Updates On Deadly Mall Shooting; Marlise Munoz Taken Off Respirator and Ventilator
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is also about your team. I think we were always king of lucky to keep some cool people about you. You know, we always you always that have people around that can check, you know, when they hit you up, they are like hey, you know, fall back.</s>FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you guys. Always great. Appreciate it. And if you are wondering on kid's hat there 1973, that is paying homage to the birthday of hip-hop. It was fun to talk with them. Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the stop stories that we are following at this hour. A heartbreaking face of family's fighting a hospital to get a ventilator is now over. The machines are off for a brain dead pregnant woman. What decisions came today that changed and eight-week long battle? And police have identified the gunman in the deadly shooting in Maryland. Why did he opened fire in the crowded shopping mall? What police have learned next. And it has been 50 years since the Beatles took America by storm. Tonight, they will be in the spotlight at the Grammy. So, what is it about those four guys that has changed so much in our world over five decades? More on that coming up? We begin with breaking news a brain dead pregnant woman has been taken off a respirator and ventilator after an emotional legal battle. A Texas hospital said today it would not fight the judge's ruling to turn off Marlise Munoz's machines. And shortly after, attorneys for her family said the machines were disconnected. Nick Valencia is live for us now in Fort Worth, Texas outside the hospital. So Nick, what have we heard from both sides in this?</s>NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What e have heard from both sides so far, Eric Munoz, the husband of Marlise Munoz did not speak to the media publicly. But attorneys for the family released the statement. I want to read part of that now, Fred. It said at approximately 11:30 a.m. central time, 12:30 p.m. eastern standard time, Marlise Munoz's body was disconnected from life support and released to Mr. Munoz. The Munoz and Machado family will now proceed with the somber task of laying Marlise Munoz's body to rest and grieving over the great loss that has been suffered. And this journey had been has been about an 8.5 week journey of anguish for the family who has fought the hospital all that time to try to get Marlise Munoz removed from the ventilator. Marlise Munoz was legally pronounced brain-dead on November 28th, about two days after she was found unconscious on her kitchen floor. Now, the hospital, JPS hospital here behind me, they have maintained that they were doing the right thing all along and simply following state law. They said that they had no legal president or case law to go off of and they felt that keeping Marlise Munoz on the ventilator and giving her life sustaining treatment was the right thing to do. About an hour before we got the statement from the family, Munoz family attorney, we heard from the hospital and they said in part, from the onset, JPS has set its role was not to make nor contest law but to follow it. On Friday, a state district judge ordered the removal of life sustaining treatment from Marlise Munoz. The hospital will follow the court order. That court order gave the hospital until 5:00 p.m. on Monday to release -- to remove Marlise Munoz from the ventilator. They decided to do that at, as I mentioned, about 11:30 a.m. from Sunday morning -- Fred.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, any indication about whether there will be a battle coming for that state law?</s>VALENCIA: You know, that is a great question. And that, you know, some people I have talked to in the legal community say that this is a battle that is far from over. Well, the hospital says that they will follow the court's mandate. I asked them if they have plans to appeal this judge's decision. They said Nick, we are going to follow the court's mandate. There is no word yet from the state capital on whether or the they will intervene -- Fred.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, Nick Valencia. Thanks so much in Fort Worth. A day after that deadly shooting inside a Maryland shopping mall, police are releasing new details about the gunman. Investigators have identified him as 19-year-old Darion Marcus Aguilar. And they say he was carrying lots of ammunition and what appears to be make-shift explosives. Police say he shot and killed two people, 21-year-old Brianna Benlolo and 25-year-old Tyler Johnson. Five other people were hurt and the gunman killed himself. And now everyone is asking why. Erin McPike is live for us now in Columbia, Maryland. So Erin, what more have we learned leading up to this event?</s>ERIN MCPIKE, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Fred, Howard County police say that Aguilar purchased his shotgun legally a month ago and they transported himself all that ammunition and the shotgun here yesterday morning by taxi.</s>MCPIKE (voice-over): The gunman now identified in Saturday's terrifying shooting at this mall in Columbia, Maryland.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Darion Marcus Aguilar id the shooter.</s>MCPIKE: But police still aren't talking about a possible motive. Although they say the 19-year-old Aguilar lives in the same college park neighborhood as one of the victims, 21-year-old Brianna Benlolo.</s>CHIEF BILL MCMAHON, HOWARD COUNTY POLICE: We have not been able to verify any type of relationship at this point between him and either of our victims. We can't establish that there is one or there is not one. That is an open question.</s>MCPIKE: Surveillance videos, police say, revealed that Aguilar arrived by taxi at this upper level mall entrance around 10:15 Saturday morning walking by a children's carousel and carrying a backpack with two homemade explosive devices. Over the next hour, they say, he went downstairs and then going back into skateboard shop, Zumiez where Benlolo worked alongside the other victim, 25-year-old Tyler Johnson of Mount Airy, Maryland. Aguilar fired six to eight shots, investigator said, killing Johnson and Benlolo. And the gun fire injuring another woman in the foot on the floor below.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People started running and they said somebody is down there and he has a gun. And I heard at least eight to ten gunshots.</s>MCPIKE: As witnesses ran away in the chaos, authorities say he then killed himself with the</s>MCPIKE: Now, Howard County officials plan to hold another press briefing in the next couple of hours and they are expecting to talk about the protocol for reopening the mall -- Fred.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, Erin McPike, thanks so much in Columbia, Maryland. 19-year-old Russian man in Pennsylvania has been arrested and charged with possessing a weapon of mass destruction. Police now say they found a homemade bomb and bomb making materials while investigating an alleged marijuana growing operation. They say this man told them that he wanted to blow things up, but later said he planned to detonate device in the field and was not going to blow anything. He is being held on a half million dollars bail. And health investigators are trying to figure out what is making hundreds of people sick on a royal Caribbean cruise ship. A crew from the center for disease control is boarding the explorer of disease in St. Thomas within the hour to investigate the gastrointestinal illnesses. They will be looking at cleaning and sanitation progress and then if there have been any new cases. A resident of St. Thomas caught up with a frustrated passenger and sent this video to CNN.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They would just like and they were like, what has been like being on the ship with the virus and everything, if they are really terrible? Yes.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will never come back again.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not on this cruise.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were here with them two years ago. The same thing. The ship was overrun with this sickness. You know, any sickness is going to involve. But it is the most disorganized trip I have been on in my life. I'm almost 80 years old. It is sad.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.</s>WHITFIELD: The ship left New Jersey on Tuesday. It is get to stop in Haiti and went straight to San Juan, Puerto Rico to be sanitized yesterday. This is the second royal Caribbean ship to get hit with sickness this month. Dozens of people suffered similar symptoms on the majesty of disease a few days ago. France's former first lady visits India a day after the country's president announces the couple's separation. Francois Holland said yesterday that -- Saturday rather, that he was ending his partnership with long time paramour Valerie Trierweiler. Trierweiler is helping support an anti-hunger charity in India. Her departure comes after a week's long media frenzy filled by allegations that the president was having an affair. All right, the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos are arriving in New Jersey today, ahead of next Sunday super bowl. Even though the big game will be played in the town of east Rutherford, New Jersey another city across the Hudson River is actually getting all of the attention. CNN's Alexandra Field has the story.</s>ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid all the excitement, there is a little confusions.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Super Bowl XLVIII in New York. Congratulations!</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can only send one of you to cover the game in New York.</s>FIELD: This is met-like (ph) stadium in east Rutherford, New Jersey., the host of super bowl</s>XLVIII. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell them they better get a geography lesson. \</s>FIELD: Did you think this would put you on the map?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.</s>FIELD: It is a small town, just nine thousand people.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The stadium is right down here, less than a mile away.</s>FIELD: A detail that looks to some as if it has been over looked.</s>MAYOR JAMES CASSELLA, EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY: I was just talking a radio host in Seattle and he didn't even realize that the stadium was in New Jersey until a couple of weeks ago. That says something.</s>FIELD: In New York City, the NFL is transforming Time Square into Super Bowl Boulevard. But in East Rutherford there isn't a single banner in sight. Only one small sign that the mayor had to other himself. And because it used the trademark phrase, Super Bowl, the NFL could object. What happens if they told to take it down?</s>CASSELLA: Well, I think it could be dopey of them to tell us to take it down.</s>FIELD: Do you feel like you are left out in the cold here?</s>CASSELLA: I'm used to it.</s>CASSELLA: You kind of used to it. And you know, you accept it. Life goes on.</s>FIELD: Hey, is there a little New York, New Jersey rivalry playing in here?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, our answer is I'm sure glad I'm next to the biggest city in the world because that is how I make my living. But my New Jersey answer is I'd like to kick them in the shins.</s>FIELD: Town officials say there has been no effort to promote east Rutherford, but the NFL insists that New Jersey isn't getting the short straw telling CNN there are more activities in New Jersey than New York. Players are staying in Jersey City training and media appearances will be held in state. Come game day the mayor said this town will feel proud, even if East Rutherford has taken a backseat even though the mayor will have to find his owned seat.</s>CASSELLA: I also will probably be sitting in my lounge chair on my recliner watching the game.</s>FIELD: Alexandra Field, CNN East Rutherford, New Jersey.</s>WHITFIELD: And a teacher has new meaning the word potluck. What he is accused of doing something at a recent dinner party.