Loughner YouTube Video Released; Some Question The Wisdom Of Pima County Gun Show A Week After The Tucson Tragedy
WHITFIELD: Now more on our lead story, a chilling new video reportedly narrated by Tucson shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner. He shot it in the campus of Pima County Community college and posted it on YouTube. Well, in the video, Loughner is rambling and he's agitated, ranting about the school and calling it "one of the biggest scams in America." The video was released to "The L.A. Times" after a public records request. So this video had been cited in campus police records as among the reasons the college officials suspended the 22-year-old student. Here is the end of the four-minute video.</s>LOUGHNER: All these teachers that you have are being paid illegally, and they have an illegal authority over the Constitution of the United States under the First Amendment. This is genocide in America. Thank you. This is Jared from Pima College.</s>WHITFIELD: Police say the night before Loughner pointed a gun at Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' head, Loughner carefully prepared for his attack. CNN's Randi Kaye retraces Loughner's steps in those last hours.</s>RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The night before the shooting, 11:35 p.m., Friday, investigators tracking Jared Loughner's last steps, say he drops off a roll of 35 millimeter film to be developed at Walgreen's. (on camera): Less than an hour later, 12:29 a.m., Saturday, Loughner checks into this motel 6. He shows an I.D. and pays by credit card. Activity on his electronic room key shows he went in and out of the room several times during the night. (voice-over): 2:19 a.m., Loughner returns to Walgreen's to pick up his developed photos. (</s>On camera): At 2:34 a.m., Loughner makes a purchase at this Chevron stations' convenience store. He buys a doughnut, a soft drink and some energy bars. The security camera captures Loughner on video. Before he leaves, he uses the pay phone. (</s>Voice over): Less than two hours later, 4:12 a.m., Loughner posts a message on his MySpace page. It reads, "Good-bye friends" and contains a photo developed earlier at Walgreen's. At 6:12 a.m., Loughner makes a purchase at Wal-Mart. Nine minutes later, 6:21 a.m., he's at Circle K to buy something else. It's now just about three hours before the shooting. At 7:04 a.m., Loughner makes his first attempt to buy ammunition at Wal-Mart. The store clerk keeps him waiting because he's behaving strangely. So at 7:27 a.m. Loughner goes to another Wal-Mart where he buys ammunition and a diaper bag, which is similar to a backpack. (</s>On camera): At 7:34 a.m. Saturday, now just about two and a half hours from the time of the shooting, Jared Loughner is stopped for running a red light just a few miles from the Safeway supermarket. An officer with the Arizona Game and Fish Department checks his license and registration. He sees there are no outstanding warrants and lets Loughner go with a warning. (</s>Voice over): Around 8:0 a.m., back at Loughner's parents house, his father confronts him about a black bag he's carrying. Investigators say Randi Loughner asked his son what is inside the bag, and where he's taking it. They say Loughner mumbles something and takes off into the desert. His father chases him in his truck, but doesn't catch him. (</s>On camera): More than an hour later, 9:18 a.m., Loughner called a taxi to pick him up here at this Circle K convenience store. Authorities say the taxi arrives at 9:41 and takes him to the Safeway supermarket. It's now just minutes before the shooting. (</s>Voice over): At 9:54 a.m., the taxi arrives at the Safeway. The driver and Jared Loughner go inside the supermarket to get change for the fare. One minute later, 10:00 a.m., Congresswoman Gabriella Giffords arrives for her "Congress On The Corner" event here. A few minutes later, Loughner asks a member of the congresswoman's staff to speak with her. He's told to wait in a line of about 20 people. He does so. But then exits the line and walks quickly toward the congresswoman. At 10:10 a.m., investigators say Jared Loughner opens fire. Randi Kay, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.</s>FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Just one week after those shots were fired in Tucson, a gun show opened today at the Pima County Fairgrounds. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is in Tucson and joins us live. Thelma, was there any consternation about whether to still have this in light of all that took place in the last week?</s>THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, absolutely. The organizers of that gun show came under a lot of criticism. Many people wondering if it was insensitive to go forth and to hold this huge show here in Tucson, just a week after the shootings. But this is something that did reignite the national debate on gun control. I can tell you that many people here say that Tucson has now become ground zero in the debate.</s>GUTIERREZ (voice over): At this firing range in Tucson, Arizona, nearly every lane is full, with couples, and firearms enthusiasts like Jim Caniglio who says he's proud to live in a state where he can carry a concealed weapon on his person, and in vehicle with no permit at all.</s>JIM CANIGLIO, GUN ENTHUSIAST: We are citizens, not subjects. And that is the bottom line.</s>GUTIERREZ: The law is called constitutional carry, a new law that just passed last year.</s>SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: I think we're the Tombstone of the United States of America.</s>GUTIERREZ: After the massacre in Tucson, the sheriff of Pima County says things are out of control. He cited a proposed legislation that would allow students 21 and over to carry guns on campus.</s>DUPNIK: I've never been a proponent of letting everybody in this state carry weapons under any circumstances that they want, and that's almost where we are.</s>JOE ZAMUDIO, GUN OWNER: I carry -- this is a Ruger P-95.</s>GUTIERREZ: 24-year-old Joe Zamudio says he carries a concealed weapon to feel safe. (</s>On camera): This is something you carry with you where, the store?</s>ZAMUDIO: Pretty much everywhere I go.</s>GUTIERREZ: Last Saturday was no different. Joe said he had his firearm in his jacket when he went to buy cigarettes.</s>ZAMUDIO: I heard the shots from inside the building. When I turned and squared my shoulders to the breezeway, I saw another gentleman with his right hand lifting the firearm up like this. Only it was locked back. And he brings it around his side and that to me -- he was standing, he was holding a gun.</s>GUTIERREZ: Joe saw victims in pools of blood. He had to make a split second decision about his gun, with no room for errors.</s>ZAMUDIO: Somebody needed to be taken care of. That was my immediate problem, was address that firearm..</s>GUTIERREZ: Instead of his gun, which he says he was prepared to use for a moment just like this, Joe reached for the man's wrist instead. (</s>On camera): Did he say anything? Did he say, I'm not the shooter?</s>ZAMUDIO: Immediately, no, no, it's him, it's him.</s>GUTIERREZ: Joe saw Jared Loughner on the ground. Turns out the man with the gun had disarmed Loughner.</s>ZAMUDIO: I'm just so lucky. I'm just so lucky. We were all blessed that he was there that day, because if he hadn't been there, I might not be here right now. I might have got shot. I might have come out that door and got my head blown off.</s>GUTIERREZ: Does that goes through your mind?</s>ZAMUDIO: Yeah.</s>GUTIERREZ: This really affected your life?</s>ZAMUDIO: Yeah, it's been horrible. It's one of the worst things that ever happened.</s>GUTIERREZ: Joe Zamudio believes the gun training that made him an able marksman also helped him to make a sound judgment call.</s>ZAMUDIO: There was a bunch of people watching, and all those people watching see me pull a gun out thinking second shooter. And in Arizona, where people keep guns in their cars, somebody could have shot me.</s>GUTIERREZ: Joe Zamudio says that the reality of everything that he went through last Saturday is starting to finally sink in. What he saw out here, what he heard, he said that he really is having a very hard time dealing with it. Actually had to leave town, because he couldn't be here for the one-week anniversary of this terrible event. So he actually left town yesterday, Fredricka.</s>WHITFIELD: Wow, some incredible experiences so many people have had and I know it is going to stick with them for a long, long time. All right Thelma Gutierrez, thank you so much. Appreciate that from Tucson. We're going to talk about some weather that's impacting a whole lot of people across the country. Jacqui Jeras is in the Weather Center. What do we have, a lot of precipitation here somewhere.</s>WHITFIELD: We now go overseas and let's talk about how it's nasty in Brisbane, Australia. We're going to talk about that and also talk about this political power shift in the African country of Tunisia.