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One Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Dead, the Other in Custody; Tamerlan Tsarnaev Possibly Linked to Radical Islamic Group in Russia; Rising Floodwaters Causing Misery in Several Midwestern Cities

Aired April 21, 2013 - 22:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.

And tonight we're live in Boston. So much to tell you about in this investigation. This is a city that has endured a week of hell really, a deadly bombing, terrorists on the loose, car chases, explosions, a lockdown, a manhunt, a shootout. Five people dead, one of them is a 26-year-old immigrant from Russia who may have followed radical Islam so far that he built bombs. We have new information from Boston to bring you.

Let's get you up to date tonight.

First, the investigation. Police don't think there are any more suspects. They believe two brothers acted as two, a two-man team. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, excuse me, dead after a police gun battle and the younger brother handcuffed tonight to a hospital bed.

I want you to take a look at this video. It is neither of the suspects, but this was part of the elder brother's You Tube collection, a Russian militant, an extremist, who lived and died under the flag of jihad. Police are checking on a possible connection right now.

The victim, three adults and a little boy. Worshippers at New England's largest catholic church gathered today to share their grief and shock, still raw nearly a week since the marathon bombing. More than 50 people hurt in the explosion, still hospitalized, and what about those bombs? Tonight we have new clues where the brothers may have bought the parts and where they may have gotten their gun.

Again, so much to tell you about tonight and there's a lot of moving parts on this investigation, and it stretches from Boston all the way to Russia.

We learned today some details about the materials used to build those bombs, and some fresh information about the Tsarnaev family that is very high interest to police.

Live right now to CNN's Brian Todd. He is in Copley Square, Boston.

And Brian, most of the day people were expecting Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to be formally charged even though he's in the hospital and that didn't happen today. So when is it going to happen? BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, we believe it could happen in the next few days. One of the key reasons why he was not charged today is he's not able to communicate verbally. He's under sedation. He's intubated (ph). He is in serious condition at Beth Israel hospital. A law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation told our Susan Candiotti earlier that he had been shot in the neck. It is not clear if that gunshot wound came in the Thursday night to Friday morning shootout he was involved in with his brother or during the Friday evening takedown when he was finally captured, but those are some of the reasons that maybe they could not level charges against him, formal charges against him tonight. That could come in the coming days, Don.

LEMON: So talk about the bombs, Brian. You've learned something about where they came from? .

TODD: That's right. Our Susan Candiotti has spoken with a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation. Now, official says that the thinking now is that the bomb components were bought by the suspects locally, somewhere here in the Boston area. That, of course, is going to be the subject of an intense part of this investigation, where they got the bomb components, how they put together the bombs allegedly and just, you know, kind of tracing all the roots of that back to the sources, and now they believe those sources are probably here in the Boston area.

Now, as for the guns, this official told Susan that the guns came from somewhere else. They are not clear with that is. Again, a very intense focus of that investigation, but that official stresses that the gun traces are under way, Don. These are very key, key components of this investigation right now.

LEMON: As we have seen all week with the father, with the mother, with the uncles, a very interesting family, and you found out some things today about the Tsarnaev family in Cambridge. What can you tell us about that, Brian?

TODD: Don, I spoke to a neighbor in Cambridge, Massachusetts today. This person did not want to go on camera, did not want to give his name, but he said at one time the entire Tsarnaev family lived together in a small apartment on the top floor of a three-floor walkup in Cambridge. We were there at that apartment today. It's a tiny apartment building, a three-floor walkup.

He said that the parents, the two brothers, two sisters and Tamerlan Tsarnaev's wife and child lived there at one time. And that at one time he witnessed some tensions in the family. He spoke of an incident about three or so years ago in which Tamerlan Tsarnaev; he saw him or heard him screaming at a woman outside their apartment. The woman was not his wife, this neighbor says, but he did notice on occasion some tension in the family when they were all living together in Cambridge. He said that tension dissipated about three years ago when the parents and the sisters moved out, Don.

LEMON: All right. And Brian, the scene of this explosion still a crime scene and taped off. I see some of the barricades behind you. How much longer do investigators think that they are going to need there?

TODD: We think that's going to be open pretty soon. You can see behind me, look at this makeshift memorial here. This is Newbury and Dartmouth street, Boylston street where the bombs exploded is just about block or so that way. Makeshift memorial here, but as for the release of that scene, the Boston police commissioner Ed Davis said that they hoped to get it released in the next couple of days, that the FBI will hopefully release the scene in the next couple of days, beginning a five-phase procedure in kind of, I guess, opening up that whole area, so things may start to get back to normal maybe within a couple of days, Don.

LEMON: And we're looking at live pictures as well. Aerial views, higher up views of just sort of where you're near in Copley Square.

Brian, I want to talk to you quickly about the boat. You got some exclusive video of the boat, and also they used thermal imaging to find the suspect hiding out in that boat. You were at the scene. Talk to us about that.

TODD: It was a pretty harrowing scene, Don; we got to within 200 yards of the boat, just as they were negotiating with him. We got there, they had flood lit the boat. He was still inside. We can hear them on loudspeakers talking to him. We later found out that it was an official on the top floor of the house, you know, where the boat was in the backyard calling down to him on a loudspeaker. The phrases we heard them say were, come out with your hands up. We know you're in there. Come out on your own terms. We know you're bleeding. We know you're tired, and that was literally moments before he was captured.

While we were filming that and listening to the police saying that, police officials rushed us and said you've got to get out of here. Move back. You're in the crossfire zone. They, of course, asked us as we got there. We kind of Faded back behind dumpsters and things like that and got out of there, but it was a key moment in this standoff and during negotiations with the suspect.

LEMON: All right. CNN's Brian Todd.

Brian, thank you very much.

Just a little while ago, I spoke at length with Boston's police commissioner Edward Davis, and I asked him about the report that the captured suspects may have tried to kill himself. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: There are reports that he is injured in the throat, cannot speak, and there are also reports that he may have tried to take his own life and thus the injuries to his throat. What do you know about that?

EDWARD DAVIS, COMMISSIONER, BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: This is a very complex investigation, and it's hard to say exactly how he received that injury. There was certainly a shootout in Watertown. There were explosives thrown, so that's being looked into right now. It's hard to say exactly how it occurred.

LEMON: From the evidence that you have gathered at the scene, we've seen a number of reports, and even from police saying that there were explosives being thrown out of the car. Even on the scene when I was in Watertown the other day, they said that he had long rifles, that the media should be safe. How much ammunition and what other weapons did he have on him when you got him at the scene?

DAVIS: The teams that are picking up evidence there have collected over 200 rounds of ammunition that had been expended. We don't know how many were from the suspects and how many were from police. We are clearly looking at explosives that were thrown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Boston police Commissioner Edward Davis, and make sure you stay right there, because in just a few minute, more of my conversation with the commissioner. He's going to take us step by step through that fateful night, the senseless killing of a police officer, the chase, the manhunt and finally the arrest of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

And we're finding out new information about the suspects from the Russian republic of Dagestan where they once lived. CNN can exclusively reveal alleged Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older brother, had video of a jihadist on his You Tube channel.

Nick Paton Walsh is in Dagestan with the very latest for us -- Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One thing that the FBI will have been looking for is any kind of link between the alleged Boston bombers and extremism in any part of the world. And we can reveal that the older brother Tamerlan is part with his social entries media linked videos to an extremist group from this southern part of Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH (voice-over): Is there a connection between this gun fight involving militants and police in Dagestan and one of the Boston bombers? The You Tube page of deceased brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev suggests there might be. He put up a link to a video. The video was removed, but CNN has now found it and it shows this man.

Abu Dujan is the name used by an Islamist militant, (INAUDIBLE). Russian Special Forces hit (INAUDIBLE) hideout last December and an armored car brought in to kill as many as six militants inside. The grisly aftermath showing their heavy weapons but also the heavy hand used to kill them.

Four months later, the marks remain of the tit for tat violence fueling militancy across this region. Neighbors told us the young man who once lived here seemed peaceful, ordinary, but in the dust lays a question why did Tsarnaev's You Tube page link to the rants of the militant who died here?

In a town where Tsarnaev's father lived and Tamerlan visited just last year. Inside you can see how intense the violence must have been and here could be the clearest link yet between one of the alleged Boston bombers and the violence that's been gripping southern Russia.

A U.S. intelligence source told CNN that Tsarnaev brothers' social media accounts are being examined for possible links to extremists in the caucuses in case they reveal the darkest secrets of Boston. Why did the bombers do this?

None of this mean Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar necessarily ever actually met or influenced each other but it does show the elder brother's interest in this alleged extremist activity here in Dagestan, a man who died at the hands of Russian special forces in a town where Tamerlan's father lift and where Tamerlan visited himself in 2012.

So, of course, this will provide further questions investigators have to answer as they begin to look into any possible motive to this alleged bomber's actions.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN. Makhachkala, southern Russia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Nick, thank you very much.

Worshippers filled New England's largest Roman Catholic Church this morning reflecting on the violence in Boston that began nearly a week ago. Members of law enforcement took part in the service at the cathedral of the holy cross. Four large photos of the people killed were prominently displayed behind four lit candles. Cardinal O'Malley shared a message of healing saying in the midst of the darkness of this tragedy we turn to the light of Jesus Christ.

Elsewhere, a group of Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders gathered near the marathon finish line. In a show of support, the area remained a barricaded crime scene.

Well, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, excuse me, faced federal or state charges or a combination of both. We're going to talk about it next.

And the Boston marathon bombing drawing comparisons to the Oklahoma City bombings back in 1995. We're going to talk to the attorney for timothy McVeigh and the man who prosecuted him about that crime, and this one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, charges come tomorrow again Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and the only surviving suspected, the only surviving suspect in the Boston marathon bombings. That is a big questions this evening, when and what charges as a matter of fact.

Fran Townsend is a former homeland security advisor federal prosecutor. She is also a justice department and coast guard intelligence official and a consultant to the U.S. chamber of commerce who joins me tonight from New York.

Fran, we are hearing that some want to charge this man as an enemy of the United States. Others want to see him face state and federal terrorism charges. What are your thoughts on this?

FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: Don, I think we should expect, first of all, he will face federal terrorism charges, and just as we saw in the Oklahoma City bombing, it doesn't mean that there aren't state charges that will remain. But first and foremost I think they will charge him in a federal complaint, not an indictment. They will first charge him in a complaint, and it will be pretty basic, pretty bare bones because they can, right? They really only need that document to hold him while they conduct further in this investigation.

You will see an indictment late on. You're likely to see superseding indictments as they get and glean more information from their investigation. I mean, right now, what everybody -- what's on everybody's mind is, are there -- what are the foreign contacts? We know the older brother traveled to Russia as recently as six or seven months in early 2012, and then there's a lot more for investigators frankly to learn about that, and that will be important to the ultimate charging of the suspect in the hospital.

LEMON: And traveling to Russia, that's very important because it may lead to the fact that did they work alone or did they not? Do you believe that these men acted alone or had some help or perhaps people who were here in the United States or maybe even in Russia?

TOWNSEND: It's hard to say. Look, the sources, law enforcement sources we're talking to, are very well admit that they have an ongoing investigation, and they are looking at all of that. We don't know anything to suggest that there are additional individuals of interest here in the United States. Certainly they are going to look at the overseas contacts. For example, one of the things you really care about, while these devices, these pressure cooker devices, we've referred to them at crude explosive devices what, we know is that many people have tried, the times square bomber used a pressure cooker, not the same way, but trying to have it as part of his explosive device. They often fail, so, you know, these are things you've got to practice to get them right. Did he get -- did the second suspect get that explosives training in Russia when he was traveling overseas or by someone else? Where did that come from? That's a key question that still remains unanswered in the investigation.

LEMON: So we know that the brother, the one who died had an Islamic jihadist on his You Tube page. We know that the one who is alive is in the hospital now with a wound to the neck. That's what we have learned now. What can we expect in this investigation going forward tomorrow, charges, what else? What's next, Fran?

TOWNSEND: Well, if there's a whole bunch of things, Don, that are going on behind the scene that the American public won't see, so you can be sure that they are going -- continuing to go through the photographs and video and be sure that there's more evidence against the suspect who is in the hospital than we've seen publicly. There's also telephone records, cell phone records and credit cards and bank records and travel records, all of that in an effort to try to paint a picture of what his contacts were and paint a moment-by-moment picture of what led up to the bombings at the finish of the Boston marathon. In addition to that they are going to send leads around the world principally to Dagestan and to Russia, to try and understand that connection and the travel history there. But you can expect that there will be leads sent around the world, and all of that takes time. We know that they will try to question the suspect. It's not clear yet whether or not they are doing that and to what extent he's being cooperative, but that's all going to be part of the ongoing investigation.

LEMON: Fran Townsend, thank you very much.

TOWNSEND: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: It is still not known if the marathon bombings in this case, is it home grown terror, but it's drawing comparisons to the Oklahoma city bombing back in 1995? Any attack on America committed by an American. We're going to talk to the attorney for Timothy McVeigh and the man who prosecuted him about that crime and this one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Federal prosecutors could seek the death penalty against Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev even though capital punishment is banned in the state of Massachusetts. Some lawmakers say the same federal law that allowed Oklahoma City bombing suspect Timothy McVeigh to be executed should be used against Tsarnaev.

Let's explore any possible comparisons between McVeigh's legal plight and what this young man may face. Timothy McVeigh's attorney joins me is Chris Tritico. He joins me live from Houston and then Larry Mackey. He is the man who prosecuted Timothy McVeigh and co- conspirator Terry Nichols. He joins me and he is in live Indianapolis tonight.

So Larry, do you see any possible similarities in the McVeigh case and Tsarnaev might face?

MARRY MACKEY, PROSECUTOR OF TIMOTHY MCVEIGH AND TERRY NICHOLS: I certainly do. I think it's very likely that federal prosecutors in Boston will use the same statute, and that is one that prohibits the use of a weapon of mass destruction. That statute has application here, and as I said, I'd be surprise federal they don't bring that same charge.

LEMON: Chris, McVeigh was days away from his 27th birthday when the Oklahoma city bombing happened, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is 19 years old. Would his youth be a factor in a potential federal case against him?

CHRIS TRITICO, ATTORNEY FOR TIMOTHY MCVEIGH: Well, youth will be a mitigating factor at sentencing, I think, should he be convicted of this. But as the guilt/incense stage of the trial, I don't know that youth is going to have a lot to do with it. I don't think that a jury is going to care too much about how old he is. He's 19 years old, an adult. It would something that I would be looking at, but I really don't think that it's the big smoking gun here for him. LEMON: Well, what about -- what about the alleged role of the older brother Tamerlan. I mean, could Larry -- could lawyers, excuse me, argue that the older brother brainwashed his younger brother, Larry?

TRITICO: Well, we don't know enough about the case yet.

LEMON: Larry, go ahead.

TRITICO: Who are you talking, to me?

Absolutely they would want to -- as a defense lawyer I'm going to be playing up that the older brother is the one who planned this, executed this and did this, and the younger brother was just along for the ride. That's going to be the defense I'm going to use, similar to the defense that Terry Nichols used in the Oklahoma City bombing is the defense I would use here for him.

LEMON: Yes. And Larry, get me your response to that.

MACKEY: Sure. That's a fact that is simply going to be ignored by the prosecutors. At bottom, they are building a case against the suspect who is alive. They have three dead victims, many more who were injured. Their focus is building on the best case and getting a conviction, and they will likely use a statute that will give them the arsenal, if you will, of bringing the death penalty, and his age, while a relevant factor, would not be a reason not to charge him with that offense.

LEMON: Hey, Chris, and Larry, I want you to answer this first, Chris. Let's talk about Miranda here and the fact that his rights have not been read to him. What do you make of that? Will that be an issue going forward in this particular case?

TRITICO: You know, it depends. First, I don't know -- we don't know if he's said anything. If he hasn't made any statements at all, the fact that he didn't get his Miranda rights read is not going to be a relevant issue. If he's made statements I think what the government is doing in expanding that public safety exception beyond the immediacy of the act, I think is something that will be taken up, and it will have to be looked at maybe by the U.S. Supreme Court who just last week heard oral argument in the case from Houston that was asking the question when does the fifth amendment or when does your right to remain silent gyp, and so we're already looking at these issues. This is an expansion I think that expands the public safety exception. I think some court is going to have to look at that.

LEMON: Chris Tritico and Larry Mackey, thank you very much.

It's been almost a week now since this city was terrorized, and it's seemingly been one thing after another ever since. We are going to take you step by step through the last six days. And in the crossfire a Boston reporter shares his story of being up close when police took down the marathon bombing suspect.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) The screams and the cries of bloody injured people will haunt Boston for a very long time. Almost one week ago the people of Boston were enjoying a holiday, Patriots day. The skies were crisp blue. Crowds cheered at the Boston marathon finish line. Then terror struck. The city of Boston was crippled.

CNN's Pamela Brown looked at the week that changed Boston forever.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 2:50 p.m., April 15th, a bomb goes off at the finish line at the Boston marathon. Twelve seconds later, another explosion not far away. Runners and spectators at the finish line stunned, many running from the scene and some towards it. Marathon volunteers become first responders trying to save lives. Tents meant for tired runners used for triage. Police told runners and spectators to clear the area.

Reports of more possible bombs, air traffic grounded. A separate fire at the JFK library that proved to be unrelated. Soon hospitals report fatalities and scores of serious interests and including lost limbs and injuries to children. And then shock as we get details of one of the deaths. Martin Richard, an 8-year-old boy, whose sweet smile became the face of a tragedy for many.

Boston and the nation on high alert. At 6:10 p.m., the president condemned the attack.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We still do not know who did this or why.

BROWN: Federal officials quickly classified the bombings as an act of terror and put all hands on deck with a level one mobilization. All sports and cultural events in Boston cancelled. The finish line of the Boston marathon now a crime scene, bustling with investigators for clues.

RICHARD DESLAURIERS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN-CHARGE: Someone knows who did this.

BROWN: Day two with no one in custody, law enforcement makes a plea for the public's help asking for videos and photographs.

DESLAURIERS: We ask that businesses review and preserve video surveillance. Video and other business records in their original form, and we are asking the public to remain alert

BROWN: The investigation finds only two bombs were used in the attacks, nearly identical devices that were homemade, assembled inside pressure cookers filled with metals designed to inflict damage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been removing various things from people in the sense of not necessarily identified, just pieces of plastic metal, just various random things.

BROWN: As the day goes on we learned that 29-year-old Medford, Massachusetts resident Krystle Campbell is one of the other victims of the attacks. Her mother, Patty, tried to hold back emotion for the cameras.

PATTY CAMPBELL, VICTIM'S MOTHER: She had a heart of gold and all smiles and couldn't ask for a better daughter.

BROWN: Third victim is revealed by Boston University, to be a 23- year-old graduate student, Chinese national Lingzi Lu. Her adviser and professor remembers a kind woman with a bright future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Such a waste of all the time and energy and dreams that she had, and we'll never know what she could have done.

BROWN: Day three, still no arrests and a city on edge. Governor Deval Patrick spoke with CNN's Wolf Blitzer urging the public to be patient.

GOV. DEVAL PATRICK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: This is going to take some time, a lot of time, and particularly given that there hasn't been an individual or group that's claimed responsibility.

BROWN: Day four, President Obama comes to Boston and speaks of an interfaith service telling Boston the country stands with it.

OBAMA: The world will return to this great American city to run harder than ever and to cheer even louder for-- louder for the 111 118th Boston marathons. Bet on it.

BROWN: Later in that day, a break in the case. The FBI released these photos and surveillance videos of this two men walking with backpack. At 10, 48 p.m. gunshots are heard on the campus of MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Reports come in that campus officer Sean collier was killed. Shortly after the two men carjack a black Mercedes and a chase ensues culminating with a shootout in Watertown where sun suspect revealed to be Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed. Day five, witnesses describe the mayhem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We saw the explosion. We must have heard about 60 gunshots.

BROWN: 2:40 a.m., a robo call sent to Watertown residents.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was an active incident in Watertown right now. Chief Deveau is advising all Watertown, east and west resident, to remain in their homes.

BROWN: 4:22 a.m., a suspect on the run.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe this to be a terrorist. We believe this to be a man who has come here to kill people. We need to get him in custody.

BROWN: By 8:00 a.m. Friday all of Boston and surrounding areas shut down. As an unprecedented manhunt ensues for suspect two, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, brother of suspect one. PATRICK: We have suspended all service on the MBTA. Our public transit service, than will continue until we think it's safe to open all or some of that. We're asking people to shelter in place, in other words, to stay indoors, with their doors locked

BROWN: At 8:20 p.m. the stay inside order was lifted without a suspect in custody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In terms of how he got away, he did it on foot. He fled on foot.

BROWN: Minutes later, a Watertown resident walks outside and sees blood on his boat, lifts the tarp and sees a man covered in blood. Authorities rush to the scene. A standoff with flash bombs, gunfire, a tense 25 minutes seen in this infrared video from the Massachusetts state police. It finally ended after FBI negotiators convinced Tsarnaev to crawl out of boat and surrender, according to law enforcement sources. He was swiftly taken into custody.

DESLAURIERS: Today the city of Boston, the city of Cambridge and the city of Watertown and many other communities can breathe a sigh of relief.

BROWN: Tsarnaev severely weakened from blood loss was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Overnight in the streets of Boston, celebrations, law enforcement hailed as heroes.

Day six, as Tsarnaev lay sedated and unable to speak from a neck injury, federal prosecutors prepare charges against him.

Pamela Brown, CNN, Boston, Massachusetts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Up next, inside the manhunt for the bombing suspect. Boston's police, the commissioner walks us step by step through the final hours.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We are back now from Boston. I want to get you up to speed on a few key parts of the terror investigation.

First, police don't think there are any more suspects. They believe the two brothers acted as a two-man team. Tamerlan Tsarnaev dead after a police gun battle and his younger brother handcuffed tonight to a hospital bed.

I want you to look at this video. Neither of the suspects, but this was part of the elder brother's You Tube collection, a Russian militant, an extremist, who lived and died under the flag of jihad. Police are checking on a possible connection. The victims, throw adults and a little boy. Worshippers at New England's largest Catholic Church gathered today to share their grief and shock, still raw. Nearly a week since bombs exploded at the Boston marathon, and tonight 55 people hurt in the bombing are still hospitalized. And what about those bombs? Investigators say all the parts came from the local Boston area, but the two brothers had guns, too. FBI teams are working tonight to find out where those guns came from.

I want to play for you now more my conversation that I had today with Boston police commissioner Edward Davis. He walked me through what police know about what happened Friday night when the Tsarnaev brothers topped up on a surveillance camera and allegedly killed an MIT police officer Sean Collier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS: The MIT officer was killed earlier. It was a couple of hours earlier, more than that, but his death led to them attempting to flee and committing a hijacking, and ultimately that hijacking led us to the vehicle.

LEMON: As they were going from Cambridge to Watertown, they are throwing IEDs or explosive devices out of the vehicle.

DAVIS: They were throwing explosive devices at the police, yes.

LEMON: And so then at that point they were cornered.

DAVIS: Well, they weren't technically cornered. They aggressively came from the car. They stopped their vehicle. The officer had not put their lights on. The officer was ordered to stop them until additional help got there and they were sending for SWAT resources. They just stopped when they saw the car and attempted to get the officer.

LEMON: That jives up to what one of the witnesses told us, that one of the suspects -- he saw one of the suspects charge at police and then police took him down and was trying to handcuff him on the ground when the other brother floored the car, the vehicle, and then ran over his brother.

DAVIS: That's my understanding. That's the way it worked.

LEMON: So then after that he -- the other suspect has gone missing. There is a manhunt for him. You're looking everywhere. We saw your officers being buzzed in by the busload.

DAVIS: Right.

LEMON: Tens of busloads of officers coming in from Boston and several tactical units.

DAVIS: Right.

LEMON: So, he is out for awhile. And then this neighbor who is smoking a cigarette goes out to his boat and what happened.

DAVIS: He sees the boat cover had been ripped. So, went over to investigate that, and as he walked up to the boat he realized there was blood on the cover. He grabbed a ladder, and he peeked over the side of the boat, and he told me that he saw a -- a body inside the boat, and he thought it was a dead body because it had blood on it and at that time the body moved and he retreated and called 911.

LEMON: OK. So, he saw unmoved, but at no time, he was there gun firing exchange. He never tried, the suspect never tried to shoot the neighbor who was checking on the boat.

DAVIS: As far as I know, that's correct.

LEMON: So then police come. There's gunfire exchange. Is Tsarnaev in the boat shooting at officers, or do we know if he's trying to kill himself?

DAVIS: Again, we don't know. There's been reports of gunfire from the boat, but there's an extensive ballistics investigation going on there and evidence investigation, and it will take some time to get that complete. We do know that there were shots exchanged there. We do know that eventually the suspect stepped out of the boat.

LEMON: Yes.

We saw -- there's a picture of him getting out of boat, so it appears that he was conscious at least at one point, correct?

DAVIS: Correct.

LEMON: Did you or your officers or anyone ever get a chance to question him?

DAVIS: No, that didn't happen. We -- we were represented at that time. There were three Boston police officers that initially surrounded the boat. Other officers came and assisted, and we held that position until the FBI hostage rescue team could come and take place. The HRT were in charge of that scene. An extremely professional group, very good group to work with, and they did a fantastic job there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Boston police commissioner Edward Davis.

And this evening we learned more about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, about how he was injured. A federal official confirmed to us that he was shot in the side of the neck. It is not yet clear if he was shot during the arrest or during the gun battle with police a few hours later.

Much more from Boston straight ahead this hour, including a close look at one of the victims of the marathon bombing, but there is other news happening to tell you about. Rising water and rising fears. Half a dozen Midwest states have flood problems, and it's getting worse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Rising floodwaters causing misery for people in several cities throughout the Midwest. Some of the worst flooding is occurring along the Illinois River, and tomorrow the river is expected to pass a record high of 28 feet set in 1943 in the city of Peoria.

CNN i-reporter Landon Miller captured this footage of flooding in Peru, Illinois. He says water has breached concrete barriers in the town and several build Russia now underwater. What worse, forecast remembers calling for more rain early in the week throughout the region.

A second wave of people who live near the site of a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of west, Texas were allowed to return home today. Residents who were lucky enough to still have homes began returning yesterday. Wednesday's explosion flattened the north side of the small farming town heavily damaging a nursing home, school and neighborhoods. New evidence in the investigation is now surfacing, and CNN's Miguel Marquez has that for us --Miguel?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, for the first time we're hearing the 911 tapes from this terrible tragedy here in west, a couple of clips we want to play for you, gives you a sense of just how horrific the scene was that night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was some sort of explosion at our house. All the windows on the side of the house are completely blown in. The walls, part of it is blown off.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Calm down and take a deep breath OK. Where is the situation? We're getting help out there as fast as we can, OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen to me. My ambulance station just completely exploded. I've got a nursing home and an ambulance station and the area that I need as many trucks that you can send this way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: And out of that terrible tragedy, the explosion and fire and 149 who perished in it, this town is starting to struggle to its feet today, Don. The first church service is held. The bishop of Boston came up to us to deliver the mass in the pews, in that service. There was one man that seemed to capture the sense of grief of this town. This is the guy who was literally inconsolable during the mass, had a very hard time very hard time getting through it. We had to speak to him, but he had to be ushered out and literally could not talk to anybody. It was very, very hard to watch, but it does give you a sense of just how hard people here are taking it.

We are also seeing some new pictures of this devastated site. Investigators saying they have located the exact spot where the explosion occurred. They will be going in there to try to figure out what exactly caused it to explode. They say at the moment it's just a big hole in the ground essentially. There was an apartment building where two bodies were recovered from. That was the most heavily damaged building next to the fertilizer plant, and then there was a nursing facility as well for the elderly that was nearby as well. Amazingly nobody was killed or injured badly in the nursing facility. They were able to evacuate people to the side of the building that wasn't so badly damaged and eventually get them out of the area all together -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Miguel. Thank you very much for that.

A little boy here in Boston asked me how can a person do this. I talked to the boy at a makeshift memorial, just blocks from the spot where the bombs exploded. Next you are going to hear from more heartbroken people in Boston trying to heal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: As police close in on 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev late Friday night, a suburban Boston street became a war zone.

Reporter Adam Williams with our affiliate WHDH was so close he could smell the gunpowder. Here's some of his report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADAM WILLIAMS, REPORTER, WHDH (voice-over): I'm behind the car. I'm hearing multiple gunshots. We're with police. We're with police right now, and we're -- we're trying to stay back right now, but we are surrounded by police, and we're seeing police fighting, guns drawn, and we have heard multiple gunshots.

I'm actually standing behind the car right now. It's not a good position to be. In the officers are putting on bulletproof vests. We have police running, all guns drawn around me right now. There are probably ten different cruisers and officers getting out of their cars, guns drawn. They are running all around me right now.

When we pulled up, the cars stopped around these three cars. I heard probably 28 gunshots, and I'm just staying down and using the car as shelter. I've never in my life been in a situation like this when we pulled up, multiple, multiple gunshots. We are so close to them that I could smell the gunpowder from where we're set up right now.

I believe they have the suspect in custody. I'm going to get down. We have officers right now pointing their guns at somebody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back up, back up.

WILLIAMS: They are backing up, Bill. They are backing up. They are backing up. Everybody is running here. The police are back up. They have -- they have got ten officers with guns drawn, but they are backing up, and they are running back towards us. We're all taking cover right now behind the different vehicles. Even the police though are taking cover behind their cars. I'm going to run back and take cover right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go, go, go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: The people of Boston struggling right now. How do they carry on after terror ripped through their city? A makeshift memorial sprung up just blocks from the bombing site. It's filled with American flags, with teddy bears, running shoes and people coming together.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: So this is the corner of Boylston and Berkeley. And down there is actually the bombing site. This makeshift memorial was set up in the middle of the street, but they are going to start opening the street soon, and now they moved it here to this corner. Come see it. Come check it out.

It was a lot smaller than this, and it's grown really exponentially. Look at all the flowers, the t-shirts, even sneakers, running shoes, American flags, teddy bears, all being put here and then, of course, people coming really to look at this and to pay their respects and we talked to some of them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just came down to see the memorial, just to see, you know, all the people down here. Little guy wanted to see everything going on, too.

LEMON: What do you think when you see all of this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think like how can a person do this? Like, it's just very sad.

LEMON: What do you think when you see this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It really saddens me. I come from a country where there's not so much freedom so coming here we have so much freedom here, and it's very sad that somebody can come and do such a heinous crime.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just so devastated, devastated by something like this, that something could happen like this, and I live a block away from here.

LEMON: When you see all of this and the outpouring of people, what do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thank God that I live in Boston with so many wonderful people who really care, who really, really care as I do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to see it and see all the things people would do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's an incredible outpouring, and it doesn't begin to address the loss that the families feel for their family members that they have lost from this completely senseless tragedy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: It is senseless.

I'm Don Lemon here in Boston, and sorry about losing my voice at the top of the show, but it's been a very cold and windy day here. But even with that, it's been an honor to be here to cover this story and to be with the people of Boston as they recover from this terrible, terrible tragedy.

It's been an interesting weekend with the sox. Boston will go on. Boston will go on and we'll be here with more developments on this story, so make sure you stick with CNN.

Right now an Anderson Cooper Special Report, Terror at the Marathon, is going to begin here.

Good night, everyone.