>>> littleton again. a school shooting three miles from columbine rocks a community that's been there before. this time the story has a hero. >>> flunking out. a high school tired of poor performance fires the entire staff. tonight, the firestorm offer what they've done. >>> and from the heart, everyone watching last night was asking the same thing, how how did she possibly find the strength for such a spectacular performance? >>> also tonight, a sudden tragedy at a popular tourist stop as parents and children look on. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. this was the day the man with the toyota family name, the grandson of the founder of the car company, was to come before congress and face the heat and answer questions, and he did. what he did not do is end this crisis for the automaker. it rolls on without him and still affects millions of people, some of whom may never think the same way again about that once-great brand name. nbc's kelly o'donnell

littleton, colorado, it is gorgeous out there. i was just out there not too long ago. a former fbi buddy of mine lives out there, but it is gorgeous. these are isolated incidents. >> mike, you add so much. thank you, appreciate the update. >> thank you, chuck. >>> a public apology, that's what you can expect from akio toyoda when he testifies today before congress. the house oversight and government reform committee investigating toyota's massive recall and the flaws that sparked it and the delays in getting all this to the public, that's ray lahood, the transportation secretary. in a statement prepared for today toyoda, the chairman and the grandson of the car maker's founder, said the company just grew too fast and didn't keep up with safety controls. toyota has recalled eight and a half million cars worldwide for problems related to sudden acceleration and unresponsive brake pedals. at first the company said floor mats that got jammed in accelerators were the problem and later that accelerators on some models were getting stuck and causing accidents. officials say m

. >> as i mentioned, it happened at a middle school in littleton, colorado, 10 miles south much denver, less than 3 miles from columbine high school. one witness said the two scenes were unnervingly similar. helicopters overhead, red and blue lights, parents trying to make their way through the streets des trait to find their kids. jonathan hunt has the news. students are calling the math teacher a hero. >> and hard to argue with that description. dr. david benke and another teacher tackled the gunman. dr. benke talked to the media about what happened and what was going through his mind and he wishes he could have done more. >> it bothers me that i was a little bit late. it bothers me he got the second shot off. i only heard -- i only heard one and then saw another one and it bothers me he got the second shot off. that was the one that hit matt. >> so maybe not a hero in his own mind, but certainly a hero in the mind of pretty much everyone else in this country today. >> there's a lot to learn about this accused gunman. it sounds like he had a lot of problems. >> he has a long arrest r

you will remember that littleton, colorado s the site of the columbine massacre. >>> okay. this is a camera on the congressional testimony room, and we are going -- we are waiting the arrival of the president of toyota, the global president of toyota. there he is. you are seeing him now. he is the grandson, akia toyoda is the head of toyota worldwide, and he has been the ceo and president since 2009, and a degree from bapson college in massachusetts. everybody is getting seated. let's listen in to the president of toyota. >> our second panel -- i would like to introduce our second panel testifying on this panel is mr. akia toyoda, president, ceo of toyota motor corporation. mr. anaba, president and ceo of toyota motors north america. gentlemen, it is the committee's longstanding policy that all witnesses are sworn in. please stand and raise your right hand as i administer the oath. do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? if so, answer in the affirmative. let the record reflect that the witnesses answered in the affirm tif tive. yo

and it was really scary. >> shepard: again, two students hurt in the shooting as i mentioned in littleton about a five minute drive from columbine high school. it was almost 11 years ago now that two students went on a rampage in that building, killing a dozen of their classmates, themselves, and one teacher. security forces at luke air force base in arizona reportedly shot one person dead and injured another after a high speed car chase there. according to a bay spokesman, the suspect stole the car, drove through a base gate late last night as they tried to get away from the cops. we're told the guards then fired on the vehicle. they say in self-defense. luke air force base is located in glendale, arizona, just outside of phoenix. pilots train there to fly f-16s. investigators say there is no reason to believe the suspects were anything other than car thieves. some controversy in the courts now. the courts that deal with helping terrorist suspects. actually, terror groups. the supreme court is considering whether to uphold a law that bans people from supporting foreign terrorist organiza

. >> shepard: we're hearing more today from the math teacher in littleton, colorado who helped stop a gunman at a middle school there. word of that shooting broke during this newscast last evening it happened there in littleton at deer creek middle school less than three miles from columbine high. the site of one of the deadliest school shootings in history. he suspect was walking through the parking lot shooting at people with hunting rifle. he had wounded one student when the math teacher david benke saw what was happening and jumped into action. >> unfortunately he got another round off -- you were moving towards him at that point. >> i was walking towards him and then i realized it was a bolt-action rifle and he wasn't going to be able to load quickly enough, and so i grabbed him. the next thing i remember, basically is we're on the ground struggling. >> you can describe for us how you grabbed him? was it -- you can just use your arms? >> well, i grabbed him by the front like this. >> like that? >> and we were dancing around for a while. and i don't really remember how we got on t

. >>> one of the students shot outside of a littleton, colorado school spoke out. he was one of two students shot in deer creek's middle school apartment. he was shot in the chest and currently recovering. the 8th grader talked about that day and what he remembers. >> i saw people like running, so i decided to run also. i got my skateboard and my books and i started running. then i got shot. >> matthew and his family say the support, praise and gifts from others are playing a big roles any recovery and he also says he is ready to go back-to- school. >>> a well a couple in columbia, south carolina opened their mail and got quite a shock at what they found inside. they found a dead duck inside a mangled package that they had shipped over from japan. the two just returned from a trip there were they arranged for several gifts to be shipped back. the post office is investigating that incident. >>> the white house is showing their support this black history month. president obama signed a new executive order and says the order strengthens the white house initiative to s

it happened yesterday in the town of littleton, which suffered the columbine school shooting. police say 32-year-old bruce opened fire and injured two students. a math teacher tackled him before anyone else could be hurt. >> i grabbed him by the front, like this. and then we were dancing around for a while. >> eastwood faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder. no word yet on what spurred this. >>> a superintendent of one struggling school district decides the answer to the problems is fire all the teachers. we'll tell you about that ahead. first, details on a huge rate increase for blue cross, blue shield customers in one state. stay with us. >>> one of the country's largest insurers has a hike. it has outraged customers and california lawmakers launched an investigation. >> have you no shame? >> the question is, one that is -- >> i mean that sincerely. >> it is disappointing to me. >> how much profit is enough? >> well points, the parent company of anthem blue cross posted record profits for 2009. profits were in excess of $3 billion. >>> next at 6:00, or new at 6:00

. >> couric: a gunman opened fire at a middle school in littleton, colorado, wounding two students. but as barry petersen tells us, it might have been a lot worse. >> reporter: kids from deer creek middle school were heading home. 57-year-old math teacher dr. david benke was outside helps at the crosswalk when he heard a shot, saw a gunman and instinct drove his next move. >> i noticed that he was working a bolt action rifle and realized that i had time to get him before he could chamber another round. >> reporter: he ran and tackled the suspect. >> the next thing i know, i'm on the ground, i've got my legs wrapped around his legs, i've got my arms wrapped around him. >> reporter: dr. brousseau eastwood, 32 years old, is being held on a million dollars bond on two counts of attempted murder. a history of mental illness, says his father, is no excuse. >> i don't care who you are, you shouldn't go out there and take how you feel inside of you out on anybody else. >> reporter: benke says all he did wasn't enough. >> i felt like i wasn't fast enough and he got us as far as i know a seco

it all unfolded in littleton, and as fox's david lee miller reports they had a short window to take action. >> teacher david bernie said he didn't have time to think and take action, when he jumped a man, he said he saw the opportunity when the alleged gunman, 22-year-old eagle eastwood stopped to reload his weapon. >> then i realized that it was a bolt-action rival and that he wasn't going to be able to load quickly enough for it, and i grabbed him. >> police say eastwood shot two students before being wellsled to the ground by banky. two other staff members rushed over to help keep him down before police arrived. he doesn't consider himself a he rove. ironically he told his students during school drills about what to do in an emergency just like this one. >> if there is a gunman in our school i hoped that i could go after him. not -- i just hold that i would have the courage. >> reporter: the two students who were shot were rushed to a local hospital. both were expected to survive. many in the community says his action saved lives. >> my wife said she wasn't surprised. my daughter keeps

it happened at deer creek middle school in littleton, colorado, just a few minutes away from columbine high school. the gunman opened fire into a crowd of students leaving for the day. two students were shot, one of them is hospitalized right now in critical condition. a teacher managed to tackle the gunman as he tried to reload. >> everybody thought it was some kind of joke or something. and then i looked over and there was a kid laying in the grass, shot. >> i heard a gunshot and everybody started running away. i was a little confused, and then i saw the shooter. i saw him put out a second shot. >> jennifer ryan of nbc's denver affiliate kusa is outside the middle school. jennifer, i first want to ask you how are the kids at the school, the teachers doing this day after and give us the latest, also, on this gunman here. >> reporter: yeah, well, about 525 kids do attend this school, all eighth graders and seventh graders and they are not in school today obviously. they are obviously at home so they are going to be able to seek some counseling around here. now as for that teacher that

. >>> new this morning a student in littleton, colorado is in critical condition after being shot outside of his middle school. it happened just three miles from columbine high school. police say a man shot two students yesterday with a high powered rifle. a math teacher tackled the suspect as he was trying to chamber another round. the suspect is scheduled to be in court later on today. >>> the first of 150 new full body scanners will be installed at boston's logan airport. a homeland security firm technology the associated press the rest of the machines should be in place in airports across the country before july. it's all part of new security protocols put in place after the attempted christmas day bombing. critics call the machines invasive. >>> former vice president dick cheney still recovering in a washington hospital this morning. techts show the former vice president did have a mild heart attack on monday. that would make it his fifth heart attack since 1978. cheney spokesman said he's feeling fine. >>> still ahead, we're continuing our series on broken government. this morning m

two students wounded at deep creek middle school in littleton, colorado. authorities say an adult male is in custody. one victim was shot in the chest and the other in the arm. witness says that students were waiting for a bus when a man in a jacket and hat opened fire. the school is not far from columbine high school where a student went on a killing spree in 1999. we will monitor that and bring you more details as they come available. >>> the u.s. navy has decided to lift the ban on women in submarines. robert gates has notified congress by let ter that the navy plans to repeal the ban. it was thought that close quarters on subs would make co-ed service hard to manage. >>> former congressman james traficant tells cn than he plans to run for congress as an independent. he says he is disgusted with both parties and eyeing a district in ohio. he spent seven years in prison for corruption. >>> sarah palin's daughter, brist bristol, has landed a television role. she will play herself on the abc's "the secret life of the american teenager." palin says she is t