CLE PD: Holmes' capture critical to bomb squad

CLEVELAND - "Any information you can obtain going-in, you want to have the most information that you can," said Cleveland Deputy Chief Ed Tomba. This is the plan Tomba said fueled Colorado bomb squad experts as they worked to gain access into an apartment full of explosives.

As head of Cleveland's Bomb Squad, Tomba said it's the same method Cleveland police used to approach the Case Western Reserve University shooting in 2003. It was also how police handled the most recent explosive-involving incident, where authorities found hundreds of pounds worth of fireworks inside a northeast Ohio home.

"In law enforcement, the first few hours of a major event are so critical," said Tomba. But the most critical part of the investigation, what saves lives he said, came when police captured 24-year-old James Holmes.

"It takes it to another level. They have a profile of someone. It isn't like the police are responding to an unknown bomb threat ... they know what his capabilities are academically. They know he's a very smart individual."

And with that information, Tomba said investigators were able to learn more about the suspect's intent, ask neighbors and teachers what materials Holmes had access to and gain vital information to help bomb squad experts learn just what exactly they were up against inside the apartment.

"It's more than delicate ... it's inch by inch, step by step, more methodical," said the deputy chief describing the process.

Had Colorado police not been able to capture Holmes, Tomba believes officers would have been added to this unexpected and horrific tragedy.

"If someone identified him, the first place they would have gone was to his residence. So obviously it would have changed the way they approached things."

Once the detonated and defused materials are removed from the home, they will be taken to a lab and used as evidence. Tomba said the materials gathered may also help police find a motive.