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New Day

Six People Killed in Shootout in Miami; Two Missing in Boat Accident in Hudson River

Aired July 27, 2013 - 09:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I am Suzanne Malveaux.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: I am Poppy Harlow. It is 9:00 on the East Coast, 6:00 out west. This is NEW DAY SATURDAY.

We begin in Florida where six people and their alleged shooter were killed overnight at an apartment complex north of Miami. It happened in the suburb of (INAUDIBLE) where police found five bodies they say were scattered in and near the complex, and they found the suspected shooter holed up with two hostages, and those hostages were rescued by S.W.A.T. team members who then came under fire, and they then shot the suspect dead.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

MALVEAUX: And we have this breaking news here. We know are learning that two people are missing. There are four others hospitalized with injuries. This is after a boating accident. This is on the Hudson River in upstate New York. Now, according to the Coast Guard this accident happened when a recreational boat crash into the a barge last night.

WABC says one of the women is due to be married in two weeks and this is what - this is how her mother described what they believed happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She lives in (INAUDIBLE) just down here a bit, and some friends came to pick them up by boat. Where they were going, I don't know. It was probably about 9:30, 9:30, 10:00, and from what we understand from her fiance, they hit something. He called 911, and he was unconscious, he reached for his phone when they came to, and there were three people in the boat with him out cold, and Lindsay and Mark (INAUDIBLE), who is their best man were missing. She is supposed to be married two weeks from today. It just can't end like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And Alina Cho, she is following the story from New York. Alina, just explain this, if you will, for us. It's a little bit confusing. There are two people who are missing, that was the bride- to-be and best man, and it's actually the groom that called the mother? ALINA CHO, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: The groom called 911, and he was knocked unconscious in this accident, Suzanne, and it is developing at this hour. And actually, we should tell you we just learned a police news conference is expected to begin momentarily. We will bring that to you when it does.

Here is what we can tell you. Two people missing, and four people survived, but injured in this boating accident. Among the missing is a woman who is 30 years old named Lindsay Stewart. She was due to be married in two weeks on August 10th. As you mentioned the other missing person is said to be the best man in the wedding.

And here is what we know that happened, according to our affiliate WABC in New York, a 21-foot stingray boat, a small recreational boat went out on to the water on to the Hudson River last night at about 10:30 with six passengers onboard. Apparently this boat hit a barge. If you know this area, it happened around the (INAUDIBLE) bridge, the groom among the survivors, he was injured in the eye, was knocked unconscious. Eventually woke up and called 911. There was a three-hour search last night, but nothing turned up and they are searching again today.

MALVEAUX: All right. Alina, thank you very much. We appreciate it. Obviously you're going to be working on getting more information here. We want to bring a spokesperson from the U.S. Coast Guard Ali Flockerzi who was on the line joining us on the phone here. What you have learned so far?

ALI FLOCKERZI, SPOKESPERSON, U.S. COAST GUARD (OVER THE PHONE): So far we learned - well, we suspended the search at 1:45 a.m. this morning, and we are continuing just a few minutes ago actually at 9:00 a.m.. What we found out is that the vessel hit a work barge under the Tappan Zee Bridge, and the Coast Guard and the corresponding agencies are still conducting search patterns -

I'm sorry.

MALVEAUX: Ali Flockerzi, can you still hear us? You are on with Poppy Harlow and Suzanne Malveaux, can you hear us?

FLOCKERZI: I can kind of, yes.

MALVEAUX: OK. Please continue.

FLOCKERZI: And the four people were transported to the (INAUDIBLE) hospital, and the injuries are currently unknown as well as the identities, and - sorry, one moment. The Rockland County Police Department is actually the lead agency on case, the Coast Guard is (INAUDIBLE) and we are doing all we can to help recover these people.

MALVEAUX: And we know that the Rockland County Police are going to have a news conference here. Any moment, of course, we will try to bring that to our viewers live.

Of course, what's really important here is taking care of those four that are hospitalized and finding the two that are missing, one a bride-to-be. We just heard from her mother who said - she said "We're praying for a miracle here." Have you or the police been able, Ali, to talk to any of the others that we're on the boat to get any sense of what injuries the two missing may have sustained where they may be. Are they able to give you any leads?

FLOCKERZI: I was not personally able to receive that kind of information. I know that detectives are working on hard to conduct interviews with the injured person and they're waiting for a toxicology report to possible see if anything else is involved in the accident. Other than that, we are not sure but the Coast Guard and the corresponding agencies are doing all they can to successfully recover these people.

MALVEAUX: And just to give our viewers a sense of where this happened. If you know the island of Manhattan, the Hudson River is on the west side of the island. It goes pass Manhattan, it goes all the way up pass the Bronx and then up north. It's up north there a few miles passed the end of Manhattan where the Tappan Zee Bridge is where this would have happened, just to locate people.

Can you talk to us, Ali, about how long someone can remain in the water, given the temperatures outside. You know, this is not the middle of winter but how long can they stay in the water alive?

FLOCKERZI: You know, we actually had a case similar to this that a man (INAUDIBLE) he was in the water for a good 12 hours and he survived. So because of the temperature and just the way the water is, I'm sure that the survivability rate is higher than normal.

MALVEAUX: You mentioned that the search was suspended last night. Can you tell us why? What were the conditions in which they stop searching for those two missing?

FLOCKERZI: To be honest, I don't know the reason that they stopped searching. I would say that it's too - honestly I'm not going to speculate. I don't know the reason why they stopped searching. The important thing is that they - we continue the search at 9:00 this morning.

MALVEAUX: Can you talk to us about the injuries sustained by the four others?

FLOCKERZI: I do not know the injuries that were sustained.

HARLOW: What kind of resources are out there? Do you have out there now, searching for them right now? I know you had crews into the middle of the night and resuming this morning. What kind of resources are we talking about?

FLOCKERZI: The Coast Guard actually has a rescue boat on scene, and the New York state police, NYPD and Westchester all have aviation units out. Tarrytown, Sleepy hollow, Piermont and (INAUDIBLE) fire department and Westchester Marine are also seen in the search as well as the NYPD dive team. So we have so many assets out there covering a lot of ground to search for these people. MALVEAUX: And Ali, in light of the fact that the search had been suspended for quite some time. We're looking at this window here. That would be overnight in which the search was not taking place, and it since has been resumed as you mentioned, is there any kind of assets, anything out there in the water that would allow them to hold on to something or to rescue themselves if they had to in this situation considering the search had been suspended?

FLOCKERZI: Yes, definitely. If they were wearing life jackets, which is unknown, that is always a positive sign for survival, and like I said, that is unknown at this time. So hopefully that is the case. If perhaps the current pulled them towards the shore or towards a stable object, they could have grabbed a hold of that.

MALVEAUX: Do we know if the four hospitalized, were they wearing life jackets, do we know that?

FLOCKERZI: I do not know, I am sorry.

HARLOW: Ali, we want to let you let you get back to what you guys are doing, and the search for two missing people to bring our viewers back up to speed, we are talking about breaking news, a boating accident, a tragic boating accident on the Hudson River just north of Manhattan happening at some point last night, two people, including a bride-to- be, and supposed to be married in two weeks, missing at this hour and four people are injured at the hospital, and the extent of their injuries unknown, and the Coast Guard working along with police, and a lot of resources trying to relocate the two missing people.

We will bring you the latest as soon as we have it. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Well it's another tumultuous day in Egypt's capital, as demonstrators returned to the street, doctors are scrambling to save people wounded in the latest round of violence to rock Cairo. Reports of the number killed in the clashes overnight vary widely from 21 to 75, and the bloodshed followed dueling rallies between supporters of the military and those that support deposed president, Mohamed Morsy. Egyptians who backed Morsy claims military forces opened fire on them. Egypt's military denies that it, it used tear gas on the crowd but no deadly force.

MALVEAUX: To Spin where police have accused a train driver of reckless homicide now. This was Wednesday's deadly train crash. Jose Francisco Garzon is being held at police headquarters. An investigating judge has until tomorrow evening to decide where to press formal charges in that crash that killed at least 78 people.

And to Rio de Janeiro where we understand Pope Francis is wrapping up morning mass. Well, he is in Brazil for World Youth Day, and quite frankly he has been received like a rock star. Later this morning the Pope expected to meet with some of Brazil's most powerful citizens.

HARLOW: And our Miguel Marquez is there. He has been there all week covering the Pope. He's on the phone with us.

Hello to you, Miguel. You know, Pope Francis has not been shy about pressing those in power there for better care of the poor. What will be his message this morning?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's much of the same. He had a very interesting remark this morning to young seminarians who are about to go out as young priests, and he basically said "We have to stop the culture of exclusion," and we have to get off Facebook and get on the streets and get busy, and he encouraged people along the way to shake things up, and to not do things the old-fashioned way.

What is amazing about him, he has a sense of the modern cultures and the pressures that young people and the people have on them, and he is not talking about the political leaders and telling them, "your decisions have to be practical and they have to be simple and they have to be realistic, and he wants a very, very activist church, and he is certainly laying down the law of a very new and different Catholic Church, and what it does -

Miguel, I am very sorry to cut you off. We will get back to you. But we do have breaking news. Miguel Marquez. Thank you, taking you live (INAUDIBLE), you're listening to Chief William Barbera of the (INAUDIBLE) County Sheriff's Office on the boating accident. Let's listen in..

CHIEF WILLIAM BARBERA, ROCKLAND COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: We are here today because there was a tragic boat accident in Piermont, New York, and it came in last night. We got a call for a distressed boat vessel at 10:41 p.m. last night, and the first call for severely injured people, and the Piermont Fire Department as well as (INAUDIBLE) Fire Department, (INAUDIBLE) responded as well as the (INAUDIBLE) Marine Unit.

We were assisted in the search for the injured people and the missing boaters, from the Yonkers PD, the New York State police, the New York City Police Department as well as the Westchester County Marine unit.

I don't really have a lot to share with you this morning. Right now, we have four people injured, were taken to four area local hospitals and we still have two people missing, and we are beginning the search this morning to go back out and try to attempt to locate the two missing individuals. The boat as you can see behind me is severely damaged and I wish I had more for you right now, and it's still an active investigation, but our focus right now is finding the missing boaters

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have the identity of the people who are missing?

None as of yet. But we have that but we are not ready to release that just yet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which barge did they hit?

BARBERA: They hit the barge, it was 200 feet south of the Tappan Zee bridge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the barge on this side of the bridge?

Is that search being conducted this morning?

BARBERA: Right, yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you talk about if there was a wedding party on the boat?

BARBERA: I can't comment on that right now, I am sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could describe where the barges are? Are they lit? What is on them? Are they very big?

BARBERA: They are new construction barges. I have to introduce everybody behind me. First, this is the (INAUDIBLE) office. This is the chief of the Piermont Fire Department, Danny Gauzewic, this is the chief of (INAUDIBLE) chief of Piermont, (INAUDIBLE). So basically all of our agencies are involved, and if you have individual questions you can ask them. I can give you what I can give you but right now, it's just an active investigation right now and our focus is on finding the two missing people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have the ages of the two missing people?

BARBERA: Yes, yes, I do, but I am going to hold off on that. Anything else?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chief, can you talk about the four injured, how severely they were injured?

BARBERA: That part, I don't know the extent of the injuries. Does anybody else know?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Say your first and last name again, I am sorry.

ROBERT VANCURA: there were four people remaining on the boat when the boat was located just south of the Tappan Zee Bridge, and they had various head injuries and one party was unconscious. And those individuals were transported to the Piermont, and (INAUDIBLE) boats and them brought in to an EMS staging area where they were evaluated and transported to area hospitals.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were on the boat and not in the water.

VANCURA: These four were on the boat?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's safe to say the four were on the boat and the other two were ejected from the boat (INAUDIBLE).

VANCURA: That's what our investigation is going to look at but that will be an assumption that one could make.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) are constructions barges from the new (INAUDIBLE). UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are they well lit, the barges?

VANCURA: It was actually the barge that we believe was struck is actually three barges that are tied together and they are part of the Tappan Zee Bridge construction project, and they have building materials or materials for the pilings on the deck of the barges.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are they lighted?

VANCURA: They do have some lighting but it was very dark out there last night and very difficult to see the barges in the water.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know how fast the boat might have been going?

VANCURA: No, not at this point. That's all part of the investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know where they were coming from?

VANCURA: We believe they were coming from Piermont and headed towards Tarrytown.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have the survivors, the people in the hospital, have they been able to give you information, and are all of them conscious to give interviews?

VANCURA: Detectives have spoken to the ones that they can obviously. The investigation is ongoing and we don't have any other information we can release right now about the content of the conversations they have had.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) this happened right after they pulled out of the dock or pretty much?

VANCURA: Well, the barges are obviously between here and the Tappan Zee Bridge -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were they having dinner here? Do we know?

VANCURA: I think the investigation will reveal all those facts and right now we don't have that. They were coming from Piermont to Tarrytown. The accident was maybe half a mile from here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as the barges go, you're saying that they are lit, but for your average boater, how would they know? Is it marked like on a map somewhere or is there information for people?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, the barge -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a marker light on it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's just visual, you are supposed to be able to see it? Got it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, what's next? The search resume soon and we have multiple - BARBERA: Yes. OK. Good that you brought it up.

MALVEAUX: We have been learning from various officials at least about how this might have happened, this tragic accident, the fact that it was the Tappan Zee Bridge construction project, very dark last night that it would have been difficult to actually see that barge, learning the very latest information here that there are four people who were injured and taken to area hospitals, and two people still missing, of course, the bride-to-be, and the best man, and they believe that those two were probably ejected from the boat, and remain missing.

They have just started to resume the search, but they had discontinued the search for hours overnight.

HARLOW:: That's a big question as to why did the search stop? I am hoping for the best and of course, we're going to bring you the latest when we have it. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: President Obama will speak at the Korean War Veterans Memorial this morning, and 60 years ago today a truce ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula, more than 36,000 Americans died in that war. Well, CNN plans to go live with coverage of the president's wreath laying and his address. The ceremony beginning in the next hour.

And this week in an unprecedented move, North Korea welcomed western journalists inside its borders, and our Ivan Watson is there. And he takes a look at the country's economy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): North Korea is well known for its lavish patriotic displays, and that's taking place in a country that has had a rather rough time over the course of the past 20 years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: CNN goes inside North Korea, that is coming up on "Your Money at the bottom of the hour.

HARLOW: And forecasters are tracking two storms, one in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific. Fortunately, there is a good chance that both are about to weaken. Let's go to our meteorologist, Jennifer Delgado. She is tracking it all at the severe weather center. Jennifer, how is it looking?

JENNIFER DELGADO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi there Poppy. Hi there, Suzanne. Well, actually things are pretty quiet if you are talking about the storm, tropical storm Dorian, and that's good news, because it doesn't look like it's going to strengthen more, actually it's going to weaken. You are going to see on the satellite image. It is not that impressive, and maximum winds right now at 40 miles per hour. It looks like it's going to make its way to the west, but by tomorrow right around at 2:00 p.m., we're expecting it to drop down to an area of low pressure and it will be brushing to the northern part of the Leeward Islands as we move into tomorrow as well as into the early part of the week.

Now we can't forget about tropical storm Flossie, just under hurricane strength. The winds right now at 70 miles per hour as it moves over towards the west. We're expecting to brush right across parts of Hawaii, and as we move into Monday, and it looks like it's a tropical storm. This is something to watch. We will send it back over to you guys, but certainly very rough waves across the region.

HARLOW: All right. Jennifer, thank you.

DELGADO: Good for surfers.

HARLOW: Yes, indeed.

MALVEAUX: Well, thanks for watching today. We are actually going to see you back here at the top of the hour. "Your Money" starts right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)