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Evacuations Under Way at Harvard; Arapahoe High School Shooting

Aired December 16, 2013 - 10:30   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And so those four building just so people know the Science Center, Thayer, Sever and Emerson Halls, those buildings have now been evacuated

SAM WEINSTOCK, INCOMING PRESIDENT, HARVARD CRIMSON: That's right.

COSTELLO: Where did those messages tells you to go, where were you when you got the message?

WEINSTOCK: Well I was in my room, which is on the other side of campus. The messages didn't tell us to go anywhere in particular. Just that those areas were going to be locked down and that, you know, those buildings were being affected but didn't necessarily mention where to go.

COSTELLO: So outside of those buildings, life on campus is normal?

WEINSTOCK: Well, so it was kind of an unusual day because final exams were scheduled for this morning. So the buildings that you mentioned, three of them are academic buildings and they're very large academic buildings. So there are a number of exams scheduled to take place there. They are actually ongoing at the time of this alert. So those students were removed from those exams taken to the freshman dining hall where they were told that those exams would be canceled.

So that certainly is not a normal kind of life around here. But -- but other than that, students elsewhere on campus are more or less going about their days.

COSTELLO: Yes it's such a huge campus -- I'm sure people know, but it's a huge, huge campus. But still, when you get a text message like that or a message from a university, and if I look at that thing I would say what -- first, I guess my first impression would be disbelief. What was yours?

WEINSTOCK: That's about right. It was certainly a strange thing to see. You know, fortunately there have been -- we have not confirmed that there are explosives. In fact there was an e-mail found around 10:00 a.m. in one of the houses here on campus that's saying that no device has been found and there's a strong sense that the area is secure.

So you know at this point we're sort of -- sort of waiting to see what actually is the case with regard to those buildings. COSTELLO: Yes stick with me. I want to put in a new picture that we just got in to CNN. This is the picture of the outside of the Science Building. Yes there it is. This is a picture of the outside of the Science Building and you can see police cars in front of it. Of course, Sam, we're all kind of thinking this might be a hoax, maybe a student calling in to get out of final exams. If that's the case, what would you think of that student?

WEINSTOCK: Well, I wouldn't want to say anything about that now. I mean like I said, we're you know we're just waiting at this point. We really have no idea what the nature of the call was or what the nature of the threat is now. So I think we're sort of -- as you mentioned, there are authorities looking into this, as we speak, and we're sort of we'll wait to see what they say.

COSTELLO: Yes in your mind did Harvard do -- do all the right things in sending out those warnings to students and telling them what to do?

WEINSTOCK: Well, with the story of what happened this morning, it's hard to form an opinion on that. And certainly as far as I know. As I mentioned we've got these -- these alerts which are fairly comprehensive in terms of reaching students and other affiliates and we've gotten several of them since then letting us know what the situation was as we know but neither us nor potentially the administration have a lot of information right now to work on. So like I said, it's hard to say.

COSTELLO: Yes. I guess -- you know, it is a very large campus but I don't know, the thought would enter my mind, should I still be on campus or not?

WEINSTOCK: Well, I don't think -- to my knowledge, there's a sense that other parts of the campus are in danger, or anything like that, as you mentioned. It is sort of spread out beyond the yard. So it is final exam periods. Students are starting to leave campus anyway. But, you know, we haven't heard anything to that effect.

COSTELLO: All right. Sam Weinstock the incoming president of the Harvard Crimson thanks so much for being on we me this morning. I appreciate it.

WEINSTOCK: Thanks.

COSTELLO: All right. We want to -- we want to go to Susan Candiotti -- CNN's Susan Candiotti to bring us up to speed about the police investigation that's on going at Harvard University surrounding these four buildings that have been evacuated.

Susan, we know that this was a phoned in threat. What more can you tell us.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well actually we're going to say at this time that the threat came in, in some fashion. We are still trying to confirm whether it was phoned in or e-mailed in and we're working on that information for you right now. But this all began around in the 9:00 hour when that threat came in. And of course, there was an immediate response by the Harvard University Police, Cambridge Police with an assist from the FBI and the ATF as well as the Metropolitan Boston Transportation Authority. Why them? Because there is a subway stop right there in Harvard Square and I am told at this time that that Harvard, the subway stop is not been closed. There are no evacuations but there is increased security. There are no delays at this time.

But as you can see from all of the pictures we've been showing you, a very strong and rapid response from various law enforcement agencies on campus. What was the threat? The threat was that there were explosives placed on campus at four different locations. This remains unconfirmed, unconfirmed at this time as all of these agencies try to clarify whether this really is the case. Those four locations include the Science Building, a dormitory, as well as two administration buildings.

So right now authorities are trying to figure out precisely where this threat originated, the campus, of course, is in the process of being evacuated. The word got out right away to students by social media and other means to clear out and that's what's happening right now, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. I'm just listening. Joe Johns just got off the phone with the FBI. Susan, thanks so much. And I just wanted to add to your report that the students who are in the buildings affected were taken to the Freshman dining hall where they're just waiting to see what happens right now. It's a very large campus. A student just told us moments ago that, you know, outside of these buildings campus life is pretty darn normal.

So let's head to Washington. Joe Johns who just got off the phone with the FBI -- what are you finding out, Joe?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well two things I think carol. The first thing you have to say is there's been a pretty serious response here with the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco and Firearms all lending assistance to Boston Police as they try to investigate this and sort it out.

So it's clear that there is a real watch going on right now and it's because of the sensitivity in the area to the Boston bombings and concern about that. So everybody is on high alert when you have a bomb threat like this.

On the other hand, talking to law enforcement sources, it's pretty clear to me that they are saying, among other things, I wouldn't get too worked up about this. No device -- they emphasize, no devices have been found in any of these areas and they also point out that when you get an explosive report or a bomb threat on a college campus around exam time, there's immediately a motivation to consider there and a question of whether somebody just wanted to get out of final exams.

COSTELLO: Right. JOHNS: So they haven't found anything yet. There's a lot of sensitivity because of the Boston bombing and they are telling us not to get worked up about this at least right now Carol.

COSTELLO: Well the other thing is, Tom Fuentes says you this bomb threats, this person claims that he planted explosives in four different buildings but nobody saw anything. So I don't know, that defies credulity.

JOHNS: Highly suspect. You also have to take into account the fact that you know Harvard University is a place where there are a lot of very smart, bright people. So there's certainly an element of ingenuity there that they have to consider at a place like Harvard or a place like MIT or what have you.

But I also have to say these things happen from time to time. Last week here in Washington, D.C., on another college campus, a very well- known college campus, there was another one of these reports and police responded in force and they spent quite amount of time. I was there myself just sitting and watching the police as they went building to building trying to sort it all out.

So let's just wait and see. That everybody take a deep breath because at least so far the news is good and they haven't found any explosive devices.

COSTELLO: All right Joe Johns, thanks so much. I'm going to take a break we'll be back with much more in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right. We're still following this news out of Boston at Harvard University. Somebody called in a bomb threat and it affected four buildings. Those buildings on campus have been evacuated. Students were taken to a nearby dining hall. Final exams have been canceled.

Susan Candiotti has been working her sources she has new information now. Susan what have you found out?

CANDIOTTI: This additional information coming from my colleague, Deborah Feyerick, learning that, as we said earlier, no devices have yet been found, no explosives have been recovered at this time. Right now this remains as a threat only and the police response is a guarded one. There is a police, a strong police presence on campus. But given the fact that they are looking very carefully to see whether this is legitimate or not, it is the kind of presence that would be required at this time to figure out whether this is a hoax or whether this is the real thing.

So those agencies include, of course, the Harvard University police, the Cambridge police with an assist at this time from the FBI, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms as well as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority there because there is a subway stop on campus as well. As we know, the campus remains as a precaution in a locked-down status. Bomb sniffing dogs as you can imagine are also part of the effort to discover whether there are indeed any explosives on campus. One of the buildings is the library building, we are told as well as we've said early the Science Center and a dormitory, Thayer Hall.

And investigators, again, are taking a very cautious approach at this time. As you know, when this threat was received, there were exams going on here because of course it's near the end of the term and so, of course, everything came to a standstill. So the question becomes, is this someone prompted by perhaps someone who wanted to get out of taking an exam or is it something, is it the real thing?

So all steps are being taken to try to clarify this. There even appears to be a copycat or some copycat calls coming in at this time. And so again, they need to really take this very carefully and slowly as they are doing, police tell us, to figure out what exactly they have on their hands -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right Susan Candiotti you stand by. Mike Brooks, are you with me?

MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes. I'm here with you.

COSTELLO: All right Mike Brooks is a CNN law enforcement analyst. You heard what Susan Candiotti said, that police are partaking in a guarded response. What does that tell you about the investigation?

BROOKS: Well, that tells me, as a former member of the joint terrorism task force in Washington, D.C. who responded to threats every single day, it tells me that they are taking it as a bomb threat. And that's all it is right now.

And one of the things that they are trying to do Carol, as part of the investigation that we heard from all of the agencies that are responding there, well that is all wrapped up in the FBI joint terrorism task force. You have representatives from all of those agencies, the MBTA, ATF, Boston Police even and some of the other local law enforcement agencies. They are assisting to this.

And they are also calling right now units from some of the local towns that have explosive canine detection dogs and they are going to try to figure out, OK, what is -- was there any specific threat, was there any specific location.

The other thing they are also doing, they are taking a look at surveillance video right before the time the threat came in and also after the threat to see if there's any kind of folks that maybe should not have been on campus.

But again, I don't like to call it routine because they are not routine. But you know, you search the buildings, you conduct a floor by floor methodical search. And if you do find something that then they go -- they'll have a render safe procedure through x-ray and do a lot of other things But up until then, they are just calling it a bomb threat that they most likely handle in Boston every single day. COSTELLO: And something else Susan said that was really sad, that copycat calls are coming in. How much does that complicate the police investigation going on right now?

BROOKS: It complicates it some. But they can usually, you know, weed out which calls are real and which calls are not. And you know, -- and that's the whole thing. How did this threat come in? We don't know if it came in via e-mail, via social media, via phone but people have to realize, Carol, this is a federal offense.

I mean, I had two men that I locked up for bomb threats that spent five years in federal prison for calling in a series bomb threats down at D.C. You know, they don't take this -- law enforcement doesn't take this as a joke.

As you heard Tom Fuentes talk about the number of resources that respond to one of these. Law enforcement does not take this as a joke and there's a good possibility that they could, in fact, find out who did this and they would be charged with a federal offense.

COSTELLO: Well, let's hope so because this is ridiculous. It's just ridiculous.

BROOKS: It is.

COSTELLO: Mike Brooks, stand by. Susan Candiotti, you have more new information?

CANDIOTTI: Well we now have another law enforcement source who is telling us that while there is a very strong response here with hundreds of police officers responding, quote, this appears to be a hoax. This appears to be a hoax according to another law enforcement source.

Of course, there has been no official confirmation of that at this time. They are still trying to track all of this down to see whether, in fact, explosives have been planted at four different locations on campus -- authorities working very hard to determine that. But we do have a law enforcement source telling us at this time it appears to be a hoax. But it is not over yet. Authorities still approaching this very seriously and trying to nail this down. No all clear has been given. In fact, the campus remains in an evacuation status.

COSTELLO: All right. Susan Candiotti, thanks so much.

We're going to take a break. We'll be back with much more in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The high school student shot at a Colorado school on Friday still fighting for her life this morning. 17-year-old Claire Davis remains in a coma but her condition has stabilized. So that's a bit of good news. Also this morning, we're learning new information about the 18-year-old student who shot her before committing suicide. A friend of Karl Pierson says he was angry about being suspended after joking about killing his debate coach, the same coach he came after with a shotgun on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE REDMOND, SHOOTER'S FRIEND: He felt like the suspension had ruined his chances of getting in college and ruined his future. Whenever he'd get angry he's like, you know, I just want to shoot everyone up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Casey Wian joins us now from Centennial, Colorado with more. Good morning.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. You know that information is just some of the details that investigators have been going over. All weekend they have been on the campus of Arapahoe High School behind me viewing surveillance video.

They got a lot of information over the weekend. And just to kind of recap, they said that this spree lasted one minute and 20 seconds and that the shooter, Karl Pierson, came to this campus armed to the hilt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF GRAYSON ROBINSON, ARAPAHOE COUNTY: He was armed with a shotgun. The individual also had a bandolera of multiple rounds of shotgun ammunition strapped across his body and he was also armed with a machete -- a very large knife. The individual also carried a backpack with him as he entered the school. We now know as a result of our investigation that inside that backpack were three incendiary devices.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIAN: One of those Molotov cocktails managed to set off before he killed himself; total of five shots were fired. Investigators say, Carol, that this damage could have been a lot worse if not for the actions of several people.

The teacher that he was targeting, they say, ran out of the school and attempted to draw Pierson away from the scene. The janitor who first saw him walk into the school and radioed immediately that a student was approaching the school with a gun and also the on-campus deputy sheriff who responded and the sheriff of the county says was about to confront Pierson right before he took his own life -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, there were warning signs. Is there anything else that the school could have done, Casey?

WIAN: It's hard to know. Obviously he was subjected to some disciplinary action as being part of the debate team. And some students have said -- law enforcement has not said that he actually made threats against his debate coach who he was targeting when he was going on this rampage.

So we don't know exactly what he said. We don't know exactly what school officials knew. I will say this though, making what may have seemed like an idle threat to students against a particular faculty member and walking on to this campus armed the way he was are two different things. So it may be that the school did all it could but they will be looking at it. This investigation is continuing. At least through tomorrow this campus remains closed -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Casey Wian, reporting live from Colorado this morning.

I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking some other top stories at 58 minutes past, a jaw- dropping admission from the man who leads an NSA task force: amnesty should be on the table when it comes to Edward Snowden. In other words Snowden took the keys to the kingdom to Russia and who knows? He could still spill more damaging secrets at any time -- secrets that could damage our national security.

That assessment comes from Richard Ledgett, the man who has the NSA task force on Snowden. Here's what he said about amnesty on "60 Minutes".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MILLER, "60 MINUTES": He's already said, "If I got amnesty I would come back." Given the potential damage to national security, what would your thoughts on making a deal be?

RICHARD LEDGETT, HEADS NSA TASK FORCE ON SNOWDEN: So my personal view is, yes, it's worth having a conversation about. I would need assurances that the remainder of the data could be secured. And my bar for those assurances would be very high. It would be more than just an assertion on his part.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ledgett went on to say THAT this is his opinion, not a unanimous opinion among NSA officials.

The Northeast knee-deep in snow and digging out this morning after a massive weekend blizzard; more than a foot of snow falling on parts of New York and New England, hundreds of flights canceled and FedEx is warning all the bad weather could mean major delays for millions of holiday packages. Keep that in mind.

That's it for me today. Thank you so much for being with m. I'm Carol Costello.

"LEGAL VIEW" with Ashleigh Banfield starts now.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Welcome to "LEGAL VIEW". It is Monday, December 16th, nice to have you here with us as we've been working on breaking news. A bomb threat prompting evacuations at Harvard University this morning and what a busy time for them to be going through this -- final exams. The investigators have evacuated four of the buildings on campus, all of this after receiving a report that there were explosives in those buildings. So final exams for today not happening -- canceled.

Susan Candiotti has been working her sources and they are many and she joins me live now with more. So what are they saying? How serious are they taking this, Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Ashleigh, brand new information now from Harvard University police to our Alexander Field who is there in the area in Massachusetts.