What's interesting is that the ATF originally told 9News that the explosion was the gunman's explosive device going off, and that's what prompted the SWAT team going in... I don't know why the ATF would forward information like that unless they believed it were true.
Then they retracted that -- after a long while I might add - and according to the other agencies (The Sheriff's Dept.'s) the explosion was the percussion or "flashbang" grenades set off to try and distract the gunman, prior to the SWAT team going in.
When they gave the second press conference at 8:30 Denver time they stated the bomb techs were STILL clearing the building... I don't know why the ATF would give out that kind of info if it weren't true. (Perhaps it was a misunderstanding, but the 9News team is one of the better ones in Denver, IMHO. Again another outlet that seemed to try to get the "whole story" instead of always promoting an agenda...)
Anyway, I guess the SWAT team that was right there would have better info as I think the ATF and such were outside (don't know that for sure though). There were tons of agencies and officials at the scene (FBI, ATF, CBI, Sheriff's Offices, PD, Bomb Techs, Medics, Counselors, negotiators, etc...).
It will be interesting to find out who in the heck this guy was though. There is a rumor he had some kind of relationship, but the Sheriff Wegener looked truly baffled as did the guy from the CBI. If he was related he didn't live in the area... I wouldn't put the relationship angle as more than a rumor at this point though.
Oh, I also remember reading a student say that he picked blonde, blue-eyed girls for his hostages and the student said she found that a little strange, but I can't find that quote now... Don't know if it got edited out, but if you run across that little bit of info, please let me know...
The Sheriff seemed to know a lot, but he refused to talk.
He did say they had a lead on the guy, but would go no further.
It is going to be unbearable, if the killer turns out to be well known to the kids or even related.
Yes, I have noticed that the KOA news team is sharper than most, one of them went to Iraq, as a reporter and I was lucky to hear him call in several times, and his first morning back.
He saw and felt, far more than many over there and was quick to fix one of the first news stories that another reporter read off the wire.
I cannot recall his name, but he said he had a blog on the
850koa.com site.
He went as a so so middle of the road on the war, he came back saying "we must stay until the job is done, the Iraqi people are worth it".
He also set right in and had a fund for school supplies and balls and shoes I think, all for the kids and all from donated money, he and the Americans serving in the area where he was, figured out what they thought should be bought.
LOL, Last year, Gunny Bob got the idea to collect stuffed toys for the Iraqi children, the small dolls that the Soilders take with them to give the kids........I laugh, because Bob hoped for a few hundred toys and I think he got 24,000.
But then, you never know what one of those toys is worth, last year, there was a story and photo of a 4 year old Iraqi girl, who was sitting in the middle of the roadway, holding a doll given to her the day before, by a Soldier.
He got out and went to remove her from the road, but she just pointed at the wires coming from the explosive that had been set up for the convoy.
How many Americans lives was that one small stuffed doll worth?