a relatively high bar to show.

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LEVS: That was Ryan Caleb, a law pro professor with the University of Washington and also associated with Stanford's Center for Internet and Society. Introducing a lot of questions before I go here I want to turn the wheel a little bit and tell you-all that at the same time that social media is also a central point of discussion and it is now part of the story. In the wake of what happened, one thing you are seeing is a lot of people debating gun laws now on facebook and on twitter and what should be done about people who have mental illness. So social media is also giving people a voice in some ways that way, Wolf, doing a lot of good like letting people voice their views. But as for what the crimes are we are going to stay all over this, Wolf, and find out what it is that authorities are looking to crackdown on there.

BLITZER: Josh Levs, thanks for that report.

Meanwhile, here in Newtown, Connecticut, we are all grieving for the families of these victims.

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BURNETT: Tragedy here in Newtown, Connecticut, has brought people together, people together in their grief to mourn. Families who were affected and even the media, we all feel this.

BLITZER: Just trying to comfort each other during these difficult times through words, memorials. We are all feeling the heartfelt emotion flowing through this town and indeed, around the country. As we end this hour, we want to pay tribute to those who lost their lives way too soon.

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

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LAURA PHELPS, MOTHER OF 2 CHILDREN AT SANDY HOOK: I mean, when things happen to your children, other people, I can't look at my children's faces now without seeing the faces of every one of their schoolmates.

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