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CNN Saturday Morning News

Continuing Coverage of the Colorado Shootings; Bomb Squad Still Working on Holmes' Apartment

Aired July 21, 2012 - 08:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, everyone, I'm Randi Kaye.

8:00 o'clock in the East, 6:00 am here in Aurora, Colorado, where we continue to learn new deatils about the mass shooting that happened here early Friday morning.

The sun just came up here a short time ago in Aurora, but new light just illuminates what we don't know -- why. We know that James Holmes is the man suspected in the shooting that killed 12 at the movie theater you see here behind me. We know that as many as 11 other people are in critical condition at this hour this morning.

We also know that the suspect, James Holmes, left behind a trap for police. Investigators are just now renewing efforts to get inside his apartment. Inside, looking through the window, police have seen trip wires, cans of gasoline and ammunition, thousands of rounds of ammunition. We are also learning more about the victims. Heartbreaking stories from their families are hitting home with all of us. We'll share some of those stories throughout the morning.

Let's get right to our Poppy Harlow, though. She is at Holmes' apartment, at that apartment complex for us this morning. Poppy, what is the activity taking place there at this hour?

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Randi. It's really picking up. What you see behind me, if you can make out those busted windows on the third floor of that complex, that is James Holmes' apartment on the third floor. I want to play you some video now that we just shot. What I can tell you is that the Denver bomb squad has arrived in the past half hour. The Arapahoe County bomb squad, as well as the Adams County bomb squad, all local here around Denver, just arrived, as well as ATF. I just spoke with one of the ATF members. We're going to try to get someone on camera right after this. They have just arrived as well, so they're preparing to assess the situation in the apartment, Randi, assess how bad it is, possibly go inside, but just getting on scene in the last half an hour, Randi.

KAYE: And Poppy, I was actually at the apartment last night for "Anderson Cooper 360" and from what I understand, they had sent these robots in yesterday, right, to get a look at what was inside and they found trip wires and a whole bunch of incendiaries. Are they possibly going to send those robots back in to detonate what's inside?

HARLOW: That's a very good question. I don't know the answer. I will ask that, try to get an answer for you. But they sent the robots in to take pictures and film of what it was and how bad it was. And then as you know, police Chief, Dan Oates called it a vexing situation, unlike anything he'd ever seen. I can tell you that they brought in Federal government officials, people from outside to help go through that video, assess how bad it is, before they do send any human personnel inside.

But I will tell you, Randi, I think it's interesting, we're only, I would say a few hundred feet away from the apartment, so traffic is moving here, people are around the neighborhood. So it doesn't seem like a situation where they think at this point there's going to be a massive explosion, because we are allowed here. But I tried to cross, asked, can we get past the police lines? Absolutely not. They are letting officials pass police lines, fire trucks, police officers, ATF into that area. But at this point in time, obviously, no civilians, no reporters allowed, but I'll ask and try to find out if they are going to send those robots, those cameras back in.

KAYE: I think from what I understand, they might have to do that, because they're going to have to shut down traffic in that area and of course they don't want to risk any human life, but that could happen as early as this morning. Poppy, thank you very much for the update from that apartment complex.

Now let me bring in Jim Spellman. He's been here at the theater overnight. Jim, good morning to you. What has been the -- what has the activity been like here overnight? Have people been coming to pay their respects at all?

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: People have set up a makeshift memorial here, candles lit almost like you might see like in the foyer of a church. It was about 5:00 last night that authorities were able to get the last of the bodies out. That allowed them to then notify the family members. We should get that list of names later this morning. This is still an active investigation over here at the theater. Police are still here. This is still closed off. They're going to open the rest of this shopping area and try to start maybe getting back a little bit to normal here. Sunday night's going to be a major vigil where the whole community can come together, try to start the healing process.

KAYE: People are talking a lot about Columbine. From those who you've spoken with, how do you think this community is coping?

SPELLMAN: Well, I live here, Randi, this is my home and I moved her about three and a half years ago and I was stunned to see how present Columbine is still in this community. People have turned it into a positive. They've embraced the resilience of their community, their ability to turn that horrible event into a positive, into a show of strength, and I think you're going to see that again here. It's terrible that this community has had to go through this kind of thing again, but in a way, I think they're ready to show that they're not going to be put down by a horrible event like this.

KAYE: I've been able to sense here a little bit of just a community on edge, though. Even from security and the level of law enforcement around the area, so many questions depending on where you're trying to go. There's just sort of a high tension here.

SPELLMAN: And this happened at such a -- it's almost like a ritual, to go to like a midnight showing of the big summer popcorn movie. It's a sort of fun, innocent kind of thing. People were there on dates. I've spoken to people...

KAYE: Some for their birthdays.

SPELLMAN: ... for their birthdays, people with wedding anniversaries coming up. You know, it's such a fun, innocent kind of thing. It's a break from the heat. It's a break from everything and to have this happen on such an innocent kind of thing, where you expect to be safe. Nobody expects to not be safe in a movie theater, you know?

KAYE: Certainly not. Well, this is a strong community, as you said, so we'll continue to check back with you throughout the morning Jim. Thank you very much. Poppy Harlow as well and Jim Spellman spoke with you, thank you.

And now let's talk about the victims. This morning we found out that 23-year-old Micalya Medek was among the 12 people killed. Her family didn't find out for 19 hours after the shooting. Earlier this morning, CNN's Gary Tuchman talked with her aunt Jenny Zakovich on the phone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNY ZAKOVICH, SHOOTING VICTIM'S AUNT (BY TELEPHONE): She was a free spirit. She was a happy person. She never criticized people. She was just working at a Subway, trying to find her way. She's just a great kid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Then she also had something to say to the family of the shooter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKOVICH: I feel for the family of the shooter. I can't imagine what they're going through at this time. Just let them know, we don't blame them for his actions. And my heart goes out to the mom and dad of that family, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Of course, the family of the suspect, James Holmes, is still trying to make sense of everything and they have asked for privacy as well. We have heard so many compelling stories from witnesses to the shooting, that Jennifer Seeger was there in that theater just feet away from the suspect when he started shooting and she joins me now. Jennifer, good morning to you.

JENNIFER SEEGER, WITNESS: Good morning.

KAYE: A very difficult situation, I'm sure. Some very scary moments. We've heard a little bit about what happened in that theater. Give me your perspective. What did you think was happening right away?

SEEGER: Right away, at first I thought that he was just some kind of an entertainer, to just, you know, bring some, you know, fun stuff to the --

KAYE: So you saw him come in?

SEEGER: Yeah, I did. I was in the very front, and was the first person that was in that row, so I was probably the first person he saw when he walked in. And he swung the door open and he walked in and everybody just thought he was like an actor or something. But we started realizing that it was real when he threw the gas grenade and then he took his first shot into the ceiling and then he pointed the gun at me and then I really knew that it was real at that point.

KAYE: Why do you think he didn't shoot you?

SEEGER: I get that question a lot and honestly, I don't know. I can't explain it. It doesn't make any sense, really. But I just think it's by the grace of God or something, I was just lucky and blessed. But I moved out of the way pretty quickly.

KAYE: Did you get on the ground?

SEEGER: From what I understand, a lot of people crawled their way out. I dove to the ground and then I jumped in -- covered my best friend and everybody else in the row, I tried to tell them to calm down and stay calm. At the point when we could, we tried to crawl and get away.

KAYE: And did your friend get out as well as?

SEEGER: Yeah, she's perfectly fine, unscathed.

KAYE: What's it like for you to come back here? It's only 24 hours?

SEEGER: It's 24 hours and it's still kind of surreal to me. Little bits and pieces are starting to flash back for me, but it's still not hitting me as far as memories and I've just been nonstop since then. So I think once everything cools down and I have more time to think about, then it's going to be a little rough to think about.

KAYE: How did it appear to you? Was he just shooting randomly or did he seem to be targeting certain people or certain types of people?

SEEGER: It didn't seem like he had an agenda per se, but he just literally came up and down the stairs and just shot anybody. It didn't matter if you were sitting or if you were trying to escape or you were a man or a woman, it didn't really matter. He was just shooting people left and right; it didn't matter.

KAYE: And most people didn't understand what was happening?

SEEGER: At first, they were just like, oh, is he really -- what is he doing? Is he really a bad guy? Is he really trying to hurt us or is this just a show? At that point, it was just kind of a shock when he took that first shot. Everybody paused. And then it became chaotic after that.

KAYE: I hope you're doing well. You seem to be doing well.

SEEGER: I'm trying, I'm just really exhausted more than anything, mentally and physically.

KAYE: Sure. Take care of yourself.

SEEGER: Yeah, thank you.

KAYE: Thank you.

SEEGER: You're welcome.

KAYE: Up next, another survivor who says she thought the gunfire was a joke. Back in Aurora, Colorado, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: This morning, we are hearing horrifying stories from people who survived the shooting in an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater. We are here this morning. You can see the movie theater here behind me. A lot of folks are coming by just to see what happened here, pay their respects and a lot of the families are coming by. They've set up a small memorial in the area. One of those survivors, we'd like to bring her in now. She was actually inside that movie theater. Her name is Emma Goos and along with many others, she didn't know exactly what was happening right away. She joins us live to talk a little bit about it. Good morning to you, Emma.

EMMA GOOS, WITNESS: Good morning.

KAYE: So give me an idea, who were you with in that movie theater?

GOOS: I was with five of my friends. We were six in total for our group. It was my best friend's birthday. We were going out to see the premiere for her birthday. So she was with her boyfriend and then a couple other friends. A friend of mine, who's visiting from the college that we met at, because I go to school in New Mexico and he was visiting Aurora, just to come see me, and got involved in this.

KAYE: And were you with your boyfriend as well?

GOOS: No, just friends.

KAYE: Just friends. And what did you think was happening right away? A lot of people say they thought it was part of the show.

GOOS: Absolutely, it looked like a prank or something that the theater was putting on, some kind of promotion for the movie. He looked like a villain, like a super villain, dressed up in some kind of costume with all the armor on. But it was pretty clear after a few seconds that he was not joking and it was not a prank.

KAYE: How would you say the community is dealing with this? As we look ahead and we move away from what happened inside, we talk about what happened outside.

GOOS: I know that there was a candlelight vigil last night, just on the corner. I know there's another tonight at Gateway High School to remember AJ (INAUDIBLE) who passed away. The community is coming together so beautifully. They're just supporting everyone who was involved, all of the victims, their families, people who are just so overwhelmed and have never dealt with anything like this before in their life. I know that there are a lot of grievance counselors available for anyone and everyone who wants to talk or who needs to talk. The city has really encouraged just support and being able to get through it together.

KAYE: We're getting so much information coming out about the weapons that he had, four weapons, including an assault rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun. What do you think when you hear about that, about what could have been, even worse than what happened.

GOOS: Oh, goodness, it's hard to even fathom. I mean, it was terrifying enough for the 20 rounds of a rifle that I heard while I was still in the theater. I can't imagine how much more was shot off in the time that I -- that he was still in there after I escaped. I can't imagine what he had planned. It's horrific.

KAYE: It is. Well, we're glad you made it out and thank you for coming here this morning.

GOOS: Absolutely.

KAYE: And sharing your story. Emma Goos, appreciate that.

Police and firefighters are returning to the suspect's apartment this morning. They face trip wires and booby traps to get inside, to learn more about James Holmes. I'll talk with CNN contributor Mike Brooks about this side of the investigation. I'll be back with much more from Aurora, Colorado.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back, from Aurora, Colorado. I'm here at the movie theater where the shooting happened. Just a short distance from here, about four miles or so, is James Holmes' apartment. Holmes is the suspect, as you now know, in that shooting. Investigators are back at the apartment this hour, but still haven't been able to get inside and that's because they've seen trip wires and ammunition, a web of wires there in the living room, a very dangerous situation. Joining me now to talk about this is HLN law enforcement analyst, Mike Brooks. Mike, good morning to you.

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORECEMENT ANALYST: Good morning, Randi.

KAYE: They're saying that it possibly could take them days to get inside that apartment. I'm sure that doesn't surprise you, given what they're up against.

BROOKS: No. I think they'll probably be putting their plan together this morning. They were able yesterday when they made that alternate entry through the window. I saw one of the special agents from the FBI taking pictures. He had a camera around his neck. And they were able to get the robot in yesterday, just to take a peek inside and take a look around the apartment to see exactly what they were dealing with. You know, we heard Chief Dan Oates of the Aurora PD say that they were dealing with jars of ammo, jars of liquid, possible mortars inside that apartment, along with wires and what he has never seen, ever before in his life.

But you're going to get the special agent bomb technicians from the FBI, from Denver and with the local law enforcement and technicians from Arapahoe County, they're going to be out there this morning, again, assessing this situation and I guess going with a plan of attack. You know, we're hearing that it's fairly sophisticated, fairly complicated. But I'm hearing that the devices are not unbeatable, that the technicians are -- there's a good possibility they'll be able to get in there today. They're going to also have the Aurora fire department back there, just because there is a possibility of an incendiary device going off and they want to take all the precautions necessary.

KAYE: I think, Mike, a big question this morning is, if this guy did booby trap his apartment and went to such trouble to make it so complicated and so dangerous, why would he tell police when he was being questioned here in the movie theater parking lot, why would he tell them that he did that? Because they said that he was really out to hurt the first responders who showed up at his apartment?

BROOKS: That's a great question. People have been asking me that all day yesterday and today. Was it possible that he might have said after law enforcement got there within a minute to a minute and a half and got them there on the scene, that he said, I go ahead and give up? We don't know exactly why he did that. Because the way he was dressed in all the ballistic material he had on, a helmet, leg guards, chest -- you know, a tactical vest, groin protector, throat protector, it looked like he was looking for a confrontation with police to me, as a former investigator, Randi. But maybe he decided that he would just give up. But we are hearing that apparently there was a timer that set off this techno music, hopefully I think maybe what he thought was going to happen, neighbors were going to call about loud music. First responders were going to come out. They'd knock on the door, no answer, knock on the door again and then maybe try the door and that would go ahead and set off that incendiary device inside. But we don't know what was going through that guy's head yesterday.

KAYE: Yeah, that could have blown up the whole apartment building and the whole complex. But let me ask you this. Put your investigator hat on for me. What are they looking for there and possibly in trying to blow up his apartment, might he have been trying to hide something?

BROOKS: There's a good possibility or he could just be out to hurt first responders. When you have jars of liquid, which I think are some kind of probably flammable liquid, when you have a lot of ammo, when you have these mortars which have been described to me, it looks like it's there to do some kind of damage either to first responders, to that building and possibly to something inside. But we don't know, also, what kind of evidence they got from his car. Were there any kind of journals? Was his computer in that car? We don't know. And we don't know exactly what was inside there. I think they're going to go ahead and put together their plan this morning. There's no rush. There's no rush. They took pictures. They know what they're dealing with now and I think they're going to be dealing with it today. Whether or not, you know, they have to use any kind of (INAUDIBLE) safe procedure inside that apartment, time will tell, as the agents go ahead and make entry into that apartment.

KAYE: Well, they've certainly done a great job taking every precaution. You know, they've evacuated those buildings. They've let some people inside to get some personal belongings last night. But Mike Brooks, thank you very much. We'll check back with you as well as activity develops this morning at that apartment.

And we are going to have much more from here, from Aurora, Colorado, this morning. We're looking at a community that is recovering once again from some devastating losses. But for now, I want to hand it back to Gary Tuchman who is in Atlanta with some other news. Gary, good morning.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you Randi.

And just ahead, we go overseas as Bulgarian authorities are searching for a second suspect in the bus terror bombing there. And we will continue our coverage from Aurora, Colorado, as police return to the suspect's apartment. They still can't get in because of the booby traps.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TUCHMAN: We plan to keep you updated throughout the morning on the movie theater shooting in Colorado, but now a look at other stories we're covering. Police are searching for a possible second suspect in last Wednesday's suicide bombing in Bulgaria. Five Israeli tourists and a bus driver were killed. Investigators believe the bomb may have been detonated by that man in the shorts. He was caught on surveillance camera at the (INAUDIBLE) international air space just an hour before the explosion there. But now they are looking into whether he had help. We'll have a live report in just a few minutes.

Police in Iowa say they're now treating the disappearance of two young girls as an abduction. Ten-year-old Lyric Cook and her eight-year-old cousin, Elizabeth Collins, vanished near Meyers Lake on July 13th after taking a bike ride. Police crews and divers searched the 25- acre lake and say the girls are not there. Now, there's a $50,000 reward leading to an arrest and a conviction.

As the Midwest suffers through its worst drought in more than a half century, it's not only destroying crops, but killing fish too. This is a pond in Arkansas. The heat and lack of rain is drying up the pond and the fish are running out of oxygen. So thousands of fish are now dying. Experts say this isn't too uncommon, though, and they add that some of the bigger fish may survive.

A top chef is using unexpected tools in the kitchen to create progressive American cuisine. It's this week's "start small, think big." Chef Grant Achatz is known for creating food art at his world- famous restaurant Alinea in Chicago. He uses modern tools and even laboratory equipment in the kitchen to push food forward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRANT ACHATZ, CHEF/OWNER, ALINEA: Alinea was founded on innovation, constant evolution, and expression of creativity. Historically eating was about nourishment. We wanted to elevate that to art form.

TUCHMAN: To do that, Achatz uses equipment like the anti-griddle, to freeze food instead of cook it.

ACHATZ: This surface is really, really hard, but this surface is cream.

TUCHMAN: And a rotary evaporator.

ACHATZ: We utilize it for extracting flavor, aroma and clarifying liquids.

TUCHMAN: He has a volcano to capture certain aromas and liquid nitrogen to freeze food and create drama.

ACHATZ: We've changed the culinary landscape in that we can manipulate certain ingredients that were never before able to be manipulated.

TUCHMAN: He thinks beyond the plate for dishes like the shellfish block, edible balloon and chocolate mast. At his cocktail lounge, the Aviary, a super chiller creates ice for drinks like this one called an old-fashioned. It's anything but.

ACHATZ: New technology, new possibilities. We're always looking at that. Always.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: An edible balloon. That is our start small, think big.

Well, happening right now as we speak, Aurora, Colorado, police have returned to the home, the apartment of James Holmes. He is the suspect from yesterday's movie theater shooting. His booby trapped home is the subject of great interest right now, so officers are being very, very cautious.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TUCHMAN: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Gary Tuchman in Atlanta.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye here in Aurora, Colorado, this morning, a community still recovering from devastating loss.

Right now the focus here in Aurora is on the victims and the community. It is a time to remember those that this community has lost. The full list of names is expected as early as 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. It's also a time here to heal. Grief counseling centers are being set up to help people deal with the trauma of what was -- what took place here at the movie theater.

And now I want to show you a picture. It comes from the adult sex site, Adultfriendfinder. Police believe that this photo is James Holmes, the suspect in this horrific shooting. But investigators haven't confirmed it. Sources did say, though, that Holmes had dyed his hair red before the attack.

Now, much of the focus right now is also just down the road from this movie theater. And that's where police and the ATF have gathered. They are at James Holmes' apartment building about four miles away from where I am.

Our Poppy Harlow has been there all morning. And Poppy, I understand you have just had an extensive conversation with law enforcement. What have they told you?

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A number of interesting things, Randi. Let's start out with the unique nature of the devices inside of the suspected shooter's apartment, which is right over my right shoulder here. What I've been told is that the -- that any ensuing fire is a big concern. Here is why.

What they saw inside from that robot that took video yesterday, they saw jars of black powder, they saw ammunition, they saw liquid that they believed could be a liquid accelerant. What they told me is that he, the suspected shooter, allegedly placed other chemicals, attached to basically handmade bombs, IEDs, to accelerate the damage that they would cause.

I was told by a law enforcement official, this is unique. You usually don't see a situation like this.

Also interestingly, Randi, law enforcement told me that they believe he has a level of expertise. They said this is not, quote, "crude". This is someone who knew what he was doing. They are expecting about a hundred different officials here today. They have EOD that is Explosive Ordinance and Disposal officials. They have ATF, which flew in bomb experts from out of state. They flew in chemists from Washington, D.C., labs, I believe with the FBI. So they've flown in experts from across the country to deal with this.

I can also tell you that that law enforcement official told me that they believe there are at least 12 explosive devices, 12; so about a dozen, inside of that one apartment.

The robots, Randi, as you asked me earlier in the show, may go back in today or they may send personnel in. The robots may take samples. All they've been able to do so far, Randi, is take video of what's in there. They may take samples.

KAYE: And so Poppy, what are they telling you in terms of the timing? I mean, there was some talk that they might be able to detonate whatever was inside there today. Is that still a possibility? HARLOW: It's a possibility. It's still a question if they will detonate it. If bomb, tactical crews will be able to disarm them -- that would, obviously, be the ideal situation. Aurora Police Department is saying they definitely want to go in the apartment today. They say it could be quick. It could take a few hours. They're not sure if they're going to send a robot back in.

I will tell you, I witnessed two men, looked like officials in gray T- shirts walking into the apartment building about 20 minutes. So there are people going in, they're assessing the situation. What's also important is that they're reviewing the video from yesterday, again, deciding if they need more video to really assess this situation. It's expected to be very hot here today. They're expected to put on, you know, big hazmat suits, bomb suits that weigh many, many pounds.

KAYE: Right.

HARLOW: So they have extra officials here to swap out and get through this, all day long. But just the color that I was given about a dozen devices in there -- black powder, liquid accelerants -- I mean this is someone who knew what he was doing and according to this official, was trying to accelerate any damage that was sparked by these booby traps. What the official calls it is sort of victim-initiated.

KAYE: Right.

HARLOW: Booby traps for anyone trying to go in there.

KAYE: And a lot of people that we spoke with in that area last night were very concerned about how much damage this might do, if they did go ahead and detonate, at least what is inside that apartment. They still have those buildings evacuated, but have they given you any idea of how big of an explosion this -- this might lead to?

HARLOW: They have no idea, but it's not off the table, Randi, to detonate, they just don't know sort of how big an explosion it could be if they are able to disarm these -- these devices. But we are, as I said to you last hour, pretty close, you know, we're within a few hundred feet and there are pedestrians on the sidewalk, cars going by. Obviously, if they were to detonate them, this would all be cleared out.

But they just have no idea. Because, again, those robots haven't taken samples, they've only taken video. So until they can do that, we just don't know actually what the powder is, or if it is indeed a liquid accelerant. They believe from their years of experience, that that is what this looks like, though.

KAYE: Yes, certainly a tricky situation there for those folks. Poppy Harlow, thank you for getting that information for us this morning.

Hundreds of mourners gathered at a candlelight vigil overnight, just a few miles away from the scene of Friday's massacre; 1,000 people consoled each other, hugging and crying during a very emotional memorial. Candles were lit next to a growing pile of flowers. And many in this town are only just learning of the loss of loved ones. We're slowly finding out who some of these victims are and putting faces to the names that we're getting just this morning.

Nick Valencia is here with some new information about the victims. Nick, what have you been able to find out?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Randi.

Well, CNN has been able to independently confirm four of the 12 names, those 12 people that were killed early Friday in Aurora, Colorado, at the movie theater. Just into CNN earlier this morning, Matt McQuinn being listed among the deceased. His family, like many others, spending hours agonizing, only to find out that their loved one was deceased. He was at the movie with his girlfriend and her brother and died while trying to save his girlfriend, shielding her from those bullets. To make matters even worse for her, the hospital would not confirm his condition, because they are not related.

I want you to take a look at this next photo, Alex Sullivan, who planned to celebrate his 27th birthday with a special midnight showing there of "The Dark Knight". He was also anticipating his first wedding anniversary celebration on Sunday, with his wife, you see there. He's described by his uncle as a funny guy, witty, smart, with a big heart. And you can tell right there from those photos that he definitely was a loving man.

His family released a statement to CNN saying, "The Sullivan family lost a cherished member of their family today. Alex was smart, funny and above all loved dearly by his friends and family." Today when they released a statement -- was yesterday Randi they said was his 27th birthday.

Micayla Medek also being listed among the deceased. She's a 23-year- old girl -- a 23-year-old woman described as loving and very connected to God. We have a picture of her as well here. She was described by her family also as being an independent girl. Now it took her family 19 hours to find out that she had died; many of those family members being kept in the dark about the circumstances and conditions of their loved ones.

We heard from her aunt an emotional interview earlier today with Gary Tuchman. She spoke to us.

Now, Jessica Ghawi, a name that we've been hearing a lot over the course of the last 24 hours. She's become essentially the quintessential face of this shooting here. Her brother, Jordan, has been very active on social media, creating that trending hash tag ripjessica. If you're on Twitter, you'll find out more information about her.

Now she was shot in the leg initially and then fatally shot in the head according to witnesses. She had just moved to Denver from Texas, Randi, where she was trying to become a sports broadcaster, an aspiring journalist who no doubt would have had a tremendous impact on our field. And ironically enough, she was in Toronto last month when a mall shooting broke out there. She survived that attack. Her mother earlier, yesterday, spoke to our affiliate in San Antonio, giving an emotional interview about her daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDY PHILLIPS, JESSICA'S MOTHER: I'll never have her to hug again or get a text message again or get a funny Facebook picture. That's the hard part right now. Just knowing those are things that I'm never going to get to experience again. I was blessed, only for 25 years, but I was blessed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Now, CNN is continuing to make calls this morning, trying to independently confirm those names for our viewers. And just a reminder to our viewers, the youngest victim being a 4-month-old baby that was treated and released.

Also included, yesterday, Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon correspondent, finding out that four servicemen, in fact, two airmen and two sailors, one who's still unaccounted for, were also victims in that shooting -- Randi.

KAYE: Nick Valencia -- and it's so sad, Nick, you know to think about not only the loss, but how long so many of these families had to wait to find out what happened.

VALENCIA: That's right.

KAYE: What the fate of their loved ones was. Nick Valencia, thank you very much for that.

Suspected movie theater shooter James Holmes had been stockpiling, it turns out, a deadly arsenal of guns, chemicals, and bombs and many of the weapons were legal for him to possess. The details next when we return with much more live from Aurora, Colorado.

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KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye here in Aurora, Colorado.

12 dead, 58 injured and one man behind bars -- James Holmes, the suspected lone gunman in the largest mass shooting in our country's history.

Police say the 24-year-old dressed head-to-toe in protective gear and sprayed Colorado's Century 16 theater with bullets from a rifle, a shotgun and even a handgun, eventually surrendering without resistance.

CNN legal contributor attorney Paul Callan joining me now live. Paul, good morning to you.

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning. KAYE: At the heart of this massacre are the multiple guns that were found. Three were in fact left behind in the theater for authorities to find.

In terms of the gun laws in Colorado, I mean what are they? I mean how much of his stockpile was legal for him to possess?

CALLAN: Well, I've been taking a close look at Colorado gun laws and it's really kind of shocking. Every weapon that he had appears to be totally legal, not only under Colorado law, but under federal law.

He had two Glock semi-automatic pistols. He purchased them legally in local gun stores. He had an A-15 assault rifle, totally legal for sale in Colorado and under federal law. He had high-capacity ammunition that he purchased online, totally legal under both federal and state law.

And he was also equipped with this somewhat bizarre equipment that normally you'd see soldiers or police officers wearing -- armored equipment, to protect him from being shot himself, online purchase, totally legal under existing law.

KAYE: So is there -- I mean a question of, how much is too much. Could he have just kept stockpiling and it would all have been legal?

CALLAN: Yes, he could have kept stockpiling. There's no limit on how much you can buy. At one point in time, we had a law that banned assault weapons. There was enormous political pressure in part brought by the NRA, in part brought by individual American citizens -- which by the way, I was shocked to find this out, Randi -- 47 percent of Americans admit to pollsters that they own guns themselves.

So it's very, very hard to get restrictive gun legislation passed in this country. And that law, that ban on assault weapons was allowed to expire in 2004. Now, that might have prevented him from having that rifle that was used in the theater to shoot.

With respect to the handguns, though, Colorado is one of 38 "shall issue" states, meaning if you are not mentally ill and don't have the kind of criminal record that would ban you from owning a concealed weapon, they must issue the permit to you. So Colorado has fairly friendly gun laws as compared to many states in the United States.

KAYE: Yes. And what's interesting, as I was looking into this a little bit yesterday, for some reporting I was doing for Anderson Cooper's show, I found that, in fact, the people here in Colorado are -- the law enforcement are actually prohibited from creating any kind of database where they track gun buyers and purchases being made. Does that surprise you at all? Because then they really wouldn't know if anybody is stockpiling or who that person is.

CALLAN: Well, I think you'll find law enforcement officials throughout the United States, despite the fact that they're heavily- armed themselves, have a rather dim view of existing laws in the United States regarding the ability of everybody to carry weapons without, you know, restrictions; only because from the standpoint of law enforcement and tracking criminals they like to have this information.

But, of course, gun enthusiasts, gun owners, the NRA have always felt this was an invasion of privacy and that restrictions like this violate the Second Amendment to the constitution. Ironically, when you apply for a gun permit in Denver, Colorado, as easy as it is to get a gun in Denver, you know what they say on the Web site? Don't bring any weapons with you to the police station. So the police don't want you coming in armed when you apply for your gun.

KAYE: Paul Callan, appreciate your time this morning and your research on the gun laws here in Colorado. Thank you very much. Nice to see you.

CALLAN: Nice being with you, Randi. Take care.

KAYE: I will have much more live from Aurora, Colorado, coming up in the next few hours here on CNN. But for now, I'll hand it back over to Gary Tuchman in Atlanta who has some other news for you this morning. Gary -- good morning again.

TUCHMAN: Good morning to you, Randi.

A tour bus packed with travelers and children comes under attack. A suicide bomber mercilessly blew it up. But did he have help? The investigation has now widened.

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TUCHMAN: Bulgarian authorities are widening their net as they look for those responsible for Wednesday's deadly tour bus bombing. CNN's Atika Shubert is in Bulgaria and joins us now. Atika, thank for joining us and police think now a second suspect may be involved?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's possible. Bulgarian police have been going to hotels in Burgas, that seaside town and showing them an identikit photo from -- it has been compiled from eyewitness' descriptions and they've been asking them if they had seen this person.

Now there's still some confusion, because they have not identified the suspected bomber himself. We do, of course, have that airport security video that seems to show a man with long hair wandering around the terminal about an hour before the attack, but the description from other eyewitnesses is very different to what we see in that video footage. And that's why according to one high-level source at the Interior Ministry, they believe there could be a second suspect. And that's why the police are now looking around with this identikit photo.

TUCHMAN: So Atika, we're actually not seeing any video of a second suspect. There's just a belief that there's a second suspect?

SHUBERT: At this point, yes. I mean basically the problem is that the suspected bomber has not been identified yet. They have fingerprints and DNA, but they haven't been able to identify him. In the meantime, they have this other set of descriptions of another man, so what they're trying to see is, is it the same person as the suspected bomber, or is there in fact a second suspect that's still out there.

TUCHMAN: It's a little confusing, this first guy with the long hair, he had a driver's license from the U.S. state of Michigan. They don't think the guy's from Michigan, right? They think it was a fake license?

SHUBERT: No, the FBI has said that now -- that license is fake. However, this other -- if there is this other second suspect that man appeared to have tried to rent a car with another form of ID. And this is the lead that investigators are now looking into to see whether or not whether there was a second person that tried to help somehow by renting a car.

TUCHMAN: Atika Shubert, thank you very much. Hopefully they will catch these guys or this one guy. Either way, let's hope they catch them. Thank you.

The death toll continues to ramp up in the nation of Syria. Opposition activists say 45 people have been killed in fighting across the country just today. Meanwhile, tanks, mortars, and artillery are pounding parts of the capital city of Damascus. The city is still reeling after more than 124 people were killed there yesterday. Nearly 300 died across the country yesterday.

The whereabouts of Syrian President Bashar al Assad remain unknown at this hour. Three of his top military officials, including his brother-in-law, were killed when a bomb struck national security headquarters in the Damascus last week. Three more of his generals have now defected to Turkey.

At the top of the hour, we'll be going back to Aurora, Colorado, where police return to the suspect's apartment and families begin to cope with their losses.

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TUCHMAN: The tragedy in Colorado -- we'll get you out to Aurora in just a moment for the latest on the search of the suspect's apartment.

But first we take a look at a side of Texas you probably didn't know existed. Here's CNN's Ed Lavendera in Dallas with this week's "Travel Insider".

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What if I told you that some of the best tacos you'll find not just in Dallas, Texas, but the entire state of Texas are hidden in this gas station -- Fuel City.

You're not going to find this place in some fancy photo spread with the Dallas Chamber of Commerce. It's off the beaten path. You've got to drive past a bunch of bail bond stores, some f liquor stores, even a couple of closed up strip joints. But it's worth the drive.

All right, we're going to take you inside where the magic is made.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chicken?

LAVANDERA: So check it out. You've got beef. You've got chicken, picadillo. You've got pork, you've got barbecue (ph). Check out the jalapenos and the grilled onions. Delicious.

Now, Fuel City is kind of like Texas on steroids, if you will. You don't have many car washes where you can actually look at real longhorns, some donkeys, car washes, windmills. It's kind of like Texas over the top, really.

One of my favorite things about this place, it's open 24 hours. They have breakfast tacos. You can come here any time and it's just $1.40 for a taco.

All right. Now it's time for us to order. I'm ordering for everybody. We have a feast ready for everybody to enjoy.

Heaven. It's all good. Beautiful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I help you?

LAVANDERA: Now, after you've enjoyed your tacos and you're full, take a moment and feel sorry for the poor animals that don't get to enjoy them.

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