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Shooting at Naval Yard

Aired September 16, 2013 - 14:00   ET

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

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Jake Tapper.

I'm standing right outside the Washington Naval Yard where this morning there was a shooting. This is what we know so far. Shortly before 8:15 in the morning, the Metropolitan Police Department here in Washington, D.C., was called and notified there had been a shooting in building 197. That is the headquarters of the Navy Sea Systems Command. The Washington Naval Yard employs about 3,000 people, most of them civilians. The police reported to the scene as well as the U.S. Marshals, the U.S. Park Police, ultimately, the FBI.

This is what we know in terms of the fatalities and those involved in the shooting. We know that there is definitively one shooter who was killed on the scene. The police chief, Cathy Lanier, also said that they are looking into the possibility of two other shooters. One, a white man with a handgun, and the other an African-American man about 50 years old with a long gun. Both of them dressed in military-style clothing, although it's unclear whether or not they actually are in the military. We know that there were multiple deaths. We don't have the exact number confirmed as of right now.

Here is the scene as it was described by a naval commander who was there as the shooting happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So this -- was this man in the process of evacuating as well?

COMMANDER. TIM JIRUS, U.S. NAVY/EYEWITNESS: He was not (ph). He actually worked in the maintenance building behind me. And he simply walked up to try to say, hey, there's a shooter in your building. Do you know what's going on? I was like, I don't know what's going on. The fire alarm went off. We're trying to evacuate everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

JIRUS: That's when he got shot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

JIRUS: I'm still worried about the rest of my people who were in the building who are trying to be evacuated. We have a plan to shelter in place when they have shooters who come to the building. So they're slowly clearing that building and getting all of our people out. So between Blackberry texts and everything else, I'm trying to track and make sure all of our people are out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you don't know what happened to the man who was shot?

JIRUS: I'm fairly certain he was dead because he was shot in the head.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you see that for yourself that -

JIRUS: Correct.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That must have been very traumatic for you. I mean, you're not showing it now, but I mean -

JIRUS: Yes, it's traumatic but, you know, I don't feel lucky that he got hit instead of me, but I feel lucky to be here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) the fact -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So (INAUDIBLE).

JIRUS: I can't remember right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So I'm just coming in on this. So were you -- you were in 197?

JIRUS: To start with, correct.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. And you heard the shots, but you didn't see the shooter?

JIRUS: Correct.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So kind of walk me through beginning to end, please.

JIRUS: So we heard what we sound like were shots but like far away or muffled. And, in fact, it sounded to me like a cap gun going off. Like really small caliber, something like that, if anything. And then about a minute or two after that, somebody was running through the hallway saying, hey, everybody, get out of the building. And then about a couple minutes after that, the fire alarm in the building went off to evacuate everybody. So I thought it was a fire drill like anything else. I just wanted to get everybody out of the building. So we walked out of the building. And part of my job is to make sure people get down the fire escapes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sorry about that.

JIRUS: Sure. Part of my job is once everybody gets out of the fire exits, to make sure they get away from the building and muster. So that's why I was doing in the alley, waiting for everybody to clear out of the building when the other shots rang out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, at what point does this man come up to you and tell you, are you aware there's --

JIRUS: So I'd been sitting in the - standing in the alley for maybe five or 10 minutes, waiting for everybody to come out of the building, make sure there's nobody left. And he walked up and told me that he heard that there was a shooter in our building. We were just standing here maybe three feet away having a conversation and then we heard two more gunshots and he went down and that's when I ran.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: While you were speaking to him?

JIRUS: While I was talking to him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you said you knew him?

JIRUS: Never met him before in my life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well did you know where the -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you know where he worked?

JIRUS: Well, he came out of the maintenance building. That's what he was saying. Like, hey, I'm working in the maintenance building and I was coming over to, you know, see what was going on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So as you were talking to this man, shots are fired from behind him, and he falls to the ground?

JIRUS: Probably in front. We were facing our building, 197. So, obviously, from the building. Either from the bottom floor. I thought they came from the fire door at the bottom floor. But they could also have come from the roof at that time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was going through your mind at that time, that this man you're speaking to goes down and you -

JIRUS: So I understand gunshots at that point, because before, inside the building, they were kind of muffled, like you didn't know exactly what it was. In the alleyway, with the amount of sound reverberating, you know exactly what it is, not to mention that he's on the ground in front of you, you know, bleeding. So I turned, ran to the back side of that building. I want to get something between me and where the shooter was to make sure that he couldn't, you know, shoot me as well. So I ended up running around the maintenance building, jumping like a 20-foot fence and ended up over here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand you need two security badges.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time Jirus, J-I-R-U-S.

JIRUS: I don't know about that. I mean, I have a C.A.T. (ph) card. As a military person, we all have badges that you have to key the door to get in. That allows us automatic access to the building. But again, if you're a contractor, if you're coming to visit the building, you can go through security and walk right in - well, not walk right in, but you would check in through security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you feel like it's a secure building for the most part?

JIRUS: Not today. So it will be interesting to see, as this develops, you know, who the shooter is, how they got in, those type of questions answers. I think right now a lot of people are wondering, you know, just how safe the building is or how safe the office environment is. So we don't know who the shooter or shooters are, if they were related to, you know, our job and our building, if they were part of our coworkers. We have no idea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR VINCENT GRAY, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Somewhere between 8:00 and 8:30, we had a shooting at the Navy Yard. At the time that we last reported to you, we did not have a definite number, and we're still working on a definite number of fatalities. But at this hour it appears that we have at least 12 fatalities. And we're continuing to try to ascertain how serious this situation is. And it doesn't get much more serious than that, obviously. We have one of the officers for the Metropolitan Police Department is injured. He appears to be -- he's going to be fine as far as we know.

We have no known motive at this stage. There were people who asked earlier if this was a terrorist event. We don't have any reason to think that at this stage, but we're continuing that investigation to try to determine what the motive is.

We also don't know for certain whether there are other shooters. There have been reported other people in the building at the time. And we're continuing to engage in that investigation. And we'll have better information on that later in the afternoon.

We will be back here at 4:00. We'll be back for another press briefing at 4:00. But now, let me ask Chief Lanier. She will come up and provide some more detailed information on some of these issues.

CHIEF CATHY LANIER, METROPOLITAN DC POLICE: Just want to first start off by saying, as far as the initial response here this morning, you've heard we have at least one officer with gunshot wounds that is currently being treated, but the response by uniformed police officers from both the Metropolitan Police Department and the United States Park Police was absolutely nothing short of heroic. With at least 12 confirmed dead at this point, I think the actions by the police officers, without question, helped to reduce the number of lives lost. So our hearts go out to the families of certainly all the victims here, but our gratitude to the front line officers of the Metropolitan Police Department and also the United States Park Police who ran into danger this morning to try and reduce the number of victims.

I'll start from the top and go through quickly. Right now we're confirming at least 12 fatalities. We had a few additional folks who were injured. They were not fatally injured. We have additional officers that were injured. Only one injured by gunfire at this point. Some other injuries sustained by multiple different police agencies on the large response inside. We are officially now transitioning to an FBI lead, so the FBI will lead the investigation. The entire investigation will be processed and handled as a unified process. But with that said, any additional information that anybody might have that they want to share for the investigation, you can call 1-800-CALL-FBI, 1-800-CALL-FBI.

I have a slight update on the lookout for potentially two additional individuals involved in the shooting. The first is for a white male between 40 and 50 years of age wearing -- wearing a tan -- I'm sorry, a white male wearing a tan what appears to be military uniform consistent with naval uniform, and a beret style hat. We also have a lookout for a black male between the ages of 40 and 50 in an olive military-style uniform. He is approximately 5'10", 180 pounds, medium complexion with gray sideburns -- graying sideburns.

We have no indication of any motive at this time. We are updating and asking for family members. We know a lot of folks have cell phones and can contact family members, but if you're looking for contact with any of your family members that may have been inside of the Navy Yard today, NCIS has established a phone number now for reunification. That number is 202-433-6151. A secondary number, 202-433-9713.

Right now we have an impasse to the area. Obviously a large part of the area is still on lockdown. We're still asking residents to stay out of the area and remain in your home. We do feel like the area is safe, but we do still have an active search for potentially additional suspects right now, so we're asking please to please remain in their homes and stay out of the area.

Again, there is multiple agencies here. We've gotten support from a lot of our counterparts in the region, Maryland and Virginia, as well as all the federal agencies here in Washington, D.C.

There are very, very few questions that we can answer at this point. Still a lot of information coming. We will be doing another update in two hours. I think at this point we would take a limited number of questions. We would ask please for your patience and then we'll go from there.

Right here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who should stay home?

LANIER: We've asked people to stay out of the area around the Navy Yard. We have sent out text alerts to the residents around the area and asked them to please stay out of this area at this time until we send out an additional follow-up.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, why do you believe there were two additional potential shooters? Did they engage the officers? Or were they seen? Or why -- how did this happen?

LANIER: The question is, why do we believe there's two additional suspects? Right now we have multiple pieces of information that would suggest that we have at least two other individuals that were seen with firearms. We know both of those individuals were wearing military- style uniforms. That does not mean that we do not know if they are actually military employees. But these are people that we really are -- believe that are involved in some way and we are trying to locate those individuals.

(INAUDIBLE) question.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What can you tell us about the shooter who is dead?

LANIER: I can't tell you anything at this point. I can't comment on anything related to - anything on -- evidence or anything on the scene right now. I'll take two more questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) possible suspects, does that come from eyewitness or do you have video camera footage?

LANIER: I'm not going to comment on that. We have reason to believe that these people may be involved and we need to talk to them.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) victims? Were there victims in more than one building or did you find victims in different buildings as well?

LANIER: I'll say this, we are still doing an extensive search. This is a large base. We've got multiple agencies and multiple teams. The remainder of this search could take another couple of hours. So we're not going to comment on the location of any evidence or anything like that.

But I'd say in the next two hours, when we do our next update, our next update, our next briefing at will be at 200 I Street for those of you so we are not here in the middle of the street. We want to clear out of this area. So next briefing will be in two hours, 200 I Street, and we will try and answer more questions then if we can. That's all we can say right now. Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are the suspects outside the Navy Yard?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does the FBI (INAUDIBLE)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) includes the shooter, right?

LANIER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It does. Twelve deaths includes the shooter.

TAPPER: Includes the shooter.

That's Metropolitan Police Detective -- Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier, and Mayor Vincent Gray of Washington, D.C., briefing reporters about the shooting. The information they have is staggering. Twelve individuals, we believe including the shooter, dead. Twelve individuals dead. In addition, of course, there are many others who were wounded who were taken to area hospitals.

Chief Lanier underling the point that they are still looking for two other potential suspects in the shooting. One, a white man wearing khaki Navy-style uniform, perhaps a Navy uniform, somewhere between the ages of 40 and 50, wearing a beret. Also said previously, the chief, that he was holding a handgun. Then, of course, there is a third individual, an African-American also wearing a Navy-style uniform, also between the ages of 40 and 50. He's about 5'10", 180 pounds, with graying sideburns and medium complexion. Those are the two individuals now being sought in connection with the shooting. Two other potential shooters.

She wouldn't get into details at all about how they had this information, whether it was from eyewitness accounts or whether it was from video cameras that may have been at the scene. She gave the information that the FBI is now spearheading this investigation. It is no longer just the Metropolitan Police Department here in Washington, D.C. It is the FBI.

And she said if anybody has any tips, they should call the FBI. I believe the number was 1-800-CALL-FBI. In addition, the NCIS division of the Navy is in charge of reuniting individuals with family members. And those two numbers she gave for individuals who are seeking family members are 202-433-6151. I'll say that again, 202-433-6151. Or a backup number, 202-433-9713.

I want to bring in Brian Todd. Just a staggering course of events here to have. I've never had a police chief give so much information about individuals who are still wanted.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right.

TAPPER: And we're standing here, we should say, in the middle of an active crime scene.

TODD: That's right, we're in the middle of an active crime scene. It's just beyond this perimeter, Jake.

She gave a lot of information about one of the suspects, the description, 5'10", 180 pounds, approximately, black male between 40 and 50 years of age, wearing olive clothing, like a medium complexion, she said, with gray sideburns. That was a very kind of detailed description of the one. The other, they don't - they clearly don't have as much detail or they're not giving it.

TAPPER: White individual, 40 or 50.

TODD: White male, 40 to 50 years old wearing a tan military-style uniform, a beret, perhaps a Navy-style uniform.

And what's also -- what you have to take from this is, we're going on now, what, more than six hours after the first calls came in and they still haven't secured these two individuals if, in fact, they are still out there. So you've got six hours since the shooting was first reported and they're still sweeping buildings in there. So, I mean, she said the area is safe. They're telling residents to stay out, but the area is safe. Well, that obviously is contradictory.

TAPPER: Right.

TODD: This area is far from safe, i would imagine, right now.

TAPPER: We don't know. We don't. And you know what's so interesting also, and I want to bring in our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr on this, is that not only were these individuals able to get access to the Navy Yard, which is a secure facility, but also, presumably, they were able to get off the base. Assuming that these two shooters are legitimate, not only were they able to get there with their guns and wreak this havoc, but escape.

Barbara Starr, what are they telling you at the Pentagon?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, I think we have a long ways to go on all of this. These are initial reports. Even Chief Lanier saying, you know, these are reports that they have of two additional gunmen.

I think we have to really face the notion of the real bottom line here. If this pans out, if this proves to be true that there were a total of three gunmen, the U.S. military is facing a considerable problem beyond this terrible initial tragedy. You are talking about a conspiracy of people to attack the United States military inside this country, inside of Washington, D.C. Three people plotting, planning, talking about how they would carry this out.

So the question is, where do we stand? The chief is saying that they have reports, they are looking for people by this description. What we do know is in the very initial hours this morning, there were eye witnesses inside the building, people making phone calls to the Pentagon, making phone calls outside the building, talking about what they saw happening. So, I mean, I don't think we doubt that people saw what they thought they saw. What it means, were these additional gunmen? Is there any remote possibility these might have been initial law enforcement responding? We will have to see.

It is going to take a long time for them to sweep this compound. It is a large facility, multiple buildings, 3,000 people. They're going to be very cautious. They're going to go step by step and make sure they look at every scrap of this. So I don't know that we know exactly, were there two additional gunmen? Did they escape? Are they still there? Did they exist? What the real situation is here. Jake, you know better than anybody, in these kinds of crises, the initial reports are often very sketchy, very fluid. A lot of it remains to be seen.

TAPPER: A lot of information and not all of it correct, of course. And that's a good caution for us, Barbara. Of course, even though the chief of police here in Washington, D.C. has twice now mentioned two other potential suspects being wanted, you're absolutely right, information is still fluid. We do not know if these were perhaps individuals who were misidentified by eye witnesses. That said, it is also quite a thing, and, Brian Todd, you'll agree with me having covered a few of these, for a police chief to twice describe individuals that they are seeking. It implies that they don't have a lot of information and they need help from the public.

TODD: That's right.

TAPPER: And that they are - they are taking it fairly seriously.

TODD: And when she was pressed on this, Chief Lanier said, you know, she was pressed, how do you know that there are two potential suspects when you don't have a whole lot of information? She said well they -- there have been multiple sources I guess within the perimeter who have witness accounts and others who have reported this to them. But again, as you mentioned, witness accounts can --

TAPPER: I'm going to cut you off. We have the delegate for Washington, D.C., Eleanor Holmes Norton, who I believe is going to speak right now. This is the elected representative in the Congress for Washington, D.C.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- elected representative in Congress. She has just arrived on the location. We expect Eleanor Holmes Norton to make a statement.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, DELEGATE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: We've not had a day like this since 9/11 for good reasons. I want to thank all of those who are assisting the Metropolitan Police Department. Our hearts, our prayers are with those who have died, with those who are injured. Tomorrow, at 7:00 p.m., when Congress returns, I will be on the floor for the moment of silence.

Meanwhile, I'm really asking everyone to withhold judgment about what happened here. I am very familiar with this facility. It began the revival of M Street, when we were able to get the sea systems command to come here. It is a very secure facility. And the Navy has managed to keep it secure while it has been open to the public. In the evenings, there is an event center that the Navy built, where events are regularly held that are sponsored by district and regional organizations. We cannot know what happened here yet, but I hope that we will reserve judgment until a thorough investigation is done.

Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know who the victims are, Mrs. Norton?

NORTON: No. I have no - no. All I know is the number. And that number could rise.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have -- do you have any idea how they got into the building?

NORTON: I don't believe anyone could have gotten into this building who did not have the proper identification. They were within a secure building, within a secure facility. So that's why I'm saying we must withhold judgment. You cannot get in to that. I have to show my badge to get in this facility. And yet this is a facility that is not among those that are considered too closed down to the public. And I hope it won't be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congressman, you compared this to 9/11. Why does it compare to 9/11? What does that mean to you?

NORTON: Well, only in the number of victims. It doesn't compare. Apparently there is no - there is no indication that this was a terrorist event. But I hope we all understand that with all these guns loose in society, it doesn't take a terrorist to do what was done here today, to spoil the reputation of this rising neighborhood that is now surrounded by newly built homes and facilities and I think will continue to thrive. I hope the system doesn't take from what has been one of the most secure facilities in Washington and yet one that was not closed down to the public.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you make of these attacks on federal institutions, you know, with the big ricin letters and things like that? What -- do you take anything away from that?

NORTON: I don't take anything away from it because this could have been an event that had nothing to do with the federal government. And, increasingly, I think that's probably the case. But again, I, too, am withholding judgment about what happened here. Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you say your name, ma'am? Ma'am, can you say your name for me.

NORTON: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. Eleanor Norton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

NORTON: What? District - I'm here with the District of Columbia.

TAPPER: That was Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, the delegate from the Washington, D.C. area, talking about the shooting here, how there hasn't been a day like this in Washington, D.C. since 9/11, she said.

I want to bring in, in our Washington D.C. bureau, Matt Maasdam. He's a Navy SEAL who worked at the Naval Yard.

Matt, one of the interesting things that the congresswoman said, when she was asking the public to withhold judgment on what happened today, was that what happened today took place in a secure building in a secure facility. She was suggesting that whoever got access and whoever presumably perpetrated this act had to have had a way to get in because it's not an open facility. You work there. Tell us about the security at the Naval Yard.

MATT MAASDAM, FORMER NAVY SEAL: That's right. The security at the Navy Yards is the same as it is at most military installations. It is -- if you work there, and you have the identification to get in, there are no magnetometers. People don't search your car when you come on the base. So if you have the proper identification, you can get in just like any other installation that we have in the country, for the most part.

TAPPER: OK. So it is secure. But building 197, which is, of course, where the Navy Sea Systems Command took place, that had extra security, is my understanding, yes?

MAASDAM: I can't speak to the extra security. I know all of the buildings are monitored, and there's roving police and things of that nature. So if somebody wants to get in, the sad part is, they can get in if they're really -- if their intent is bad.

TAPPER: It's not that intense. It's nowhere near as difficult to get into the Navy Yard as it would be, for instance, to get into the Pentagon?

MAASDAM: Correct. That's right. It's not nearly as intense as the Pentagon.

TAPPER: All right, Matt, stay with us. I want to go back to you in a second.

But right now I want to bring in Rene Marsh, who's on the phone. She's at the staging area where individuals are being reunited with their family members. Three thousand individuals work at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard. And as you might imagine, it is a horrific day for them in particular, and for their family members, who don't necessarily know how their loved ones are doing.

Rene, tell us what you're seeing.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Jake, what I can tell you is that at this particular location, the Navy Stadium, the National Stadium, this is a staging area for family members as they are waiting for their loved ones. I bumped into one woman who drove up to the staging area and she was literally in tears, in tears because she says she just wanted to see her husband. And she said that she knew he was OK, but she just wanted to see him. And, actually, she's just walking out now.

Ma'am, have you been able to find your husband?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. They said it would take -- they're debriefing people right now, so it's (INAUDIBLE).

MARSH: So he's being interviewed by detectives?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody is.

MARSH: All right. So that's the situation here. We have families, they are waiting, however. The reunions have not occurred just simply because, at this point, they want to talk to people who were on the campus at the time of the shooting. They want to collect their information. So that's the process that's happening. Lots of questioning. And my understanding is once the questioning is complete, then all of those people will cross the location where I am, at National Stadium, to meet with their family members. So we have not seen those reunions just yet, but we may see them shortly. And judging from that woman's reaction when she pulled up here and (INAUDIBLE) reunion will be quite (INAUDIBLE).

TAPPER: That's Rene Marsh at a staging area where family members are able to reunite with individuals who work at the Naval Yard. Three thousand individuals, mostly civilian, work at the D.C. Naval Yard, which has been here in Washington, D.C., for literally hundreds of years. It was burned down by the commander itself during the war of 1812 so the British wouldn't be able to burn it down.

I want to go now to Dana Bash who's live outside Capitol Hill, where security has stepped up, not surprisingly.

Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It's not a formal situation where the Capitol Police are on formal high alert, but it's very clear, I'm not sure if you can see them now because a car is right in front, but there are definitely are more police officers out here than are usually out here. They have what they're calling - what they call their long guns, their big guns, out and they're patrolling in a more aggressive way than we usually see.

But the other big change is that the Senate, which had come in at 2:00, about half an hour ago, went into recess, Jake. And they went into recess specifically because of what happened at the Navy Yard. They were supposed to be in session all day today, but the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, came in, made some remarks about the tragedy there and then said, there's no need for us to be in, and so they decided to go into recess.

We definitely noticed the presence here has been stepped up, as I said. Up until just a few minutes ago, there was a special vehicle, they call a SERT (ph) vehicle, which is effectively the S.W.A.T. team that they bring in when they're on higher alert. A big black truck that was here right in the plaza kind of monitoring the situation. And I have to tell you that the sense is, the feel here is sort of an eerie quiet.

You heard Eleanor Holmes Norton, the delegate who works over on the other side of the Capitol, talk about 9/11. And I don't mean to make an equation to that as well when you're talking about the tragedy there, but just the uncertainty and the feeling that people here, and I can just speak for myself, have, you know, hearing that there are potentially two suspects at large and seeing the intense police presence here, you definitely get that sunken feeling, that sinking feeling that you had - I know I was here on 9/11, you know, 12, 13 years ago and you -- 12 years ago, rather, and it's that kind of memory that comes back.

TAPPER: But, Dana, as you recall from 9/11, and I was there, too, also, members of Congress evacuated. Members of the leadership were whisked away to safe places.

BASH: Exactly.

TAPPER: It's nothing like that today.

BASH: Exactly. Exactly. It's on a high alert in terms of increased police presence. But we have been asking, are we going to go into lockdown? Are they going to say that everybody should stay in the building and everybody should, you know, who are - who's not in, should not come in? And the answer so far has been, no, no need so far. But I know for sure that the sergeant in arms in the Senate has been actively been in discussions with the Capitol Police, the FBI and so forth, and in discussions with the Senate leadership. I'm told that that is not necessarily why the Senate decided to go out, but we are expecting to hear from the Senate sergeant in arms soon. But that is an important point, the fact that I'm actually allowed to stand out here goes to show that it is not that kind of situation, that everybody is told to stay in place or get into the building.

TAPPER: All right, Dana Bash on Capitol Hill. Thanks so much. Keep us posted. We'll come back to you shortly.