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CNN Live Today

Schoolkids Back in Class in Washington Area

Aired October 08, 2002 - 10:02   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about schoolkids who are going back to class in suburban Washington. Things though certainly not returning to normal there. Parents were urged to take their children to class this morning after yesterday's dreaded confirmation that a schoolboy is indeed the latest victim of a sharp shooting sniper.
Our Jeanne Meserve is in Montgomery County, and our colleague Patty Davis is in Prince George's County.

Patty, we're going to start with you, the site of yesterday's shooting.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Well, a 13-year- old boy was gunned down as he headed into school here yesterday morning about 8:09. This is the middle school, Benjamin Tasker Middle School in Bowie, Maryland. Lots of police here this morning. Buses arrived around a little bit around 8:00, 30 or so, dropping kids off to the front entrance. That is where that boy was shot yesterday. Ballistics evidence has linked that shooting to the other seven shootings.

Now, nervous parents either drove their kids to school or walked them, if they didn't put them on the bus, after officials encouraged adults to get out this morning, accompany their children and keep them safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel more secure for me and for her, too, for me to bring her.

DAVIS: How about you? How do you feel about being here today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, first I didn't want to come, but I decided to come. I wanted to ride the bus, but my dad felt it was more secure to bring me here himself. So he brought me here, and we ended up walking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: Schools in this area are on lockdown. Now what that means is kids are not allowed outside for recess. They're not allowed to go out for lunch. There will be no after-school activities. No numbers yet on Prince George's County, where we are, in terms of attendance. But in Montgomery County, the superintendent says attendance is near normal. Counselors available at schools, at least in Montgomery County, here as well -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Patty, what about the latest on the boy who was shot yesterday? I understand they're concealing his identity in order to protect him, and that's understandable. But what about his condition?

DAVIS: Right, well, I just spoke to the hospital, and they say he remains in critical, but stable condition. Of course, he was shot in the abdomen, in the chest. Some very serious, serious wounds here. He was in surgery for many, many hours. Critical but stable condition. They won't tell us much more than that -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Patty Davis in Prince George's County, thank you very much.

Now we're going to go down the road to the neighboring country, Montgomery County. That is the hub of the original serial shootings last week, and Jeanne Meserve is there once again.

Jeanne, good morning.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

A huge investigation under way involving state, local and federal agencies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms alone by tonight will have about 100 investigators and support staff working this case.

Amongst the things investigators are doing, since this weekend, they have been sifting through the databases of the ATF and FBI to find, see if they can find a link to any other shootings any other place, a link with this serial sniper who has caused so much death and injury in the greater Washington area.

Police officers are working methodically to go through 1,200 tips that have come in. We're told that this process of methodically, carefully going through all those tips is one of the most challenging aspects of this investigation, despite the huge deployment of manpower here.

Police have been working long hours, some of them are canceling their vacations to work on this case.

Chief Charles Moose was asked about the anxiety in the community and if there was anything he could say to soothe people's fears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: We are realistic. We know there is fear. Yesterday, when I was trying to make my comments to my police officers, I've asked them to stand on corners, I've asked them to go places and expose themselves. Yes, we raise our hand and say that we are going to rush toward bullets and rush toward harm, but this certainly has upped the fear for police officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MESERVE: Anxiety among students and school staff all a great concern. Montgomery County distributed printed materials for parents, also to principals and others in the schools to help them deal in an age-appropriate way with the fears of the children that they deal with on a daily basis.

As for attendance here, as in Prince George's County, reported to be on the low end of normal. We're told that staff attendance is actually exemplary high today.

And one additional note on the investigation, someone from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said that they have now completed analysis, bullet fragments from the very first shooting, which was at a craft store. Nobody was injured in that event. He said they are unable to make any ballistic connection between that shooting and the others, but other evidence does lead them to make that link.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Very interesting. Jeanne Meserve in Montgomery County, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired October 8, 2002 - 10:02   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about schoolkids who are going back to class in suburban Washington. Things though certainly not returning to normal there. Parents were urged to take their children to class this morning after yesterday's dreaded confirmation that a schoolboy is indeed the latest victim of a sharp shooting sniper.
Our Jeanne Meserve is in Montgomery County, and our colleague Patty Davis is in Prince George's County.

Patty, we're going to start with you, the site of yesterday's shooting.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Well, a 13-year- old boy was gunned down as he headed into school here yesterday morning about 8:09. This is the middle school, Benjamin Tasker Middle School in Bowie, Maryland. Lots of police here this morning. Buses arrived around a little bit around 8:00, 30 or so, dropping kids off to the front entrance. That is where that boy was shot yesterday. Ballistics evidence has linked that shooting to the other seven shootings.

Now, nervous parents either drove their kids to school or walked them, if they didn't put them on the bus, after officials encouraged adults to get out this morning, accompany their children and keep them safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel more secure for me and for her, too, for me to bring her.

DAVIS: How about you? How do you feel about being here today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, first I didn't want to come, but I decided to come. I wanted to ride the bus, but my dad felt it was more secure to bring me here himself. So he brought me here, and we ended up walking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: Schools in this area are on lockdown. Now what that means is kids are not allowed outside for recess. They're not allowed to go out for lunch. There will be no after-school activities. No numbers yet on Prince George's County, where we are, in terms of attendance. But in Montgomery County, the superintendent says attendance is near normal. Counselors available at schools, at least in Montgomery County, here as well -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Patty, what about the latest on the boy who was shot yesterday? I understand they're concealing his identity in order to protect him, and that's understandable. But what about his condition?

DAVIS: Right, well, I just spoke to the hospital, and they say he remains in critical, but stable condition. Of course, he was shot in the abdomen, in the chest. Some very serious, serious wounds here. He was in surgery for many, many hours. Critical but stable condition. They won't tell us much more than that -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Patty Davis in Prince George's County, thank you very much.

Now we're going to go down the road to the neighboring country, Montgomery County. That is the hub of the original serial shootings last week, and Jeanne Meserve is there once again.

Jeanne, good morning.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

A huge investigation under way involving state, local and federal agencies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms alone by tonight will have about 100 investigators and support staff working this case.

Amongst the things investigators are doing, since this weekend, they have been sifting through the databases of the ATF and FBI to find, see if they can find a link to any other shootings any other place, a link with this serial sniper who has caused so much death and injury in the greater Washington area.

Police officers are working methodically to go through 1,200 tips that have come in. We're told that this process of methodically, carefully going through all those tips is one of the most challenging aspects of this investigation, despite the huge deployment of manpower here.

Police have been working long hours, some of them are canceling their vacations to work on this case.

Chief Charles Moose was asked about the anxiety in the community and if there was anything he could say to soothe people's fears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: We are realistic. We know there is fear. Yesterday, when I was trying to make my comments to my police officers, I've asked them to stand on corners, I've asked them to go places and expose themselves. Yes, we raise our hand and say that we are going to rush toward bullets and rush toward harm, but this certainly has upped the fear for police officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MESERVE: Anxiety among students and school staff all a great concern. Montgomery County distributed printed materials for parents, also to principals and others in the schools to help them deal in an age-appropriate way with the fears of the children that they deal with on a daily basis.

As for attendance here, as in Prince George's County, reported to be on the low end of normal. We're told that staff attendance is actually exemplary high today.

And one additional note on the investigation, someone from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said that they have now completed analysis, bullet fragments from the very first shooting, which was at a craft store. Nobody was injured in that event. He said they are unable to make any ballistic connection between that shooting and the others, but other evidence does lead them to make that link.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Very interesting. Jeanne Meserve in Montgomery County, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com