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CNN Live Today

Shooting Caught on Tape

Aired November 03, 2003 - 11:21   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: The victim of a courthouse shooting caught on videotape is out of the hospital. Television cameras were rolling when a man opened fire on Attorney Gerry Curry outside the courthouse in Van Nuys, California.
This dramatic footage shows Curry trying to duck behind a tree as he was shot at close range. Curry was shot in the arm and the neck. He was released from the hospital yesterday. Police have identified the suspect as William Strier. Curry says he never met this man before.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALD CURRY, SHOOTING VICTIM: I had never seen Mr. Strier before. This is the first time I've ever seen him. I didn't know what he looked like. Then I walked out of the courthouse after the hearing, and a man walked up to me and said, are you Mr. Curry? I said yes, who are you? And he just shot me. I didn't even see the gun. I just heard a pop, and like the blood splattered. I knew I had been shot. because the blood splattered on my face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The television crews that recorded the shooting were at the courthouse -- and watch this angle here -- they were there for the Robert Blake murder case. Among them, a crew from "Celebrity Justice," showing us this incredible view that only "Celebrity Justice" got.

And joining us from Los Angeles is executive producer Harvey Levin.

Harvey, good morning.

HARVEY LEVIN, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE," EXEC. PROD.: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: What a strange case, or situation.

LEVIN: I've been covering Los Angeles court for the last 20 years. I have never in my life seen anything like this. It's just incredible. And on Halloween day, of all things, when people think it could have been a gag, and it was so real.

KAGAN: Any more information from Gerry Curry, the victim, about why he might have been targeted, saying he's never seen this man before? LEVIN: Well, he was representing the trustee. Apparently William Strier was the beneficiary of $100,000 trust. He was in a personal injury case, some kind of a car accident. And the money was being doled out to him in this trust, because he was receiving state aid. And the state wanted to make sure that he didn't misuse the money. He felt he was entitled to it to get some kind of back surgery. He was really angry at the trustee who wouldn't let the money go. And Curry was representing the trustee. And it seemed to unfold that way.

KAGAN: Now, we're talking about your "Celebrity Justice" cameras. Is this the video that your cameras got?

LEVIN: Yes, Tom McKinney. I believe this is the Court TV video we're looking at here. We had another angle.

KAGAN: OK. How about this one?

LEVIN: There you go. That's our video. And, you know, Tom McKinney, our cameraman, was 30 feet away. And what caught his attention, he heard two loud bangs. And realized they were way too loud for any kind of a car backfiring, and he trained his eye over there. He had never seen these people up to that point, and realized immediately this was not a gag. It was real.

KAGAN: And the other part of what happens, and we see from your video here, William Strier just walked away so casually. And it's not just sheriffs deputies, but apparently some bystanders, who tackled him as well.

LEVIN: And cameramen as well.

You know, it's really interesting, Daryn, if you watch this guy walk away, just before he gets tackled, you see him put his right hand in his pocket. And, Remember, he had two guns in there. It's such an ominous thing, and you know, it was so close. I think we're watching them get close to the guy. But you'll see him put his right hand in his pocket just before he gets tackled. There's the victim. It's just incredible.

KAGAN: Well, and that was the other thing, the victim, Gerry Curry, he clearly was in shock, because he was in shock, and yet he walked away, and then he collapsed. The good news for him is that, as we showed, he's going to be OK.

LEVIN: You know what, I've seen situations, the first thing that went through my mind was that maybe this was a family law issue, because we've seen this kind of violence in family law where things get hot between people. Court triggers a lot of emotion in people, and that was the first thing I thought. I didn't realize it was a probate issue. But obviously, money can trigger those emotions as well.

KAGAN: And also, as we mentioned, the reason all these cameras were at this courthouse in the first place, this was a hearing for Robert Blake. And it turns out, in fact, the judge did drop one of the charges, not just against Robert Blake, but against his former bodyguard as well.

LEVIN: I mean, this is a body blow to the prosecution's case. They have a theory that Earle Caldwell, Robert Blake's bodyguard, and Blake himself, conspired to kill Bonny Lee Bakley, by saying there isn't enough evidence even to hold Caldwell to trial. I mean, it really pokes a gaping hole in the prosecution's case. And this is the second one. Remember, Robert Blake was released. He's a free man now on bail. So the prosecution has not really done too well of late.

KAGAN: And so Caldwell is just free to go? That's it?

LEVIN: Caldwell is not only a free man, but he may well testify on Blake's behalf at the trial. Now that he's not going to be prosecuted, he could be Blake's star witness.

KAGAN: And when is that trial already?

LEVIN: That's a really good question. It could happen in a couple of months. My guess is this trial will not happen before the -- probably before June, and there's a reason for that.

KAGAN: And that is?

LEVIN: That is that there is an election, and this is a political hot potato.

KAGAN: Got it. Always telling us the story behind the big story, which is why we have you back.

LEVIN: Well, that's my theory.

KAGAN: We'll take it.

Harvey, thank you. Harvey Levin, "Celebrity Justice." We'll look for more on syndicated stations across the country.

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 November 3, 2003 - 11:21   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The victim of a courthouse shooting caught on videotape is out of the hospital. Television cameras were rolling when a man opened fire on Attorney Gerry Curry outside the courthouse in Van Nuys, California.
This dramatic footage shows Curry trying to duck behind a tree as he was shot at close range. Curry was shot in the arm and the neck. He was released from the hospital yesterday. Police have identified the suspect as William Strier. Curry says he never met this man before.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALD CURRY, SHOOTING VICTIM: I had never seen Mr. Strier before. This is the first time I've ever seen him. I didn't know what he looked like. Then I walked out of the courthouse after the hearing, and a man walked up to me and said, are you Mr. Curry? I said yes, who are you? And he just shot me. I didn't even see the gun. I just heard a pop, and like the blood splattered. I knew I had been shot. because the blood splattered on my face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The television crews that recorded the shooting were at the courthouse -- and watch this angle here -- they were there for the Robert Blake murder case. Among them, a crew from "Celebrity Justice," showing us this incredible view that only "Celebrity Justice" got.

And joining us from Los Angeles is executive producer Harvey Levin.

Harvey, good morning.

HARVEY LEVIN, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE," EXEC. PROD.: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: What a strange case, or situation.

LEVIN: I've been covering Los Angeles court for the last 20 years. I have never in my life seen anything like this. It's just incredible. And on Halloween day, of all things, when people think it could have been a gag, and it was so real.

KAGAN: Any more information from Gerry Curry, the victim, about why he might have been targeted, saying he's never seen this man before? LEVIN: Well, he was representing the trustee. Apparently William Strier was the beneficiary of $100,000 trust. He was in a personal injury case, some kind of a car accident. And the money was being doled out to him in this trust, because he was receiving state aid. And the state wanted to make sure that he didn't misuse the money. He felt he was entitled to it to get some kind of back surgery. He was really angry at the trustee who wouldn't let the money go. And Curry was representing the trustee. And it seemed to unfold that way.

KAGAN: Now, we're talking about your "Celebrity Justice" cameras. Is this the video that your cameras got?

LEVIN: Yes, Tom McKinney. I believe this is the Court TV video we're looking at here. We had another angle.

KAGAN: OK. How about this one?

LEVIN: There you go. That's our video. And, you know, Tom McKinney, our cameraman, was 30 feet away. And what caught his attention, he heard two loud bangs. And realized they were way too loud for any kind of a car backfiring, and he trained his eye over there. He had never seen these people up to that point, and realized immediately this was not a gag. It was real.

KAGAN: And the other part of what happens, and we see from your video here, William Strier just walked away so casually. And it's not just sheriffs deputies, but apparently some bystanders, who tackled him as well.

LEVIN: And cameramen as well.

You know, it's really interesting, Daryn, if you watch this guy walk away, just before he gets tackled, you see him put his right hand in his pocket. And, Remember, he had two guns in there. It's such an ominous thing, and you know, it was so close. I think we're watching them get close to the guy. But you'll see him put his right hand in his pocket just before he gets tackled. There's the victim. It's just incredible.

KAGAN: Well, and that was the other thing, the victim, Gerry Curry, he clearly was in shock, because he was in shock, and yet he walked away, and then he collapsed. The good news for him is that, as we showed, he's going to be OK.

LEVIN: You know what, I've seen situations, the first thing that went through my mind was that maybe this was a family law issue, because we've seen this kind of violence in family law where things get hot between people. Court triggers a lot of emotion in people, and that was the first thing I thought. I didn't realize it was a probate issue. But obviously, money can trigger those emotions as well.

KAGAN: And also, as we mentioned, the reason all these cameras were at this courthouse in the first place, this was a hearing for Robert Blake. And it turns out, in fact, the judge did drop one of the charges, not just against Robert Blake, but against his former bodyguard as well.

LEVIN: I mean, this is a body blow to the prosecution's case. They have a theory that Earle Caldwell, Robert Blake's bodyguard, and Blake himself, conspired to kill Bonny Lee Bakley, by saying there isn't enough evidence even to hold Caldwell to trial. I mean, it really pokes a gaping hole in the prosecution's case. And this is the second one. Remember, Robert Blake was released. He's a free man now on bail. So the prosecution has not really done too well of late.

KAGAN: And so Caldwell is just free to go? That's it?

LEVIN: Caldwell is not only a free man, but he may well testify on Blake's behalf at the trial. Now that he's not going to be prosecuted, he could be Blake's star witness.

KAGAN: And when is that trial already?

LEVIN: That's a really good question. It could happen in a couple of months. My guess is this trial will not happen before the -- probably before June, and there's a reason for that.

KAGAN: And that is?

LEVIN: That is that there is an election, and this is a political hot potato.

KAGAN: Got it. Always telling us the story behind the big story, which is why we have you back.

LEVIN: Well, that's my theory.

KAGAN: We'll take it.

Harvey, thank you. Harvey Levin, "Celebrity Justice." We'll look for more on syndicated stations across the country.

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