Loughner's Ex: He's "Completely Different" Now

In the days following the killing spree in Tucson, those who knew 22-year-old Jared Loughner all spoke of a once-harmless high school kid.

Kelsey Hawkes, Loughner's ex-girlfriend from high school, appeared on "The Early Show" Thursday for an exclusive interview. Hawkes was in a relationship with Loughner for a little over nine months when she was a freshman and Loughner was a sophomore.

Hawkes described Loughner as "completely different."

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She said, "Six years ago we dated, and back then, he was completely different of a person. Very caring, very sweet, a gentle, kind, you know, a little bit quiet. But altogether a pretty great guy."

"Early Show" co-anchor Erica Hill asked Hawkes about Loughner's home life.

Hawkes said, "From my experience with (his family), they were actually really great. His mom is a very sweet lady ... very, very kind ... and thoughtful, and her dad -- or his dad, sorry, was always very kind to me, as well."

Hill pointed out Loughner's father has been described as more withdrawn.

Hawkes said, "He may have been keeping to himself. But I mean, he had hobbies at home that he worked on. But, I mean, besides that, I did interact with him, you know, here and there when I would go over to the house. But I mean never, never anything that drew me as unusual."

As for Loughner, Hawkes said she never saw him do anything that gave her pause, such as violent acts.

"Absolutely not. No," she told Hill. "The Jared that I used to know is completely changed from what the world sees him now as. You know, I would never have ever expected him to become what he has."

That view is shared by others.

Aaron Martinez, a neighbor, said, "He kept to himself, most of the time. He wasn't very hostile toward anybody."

Hill noted Loughner's described as a harmless high school kid, who started showing signs of disturbing behavior in the last year.

Bryce Tierney, Loughner's former friend, said, "He wasn't really being sociable at all."

Tierney got a chilling phone message from Loughner the day of the killing.

Tierney said, "He said, 'Hey, it's Jared. We had some good times and peace out." '

Before that, Tierney told CBS News, he hadn't heard from Loughner in a year.

Tierney said, "Just his attitude sort of went off the deep end. He just got sort of really dark."

Teachers and classmates at Pima Community College say they also saw Loughner's dark side. They say at times, he seemed incoherent and would laugh to himself for no reason. One instructor even called the police on Loughner after he went on an anti-government rant.

That instructor, Debbie Scheidemantel, an adjunct professor at Pima Community College, told "The Early Show," "He was just bizarre and strange. ... I was worried about my safety and the safety of other students."

Between February and September, Loughner had five run-ins with campus police. Finally, on September 29, he was suspended after posting a YouTube video calling the school "unconstitutional." Loughner was told to get a mental health evaluation; but instead, he dropped out.

Stephen Woods, a neighbor, said, "He was very secluded. I've seen him drive up and down the street. He doesn't look around at anybody."

Hill reported a bizarre shrine was found in Loughner's backyard. On the day of the shooting, Loughner's father saw him grabbing a black bag. When he confronted him in their yard -- Loughner took off, just hours before the killings began.