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Michael Brown's Family Requests Assistance of High-Profile Pathologist; Ferguson Protesters Broke Curfew Last Night; U.S. Warplanes, Drones Attack 14 ISIS Targets Near Mosul; Curfew Back in Effect Tonight at Midnight; Ferguson Residents Urging Peace

Aired August 17, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. These are stories that are topping our news this hour.

The U.S. Justice Department makes a major announcement on the shooting death of an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri. We'll tell you what action the feds are taking in the Michael Brown case. And hear from the attorney of the store owner who police claim was robbed by Michael Brown.

Plus, on the streets of Ferguson, a second night of unrest. Police crackdown on protesters after one demonstrator is shot overnight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. RON JOHNSON, MISSOURI HIGHWAY PATROL: I was disappointed in the actions of tonight. As many of you know, the crowds were the crowds we've had for the last two nights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Tear gas and smoke canisters are deployed to clear a crowd that's defying a state-ordered curfew. We'll take you live to Ferguson.

And the U.S. steps up its air campaign against ISIS militants in Iraq during a mission with a daunting challenge: retaking a strategic dam without damaging it. Failing could have catastrophic consequences.

We start today in Ferguson, Missouri, where a rally is expected to start in just a few hours after another night of protests. This time with bloodshed. Police say a protester was shot early this morning and is now in critical condition. Investigators say they don't know who shot him but say there was a person in the street with a handgun.

Protesters stayed out this morning during the newly imposed curfew from midnight to 5:00 a.m. Police used smoke bombs and then tear gas to try top breakup the crowd. Seven people were arrested. All of this as people still have many questions about the shooting death of Michael Brown. People are leaving candles and flowers at the very spot where he was killed last week.

One autopsy has already been performed on Michael Brown and now in a major announcement from the department of justice, a federal medical examiner will conduct a second autopsy.

CNN's Alexandra Field and Rene Marsh are covering the story for us. Let's go first to Rene at the White House.

So Rene, the family asked for another autopsy to be conducted. Explain how this will take place.

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION AND GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this is pretty significant for this family. I mean, keep in mind, seven days have passed since Michael Brown was shot and killed. And at this point, we still do not know how many times he was shot. Remember, the results of the first autopsy have not been revealed at this point. And the family's attorney believes that this second autopsy will allow them to verify how many times he was shot as well as the trajectories.

But when it comes to the federal government here coming forward and saying we will do this. This is truly a rare move for them so to speak. The federal government says that they are citing the extreme circumstances in this case and that is their reason for doing this. It will take place as soon as possible. We know that a federal medical examiner will do this second autopsy.

But this really does create a very interesting situation. I mean, in the backdrop you have people within this community including the congressman that represents this district saying that they highly doubt that local law enforcement and the state prosecutor's office will be able to conduct a fair and thorough investigation. So you have that in the backdrop.

Then you have the federal government essentially coming in and saying, look, we're going to do our own autopsy separate from what the state already did. It would appear that somewhat undercuts the state's investigation. But the department of justice, they made it very clear today in their statement that's not the intention here. They're saying that this move that they are making in no way indicates a lack of confidence that they have in the state investigation. They actually say that they will be using the results of that first autopsy in addition to this second one here.

In the meantime, Fred, just to update you on the investigation. We do know sources telling our Evan Perez that FBI agents interviewed new witnesses so that is a new development there. They went back to that neighborhood where the shooting occurred and they were able to locate people who have not yet come forward and they were able to interview them -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And that was a big concern, was it not, Rene, because while federal authorities have just gotten on the ground many days after the shooting, there was some concern that some very key witnesses, their stories, may have been skewed a little bit or influenced by so much that has already been reported or perhaps there were some who were still very reluctant to talk to anyone let alone local authorities or even federal authorities.

MARSH: Right. And that's been the issue. You know, this question of trust and community's trust for the police department, who will they talk to, who will they come forward and tell what pieces of the story they know? We don't know the significance of the information that these FBI agents received on Saturday. That is when they did that door to door canvassing of this neighborhood and they were able to locate these new witnesses. So we don't know how significant the information is. But the bottom line is here they were able to identify people who investigators on the local level have not spoken to as yet.

WHITFIELD: All right, Rene Marsh at the White House. Thank you so much.

Let's go to our Alexandra Field. Alexandra is also covering this part of the story in addition to this autopsy. Brown's family also requested that a high profile pathologist be brought into the investigation. How is this going to work?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael Baden is the name that we are talking about here. He is attached to a lot of really important cases. And Fred, really, it's kind of no surprise that they would want to bring him in on this case given the mistrust that we've seen here, given the lack of information that's come out. The family is looking to bring someone onboard to give them what they believe will be a credible picture of what happened to their son, Michael Brown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): Seeking justice for their son, Michael Brown's family adds a high profile expert to their team., forensic pathology Michael Baden.

DARYL PARKS, BROWN'S FAMILY ATTORNEY: We think we got one of the best in the world that you could have.

FIELD: Baden has brought his expertise to the stand in a number of high-profile cases. He famously testified in O.J. Simpson's murder trial. He was chairman of the committee of the pathologist that investigated the assassinations of president John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Now, they will investigate the police shooting of an unarmed teen.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Why? Because it ensures trust. Trust is a very important thing. The family wants to know what happened and why should they just rely upon what the authorities tell them.

FIELD: Earlier this week the St. Louis county medical examiner's office released partial findings of Brown's autopsy determining that the cause of death was gunshot wounds, but adding quote "we're not specifying how many gunshot wounds at this point. The investigation into his death is ongoing and the full autopsy is not likely to be released for many weeks because multiple law enforcement agencies are now involved in the investigation."

Mistrust between authorities and locals has exploded to the surface in Ferguson, Missouri, where Brown's death sparked a week of protests, looting, a shooting and sometimes violent responses from police.

In their search for answers, the Brown family has insisted on an autopsy from a federal medical examiner and the Browns will now rely on a separate investigation conducted by their own expert.

What else will Michael Baden be looking at in this case?

LAWRENCE KOBILINSKY, FORENSIC SCIENTIST, JOHN JAY COLLEGE: Well, Michael Baden is going to be asking a lot of questions not just about the autopsy but about the gun. Is there only police DNA on that gun or if here was in fact a struggle? Is Michael Brown's DNA on that gun as well? That would certainly say a lot about whether a struggle for the gun took place.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: Big questions about the gun to look at as we move down the line here. But in the near future, this differing autopsies that will be the focus of a lot people's attention. And certainly, Fred, you should see a lot of parallels between the different autopsies, things like the number of gunshot wounds. But experts tell us that the difference, the variation, the significant ones could really be about the distance between the shooter and victim where we could see some variation here, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Fascinating stuff. All right, Alexandra Field. Thank you so much.

So in Ferguson today, another curfew is now in place for tonight. It will start at midnight and go through 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. Jason Carroll is live for us in Ferguson.

So Jason, protesters broke the curfew last night and police ended up using smoke and tear gas. What happened and what might be done differently this evening?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, there's no way to predict something like that. The only thing it seems in Ferguson that one can predict are what seems to be peaceful demonstrations during the day and unrest at night. Here what's expected is a peaceful rally at 3:00 p.m. Michael Brown's family expected to show up.

But we've seen this. I've been here for the past several days and every day it's peaceful demonstrations during the day and things seem to turn ugly at night. And that's what unfortunately the community of Ferguson saw last night again. More unrest.

And in fact, Fredricka, once the governor announced that curfew would go in to effect, we started hearing from people in the street that they had every intention of challenging that curfew and that's what ended up happening last night. Several people came out early on saying they were going to do it. Nearly 100 showed up there in on Florissant defying the curfew.

Police using loud speakers saying that if they did not disperse, they would in fact be arrested. Some local citizens came out and tried to get people to listen to police. Unfortunately it did not work. Teargas had to be used to disperse the crowd. At one point there's a report that a police car was fired upon. Also a man was shot during all of the unrest last night, but it's unclear at this point who shot him or why. Business leaders and business owners in the area are relieved there was no looting last night.

Also out there last night was Captain Ronald Johnson. You've heard about him so many times. He's the man in charge of security on the ground. He's been working around the clock. He was out there last night trying to meet the crowd, trying to get people to listen to what police were saying. He was also here at church this morning, Fredricka, speaking with a very heavy heart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. RON JOHNSON, MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL: My heart is heavy. Yesterday was a tough day. You know, sometimes when you're trying to create change, you start having conflict with your friends. Yesterday was the first day that I cried. Last night I got tired. I got scared but Jesus brought me to this house today.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Again, the rally scheduled to get under way at just about 3:00 this afternoon and once again Michael Brown's family will be here with their attorney Benjamin Crump. An attorney representing the family has already said that the Browns support the curfew. They think it was a good step in the right direction. And as you know, Fredricka, throughout all of last week, the Browns have repeated over and over what they want is peace. Clearly not everyone out here hearing their words --Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Jason, Ron Johnson himself, the captain, in expressing disappointed as to what transpired last night. But I guess from a law enforcement standpoint since he's heading up security, what, if anything, would be done differently during this curfew as to why they imposed it again between midnight and 5:00 a.m.? While they may not be able to predict what the crowds, if there are crowds will do, but I wonder if there's a new tactical, you know, new strategy that they are likely to impose.

CARROLL: Well, Captain Johnson has said all along and in fact when I met with him earlier in the week and had an opportunity to spend a great deal of time with him at night, he said from, actually, from the very beginning his idea was to do the following. To engage the people that are out there. And I have seen that firsthand.

There are a number of people out there, Fredricka, who definitely respond to him. But he also wants to have in his arsenal the ability to deal with those people, those agitators as he calls them, who are coming out here to cause trouble and so in terms of strategy tonight, it might in fact be a repeat of what we saw last night in terms of captain Brown coming out and trying to engage the people who are out there but if people aren't willing to listen, there's going to be a full force out there as well.

WHITFIELD: Captain Johnson. All right thank you so much. Jason Carroll, appreciate it. We'll check back later on.

All right, part of the outrage came from the release of surveillance video that police say shows Michael Brown robbing a store. We'll get the store owner's side of the story through his attorney coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The details about what exactly led to the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown are still unknown. But we do know police suspect he robbed a store minutes earlier.

Police released this surveillance video on Friday. Officials say that's Michael Brown right there with the baseball cap pushing the store clerk and then walking out with stolen cigars. But what's not clear is how the robbery is related to the shooting. The police chief said the officer who shot Brown originally tried to stop him because Brown was walking in the street. But the chief also told the St. Louis post dispatch the officer realized Brown may be connected to the robbery.

Protesters were outraged over the release of the video and since then the store has been looted and vandalized. I'm joined now by Jay Kanzler, the attorney for that store owner. First of all, good to see you. Can you give us --

JAY KANZLER, ATTORNEY OF THE STORE ALLEGEDLY ROBBERY BY MICHAEL BROWN: Hello.

WHITFIELD: Hi. Can you give us an idea how is that store clerk, how is he doing, and what's his feeling about all that's transpired since last Saturday?

KANZLER: Well, I have not personally spoken to the store clerk in the video. Ever since the video was released, he has left and he not working there just trying to stay out of the commotion. The family itself has been upset by everything that's gone on in Ferguson. But again, has been working very closely with the people there and they stand with the people of Ferguson for transparency and justice.

WHITFIELD: OK. Are you then -- and you said you haven't spoken with the clerk, but can you, as attorney representing him, can you take us to Saturday, August 9th? Can you give us an idea of what your client who is seen in that surveillance video being pushed by a man police say is Michael Brown, what his version of events are? What happened before that confrontation seen in the pictures?

KANZLER: Sure. I mean, first of all, my clients have never said that that is Michael Brown in the video. In fact, before that weekend they had never seen that individual, Michael Brown, or the individual on the tape in the store. What I can say is that what occurs on the tape, what you see on the tape, did occur in the store. Somebody did come in. Somebody did attempt to steal cigars. Just as that individual on the tape can be seen doing it, he reached around the counter and tried to grab additional cigars from the clerk. There were words exchanged with the female cashier and then the store clerk did try to go to the front door to lock the door and to talk to the individual in the video.

WHITFIELD: We apologize for that. So sorry about that. All right, looks like we lost that interview as well. We are going to try to clean it up and fix it. Looks like he may be back. Mr. Kanzler?

All right, so sorry about that. We have some kind of technical problem. That was strange.

All right, so now this clerk did try to, you said, stop the person who was walking out by talking to him. We can see that your client, the store clerk, is half of the size of or much smaller than the man exiting. What exactly was said and why did your client, this clerk, feel comfortable enough to try to talk to or stop the person who was exiting?

KANZLER: Well, first of all, you know, the folks that own the store are part of the community. They've been there a long time. And many of the people that they interact with on a daily basis are their friends. They know them on a first name basis. They are considered almost family.

WHITFIELD: Was this a familiar face then, this young man?

KANZLER: I'm sorry, Fredricka, I could not hear that.

WHITFIELD: That the person in this tape that police say is Michael Brown, were the people in the store familiar with this person, this face? Have they seen this person before?

KANZLER: No. They had not, Fredricka. But what I was saying is it's not unusual for all of the people that come in to know the owners of the store and vice versa. And they do feel comfortable and the other side of it is that they are very protective of their livelihood. This is, they work very hard and so when there's an incident, he felt comfortable trying to lock the door and say don't take this, pay for this.

WHITFIELD: So then minutes later there were gunshots just a few blocks away. Does your client say? Do the people in the store say they heard that and thought there was a relationship -- ?

KANZLER: No.

WHITFIELD: No. They didn't even hear the gunshots?

KANZLER: No, they did not. In fact, they did not hear about the incident until much later. In fact, they had not called the police after the incident that is shown on the tape. Somebody inside the store, a mother with a daughter, was the one that called 911 and the police arrived because of that phone call.

WHITFIELD: So then once they learned that there was a shooting and then an 18-year-old was dead and that police were making a correlation between the robbery that took place in that store and the death of that young person, what's been their reaction, what do they think?

KANZLER: I don't think they made a connection. I think the two were distinct in their minds and I don't know if they put two and two together. The next time they had any indication that there may be some connection is when St. Louis county contacted them with a search warrant and said they were taking the hard drive from the surveillance system and they indicated that it was in relationship with the Michael Brown investigation.

WHITFIELD: OK. And meantime your client continues to not come forward and hasn't been seen in public in a while. Is there an explanation behind that? Is it grief? Is it fear? What?

KANZLER: Well, I think there's a little bit of fear. And it was the incident now takes on larger significance. It's not my client. It's that particular clerk. The others that work in the store, the other members of the family, have been at the store each and every day greeting their customers, interacting with them, standing with them. Unfortunately, after the events of Friday night they had to shut the store down and they've been closed since Friday night and will remain closed through the weekend. But they do intend to open up as soon as it seems safe and again, reengage with the community of Ferguson.

WHITFIELD: Jay Kanzler, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.

KANZLER: Thank you very much. I appreciate being on.

WHITFIELD: Up next, the U.S. leading another round of air strikes against ISIS forces. We will go live to northern Iraq and get the latest on the fight over a key dam in Mosul.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Iraq, there's a battle raging over the area around the dam in Mosul. U.S. warplanes and drones attacked 14 ISIS targets near Mosul today. This follows nine air strikes led by the U.S. yesterday. Kurdish fighters are now battling hundreds of ISIS militants on the ground in an attempt to retake what is Iraq's largest dam.

CNN's Anna Coren is Dohuk, Iraq which is north of Mosul.

So Anna, you just got back from being embedded with Kurdish forces. What did you see and witness?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, we just heard that Peshmerga forces are very close to seizing the entire dam. Apparently, they control one side of it. But they haven't controlled the entire complex as of yet. That is word from the head officials of the Kurdish regional government. That they are hoping that in the next few hours they'll be able to confirm they have managed to regain control of it. But of course, they lost it to ISIS militants several weeks ago. A major blow for the Kurds. And also, for the Iraqis that Mosul dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in Iraq providing power for both Mosul and for Baghdad. So today, with the Peshmerga special forces led by the commander who

is the son of the president, they were inflicting real pain on the enemy. Heavy artillery, heavy missiles being fired at those enemy lines, with the smoke on the horizon, buildings on fire, certainly a lot of explosions.

Several hours later, we were actually allowed down into that area that had been targeted building still on fire. The only problem, Fredricka, is that the militants as they retreated lay land mines. So, one of the trucks that was in our convoy actually got hit and many soldiers were injured. One of the soldiers actually died. So this is going to be a problem for all forces as they make their way to the dam. But we are hearing that they are very close to seizing it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Anna Coren, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

All right, how crucial is this battle for Mosul in the overall fight against ISIS? Let's bring in "Spider" Marks. He is the CNN military analyst and a former senior army intelligence officer in Iraq. The U.S. has led now 23 air strikes so far. This weekend alone. We're seeing pickup trucks hit, humvees, all of that. Are these strategic strikes or are these, you know, really assisting in advancing the defeat of this group?

JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Fredricka, these are tactical engagements to try to give the Iraqi military in and clearly the Peshmerga and the Kurd forces up north and opportunity to get in a little space increasing amount of time they have to ensure that they can then take the offensive against ISIS.

Clearly what you see around the Mosul Dam is extremely important because of its size and its ability to generate hydroelectric power. It has two spillways so you don't really control it until you control both. That allows pressure to be released.

And you don't want to have the cataclysmic event where if this dam were to break, you would run the risk of flooding it downstream along the Tigris. But I would think that ISIS wants to retain control of that dam and would want to maintain its integrity because it generates this electric power.

And they want to be able to use that as a weapon system to those who are under their control and clearly they set up a form of governance in place in Northern Iraq and you need to increase distance so the military forces both in Iraq and those up north Peshmerga can do something about ISIS.

WHITFIELD: You talk about risks. It would seem that there's great risk to take out ISIS and not damage the dam. How do you that?

MARKS: Well, you have great support from the United States Air Force and naval forces who are doing these very precise targeting runs against specified targets on the ground that have been identified as belonging to ISIS. So really this is a strategic engagement because you want to try to hold what ISIS has controlled. You are not going to win it back. You might be able to reclaim control of the Mosul Dam, but where ISIS exists, we want to try to help Iraqis hold that in place right now.

So that you can then begin the larger strategic operation to try to beat them and push them away. So of course, there's risk involved in any military operation, this not being dissimilar for many others.

WHITFIELD: And then comparatively, you know, to what ISIS has going on, how capable are Kurdish fighters?

MARKS: The Kurdish Peshmerga are quite capable. Now they've had some engagements with ISIS and they've had some challenges, but they are a very well trained, very capable, and most recently, they've had some great success so the United States certainly stands to gain in a tactical sense by reinforcing the Kurds successes that they've been able to achieve on the ground in Northern Iraq.

The long-term challenge is you reinforce Peshmerga at the expense of the other Iraqi security forces and now you've created some distance between both government in Baghdad and government up north in Erbil. What you don't want to have is that type of long-term strategic rift.

However, you have to address the immediate concern right now, which is ISIS and their success on the ground so you reinforce success where you see it and that's with Peshmerga.

WHITFIELD: All right, James "Spider" Marks, thanks so much.

MARKS: Thanks, Fredricka. Appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: All right, now to the intensifying battles in Eastern Ukraine. Officials there say pro-Russian militants shot down a Ukrainian fighter jet in the Luhansk region. That's where battles between those separatists and Ukrainian forces are raging.

Ukraine says its troops are making significant gains there and officials also report a Russian convoy with three rocket launcher systems crossed into Ukraine from Russia overnight.

Now to Liberia where gunmen stormed an Ebola isolation ward today. The attack happened in the capital of Monrovia. AFP news service reports as many as 29 Ebola patients fled as the gunmen looted the quarantine center. They say no one was hurt in the attack. The intent of the gunmen still unclear.

Next, we'll get reaction from the family attorney of the unarmed teen killed by police last week. What exactly are they after when it comes to hiring a pathologist? He'll tell us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Police in Ferguson, Missouri, are reminding residents a state ordered curfew goes into effect again tonight at midnight. The unrest there is taking a toll on residents who are hoping tonight the streets will remain calm after two straight nights of unrest. Our Ana Cabrera is in Ferguson.

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Calm and quiet here in Ferguson today following another night of unrest that led to more violence. We are outside this barbecue restaurant near where that unrest happened shortly after the curfew went into effect at midnight.

Police say seven people were arrested. One person was shot at last check in critical condition. They've identified that person as a protester but few other details. They say they still don't know exactly who shot that individual.

But as they were moving trying to respond to the shooting, they said that there was a person in the crowd who they saw had a gun. That's one reason they were forced to use tear gas and smoke bombs in order to try to respond to a person who needed their help.

The demonstration yesterday was by in large peaceful. It was a relatively small number of people who refused to move that led to the violence overnight.

Our crew on the ground telling us it appeared to be about three dozen protesters so to speak in their late teens or early 20s who were causing much of that unrest.

So overall, residents in this small town appear to be really demanding peace trying to enforce peace and return to their normal lives as they continue to seek justice in the shooting death of Michael Brown -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Ana Cabrera, thanks so much. We also learn there will be more than one autopsy conducted on Michael Brown's body. His family has hired Michael Baden to conduct a separate autopsy. He's a high profile pathologist.

And CNN's Poppy Harlow spoke with the Brown family attorney about that last night. She asked him exactly what they are after with another autopsy and how they feel about the release of video showing their son allegedly robbing a store.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANTHONY GRAY, BROWN FAMILY ATTORNEY: Where we are with the autopsy procedures is that we're connecting an independent autopsy, the family is, and so we want to have those results at our fingertips to examine information that we trust and that we can rely upon.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Tell me specifically what it is you're looking for from that independent autopsy and if it is that you believe that the first one that was done by the coroner's office in St. Louis is perhaps not complete and not thorough, not accurate? What are you looking for?

GRAY: Well, we can't really say whether it's complete or inaccurate because we haven't seen it. So I don't want to make that comment. I just want to say that the purpose for the autopsy that we called for was so that we could have information that we can rely on and that we trust and that we could put our fingers on once it's done.

HARLOW: You've hired your own forensic pathologist to do that at this point, correct?

GRAY: That is correct.

HARLOW: What can you tell us about who you've hired?

GRAY: Michael Baden is a world renowned expert, a medical examiner, had been in the business for years. He's worked on a multitude of high profile cases. We think there would be no problem with his experience or his stature within the pathology community.

And so we think we got one of the best in the world that could you never have in order to do a thorough autopsy in this particular case.

HARLOW: And Anthony Gray, I want to ask you about the video, the surveillance video from that convenience store that was released by local police there yesterday afternoon.

Even though the Department of Justice asked that they not release it, the police there say that this video shows Michael Brown taking a box of cigars from the convenience store in what is called a strong armed robbery.

This was released at the same time the police chief there said that the officer who shot and killed Michael Brown had not viewed it and not seen that surveillance tape and did not know that Brown was a suspect in the robbery when he shot and killed Michael Brown.

I'm wondering what the reaction has been from Michael Brown's parents to that video being released?

GRAY: They were absolutely distraught by it. Just keep in mind, Poppy, they haven't had a chance to completely wrap their arms and minds around the events that happened on that Saturday afternoon in broad daylight.

Before they can make funeral plans for their son and before they can bury their child, they have to face yet another attack on his body while they're attempting to have him rest in peace. So they are very much distraught by this.

It has driven the mother deeper into a state of depression. It has had such a catastrophic effect on her because they think that they are trying to kill a child who is already dead. So it's just -- they just think it's completely unfair.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And onto Texas, Governor Rick Perry facing felony charges. We'll show you what he said about being indicted and what the group who brought the case is saying.

And we all know New Orleans is famous for its unique style and party atmosphere. Well, actress, Zoe McLellan, is in the big easy shooting her new TV series "NCIS New Orleans." Today she shows us her new city in this "Travel Insider."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZOE MCLELLAN, ACTRESS: I'm Zoe McLellan and I'm so excited to show you two of my favorite spots in New Orleans. I just moved here a month ago. I'm so excited to be shooting here. This happens to be my favorite city in the world. Are you ready to shop? I am. Let's go. This is trashy diva.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We started as a vintage shop back in the 1940s and '50s. In 2000, our owner released her first collection and it's all been uphill from there.

MCLELLAN: I feel like when I want to get dressed up for a night out on the town, trashy diva is the place to go. Everything here embraces your figure. I feel like a goddess here. That is gorgeous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beautiful. Absolutely perfect.

MCLELLAN: It's a keeper.

Now that I have the shopping out of my system, and the sun has gone down, I'm ready to play. It's one of my favorite places the Maple Leaf Bar. The best bar for live music.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is the quintessential New Orleans experience. Ask anyone local, they're going to tell you the place you want to be is here. It's a little bit of funk. It's a little bit of soul. It's a little bit of R&B. How can you not dance to this?

MCLELLAN: This band is awesome. They named a beer after this band. It's just as delicious as they are. Cheers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Texas Governor Rick Perry was hoping his trip to New Hampshire would boost his chances for a potential run for president. He may have to add a trip to the county jail to be booked. A grand jury indicted him on felony charges of coercion of a public servant and abuse of hiS office.

At issue vetoing money from an investigative agency headed by a Democratic county DA he thought should resign. Rosemary Lehmberg was arrested for drinking and driving. Perry defends his veto, but the indictment also accuses him of threatening the DA.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOVERNOR RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: This indictment amounts to nothing more than abuse of power. And I cannot and I will not allow that to happen.

CRAIG MCDONALD, DIRECTOR, TEXANS FOR PUBLIC JUSTICE: The prosecutor after the press conference said apparently the governor hasn't read the indictments. The indictments are all about him using his official office to intimidate another public servant. The veto played a role, but it's what he hung over her head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: If the DA had resigned as Governor Perry wanted, he would have appointed her replacement.

All right, it's the first papal visit to South Korea in 25 years. Coming up, how the pope is being received and why is he so popular across Asia?

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UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At 6'10", big serving, John Isner, America's best chance of winning the U.S. Open this month and with ranking of 14th in the world, the 29-year-old is looking for more.

JOHN ISNER: I can go very high. I know for a fact I've beaten the top guys in the world before. I know I can do it. I just have to do it maybe in a little bit more consistent basis.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Under the lights, the U.S. Open brings its own unique vibe and rough edge to a sport that may be the right atmosphere to take him to his first grand slam title.

ISNER: There's not a tennis court in the world that is like that. It's 20,000 seats and it's tricky conditions. Wind is usually swirling down below on the court. But at the same time if you're playing and it's a packed house and you're locked in a tense match, there's nothing better than it.

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WHITFIELD: It's a visit that hasn't happened in 25 years. A pope setting foot in South Korea. Pope Francis is making the most of it, per usual, and people by the thousands, per usual, giving him a very warm reception.

Yesterday a huge crowd joined him for mass in downtown Seoul. What an image there. CNN international desk editor, Azadeh Ansari, so he only has a day left and he's been there five days or is it a five-day trip in all?

AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: Correct.

WHITFIELD: A day left.

ANSARI: Historic visit indeed, Fred. And today the pope we saw he had baptized -- I think my hair is in the way there. He had baptized one of the fathers of one of the victims of the ferry and it was per the father's request that he did that. And then he also had an historic conversation with China in a way reaching out to China and we've never seen that because the Vatican and Beijing have had a severed relationship since the communist party took over in 1949.

And then to highlight the key aspect of his trip is to reach out to the youth and he had a closing mass for the Asia Youth Day, which took place, and this is the driving force. The youth in Asia are really the impetus behind with Catholicism is gaining in such mass numbers.

WHITFIELD: What's the explanation for the popularity of Catholicism particularly in South Korea?

ANSARI: That's a great question. So historically, the Catholic Church has been a driving force behind human rights and democracy and the fact that this pope is such a grounded -- he's so -- he has great mass appeal especially with the youth.

And ahead of his visit, there was 20 celebrities that got together and they made a video and I want to show that video. They put together a video ahead of the pope's visit to commemorate.

WHITFIELD: What are they hoping this kind of video exudes or shares or tells the pope?

ANSARI: In the message is it really is about communion and camaraderie. They say that we all support your message and we're here to help Catholicism spread throughout Korea.

WHITFIELD: Wow. He's got an amazing appeal. He really is popular worldwide and this is just another example of that seeing that. All right, Azadeh, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

All right. We're going to have more from Ferguson, Missouri, right after this as well.

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