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CNN Live Today

Talk With Spokesman For Family of Woman Killed at LAX

Aired July 08, 2002 - 10:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Friends and relatives have said their goodbyes to two people killed in the July 4th shooting spree at a Los Angeles International Airport. More than 1,000 people gathered yesterday to remember the victims. One was a diamond jeweler and the other worked behind the ticket counter for El Al Airlines, Israel's national airline. Police said they were gunned down by Hesham Mohamed Hadayet. Many people have condemned the shootings as an act of terrorism, but officials say they still have no motive for the attack yet. They're still investigating that.

Joining us now to talk some more about the shootings, about one of the victims in particular is Joe Knoller. He's a spokesman for the family of Victoria Hen, who was I believe 25 years old, is that correct Mr. Knoller?

JOE KNOLLER, HEN FAMILY SPOKESMAN: That's correct, Leon.

HARRIS: Tell us about her.

KNOLLER: Well, Vicky Hen immigrated with her family to America in 1990. Of course, trying to achieve the American dream here, graduated from Birmingham high school in 1995, and then worked for El Al as a ticketer for approximately two months.

HARRIS: What is your connection with the family?

KNOLLER: I'm a very close relative to the family itself. Vicky Hen was a ex-employee of my company.

HARRIS: I know it's got to be awfully tough for the family, but how are they holding up this morning?

KNOLLER: They're in shock. It's very hard, specifically because it's been already five days. The family hasn't heard from any kind of local authority, formal authority, government authority, how exactly their daughter was killed. So they're leaning on information that they get, both from the news and from eyewitnesses. So it's very tough.

HARRIS: How did the family find out any way? Were they there with her at the airport?

KNOLLER: No, they were not. I mean, once it went on the news, of course, the parents immediately tried calling her cell phone. When that didn't answer, El Al phone lines were down. They didn't answer. Rachel, her mother, had gut feeling that something happened to her daughter, and 10 later got a call to just come down to UCLA, without any kind of notification of what exactly happened to her, and that's when they found out.

HARRIS: I have to say -- I've been following the story. This is first time I've got a chance to see pictures of Vicky, and she was an absolutely gorgeous young lady.

KNOLLER: You know, you can see immediately by the picture that her smile captured everybody. She was an angel. She touched everybody. Unbelievable woman with a future ahead of her. Her boyfriend was actually, by surprise, going to propose to her a day after she was shot.

HARRIS: No kidding?

KNOLLER: And unfortunately, Vicky was, she was 25 years; she will stay 25 years forever.

HARRIS: So he was going to propose to her in Israel.

KNOLLER: No, right here in America.

HARRIS: That's...

KNOLLER: And I can tell you that -- you know, both the Israeli community and Los Angeles family and relatives are at a certain point very outraged at -- this is still discussed as hate crime and not terror action.

HARRIS: Let's talk about that. What is the family saying about their opinions about what actually did occur here? The federal officials investigating this didn't say this is a case of terrorism. We've also seen there's have been declarations coming from the American -- Council on American Islamic Relations and other Arab groups, for instance, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, all posting statements saying that they condemn what happened in the strongest possible terms. Does the Hen family accept these condemnation, or are they still -- do they believe what happened here was a terrorist act or a hate crime?

KNOLLER: The family absolutely believes it's a terror act.

I mean, let me ask you this, Leon, what happens when a disturbed person, or anybody for that matter, transforms hate into an action of killing? It would be exactly like saying that, you know, the bombing of the American embassies in Algeria was created out of hate and turned into action, which eventually was terror. This was anything but a hate crime.

HARRIS: Joe Knoller, on the way out of here, we will go to break in a moment. Before we do, I just want to you to share with us one of your favorite memories, if you can, of Vicky.

KNOLLER: Well, I can tell you, Vicky was baby-sitter of my children, and as such, she loved children, she loved people; she had a beautiful smile. We used to call her "Princess." And as such, she will stay a queen in our hearts forever.

HARRIS: She certainly does look like a princess, and she will be remembered as such no doubt.

KNOLLER: Take care. And take with you to her family our sentiments, and our heartfelt regrets for them.

Take care.

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