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Who killed Colo. prison chief and why? Jim Spellman reports on the manhunt
The manhunt for a killer continues in Colorado this morning. Police are searching for leads as to who gunned down the chief of the state's corrections department and a possible motive for the murder.
The family of 58 year-old Tom Clements says they lost a devoted husband and father. He was shot in cold blood Tuesday night as he opened the front door to his home outside of Denver. Authorities have not identified a suspect or a motive but want to talk to a woman who may have been seen walking in the area. Investigators are also looking for the driver of car seen in Clements' neighborhood the night of the murder. Jim Spellman is live in Denver with the latest on the search.
“So far, there are few leads, only a car seen idling nearby around the time of the shooting,” Spellman reports. “The same witness who saw the car idling near the crime scene, minutes later saw it driving…towards Interstate 25. Near the on-ramp to the interstate, there are numerous cameras. Police are checking them to see if they spot the car.”
Police: Fmr. UCF found dead in dorm room, planned a larger attack at school – Ed Lavandera reports
This morning, CNN has new developments in the apparent suicide of a former student at the University of Central Florida. Police were called to a UCF dorm early Monday morning by a student who said his roommate had pulled a gun on him. The suspect, 30-year-old James Oliver Seevakumaran, was dead by the time officers arrived.
Investigators say they found a detailed plan for an attack, homemade bombs, a handgun, an assault weapon and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Investigators now believe Seevakumaran was planning a massacre on campus. CNN’s Ed Lavandera has more on the investigation.
Police say they don’t know what made Seevakumaran turn his gun on himself, but “it could have been a very bad day for everybody” on campus. Police Chief Richard Beary told reporters, “All things considered, I think that we were very blessed here at the University of Central Florida."
Investigators say they discovered several weapons among "writings laying out a timeline of what Seevakarum planned to do," Lavandera reports. "A plan, investigators say, was designed to, quote, ‘give them hell.' We don't know who he planned to target, but investigators say he was acting as a ‘lone wolf.’”
Police searching for man suspected of killing four, injuring two in upstate New York – Deborah Feyerick reports
A man suspected of killing four people and injuring two others in a 10-minute shooting spree in Herkimer County, New York, is believed to be surrounded by police, authorities said Wednesday.
The upstate New York man also is believed to have blown up his house, according to a federal law enforcement source briefed on the investigation.
Policing searching for Kurt R. Myers, 64, surrounded an abandoned building, State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Myers ditched his vehicle following shootings at a barber shop and an auto maintenance business, police said.
This morning on "Early Start," Deb Feyerick reports on the latest in the search.
READ MORE: Four killed in upstate New York shootings, police say
Motel standoff ends in Oregon for suspect in grandparents' death – Dan Simon reports
A standoff at a beachside Oregon motel ended Tuesday evening with the focus of the police's attention - the suspect in his grandparents' deaths over the weekend - being taken from his room and transported away in an ambulance.
Members of a "tactical team" entered the Lincoln City, Oregon, room of 26-year-old Michael Boysen around 7 p.m. (10 p.m. ET), emerging with no injuries, said city police Chief Keith Killian. The suspect had suffered apparently self-inflicted cuts, he added.
The image of him on a stretcher being placed in a waiting ambulance closed a day full of drama at the WestShore OceanFront Suites.
Boysen was taken into custody about an hour after authorities used water cannons to blast down part of the front door to the suspect's room, a move that showed authorities' intent to "just kind of step ... things up a little bit," according to Killian.
Dan Simon reports the latest on "Early Start" this morning.
READ MORE: Police: Motel standoff ends for man wanted in grandparents' deaths
Georgia town wants guns in every household – Shannon Travis reports
A small Georgia town may soon require every household to own a firearm - a law that, if passed, would make it the second town in the state to mandate gun ownership.
City council members in Nelson, a town of 1,300 people north of Atlanta, unanimously approved the proposal at a meeting this week. Citizens now have a chance to review the proposal before the council takes it up again in April.
The law would give every family the right to protect themselves and their property "without worrying about prosecution for protecting themselves," Cronic told the meeting. He said the proposal was modeled on a similar law in nearby Kennesaw, Georgia, that has been on the books since 1982.
This morning on "Early Start," CNN's Shannon Travis reports on this controversial proposed law.
READ MORE: Georgia town mulls mandatory gun ownership
Osama bin Laden's son-in-law expected in federal court today after capture – Susan Candiotti reports
Osama bin Laden's son-in-law is scheduled to be in a New York City courtroom Friday morning to face charges of trying to kill Americans.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who served as an al Qaeda spokesman, was captured and taken to the United States, federal officials announced Thursday.
Abu Ghaith was captured within the past week in Jordan, according to a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Peter King of New York. He was charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, the Department of Justice announced.
This morning on "Early Start," CNN's Susan Candiotti previews today's arraignment in federal court in New York.
READ MORE: Bin Laden's son-in-law to be in New York courtroom
Three people confess to acid attack on Russian ballet director – Phil Black reports
A Russian ballet troupe, a vicious acid attack on its director and a star dancer's confession.
The attack on the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, allegedly masterminded by a lead dancer at the troupe, has jolted the centuries-old Moscow fixture.
And as more details emerge, so does the number of suspects. Dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko confessed to ordering the attack, Russian police said Wednesday.As did the driver of the getaway car and the masked attacker who flung concentrated sulfuric acid on director Sergei Filin on a Moscow street on January 17.
The attack left Filin with third-degree burns to his face and eyes.
Phil Black reports live on "Early Start" this morning with more on the motive behind the acid attack.
READ MORE: Police: Bolshoi Ballet lead dancer behind director's acid attack
VIDEO: Police release 911 calls in Calif. car jacking murder spree
CNN's Miguel Marquez on the release of 911 calls in a car jacking spree that led to three deaths in California.
Bus driver killed in Alabama standoff remembered as a hero as standoff continues – Victor Blackwell reports
The stand-off between police in Alabama and a gunman holding a 5-year-old boy hostage in a bunker has been going on close to a week now. The suspect is 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes, described as a survivalist with "anti-government" views.
Dykes had forced his way onto a school bus and demanded to take two of the 22 children on board. The bus driver, Charles Albert Poland Jr., refused and shielded the children. Dykes killed him and kidnapped the 5-year-old. Poland is now being remembered as a hero. He was honored at a memorial service yesterday.
Victor Blackwell is following developments from Midland City, Alabama and reports on the latest in "Early Start."
Manhunt underway for Texas courthouse shooter – Drew Griffin reports
An intense manhunt is underway for one, or possibly two suspects, after an assistant district attorney was gunned down outside a courthouse in Texas. Mark Hasse, a prosecutor in Kaufman County, located about 30 miles outside Dallas, was killed after being shot several times as he got out of his car in the courthouse parking lot yesterday.
Authorities are pleading for leads. The FBI is now helping in the case. Drew Griffin is live in Kaufman, Texas this morning with more.
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