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People to Gather, Pray in Aurora; "Batman" Items Found in Apartment; Penn State to be Punished; Survivor Describes Theater Shooting

Aired July 22, 2012 - 19:00   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 live in Aurora, Colorado where we are following the developing news coming out of Aurora. We want to tell you that there's lots to get to.

We're going to start with the latest developments in the theater shooting that has left 12 people dead and wounded more than 50. We have new details this hour, new information just released from the police department here in Aurora. It is about what they found in the alleged gunman's apartment.

The 24-year-old is the only suspect in the movie theater shooting. And we just found out in just the past few minutes that police found a Batman poster and a Batman mask. They also identified the automatic rifle used in the shooting as a Smith & Wesson military style assault weapon. And police say it was loaded with a 100-round magazine that jammed during the shooting. We don't know how many times he fired the rifle before it jammed.

Also right now, President Barack Obama is here in Aurora. He is meeting with members of victims' families and with the Governor and local officials so make sure you stay with CNN. President Obama expected to make some public comments in just a few minutes and we will have that for you live of course on CNN.

You know the President is going to speak not long before a citywide gathering of people here in Aurora. They will pray, they will honor the people killed and they will be together.

Kyung Lah, at the scene where the people of Aurora are beginning to gather right now -- Kyung, take us there. What's expected to happen where you are later?

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in about 90 minutes, this prayer vigil will begin. But we're already starting to see people from the community begin to gather in this rather large square here. If you take a look behind me, you can see that there are chairs set up and people are standing around this area.

There is a stage set up. There is a podium. And what we are expecting to hear today is a community trying to come to grips with what has happened. Trying to move beyond the actual shooting and work on becoming a community of healing.

We're expecting to hear from the Governor, the Mayor, as well as victims, victims' families, people who were inside there, sharing their experiences.

We're also expecting to hear from the first responders. What they went through. Because remember, they're also the ones who are traumatized as well. So we're beginning to see less than two days after this horrific shooting, a community trying to begin those tentative steps of moving beyond this massacre -- Don.

LEMON: And Kyung, you talked with a man in the hospital today who was shot and he says that he forgives the man who shot him.

LAH: He does. It's really an extraordinary statement, if you think about this. This man has fragments of three different weapons in his body. He was shot in the foot. There are -- you can see the pellets that were left behind from the -- the shotgun fragments. You can also see -- he says if you look at the x-ray, you can see two bullets -- distinct bullets lodged in his arm and his foot.

And yet despite the fact that he was only six inches away from the gunman, he says he forgives him. That that's something that he needs to do to in order to be able to come to peace, to have some sort of peace over what has happened.

But Don, I want to point out that that's just one person's statement. I spoke to another victim just yesterday in the hospital. And he said he absolutely cannot fathom feeling any sort of forgiveness in his heart for what this suspect has done.

LEMON: Yes. And you can understand that after what everybody is going through. Thank you, Kyung Lah. We appreciate it.

Again, I want to tell you that that citywide memorial is expected to begin about one hour from now. And again we're going to carry it for you live. And make sure you stay right there. We will carry the President's comments live right here on CNN as well. That's expected at around 7:30 p.m. Eastern, just under 30 minutes from now. We'll have that live from Aurora for you.

And as I mentioned just a few minutes ago, police are revealing a little of what they found in the shooting suspect's apartment. I want to get to Ed Lavandera now. He is outside the building where the suspect lived. And Ed, what are police saying now? What did they find in that apartment?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, after they went to the great deal of effort which took about 36 hours from the moment they went into James Holmes apartment here in Aurora they finally were able to get out and start taking away the evidence and some of the belongings. And essentially from what we can tell, they have completely cleared out his apartment. And a law enforcement source tells CNN that they removed interestingly enough a Batman poster, a Batman mask and also his computer -- all of that has been taken away from the apartment. And obviously, they're going through that computer, trying to see what other kind of evidence they might be able to find.

They're hoping that that would be a type of clue that would provide a great deal of evidence and depth into what exactly James Holmes has been doing for the last several months in preparing for this attack -- Don.

LEMON: Listen, we also learned something about the weapon used in that theater. What do police say about that?

LAVANDERA: Well, you know, we had heard from one of the shooting victims, they believe that at some point, one of the weapons that James Holmes was using inside the theater had jammed. And we're also told by a law enforcement source that indeed does appear to be the case.

It was the AR-15 assault rifle that jammed at some point. And this is also the weapon that we were told by law enforcement source had the drum magazine which is a magazine that allows them -- allows the person to carry about 100 rounds of ammunition with that magazine.

And in the words of the source that we spoke with said this is to inflict the most possible damage to be able to carry as much ammunition as possible into that theater. But they did also say that these -- these magazines do have a tendency to jam. And then obviously, from what witnesses have told and what authorities have said, he just picked up -- picked up the next weapon.

So whether or not that was able to buy some people some time to get away from him and maybe spare a few lives -- that might have played some role in that. But regardless of that, with all three weapons that he brought into that theater, according to authority, he was obviously able to inflict a great deal of damage. Now whether or not the jamming of that magazine prevented even more, they're still trying to figure that out.

LEMON: And I see the apartment building behind you. We see the police tape. I want you to tell me about that block and that neighborhood, Ed. How do people feel about this apartment filled with explosives and that this man was their neighbor?

LAVANDERA: You know, it's hard to imagine what it must have been like to be here. You know in the -- in the middle of the night, essentially, everyone told that they must evacuate as authorities figured out where James Holmes lived and what was going on inside his apartment.

And for the next 36 hours, they had bomb technicians; they had cordoned off this neighborhood for several streets. Various apartment buildings surrounding the one you see behind me had to be evacuated. Many of those people have now been allowed back, everyone -- things around here are slowly starting to get back to normal. The streets are opening up. The only building that remains evacuated at that point is that one. And at some point here the next couple of days that will -- that will change when residents will be allowed back inside.

But obviously, what this community and what these neighbors have been dealing with throughout this weekend -- has been very tragic, very emotional and the Mayor of Aurora knows that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAYOR STEVE HOGAN, AURORA, COLORADO: We're listed on the FBI's list of "Ten Most Safe Cities above a Population of 250,000". So this is just not normal for Aurora. But we know we'll have to live with it. And we'll just have to move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: You know, Don, what we keep hearing over and over from people in this neighborhood is that James Holmes at least at all -- on the surface here, appeared to be a very quiet guy, kept to himself. It's been very difficult to -- to really get any kind of insight based on the people that we have been talking to and meeting around in this neighborhood.

LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, standby we will be coming back to you throughout the evening. We appreciate that.

I want to tell our viewers again that we are waiting remarks from the President of the United States. The President arrived here just over an hour ago in Aurora, Colorado. He is meeting with the victims and family members. He's at the University of Colorado Hospital. Shortly he'll be making his way to wherever he's going to be making remarks at the bottom of the hour, sometime around then.

And of course there is a much bigger memorial service that's happening a little bit later on this evening. The Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper -- pardon me, earlier said George Hickenlooper, a slip of the tongue there -- and then also the Mayor of Aurora, Steve Hogan will be speaking at that and also the family members. Some of the victims will be there as well.

But first I want to tell you about another story that is making news today. The statue of legendary Penn State head coach Joe Paterno removed from campus. And a big announcement tomorrow could impact the school for years to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Of course, this is big news what's happening here in Aurora, Colorado with the President coming as well. But there's lots of other news to cover today. And Tom Foreman is back in Washington with that -- hi, Tom.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Don. Thanks so much.

Penn state University will pay the price for the apparent sins of the school's former leaders. The NCAA is ready to hand out some of its toughest penalties ever tomorrow. The punishment follows an investigation revealing how school leaders including legendary coach Joe Paterno ignored suspicions of child abuse by former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky. The report has tarnished Paterno's legacy at the school and it led to the removal of a statue of him today.

CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti joins me now by phone. Susan, let's start by talking about this decision to remove the statue. What about that? SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Oh Tom it's been a lightning rod on campus. And in the end, Penn State President Rodney Erickson said today he thought the statue would be quote, "A recurring wound to the victims of child abuse". Now the Paterno family says tearing down the statue does not serve the victims. And as they put it, the only way to help the victims is to uncover the full truth, as they put it. So lots of different views as you can imagine among the student body.

We don't know what the board of trustees thinks because really Tom, despite problems in the transparency, they are not talking today about the statue. The university dismantled Joe Paterno's statue this morning before the start of the fall semester presumably, to prevent things from possibly getting ugly -- Tom.

FOREMAN: What do we expect to hear from the NCAA tomorrow, Susan?

CANDIOTTI: Well, Tom, a source close to the case tells me that Penn State football faces what they are calling unprecedented penalty that are quote, "Well beyond what has been done in the past." However, the school will not face the so-called death penalty that would have meant no football this fall.

But the source says in some these penalties will be worse than the death penalty, an outcome that will be devastating to current players who, of course, had nothing to do with the scandal. But the source tells me there are provisions in the plan to minimize the impact on those students -- Tom.

FOREMAN: Susan, it sounds like in many ways, what the NCAA is doing is basing all of this on what it heard in the Freeh Report which, of course, we did see some time back. Is that your sense is as well?

CANDIOTTI: Right, it must have made a big impact because the NCAA apparently didn't even wait for an official response from the University before announcing these penalties. You remember that they had asked the president of Penn State to answer four questions about how they handled the Sandusky matter but the source tells me as you indicated that everything the NCAA needed was in that Freeh Report that blamed four top University officials for covering up the Sandusky scandal and that report was, of course, commissioned by former FBI director -- commissioned by the school and headed up by former FBI the director, Louis Freeh -- Tom.

FOREMAN: And very quickly Susan, once this happens, what can Penn State do? Does it have any options for fighting this penalty?

CANDIOTTI: Well, they can appeal it but the question is will they? They need to weigh what that could accomplish. After all, there could be a big potential PR backlash if that happened.

FOREMAN: All right Susan Candiotti thanks so much.

Turning now to international news, an Afghan policeman turned his gun on three Americans today, killing them at a training center in Herat Province. A NATO official says the victims were civilian contractors working at the center. The gunman was also killed. An Afghan police official says the motive for the shooting is unknown.

And that's the sound Syrian rebels fighting for the country's two biggest cities, Aleppo and Damascus. This was Aleppo today. The Free Syrian Army says it hopes to liberate the city from what it calls President Assad's thugs but a rebel general also offered an olive branch to government troops saying that any who surrender will not be harmed.

The FBI thinks two young girls missing in Iowa for more than a week are still alive. But agents won't say why they've come to that conclusion. The Iowa cousins -- one 10, the other 8 -- were last seen by their grandmother heading off on a bike ride.

The FBI says someone knows something. According to police, family and close friends have been largely cooperative but some not totally cooperative. There's a $50,000 reward for information on that.

Michael Jackson's mother has been reported missing by a family member but her son says she's fine. The missing persons report was filed with the L.A. County Sheriff's office by her nephew. Katherine's son, Jermaine, however responded by Twitter saying she is resting in Arizona on the orders of a doctor. He said she is upset because of a family fight over Michael Jackson's will.

We'll have much more as the evening goes on.

Right now, let's go back to Aurora, Colorado and Don Lemon.

LEMON: What a strange story, Tom. Thank you very much. Appreciate that.

We want to tell you again that we're waiting for the President to speak live here on CNN at the bottom of the hour, 7:30 Eastern. He is here in Aurora, Colorado, meeting with the victims and the family members from the shooting -- from the mass shooting in the theater right over my shoulder.

And in the meantime, we want to tell about someone I interviewed just yesterday. She served a tour of duty in Iraq only to be shot in a movie theater. And I spoke with her about that shooting here in Aurora and I asked her if it was anything like she had seen in a war zone and about the loss of her friend as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL ALBINO, GEORGIA RESIDENT: Hi Dr. Perry. My son is two-and-a- half years old and my wife and I are just starting to look into kindergarten programs. What sort of criteria should we consider besides cost, hours when we're looking at these schools?

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: The most important thing I can say to you Michael, you as a shopper, you as someone who is looking for a school, must understand first what you want before you go looking at schools. Meaning that if you want a school that teaches in a very traditional setting, if you want a Montessori or if you want some sort of hybrid of that, then you have to decide what works best for you.

One of the biggest mistakes that parents make is you decide on a school for reasons other than they fit your family's academic needs. If you are looking for criteria other than cost and hours, I think you want to look at the quality of the academic experience.

I think you should want, especially for a kindergarten program, for your child to know how the read. They should be able to read simple words and have some understanding of the meanings of those words. They should be able to do simple math and they should be able to know their colors and begin to write to some degree.

If you understand that, then you'll have a really good understanding of the type of school that you want for your child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Alex Sullivan worked at the Century 16 Theater in Aurora and planned to ring in his 27th birthday with a special midnight screening of "Dark Knight Rises". His relatives describe him as a gentle giant. He was funny, witty, smart with a big loving heart. He and his wife were expected to celebrate their first wedding anniversary on Sunday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A good friend of Alex Sullivan, Christina Blache, is another victim of the shooting massacre in Aurora, Colorado. She was with Alex at that midnight movie. She survived and earlier we talked, as she recovered in her hospital bed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A couple of hours ago, a day or so ago, you were -- normal life -- a manager at a restaurant and then this.

CHRISTINA BLACHE, WOUNDED IN THEATER SHOOTING: Yes. You can never expect it, you know. You're always that person that says, "That will never happen to me." And then when it's going on, I actually didn't even know what was going on for like the first three minutes that it happened.

I thought it was like movie theater antics, you know. When there are midnight movie premiers, they kind of sometimes put on shows. Like, have people dress up in costumes and come around and what not. I honestly thought that might be what was going on because it was in the middle of a movie scene where they're fighting.

And then when the thing that was thrown and kind of like, you could literally count to five and then this like bomb went off. And that was like two things in front of me, like two rows. And then all of a sudden, you hear pop, pop, pop, pop, pop -- gun fire. And then that's when it hit me, "Oh, my God. This is actually happening. I should get to the floor." And that's when I went to go get to the floor and that's when I was shot.

LEMON: So people were like, "Oh, my God, I've been hit" and then they started to run and duck.

BLACHE: People said, "Get out of the theater. Get out of the theater". And then there were certain people like trampling over other people that had fallen down, whether they were hit or not, I don't know but like people were falling over each other. The next thing you know, you're just hearing everybody, "Oh, my God, help me; oh, my God, help me."

There was blood everywhere. You could see it. You just turn your head and kind of look around. There was blood everywhere. So it kind of clicks once you see that much blood and people not moving. And then my friend that was sitting next to me, he's face down next to me -- blood coming out of his head, kind of. I didn't get an update until this morning about what had actually happened, if he made it or not.

LEMON: Your friend Alex.

BLACHE: Alex Sullivan, yes.

LEMON: What did you learn? This morning?

BLACHE: I learned that he died.

LEMON: Hard to fathom.

BLACHE: He's the whole reason we all went. It just sucks, you know? I don't want to say -- nobody deserves something like this.

LEMON: Crispy, as they call you. You were in a war zone like you were in Baghdad.

Why is this worse than being in a war zone?

BLACHE: They just weren't, nobody saw this coming. You know what I mean? Nobody that was there saw it coming. Nobody was prepared for it.

If you're going over to a war zone, you know there is the potential you'll be shot at; potentials that mortars are going to come over the wall, potentials that somebody is going to throw a grenade at you.

When you're just sitting in a movie theater trying to watch a movie with your friends, who expects to be shot in a movie theater? None of us did.

LEMON: Can you forgive him? The gunman?

BLACHE: Can I forgive him? Probably not today, not tomorrow -- eventually. I'm a pretty, I guess, laid back and kind of outgoing person. You know, I like to move on. I don't like to keep dwelling on the past. So eventually, yes. I'll be able to forgive him.

Just not right now. He killed somebody I cared about and he injured a heck of a lot of my friends. So, for right now, no -- down the road, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Our thanks to Christina Blache and we wish her all the best.

We want to tell you that we're awaiting the President to speak at any moment now here. Live on CNN. He is in Aurora, Colorado. He is meeting with family members. He's meeting with some of the victims. He is at the University of Colorado Hospital. He is going to speak with them and talk with them for a little bit and then he's going to make some live remarks coming up.

It is supposed to be at the bottom of the hour but that could happen at any time now.

Also there is a much bigger memorial going on this evening in Aurora, Colorado. That is expected to start about 8:00 -- 8:30. And the governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper, is going to speak; and also the mayor, Steve Hogan.

I believe we have some live pictures from there that we can show our viewers of that memorial where that service will be going on. Do we have that? Ok. Ok. All right. So we don't have it.

Let's show the memorial that's here at the theater, just across the street. This makeshift memorial really came up just a couple of hours after the shooting. People had been meeting here. This has been a gathering place for many people in Aurora, Colorado. They've been coming here and supporting each other and really getting their feelings out -- a gathering place, makeshift memorial right across from the scene of that really tragic, deadly shooting.

I want to move on now and talk about my conversation with the man who came face to face with that accused shooter -- well, one of our correspondents' conversations. This is a gun range owner. And he said there was something about this young man that made him uneasy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Matt McQuinn's family agonized for hours before they found out that he was killed in the Aurora shooting. He was at the movie with his girlfriend and her brother. Witnesses say he died while trying to shield his girlfriend from the barrage of bullets from suspected gunman James Holmes. To make matters worse for his girlfriend, the hospital wouldn't confirm his condition to her because she was not related.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: The manager of a gun range might have been one of the first people leery of the man accused of the Aurora movie massacre. He applied to join the range in June. Something about him made the owner uneasy. His suspicion was confirmed when he listened to a bizarre answering machine message. Drew Griffin is here with me in Aurora. So Drew, what spooked this guy about him?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, (INAUDIBLE) This is the first person that we've heard of that had questions about this guy and there was no human interaction. On June 25th, James Holmes applied to the gun range. And I want to show you this gun range. It is about 30 miles outside of town. A private gun range. Very rural. It is called the Lead Valley Range in (INAUDIBLE) Colorado. So James Holmes applies online. Fills out a form and says he wants to be a member of this gun range.

The gun owner calls back. Thinking he is just going to make a sale. He has a $100 initiation fee, $150 a year. He gets this voicemail that he doesn't understand. He calls it back again. It sounds really weird to him. He calls back a third time. This is what he described to our producer. "Guttural, freakish, maybe drunk, weird and bizarre. A deep guttural forced voice."

Well, that gun range owner, Glenn Rotkovich, his alarms went off. He said this guy isn't coming to my range. He doesn't get on my range unless I have a face to face meeting with him. James Holmes never showed up. Never answered the phone calls. Never came back to that range. But it is the first instant we have in this really ghost-like being of somebody who was a little nervous about James Holmes.

LEMON: Oh my goodness. Incredibly though, drew, some were saved by the heroism of others. But one man survived by sheer luck.

GRIFFIN: Yes, it is something we're learning out today. The AR-15 which had the most serious fire power, and had a 100 magazine drum on it which means it had 10 rounds in a semi-automatic fire, actually jammed. And it could be what Jeff Nowlan said tells us - anyway, Josh Nowlan says saved his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH NOWLAN, SURVIVOR: If the gun did not jam, I am certain that I probably would not be here.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How are you feeling today?

NOWLAN: Scared. You know? Of course I'm glad it's over with. And yes, I am glad I am alive and I get to see my kids. But then I also think about the other people that, you know, that weren't as lucky as I was. The kids, mothers and fathers that were there. And they're dead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Federal law enforcement sources told CNN, confirmed to CNN that this gun actually did jam. I can't imagine if it had not jammed, what kind of damage, you know, more damage would have been done in that theater behind us.

LEMON: We say it could have been much worse. It's terrible but it could have been much worse. (INAUDIBLE). Drew Griffin, thank you, we really appreciate that. Drew will get back to you as Drew gets more information. He has been digging and getting really good information about the shooting suspect here.

We want to tell you that the president expected to speak at any moment now live here on CNN. He is meeting with the family members of the victims and also some of the victims as well. Not exactly sure what the president is going to say. But he is going to be speaking, making live remarks any time here. You see that up in the corner of your screen. The president speaking shortly. Also a much bigger memorial is going to happen in just a bit as well. We'll see some of the family members. We'll see the victims. We'll hear from them as well. This whole community coming together. Gathering together. Trying to raise up, rise up out of this controversy and this terrible, terrible tragedy. Of course, we'll be along with them, supporting them as well.

Up next though, he is one of the many heroes of the shooting. A young man pulled two teenage girls to safety and comes face to face with the shooter in the process.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Tom Foreman in Washington, D.C.. We'll be back out in Colorado with Don Lemon shortly.

Nearly a quarter of the women in America, according to researchers, experience violence at the hands of someone close to them. This week's CNN hero, Jo Crawford, is helping survivors fulfill their dreams.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JO CRAWFORD: When I was 13, my dad was very violent. And attempted to murder my mom.

Hi, baby!

It wasn't until I was 55 that I came to work in a shelter and met a woman who had fled Chicago with two young children. She had no documentation. She did not legally exist. She said, can you help me? I need $40 to get all the documentation. It is totally forbidden but I gave her the two $20 bills. And I'm thinking I just changed three lives with $40. I had no idea that I had actually changed my life as well.

My name is Jo Crawford and I ask women survivors of domestic violence to dream their best life. And I give them the means to accomplish the first step. This is what you want. And this is what you deserve.

The women are all out of a relationship for at least six months. They have to be free of alcohol and drugs. And they have got to have a dream. It is not a gift. She agrees to pay it forward to three other survivors.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to be helping three ladies get their GED.

CRAWFORD: These women need to know that they deserve their dream and have the power to create it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got so much help to buy a sewing machine and that made me realize I want to be a person who not only receives help but also gives help.

CRAWFORD: I am so proud of you.

One woman can make a difference. But women working together can change the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: A story of inspiration on a weekend when we can use it. CNN heroes are all chosen from people that you tell us about. If you want to nominate someone you know who is making a difference, go to cnnheroes.com.

Next, we'll go back to Don Lemon in Aurora, Colorado, as we await remarks from President Obama. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Veronica Moser-Sullivan was only six years old. She was the youngest of the 12 people who died in the mass theater shooting. Veronica was described by her aunt as "A vibrant little girl who had just learn how to swim and was excited about life." Her mother was critically wounded in the attack and is still recovering.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Even in tragedy, there are some inspiring stories to tell you about. Last night I spoke with Eric Hunter. He was watching the "Batman" movie in a theater in theater eight on the other side of the wall from where the shootings happened. He would come face to face with that gunman. I asked him to describe what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC HUNTER, SURVIVED COLORADO THEATER SHOOTINGS: First we heard three gunshots that came through the wall. We thought they were firecrackers or something of that nature. We thought it was just a part of the movie going experience that they were trying to create.

LEMON (on camera): Did you try to head to an exit or?

HUNTER: I mean when that happened, we sat back down after that. We seen some commotion, some people, you know, staggering out but we thought they were trying to get the attention of the theater. At that point we heard nine more shots and we seen it come through. And that's when we knew we had to try to find a way out. That's when I stood and went down the stairs. LEMON: The gunman, his face was pretty much covered but could you see his eyes. Or maybe his mouth. Did you see any expression? Did you look into his eyes?

HUNTER: I mean, when I did get a glimpse of him, I seen his eyes. I couldn't see anything else because he had gas mask on. But I did see his eyes. He looked pretty intense but he didn't lose so much emotion.

LEMON: Did he ever come over to the other theater or just that one?

HUNTER: No. It was just nine. With us, I think he was going to try to enter the theater after seeing the girls were over there. Once I pulled them in and closed it, he couldn't answer. I mean, thank god. But -

LEMON: So how are you feeling today being back here? I asked, you know, the guest before you, being back here at this theater and seeing all of these people out here.

HUNTER: I mean it's emotional. I mean, it is just emotional. You're happy that you're alive but then again you're sad because you know certain people died. You know children died and you wish, you know, why not me instead of them. You just feel bad.

LEMON: We've been talking a lot about the suspect in this. And many people are saying "You know what? I don't want to hear so much about the suspect. I want to hear about the survivors. I want to hear about the victims and their families." Do you feel that way? Are you angry with him? Does it upset you to talk about him?

HUNTER: I mean it doesn't upset me to talk about him but I am angry, the fact that he did what he did. I mean we have to talk about him if we're going to figure out how to convict him and how to, you know, and how to not let this happen again. So I mean we have to talk about him. But I understand where they're coming from. I mean I don't even want to turn on the TV and watch the news because I'm affected by it.

LEMON: How does this change your life?

HUNTER: I'm going to be more cautious. I'm going to live my life a little bit, you know, just better and just enjoy myself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was Eric Hunter who was watching the "Batman" movie on the screen next door to where Friday's shootings happened.

If you want to learn more about the victims of this shooting here in Colorado, pay tribute to them or post messages to their loved ones, you can do so by logging on to our web site. Just go to cnn.com/coloradovictims, CNN.com/coloradovictims.

We're awaiting the president to speak. And he will be speaking at any moment. We're going to carry it for you live here on CNN. At first, we weren't sure if the president was going to make any public remarks but apparently he is now. It is supposed to happen at 7:30 Eastern time but the president, we hear, making his way to wherever he is going to make that speech from that has not been released as to where he is going to be.

But we do know that he met with family members, victims, at the University of Colorado Hospital. He is supposed to spend a couple of hours with them and that's what he's doing now and then making his way again to wherever he is going to speak live here on CNN. And we'll bring it to you.

Also, there is bigger memorial happening. This is the one that's over at the Aurora Municipal Center. One where all the family members are going to be as well as the victims, the governor of Colorado going to be there. Also, the mayor going to speak as are many dignitaries from the area. And also there is going to be a service, essentially going to be a church service, a memorial service for the victims and for the family to give them at least some healing here and some ways that they can feel that they are together.

The shot that you see there, the smallest shot you see in the corner of your screen. That's a makeshift memorial that was created just a couple of hours after the shooting when the sun rose the next day, the morning after that shooting, people started coming out. They actually erected a cross. That has been removed. Bringing teddy bears. They've been bringing balloons, signs and posters. Many have been standing there. Candles as well. Many have been have been standing there hugging and just consoling each other. This Aurora community coming together to rise up out of this tragedy. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Many who survived the rampage in that theater feel lucky for dodging death. Some can thank more than faith. Kyung Lah has the story of a man who didn't think twice before trying to save his friends.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH NOWLAN, SHOOTING VICTIM: My mind was completely clear of what is going on. This guy is here with a gun. He is shooting at people. Stay down. That's the best chance we have.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The second thought for Josh Nowlan, protect his friends. The 31-year-old Navy veteran deployed to Iraq twice threw himself on top of his friends. Newlyweds Brandon and Denise Axelrod. Dozens of bullets flew through the air. One rip through Nowlan's calf and then lodge in his arm, breaking the bone.

NOWLAN: There was a big hole in my leg and a big hole in my arm. That is when Brandon was like stay down.

LAH: Nowlan says he flattened himself on the theater floor with his friends beneath him, hearing the gunman walk and wait. He must survive for his two sons he says whose pictures he carries in his wallet, nine year old, Eric, and seven year old, Ryan. And then the gun jammed.

(on camera): If that gun had not jammed would you be here?

NOWLAN: I know I would not be here. If that gun did not jam I am certain I probably would not be here.

LAH: How are you feeling today?

NOWLAN: Scared. You know. Of course I'm glad it's over with. Yes, I am glad I am alive and I get to see my kids but then I also think about the, you know, the other people that didn't, who was not as lucky as I was. I mean there were kids, mothers and fathers that were there and they are dead. I'm still alive.

LAH: Amid the horror of what happened inside theater number nine we are hearing an extraordinary story repeated among the survivors. The number of people who threw themselves on top of friends and family members to shield them from the flying bullets.

NOWLAN: Brad and Denise are two of the best people that you would ever get to meet.

LAH: Is that why you jumped on top of them when those bullets started flying?

NOWLAN: I did. I did not want to see those two go. Because they have every right to live and be happy. They just got married.

DENISE AXELROD: It's no longer a friendship. It's not even family. It is like something deeper.

BRANDON AXELROD: Because this is something that will never leave us.

DENISE AXELROD: No.

LAH (voice-over): His friends won't leave his side now helping Nowlan through a second surgery and physical therapy. As soon as he can, Nowlan has one thing he says he must do for his emotional recovery.

NOWLAN: I want to go back to that theater. I want to go back to that auditorium and look at that same seat and I want to say I beat you. You did not take this life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: CNN's Kyung Lah reporting. Very emotional story.

We want to get you now live pictures of the memorial that's expected to take place. Started just at the top of the hour here on CNN, this is - you're looking at live pictures now of the Aurora Municipal Center. These are the grounds there where that memorial will take place live.

Again, the governor will be speaking, the governor of Colorado, Governor Hickenlooper. Steve Hogan, the mayor, other officials, members of the clergy will be speaking, essentially a memorial service, sort of we're going to go to church here for a little bit and we are going to pay our respects to the people who lost their lives and we're going to support the families and we're going to do it all live here on CNN.

Also, you see there at the bottom of your screen, President Obama to speak in Aurora, we're awaiting that as well. Originally the president was supposed to speak at 7:30 Eastern, about 30 minutes ago. But we hear he is a bit behind and probably taking his time meeting with those family members, speaking to them, and also meeting with some of the victims at the University of Colorado Hospital. We'll have live coverage, both the memorial, the president's remarks moments away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Staff Sergeant Jesse Childress was killed in the theater shooting in Aurora. Childress was one of four U.S. servicemen hit by the gunfire. Originally from Little Rock, California, he was in the Army Reserve for seven years before joining the Air Force Reserve in 2009. His friend tells CNN, "He was the most loving guy she'd ever met, one of those guys you just always wanted to be around."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Of course, there were 11 more victims like that, too. We have been telling you about it throughout our coverage here since this happened early, very early on Friday, early in the midnight hours of Thursday night when people were in that theater, that theater that's right over my shoulder, right across the street from that memorial, that makeshift memorial that you're looking at now when this suspected gunman, James Holmes, police say walked into that theater and also witnesses and two canisters of something, they believe it was tear gas. He ignited those and then opened fire on innocent people, injuring 70 people total in all.

Many people are still in the hospital tonight. And this is right where you're looking at - right over my shoulder and right across the street from the Century 16 Theater where this happened. And this was really set up here, just a couple of hours, when the sun came up the next day and people have been gathering there really paying their respects to the victims of this tragedy. There's that memorial. It has been a number of us have walked over there and taken a look and we were very moved by what we saw and some of what we read on the posters there.

Many people, as I said, paying their respects to the victim. But a lot of people, instead of negative things about this shooter, they don't want to focus on that. What they are trying to focus on is positive words, positive images of this community. The sign behind me saying community of Aurora with signatures on it, going to come back. We're going to support you. We're going to rise from this terrible tragedy. We will not let the mind of someone who appears at this moment to be a deranged person, at least a troubled person, we're not going to let that person steal our happiness and our joy and what our community stands for.

So, again, we're going to continue to focus on that. In the meantime, it's at the top of the hour and we have some more news for you.