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18-Year-Old Karl Pierson Shoots Two Students And Kills Himself In Arapahoe High School; Snowstorm Covers 1,000-Mile Swath Across Midwest; Teenage Boy Gets No Jail Time For Killing Four People Based On "Affluenza" Defense; Teen Drunk Driver: Too Rich for Jail?; Winter Storm Sweeps through East; Kanye Comment Irks Police; NASA Developing Human-Like Super Robot
Aired December 14, 2013 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: It is the top of the hour. Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Martin Savidge in for Fredericka Whitfield, and here are the top stories that we are following.
Police believe a teenager was bent on revenge when he opened fire at his Colorado school, but they don't know what made him snap. Now they're searching for clues in two different sites. A live report just seconds away.
Powerful snowstorm spanning 1,000 miles, and it's dumping whole lot of snow across multiple states. Roads are treacherous, and flights are canceled. We'll show you just how bad it is ahead.
Plus, young, rich, and spoiled. Defense attorneys say those qualities caused this boy to catch a bad case of affluenza. Then the drug gives him probation for the drunken driving deaths of four people. The controversial case this hour.
We're going to start right now in Colorado, a day after a school shooting just miles from columbine.
Ana Cabrera, live in Centennial.
Ana, what's the latest on this investigation?
ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have the Arapahoe county sheriff's office, we have the federal bureau of investigation also helping the Colorado bureau of investigation. We're told this is a search and an investigation that could take several days, if not longer. One of the places they are currently searching is the home where the shooter lived as well as his father's home.
Now, the shooter has been identified as 18-year-old Karl Pierson, a student at the school. We understand he was a member of the debate team. He walked into the school with a shotgun, and that's one of the big questions and holes right now. Where did he get this gun? The sheriff telling me this morning that they hope to be able to answer that question perhaps at a press conference that is scheduled in just a couple of hours from now as well as answering questions about more of the evidence they may have collected through the course of today. Of course, it was about 24 hours ago just a little more than that when there was that horrifying situation for the students who were inside this school. We spoke to several of them who heard the shots ring out. Listen to how this unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not sure why.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's smoke north side the school. There's a fire in the library.
CABRERA (voice-over): Chaos and confusion at Colorado's Arapahoe high school as a gunman opens fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm on the north side entering the west parking lot. I have a student down in the athletic hall. Shotgun shell on the ground. Student may have a shotgun. I see two shotgun shells on the ground right here.
CABRERA: And this morning the suburban Denver high school is still a crime scene.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Be advised at the time, we do have one student down and they have found shotgun shells.
CABRERA: Police say the gunman identified as 18-year-old Karl Halverson Pierson shot one student before taking the gun to himself and taking his own life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was so scary. Two shots by my classroom, so we heard the screaming.
CABRERA: Police say Pierson appears to have been seeking revenge against a specific faculty member because of what police call a confrontation or disagreement. Witnesses saw Pierson enter Arapahoe high school carrying a shotgun. He made no attempt to hide it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw him. He was kind of running military towards the building. I alerted everybody in the building, and that's when I heard two big bangs. Just boom, pop.
CABRERA: Police say Pierson asked other students the whereabouts of that faculty member, reportedly the school's librarian, and head of the speech and debate team.
GRAYSON RICHARDSON, ARAPAHOE COUNTY SHERIFF: When the teacher heard that he -- that this individual was asking for him, the teacher exited the school immediately. In my opinion, it was the most important tactical decision that could have been made.
CABRERA: In addition to the shotgun, authorities found two Molotov cocktails inside the school, one was rendered safe. The other had been detonated.
RICHARDSON: That's why deputies encounter aid large amount of smoke in the immediate area. That was ignited either immediately prior to or during the shots being fired. CABRERA: As part of the investigation authorities will be looking at school surveillance video. They are also searching Pierson's car, his home, and another home that he had access to. The shooting happened just ten miles from the infamous 1999 columbine high school shooting where Eric Harris and Dillon Klebold (ph) killed 12 students and one teacher before killing themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband was a freshman at columbine, so he is freaking out right now. It's bringing back horrible memories of that. And it is just way too close to home.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: The sheriff does tell us that he believes that some of the training and the changes that they've made in terms of their law enforcement protocol may have helped save lives. Of course, since Columbine, that's really been on the radar for the folks here.
We do know however, a 15-year-old girl shot. She is currently fighting for her life in critical condition at the hospital, the only other person shot here yesterday afternoon. Now, witnesses say, they heard her scream for help. Again, she is in critical condition. We continue to be in touch with the hospital to learn the very latest for her.
Now, the shooting comes in a very difficult time for the whole country, today marks one year since the terrible massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. There, 20 children and six adults were killed in that shooting. The president and first lady lit candles for each of those victims at the White House this morning. And in his weekly address President Obama said there just hasn't been enough change since it happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We haven't yet done enough to make our communities and our country safer. We have to do more to keep dangerous people from getting their hands on a gun so easily. We have to do more to heal troubled minds. We have to do everything we can to protect our children from harm and make them feel loved and valued and cared for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: And Martin, you know, in the age of social media, I have been monitoring the Twitter and Facebook feeds, a lot of talk about gun control popping up once again today, particularly after this shooting. You know, Colorado is one of the handful of states in this last legislative session that did indeed enact some tougher gun control laws, and those legislators have taken a lot of flock for that. So the conversation is not over, but, again, even with those tougher laws here in Colorado, shootings like this still happen -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Yes, painful day for much of the nation.
Ana, thank you very much.
Now to that deep freeze that's gripping millions of people from the Midwest to the east this weekend. A snowstorm nearly 1,000 miles wide is now covering parts of the Midwest today. It is marching east, of course, and that is threatening folks there with heavy snow and freezing rain.
I want to go to Jennifer Gray in Chicago.
Jennifer, have people seen the worst of the storm? It looks like it is improving.
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, the worst of it has pushed through. We are still getting some snow. It isn't quite as heavy as it was earlier this morning. We picked up four inches of snow here in Chicago. The snow plows have been out busy this morning clearing the streets, salting the sidewalks and the roads, keeping things as safe as they can here in Chicago. It is a slow go here in the city, but I not just Chicago. As you mentioned, this is messy all the way to the northeast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRAY (voice-over): Winter still maybe officially one week away, but by the looks of what's coming down this weekend, you might think otherwise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was homing, and it started coming down. So, this has been constant all day, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The back roads are just ice and snow and just makes it hard to drive on it and everything.
GRAY: Here in Chicago, the conditions have been downright frigid, dipping to below average temperatures for days.
This is Jim Walsh. Come on in, Jim. We caught him running just a few minutes ago. You're from D.C. in town for a wedding. Some people would call you a little crazy, Jim.
JIM WALSH, RUNNER: No, this is a beautiful day for a wedding in December in Chicago. I love Chicago. It's beautiful out here.
GRAY: And I guess it's all about the miles at this point?
WALSH: Yes. We're just going to get the miles in.
GRAY: Now this 1,000 mile storm is on the move when tens of millions in the northeast about to get shellacked by large swaths of snow and ice. Some places could see more than a foot of the white stuff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm freezing. This is terrible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's brutal. I don't like it.
GRAY: This wicked weather didn't deter everyone in New York. The Christmas parade went on as planned with Santa braving the elements. Still, utility companies and airports remain on high alert, as are emergency crews who overnight had to battle through bitter conditions in thick ice to fight this fire in Berlin, New Hampshire. So, with warnings and watches now in effect for large portions of the northeast, everyone is bracing for what could be a miserable 24 hours.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRAY: And Martin, people are out and about on the streets here. We've seen joggers and we've seen people bring their pets out here. They're just getting out and enjoying the snow. It's cold here in Chicago, though. It's been below freezing since December 7th, and temperatures aren't expected to get above freezing until at least Thursday.
SAVIDGE: All right, then, people should get out and enjoy. It's the weekend. Don't drive. Just take it easy on foot.
But Jennifer, thanks very much.
That Colorado school shooting has shocked everyone and rattled the students who were in school that day. We'll find out how they're reacting, how they're doing after the break.
And then Dr. Drew Pinsky will join the conversation. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CABRERA: Hello, and welcome back. We are live in Colorado where a community is coping with yet another school shooting. Yesterday, Karl Pierson walked into the high school behind me, Arapahoe high school, shooting a 15-year-old girl before killing himself. Dave Young of our affiliate KDBR has reaction from some of the other students inside the school.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVE YOUNG, KDBR REPORTER: (voice-over): After agonizing minutes that turned into hours, parents and children reunited hearing firsthand what they just had been through.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were sitting there having class, and then we heard like a shot and it sounded like a book dropping like on the ground, but then there was another and so we all, like, dropped everything we had and went in lockdown, and then someone came on the intercom and said that it wasn't a drill.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was pretty scary. There were two shots by my classroom. So, we heard the screaming. We dove for cover, and our teacher locked the door and I sat in the middle of my two best friends, and we tried to stay calm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We heard two really loud bangs coming through the hallway, and we've never heard a gunshot before, so we just assumed it was someone banging on the lockers, and then we heard lots of yelling and more of the loud bangs, and so we sprinted out of there, and we just ran through the parking lot and waved at the first person driving by.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think it's a drill at the beginning because you go through so many of them, and when you are getting text from all these people from different schools and out of state asking if you are OK, like, it's just kind of surreal. It just hasn't sunk in yet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I went into shock. I have never been in this, and I never want to do it again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't know what was going on. We heard shouting. I heard the shooting was in the hallway just outside of the gym, and we heard the doors. Someone was trying to get in or checking if it was locked. We didn't know what was going on. No one was notified of anything. I think that was the most of the scariest party.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were saying two kids got shot and stuff. It was one of the kids who, like -- one of them is my friend, but I hope that it's not her. One girl said that it was her, and I hope not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: Your heart just goes out to those students who are still shaking after all this.
The shooting, of course, just a day before the one-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook killing bringing back horrifying memories for so many, and of course, over the past several years there have been several such tragedies.
We just mentioned Newtown, Connecticut. Can't forget the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting. That was in July of last year, then Virginia Tech, the worst school shooting in U.S. history, and then, of course, the 1999 Columbine high school massacre. That was just eight miles away from Arapahoe high school where this latest shooting happened. So, the big question on so many minds is why? What is going on here?
Dr. Drew Pinsky joining me now on the phone.
Dr. Drew, we really appreciate your time. What's your answer to that question? Why do you think we're seeing so many shootings, particularly the school shootings?
DOCTOR DREW PINSKY, HLN HOST (via phone): Yes, it's a question that we'll all be struggling with for quite some time. I'm not sure that there's a just so answer to this, but if you look at -- first of all, you have to wonder why there's a clustering in and around Denver and Colorado, whether there's something perhaps institutionally about the delivery of mental health, identification, delivery, and maintenance of mental health services, perhaps. I don't think it is merely the accessibility to guns. It's nowhere different than anywhere else. But you mentioned are a Aurora, Virginia Tech, and now this tragedy, and in each of the cases, say Aurora and Virginia tech, these are people with severe mental illness who were under psychiatric care, but who were not required to follow-up with their care. The Virginia tech case, he had actually been hospitalized, came out of the hospital, continued to manifest overt psychiatric symptoms, but no one is forced, no one was required him to do anything about that until it spiraled out of control.
In this case, today, this tragedy, you have to speculate that there's something more going on than just an altercation and a revenge. Think about it this way. This kid walked into his own high school. Imagine how agitated a young person would have to be to walk into his high school, brandishing a shotgun, shoot randomly some of his peers and then rapidly turn the gun on himself. That is a kid who is although may have been a well liked athlete, good performing student who that day was not for some reason in his normal mental state. Something profound was altered.
CABRERA: And not to mention, Dr. Drew, you mention not only the shotgun, but did he have some forethought because he also brought with him some Molotov cocktails. Where he got those, how he made those, if he did indeed make those, has also part of this investigation. And so, we're learning more about the shooter. You can only speculate at this point about what that motivation was and what led up to this eth.
Let's talk a little bit about how the students that were here who are shaken from all of what's happened in the last 24 hours, how they moved forward. We talked with a boy who was a student here who heard the gunshots. He talked about trying to process the situation still with his friends. What is the best advice for those parents and students coping right now?
PINSKY: Well, Ana, before I answer that, I want to address the issue of motivation.
People always want to know why in these horrible tragedies. And you've got to understand, you have to, there may be some component of his behavior that we can understand. A teacher made him angry for some reason, they had an altercation. But to understand the magnitude of this behavior, stop wondering why. The why is his brain was in an abnormal state. He was profoundly agitated. He was in a suicidal, homicidal rage. That -- there's really not a good why for that kind of behavior, particularly when you remind yourself he wasn't hiding the weapon, he wasn't carrying out some sort of grudge in a very clandestine way. He was brandishing a shotgun and shooting randomly at his peers and then turned the gun on himself.
Forget the why. Try to understand what happened to him and why he ended up in that state. In terms of moving on for the family and friends, we talked to some people there, interestingly in your report a few moments ago, who have actually been in columbine and now their children are in this.
For those parents, they are at risk for post traumatic stress disorder. Sometimes, in a huge stress will re-amplify or re-evoke something from the past. These kids that were witness to this in order to prevent post traumatic stress can anticipate having a huge stress response that say they'll be fearful, have trouble sleeping, have mood disturbances, be shaky, have changes in appear tut and mood will avoid that and becoming a more chronic thing. They need to take advantage of the victim's (INAUDIBLE) and get help where they can. And of course, it enforced relationship. Be very close to them and talk about this to the extent that they are comfortable.
CABRERA: All right, Dr. Drew Pinsky, and more questions than answers right now.
But thank you for your time and your insight and your expertise. We certainly appreciate it.
All right, let's head back to you.
SAVIDGE: Thank you, Ana.
On another story that has stirred outrage and anger and in some cases just bafflement across the country, a teenage boy from a wealthy family drives drunk, kills four people, and gets no jail time. All because the judge believes the boy has a case of affluenza. Our legal experts weigh in on this controversial case coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: In Texas, a wealthy teenager admits that he was drunk when he drove into a crowd of four people, killing them. The judge gave him only probation, no prison time. The judge brought into the defense claim -- or bought in, I should say, that Ethan Couch was a victim of affluenza. He grew up rich and privileged and with parents who never set limits. So, he basically didn't know right from wrong. A man whose wife and daughter were killed by Ethan Couch could barely control his grief when he talked to Anderson Cooper about losing them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC BOYLES, WIFE AND DAUGHTER KILLED IN CRASH: You know, Holly and Shelby were strong in their faith and their family and their friends, and they were givers. There are some people in life that are givers and takers, and they were truly givers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: It is, of course, heartbreaking to hear the husband and father talk about his loss. And you can count him among the many who are furious about this slap on the wrist sentence.
Let me bring in our legal experts, Mark Geragos is a CNN legal analyst and defense attorney, and Faith Jenkins is a criminal lawyer and a former criminal prosecutor.
Mark, let me start with you. What do you think of this so-called defense that this kid suffered from affluenza?
MARK GERAGOS, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think, you know, I know that it makes kind of great headlines. The reality is it's not unlike what we had many years ago here in California with the so- called Twinkie defense. These are not defenses. What they are, are ways for people to try to explain what sometimes is inexplicable. How does a 16-year-old kid get into a car and end up killing four people and injuring severely somebody who is with him in the car?
The problem you have and I know that this at some levels infuriates people even more, is what do you do? You are taking a look at this kid right here. This is a kid who if you put him in a state prison as an adult with other adults, will not last 95 seconds. I know there's a significant amount of the population who would say, well, that's a great thing. Let him go die in prison. But the law makes distinctions between action, especially when you take a life, that are intentional, meaning that you got the intent to kill, which is murder, and manslaughter, which is what this is.
And so I think this judge, you know, I know people are piling on her, but I have done a little research on her. She's by no means out on the fringe. She is not a wing nut so to speak. She is somebody who is very well thought of. I think she was troubled by what her options were with what to do with somebody like this.
SAVIDGE: All right, let me bring Faith in here.
And, Faith, do you agree with that? Is that a correct read to take here that this was perhaps not revenge, but, of course, we're thinking about how to try to rehabilitate this young man?
FAITH JENKINS, FORMER CRIMINAL PROSECUTOR: Well, I think the efforts of rehabilitation should be focused on before a young man kills four people, and I think --
SAVIDGE: But that didn't happen. So, we have to move on.
JENKINS: Right. So the message from this, I think, from her ruling says that if you are rich, there is a different standard of justice. And, you know, think about all of the kids in our juvenile justice system and the ones that probably really should deserve a second chance with two strikes against him. They're born into abusive homes and neglectful parents. They're poor. They're homeless. They commit crimes. We have no problem sending those kids to jail, but this kid who was born with everything, given every opportunity to succeed in life, we give him a second chance. He is worth being sent to a $450,000 a year facility in California while we lock up the other kids and say, no, we have to remove you from society, for our own protection. It is a travesty and double standard.
SAVIDGE: I agree with you fully, but I will tell you is that in any way really a surprise, Mark? Do you find it a surprise that someone would find this a great defense?
GERAGOS: Somebody who -- Well, Faith, I was going to say that's certainly not breaking news. I have been arguing for years, and I have kind of a Robin Hood practice where I represent very wealthy people and I also represent indigence. And I will tell you that one of the most frustrating things about practicing criminal law is there are two systems of justice. And it isn't as if people start out that way or that anybody, you know, necessarily, prosecutors, judges, or even defense lawyers, go in and say, OK, this person is poor, we're going to do something, you know, worse to them because they are. But what happens is is the opportunities that you have, the kinds of defenses that you can put up, the ability to do what you need to do to defend people is a function of your resources and your resources are a function of how wealthy you are.
SAVIDGE: Faith, do you think that --
JENKINS: Take it a step --
(CROSSTALK)
SAVIDGE: I was just going to ask, do you think this is going to trigger a number of the defenses, based upon "affluenza"? It's the first I've heard of this.
attorneys, and you can afford to pay experts to come in and present defenses like this, but now you have your own legal defense. Because I'm wealthy, because I'm rich, I didn't understand the consequences of my actions. That is what makes this decision so egregious. That's just one of the things.
JENKINS: Right. And I think -- but yes, I think it sends a very dangerous message here. This case takes it a step further, Mark. Because yes, when you're wealthy, you can afford those top-notch attorneys, and you can afford to pay experts to come in and present defenses like this. But now you have your own legal defense: "Because I'm wealthy, because I'm rich, I didn't understand the consequences of my actions."
That is what makes this decision so egregious. That's just one of the things.
SAVIDGE: Yes. I mean, I agree with you. We call it "affluenza." I said earlier it's, you know, the spoiled brat syndrome, Mark.
GREG: Right. But the problem is I don't think for a minute that this judge, unless she just lost her mind and bought into it, I don't think that that was the motivating factor for what she did. I think she -- I think -- and you know, obviously, we're sitting from afar. I think she took a look at this kid and said, "What am I going to do with him? Where am I going to place him?" It's part of the problem that we have with the criminal justice system.
And, remember, he's a juvenile. There is a distinction that we make, rightly or wrongly, between juvenile courts, which are for rehabilitation, and adult courts, which are for punishment. He was in juvenile court.
JENKINS: Mark, last year -- Mark, last year this same judge sent an African-American 14-year-old teenager --
GERAGOS: For ten years.
JENKINS: -- who punched another person, punched another person one time, that person died. The same judge sentenced him to ten years.
GERAGOS: Which is Faith, exactly. Faith --
JENKINS: She does have -- that kid, Mark, she said could get rehabilitative services in the juvenile justice center. That's what I'm saying. Like, there is a disparity here, even among this judge's rulings.
SAVIDGE: Make it quick, Mark. We're just about out of time.
GERAGOS: That's the quick distinction between somebody who commits an intentional act as opposed to -- which is murder, as opposed to a manslaughter.
JENKINS: He intentionally hit someone. There was no intent to kill. There is no distinction there.
SAVIDGE: Faith Jenkins --
GERAGOS: That was -- he was charged with murder.
SAVIDGE: -- Mark Geragos, thank you both for joining us. As we said, this is one that really stirs conversation. We could continue, but I've got to move on. Thank you for being with us today.
JENKINS: Thanks.
SAVIDGE: Millions of Americans are in the path of that great big snowstorm that is headed to the East Coast. If you're there, we'll tell you what to expect coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Welcome back to THE NEWSROOM. I'm Martin Savidge. Thank you very much for joining us.
And if you're in your home right now because of snow, you're not alone. The storm is stretching 1,000 miles. It's affecting millions of people from the Midwest to the East Coast. CNN's Jennifer Gray is in Chicago -- Jennifer.
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Chicago has received about four inches of snow during the morning hours. The snow is expected to let up a little bit later this afternoon.
This storm system is pushing all across to the northeast, affecting places like New York and Boston. Well, we're expected to see up to seven inches of snow right outside of New York City. Some places near Boston could receive up to eight inches of snow, and then places like upstate New York could see almost a foot of snow.
So this is a mess that stretches 1,000 miles east-west. Right now I want to toss it to my colleague, Alexandra Field, who is playing her way from New York City to Boston as we speak. Alexandra, how are conditions for you? ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that storm coming from the Midwest has landed here along the East Coast. We are in Connecticut right now. We've just passed Waterbury, Connecticut. We are headed towards Hartford en route to Boston from New York City.
Take a look out my window here, and you can see that the cars have slowed down. Snow on the roads. Snow on the side of the roads, and traffic is definitely moving at a slower pace right now.
Out of my rear window you can see it, as well. Everyone just sort of taking their time. Remember, this is a sight that we haven't seen here in the Northeast for a number of months now.
We left New York City around 1:30 this afternoon, and there was a good blanket of snow over Central Park. They're expecting three to five inches of snow there. And the snow is moving with us as we head north toward Boston, where they're expecting eight to 14 inches of snow. Most of the snow should be west of Boston, but there could be eight to ten inches of snow in Boston where we're hearing that the flurries have already started to land.
Massachusetts emergency management agency is preparing for a big storm. They have warned the utilities and the airports, the Department of Transportation is already preparing there for a big clean-up tomorrow morning.
Now, on the roads here, we're on Interstate 84. We have seen some plows going by already. We've seen the sand trucks out and the salt trucks out. They're going to try and minimize the mess before this storm here really takes hold.
But again, these are tough conditions if you are, you know, getting used to the snow for the first time. Again, we've seen two cars off on the side of the road. So we're going slowly here.
This is a 65-mile-per-hour road. We're going 40 right now. This will be a longer trip to Boston, but we certainly aren't trying to race there. We are just hoping to make it before the bulk of the snow starts to come in in Boston between 6 and 58 tonight -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Nice and easy. Slow and safe, Alexandra. Thanks very much. Enjoy the ride.
Coming up, he is known for controversy on and off the stage. But now we are going to find out what Mr. West is up to. Something that he has ticked off law enforcement about. What he said and a police chief's response. That is next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Remember that line: Kids say the darnedest things? It's not always kids.
The police chief of Bridgefield, Ohio, is calling out Kanye West. That after Kanye told an interviewer that he puts his life on the line for his shoes, just like a police officer or soldier does during their job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KANYE WEST, HIP-HOP ARTIST: I'm just, you know, giving of my body on the stage. I'm putting my life at risk.
That mountain goes really, really high. And if I slip and my leg happens, you never know. And I think about it. I think about my family. I'm, like, wow, this is like, you know -- this is like being a police officer or something or like war or something. You literally are going out to do your job every day, you know, knowing that something happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: OK. So here is the on -stage mountain that Kanye referred to in that clip. Chief David Oliver posted an open letter to Kanye on Facebook, and he encouraged the rapper to join the military.
He wrote, quote, "When the Taliban starts shooting at you, perhaps you could stand up and let the words flow," unquote.
He went on with, "Check yourself before you wreck yourself."
My colleagues on CNN's "Media" talked with the chief earlier this morning and asked him what he found the most offensive about Kanye's comment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLICE CHIEF DAVID OLIVER: To me the most offensive comments were directed towards the military. You know, I love my chosen profession, but I also understand that our military personnel are in -- far more in harm's way than a lot of us are on a regular basis.
I was just more offended for our military. I mean, obviously, I was,as a professional police officer too, but the military thing just hit home with me.
SAVIDGE: And what has been the response to your letter, Chief, because as I went on Facebook and I saw all of the responses to what Kanye said and then responses to you, what have you been hearing?
OLIVER: Oh, we've -- we've been pretty busy answering the phone and e-mails and messages.
I mean, that wasn't the first time. We've had a pretty active Facebook page for the last two or three years, but this one I think just struck a nerve particularly because I don't believe that anyone thinks you can compare being a famous entertainer to being a military person who is deployed in a war.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would it make a difference to you if Kanye apologized? Would you believe it if he did?
OLIVER: You know, I don't -- no, I don't think it would make any difference. I think what's -- I think most people understand what's in your heart is usually what comes out of your mouth. You know, it's OK to walk things back later and admit a mistake.
But, you know, I don't know how genuine it would be, and I don't at this point -- I mean, I understand where -- I understand his opinion and where he's coming from, and just leave it alone after that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: I think it's a good idea. Why not send Kanye off, say, to Afghanistan for a nice USO show for the troops? Done.
Chief David Oliver, Brentfield, Ohio. Calling on celebrity -- and that's "Kanye West, sharing his thoughts with CNN's "NEW DAY."
OK. So we're used to seeing robots in sci-fi movies AND ON TELEVISION. Soon you could see super robots like this guy. Find out what it can do, next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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SAVIDGE: Every weekend we bring you the science behind the stories in the news, the why behind the what. Robots that function like humans pretty much a staple in science fiction and action movies, but we're close to actually seeing one, at least on a future space mission or maybe even a disaster. Here's CNN's Chad Myers.
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CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Technology of the future. It's always been something reserved for places like the movies. Take "Iron Man" here. Well, not anymore. The future is now. Moving off the big screen and right into the lab.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meet Valkyrie, 6'2", 125 kilograms. Superhero robot.
MYERS: Valkyrie has got it all: cutting-edge arms that detach, mounted cameras from head to toe; and sonar senses. He even has the glowing circle in his chest that would make Tony Stark smile.
It took NASA nine months from design to build to produce this humanoid machine, capable enough, the agency says, to enter disaster zones and provide search-and-rescue functions, maybe even one day go to Mars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Likely NASA will send robots ahead of the astronauts to the planet. These robots will start preparing -- preparing the way for the human explorers.
MYERS: The first Valkyrie has another mission: to compete in next week's robotic challenge, sponsored by the Department of Defense.
GILL PRATT, PROJECT MANAGER, DARPA ROBOTIC CHALLENGE: The Valkyrie robot that NASA has been building, really, an extraordinary machine. Of all the robots that we have there, I think it's the one with the most degrees of freedom, the most joints that can move around. And it's really quite sophisticated, and I have very high hopes for it.
It's related to the Robonaut, which is a robot that's on the space station right now, but the Robonaut doesn't have legs; it can't move around. And so what NASA Johnson Space Flight Center is trying to do is to see whether they can add the capability that the Robonaut has right now -- use its arms and to perceive things with its head -- and also add some mobility to the platform. Very exciting.
MYERS: Seventeen teams from around the world will be competing in the trial, where teams will attempt to guide their robots through physical tasks that include testing mobility, dexterity and perception.
PRATT: What is so exciting about this is that we're actually trying to make the future. I've been reading science-fiction books about robots ever since I was a little kid. Isaac Asimov stories and much more recent stuff, as well. And it's really an extraordinary thing to see these robots begin along the very long path to get to where they're actually going to be useful to help us in our lives.
MYERS: Chad Myers, CNN, Atlanta.
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SAVIDGE: Thank you, Chad. Neat stuff.
Now to an update about one of our CNN heroes, Doc Henley. His work is now the subject of a new documentary, which premieres tomorrow night at 8 p.m. Eastern on CNN. Here's a preview.
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DOC HENLEY, CNN HERO: Gonzalo and I are heading up the river to a little village called La Mila Grossa (ph), which actually translates directly into "the miraculous" or "the miracle."
We've got the Amazon River and all these tributaries that are leading into the Amazon River. There's water all over the place, but that water's just absolutely filthy. They're bathing; they're washing their dishes. A lot of times using the restroom all right there in the same water source, and that's the thing that's causing them to get sick.
The main reason why we picked this village to work is because it's basically a community that has the most need right now in this area for clean water. By drilling a well, we're able to hit an aquifer that has access to clean water.
But right now we've got a drill bit and about 50 feet of pipe stuck in the ground. We've got to try to get it out. If we can't, it stays in the ground.
Problems happen, and they happen quite often. And so you have to figure out how to get around those problems and to keep pushing forward. We hope to hit water. The people hope we hit water. But we're not sure, so we can't make any promises. So all it is right now is just we're going to try our best. (END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Doc Henley's -- You can follow Doc Henley's worldwide journey in our documentary that's premiering tomorrow night at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
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SAVIDGE: It was one year ago today that the deadly shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, occurred, and people there are still trying to figure out why. The shooter walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 26 people, 20 of them children. Anderson Cooper went back to Newtown to see how families are holding up one year on.
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ANNETTE SULLIVAN, TAUGHT AVIELLE HORSEBACK RIDING? That's Betty. And she was certainly the favorite.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Annette Sullivan taught Avielle horseback riding --
SULLIVAN: Insist. Insist. Out to the rail.
COOPER: -- something the 6-year-old loved to do. Along with archery, skiing, pretty much anything that promised a challenge.
JEREMY RICHMAN, AVIELLE'S FATHER: She had a real spitfire personality. She was just a fun kid.
COOPER: A fun kid and wise beyond her years.
SULLIVAN: This is where the old house once was.
COOPER: Annette's house burned to the ground in 2010.
SULLIVAN: And I explained to her that that was the fire and that we hadn't decided what we were going to do there. And she basically asked me why I hadn't planted some flowers. I told her that the ground was scorched and that flowers probably wouldn't grow. And she had said to me that I should plant flowers even if they weren't going to last forever.
COOPER: That statement from this little girl had a big impact on Annette.
SULLIVAN: Even if your beauty is only fleeting, isn't there something to be found in acknowledging the beauty that we have today? So, yes. We planted flowers anyway.
COOPER: Avielle's instinct to create beauty in the middle of the ugliest of circumstances was obviously nurtured at home. At the very lowest point in their lives Jeremy Richman and Jennifer Henzel began to ask what they could to do to prevent future acts of violence.
JENNIFER HENZEL, AVIELLE'S MOTHER: After Avielle was killed, I couldn't sit on the couch. I had to be on the floor. I had to be grounded.
COOPER (on camera): So you would just be laying on the floor?
HENZEL: Or sitting or just leaning against the couch, but I had to be on the floor, because I felt if I stood up the world would spin away.
COOPER (voice-over): Jennifer and Jeremy are both research scientists. He has a Ph.D. and has worked extensively in neuroscience. While at the rock bottom, Avielle's parents decided to honor their daughter by trying to answer the question: why do people become violent?
RICHMAN: And we do think that there are physical manifestations in the brain that lead to all our behaviors. And if we can understand those, we can help nudge them one direction or another to make things happier and healthier.
COOPER: In other words, treat the problem and stop violent behavior before it ever happens.
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SAVIDGE: Tune in to CNN tonight to meet more of the Sandy Hook parents and how they've turned their losses into legacies. An Anderson Cooper special, "Honoring the Children: Newtown, One Year Later." It will be tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
And that's all for me. I'm Martin Savidge in Atlanta. Thanks for sharing part of your day with me and for Ana Cabrera in Colorado. The next hour of NEWSROOM starts right now with Rosa Flores in New York -- Rosa.
ROSA FLORES, CNN ANCHOR: Hi. Thank you so much, Martin. I appreciate it.
