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CNN Live Today
Stampede at Chicago Club Kills 21
Aired February 17, 2003 - 10:09 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: All right, then; nine minutes after the hour, now, and we turn from that devastating storm now to a tragic story in Chicago this morning -- a stampede at a downtown Chicago night club. It occurred and it killed 21 people, and a locked door at a club may be to blame here. Someone discharged either pepper spray or mace during a fight inside of this club; and that caused panic, and a rush for the door, which turned out to be chained.
We're joined now from Chicago by Jim Wagner. He's from CLTV; he's got the very latest.
Jim, what have you heard?
JIM WAGNER, CLTV IN CHICAGO: Well I'll tell you what, Leon; the may lay began around 2:00 a.m. this morning. When we arrived shortly thereafter, the scene was completely chaotic -- firefighters, police, and club goers themselves just carrying people out, one by one. We can check out a little bit of the video that we shot this morning.
Club goers say a fight, like you said, Leon, broke out inside the club, located here in the 2300 block of South Michigan Avenue. Witnesses are telling us security sprayed mace to break up that fight. That set the crowd into a panic, and people went running towards the exits, trampling one another in the process. A fire prevention team is on hand right now, investigating whether everything was up to code; because witnesses are saying there were close to 1,500 people inside at the time, and only one stairwell to get down from the second floor.
Now the Reverend Jesse Jackson just brought out a prayer service here, with some of the people who are outside the club right now. The Reverend Jackson joining us now, live on CNN.
Thank you very much for taking time out.
REVEREND JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION: Apparently, a small fight, but big panic and big chaos. The suggestion that the room that crowded -- the spraying of mace -- the like would take -- for the oxygen out of the room. -- then trying to get down a small stairwell. And of course, panic abounded.
But the police there, in through that kind of investigation -- we've been trying to organize families -- that in such the stress by the suddenness of this. We've been to various hospitals today identifying bodies, and listening to testimonies of those who survived -- identifying next of kin. So today at noontime, about the King's Workshop at Rainbow/PUSH, we're having a meeting of family members just to identify the dead, the living, and family members; and get some order out of this.
As to what happened last night, there will be time for that investigation, and for the appropriate response. But right now, there's a lot of chaos here.
WAGNER: Reverend Jackson, thanks for taking time out for us today.
Again, 21 confirmed dead, Leon; several more injured after this club may lay that broke out right around 2:00 a.m. here in Chicago.
Live in Chicago, I'm Jim Wagner. Back to you in Atlanta.
HARRIS: All right, good deal. Thank you, Jim; appreciate that.
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 February 17, 2003 - 10:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, then; nine minutes after the hour, now, and we turn from that devastating storm now to a tragic story in Chicago this morning -- a stampede at a downtown Chicago night club. It occurred and it killed 21 people, and a locked door at a club may be to blame here. Someone discharged either pepper spray or mace during a fight inside of this club; and that caused panic, and a rush for the door, which turned out to be chained.
We're joined now from Chicago by Jim Wagner. He's from CLTV; he's got the very latest.
Jim, what have you heard?
JIM WAGNER, CLTV IN CHICAGO: Well I'll tell you what, Leon; the may lay began around 2:00 a.m. this morning. When we arrived shortly thereafter, the scene was completely chaotic -- firefighters, police, and club goers themselves just carrying people out, one by one. We can check out a little bit of the video that we shot this morning.
Club goers say a fight, like you said, Leon, broke out inside the club, located here in the 2300 block of South Michigan Avenue. Witnesses are telling us security sprayed mace to break up that fight. That set the crowd into a panic, and people went running towards the exits, trampling one another in the process. A fire prevention team is on hand right now, investigating whether everything was up to code; because witnesses are saying there were close to 1,500 people inside at the time, and only one stairwell to get down from the second floor.
Now the Reverend Jesse Jackson just brought out a prayer service here, with some of the people who are outside the club right now. The Reverend Jackson joining us now, live on CNN.
Thank you very much for taking time out.
REVEREND JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION: Apparently, a small fight, but big panic and big chaos. The suggestion that the room that crowded -- the spraying of mace -- the like would take -- for the oxygen out of the room. -- then trying to get down a small stairwell. And of course, panic abounded.
But the police there, in through that kind of investigation -- we've been trying to organize families -- that in such the stress by the suddenness of this. We've been to various hospitals today identifying bodies, and listening to testimonies of those who survived -- identifying next of kin. So today at noontime, about the King's Workshop at Rainbow/PUSH, we're having a meeting of family members just to identify the dead, the living, and family members; and get some order out of this.
As to what happened last night, there will be time for that investigation, and for the appropriate response. But right now, there's a lot of chaos here.
WAGNER: Reverend Jackson, thanks for taking time out for us today.
Again, 21 confirmed dead, Leon; several more injured after this club may lay that broke out right around 2:00 a.m. here in Chicago.
Live in Chicago, I'm Jim Wagner. Back to you in Atlanta.
HARRIS: All right, good deal. Thank you, Jim; appreciate that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
