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Shooting Witness: Blood Was "Everywhere"

Aired October 24, 2014 - 15:30   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: It is at the bottom of the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

I want to welcome our viewers here, as we have been covering for the better part of this show here an active shooting situation in Marysville, Washington. This is just north of Seattle.

As we look at these pictures together, here's what we know. The call came in around 10:45 this morning local time. There was a student, according to police, who had a gun, who opened fire. That individual ultimately killed him or herself. I say him or her.

We can't positively say whether it was male or female though typically in the past these tend to be young men. Took his life and shot up to five people at this school. The condition of those individuals we don't know.

We've heard from different students and different reports that one, perhaps two were airlifted to a hospital. Multiple have been sent to hospitals. But we see here, three school buses, these students, 2,500 students at this high school, Marysville High School in Marysville, Washington.

They're being taken to what they call the parent/student reunification location. That is at a nearby church. You know, that school district is trying to communicate with those parents to try to tell them where to go.

But they're also being clear to the parents saying please do not go to this campus. This is still an active situation. It only complicates the security. That is obviously the priority, the safety of the students that still remain inside of this school.

We were watching some of the other pictures and according to police, they are still going classroom by classroom and they are marking with pieces of tape which classrooms they have cleared.

They are clearing this building right now. They believe this gunman acted alone, but they can't say with 100 percent certainty. So they are having to go through each classroom. They are finding students. They are finding teachers huddled together and hiding.

And they are also approaching each classroom as though there could be a shooter inside. They just don't know. David Katz is with me. He works in security. He's with the DEA, previous law enforcement experience. Tom Fuentes is with us as well, former FBI, law enforcement

analyst. Alexander Field is working through some new information and also Evan Perez is with us. He's our justice correspondent. He's in touch with his sources.

Evan Perez, let me begin with you. You have from your sources up to five students shot. We know FBI is en route. We know ATF is en route. What more can you share?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, the ATF will be there to try to trace the firearm to figure out where he got it from. This is probably an area where frankly a lot of people come and have firearms in their homes.

It might not be that much of a mystery for the FBI to -- I'm sorry, for the ATF to figure out. That's something that has to be done procedurally to help with the local authorities.

The FBI is also there to try to see if there's anything they can help to try to put together this suspect of the kid who carried out this shooting. Trying to see if there's any behavioral analysis to explain what happened here, maybe what triggered this in the recent days.

Maybe there was some experience at school. Those are the types of things that the federal law enforcement is going to be doing. The fear I'm hearing from people on the scene, Brooke, is that the injuries of these students that were suffered were severe enough that they're fearful that we might have more bad news coming.

But we don't know yet. Right now we have the shooter killed himself, but that he managed to injure five other students and the fear on the scene is that, you know, these injuries are very severe. They're being treated at the hospital and they're trying to save as many lives as they can.

BALDWIN: They are working feverishly to save those lives, Evan Perez. Let me just tell all of you, what we know. According to our Seattle affiliate KRRO, three patients are in critical condition at Providence Regional Hospital in Everett, Washington.

Providence Regional Hospital E.R. nurse confirms three patients with gunshot wounds, one in the head, a fourth patient be is expected that coming in from KRRO in Seattle.

A couple of other bits and pieces of information here I can pass along. There was a student who spoke with us here at CNN, he didn't want to tell us -- he didn't want to give up too much on his identity at the moment. He is a student.

He says he was inside the cafeteria at the time of the shooting and he says he's the one who heard the -- saw the shots, called police on his cell and then he says he gave his phone to a teacher nearby and he provided a little bit of a description.

He said there was blood on his shoes, that there was blood on the scene, that there was blood everywhere. In a safe location says the alleged shooter was a popular student, but had recent been the victim of bullying.

Alexander Field also working through some of the information we're just getting in here, this active situation at this particular high school north of Seattle. What do you have?

ALEXANDER FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think a lot of people are going to try to understand what motivates someone to do this. It's something we struggle with in the wake of every single one of these events and you are hearing that this was a popular student who had been the victim of bullying.

Certainly this will be something students are going to be talking about. They're trying to be reunited with their parents. Parents are told this is an active situation even though police are confident this was one shooter who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

This is a large campus. They have to go building by building. They want to get them on buses and accepted them to a church. From the church the buses will take them home. In these situations a lot of parents want to get in the car and rush there and they're going there now.

BALDWIN: Let's talk to a parent. Jerry Holston is on the line with me. His son is on the way to church. His daughter is in the school, but she's OK. Jerry, can you hear me?

JERRY HOLSTON (via telephone): Yes, I can.

BALDWIN: I am so sorry that you are having to go through this, you and so many other parents in Marysville, Washington. Your daughter, she's still in the school, but you know she's OK?

HOLSTON: Yes. I know she's OK. She's really shook up, you know. They've started bussing the kids to a church nearby and my son, he's at the church. Apparently, that's going to be the meeting spot for parents to pick them up.

My daughter's still in the school so I'm kind of, you know, still on edge a little bit just, you know, even though, again, it sounds like there was only one shooter and he took his own life.

You know, my son had called me up and, you know, right after it happened and said, dad, dad, please come get me, there's been a shooting, a shooting. There's a gun. You know, he's a freshman. He was freaked out.

He's like, I'm hiding over by the football field and, yes. He was really shook up. You know, as a parent, it definitely is the worst feeling in the world to know that this has actually happened at your kids' school.

BALDWIN: I cannot begin to understand what you are going through with two students. So you mentioned your son. You talked to your son so your son ran away and called you and said, dad, please come to the school. You said he was hiding outside of a field by the stadium. What about your daughter who's still in the school, have you had a chance to talk to her? Is this all through text?

HOLSTON: No, I have talked to her. She called me -- she called me not too long after my son, Adam had and she was like, dad, you know, are you hearing what's happening? Of course, honey. I know what's happening. You know, she was crying.

I just -- I assured her that, you know, everything was going to be all right, just to stay away from windows and, you know, thank God our schools have, you know -- they have a plan in place now, you know, with all these shootings that happened in these schools everywhere.

You know, it's a good thing that they did have some kind of lockdown procedure.

BALDWIN: Jerry, I understand that your son knows this shooter. Do me a favor, we don't want to name him so let's not talk in names, but can you tell me about this student?

HOLSTON: You know, my son's been on a wrestling team with him. He's a nice kid. You know, I've seen him wrestle. You know, Adam's played football with him. I don't know what makes a kid, you know, snap like that. He had told me that he seemed just fine, you know, yesterday, you know?

He said, he was just fine, I'm not exactly sure if he's on his football team this year or if it was last year and I want to say he was and they just had a game yesterday so, you know, it is -- my son's pretty upset, you know?

BALDWIN: Was -- was the shooter a freshman, Jerry?

HOLSTON: You know, I want to say he is. I believe so. Don't quote me on that, but I'm pretty sure he was because, you know, if it's the same kid that I'm thinking of, which I'm pretty sure it is, yes, he would be a freshman because he was on my son's wrestling team last year.

BALDWIN: So your son and this student who we are not naming, the shooter, they've wrestled together.

HOLSTON: Yes, played football together.

BALDWIN: You say he's a nice kid. Has he ever been over -- forgive me as I update our viewers. You're seeing on the screen, two dead. This is according to two federal law enforcement sources telling our justice correspondent, Evan Perez now two. Two are dead including the school gunman. Jerry, did this student shooter ever come to your house? Did your son --

HOLSTON: No.

BALDWIN: -- spend time with him outside of the school outside of sports?

HOLSTON: No. No.

BALDWIN: Is he a well -- has he been a well-liked kid, respected kid at this high school?

HOLSTON: You know, as far as I know, yes. You know, I know -- I know, you know, any time he always had -- he always had a lot of people rooting for him, you know, in the stands during wrestling and stuff. Yes, I imagine he was a well-liked kid.

BALDWIN: Can you shed any light on a family situation or siblings?

HOLSTON: You know, I don't know too much about that. I know the last name, there's many of them in the town. I do believe it's a pretty large family.

BALDWIN: Let's go back to your family. So, again, if you're just joining us, we're talking to Jerry Holston. He's on the phone with me. He has both a son and a daughter who attend this school in Marysville, Washington. He's spoken to both of his kids. His kids are OK. His son -- did your son hear the shots fired, Jerry?

HOLSTON: You know, I don't think so. Talking to him -- I believe they -- I believe they were at lunch and, you know, he said it was pretty loud in the lunchroom. All of a sudden everyone was running saying, gun, gun, he's got a gun, you know, and ran away. I'm not totally sure, but I haven't had a chance to talk to her too much about that. She's still pretty shook up.

BALDWIN: I'm sure she is. And, again, your daughter is still at school but she's OK. You bring up lunch.

HOLSTON: Yes.

BALDWIN: We know that this happened in the cafeteria, and for all of us who have never been to this school. Is it a small room or is it one of those massive cafeterias?

HOLSTON: You know, I've never actually been inside of it. I imagine it's a pretty -- it's a pretty good sized school so I imagine that their lunchrooms give you a good size.

BALDWIN: And 2500 students grades 9 through 12 so it is pretty large.

HOLSTON: Yes. Yes.

BALDWIN: What about, Jerry, just in terms of the history of violence or problems at this school. Do you know of anything?

HOLSTON: You know, I don't. You know, my daughter, she's in her senior year. You know, I know the -- over the last few years -- I believe last year, actually, they went into lockdown but that was -- I want to say that was because the lady nearby shot someone and they walked over on to school grounds.

But as far as that's concerned, you know, it's fairly -- you know, I don't ever hear too many fights -- my kids have been in the Marysville School District for many years and they've grown up with a lot of the same people.

Marysville actually has a few high schools in town here, but mostly it's Marysville-Pilchuck and then they have Marysville- Catchall. One of them is like a tech school. For the most part, you know, it's been a good school district. I don't ever hear too many fights, you know, or anything.

BALDWIN: That's good. Jerry Holston, I just want to thank you so much for taking a few minutes live with me here on CNN. I am so glad your son and daughter are OK. We are thinking about you. We are thinking about this community here. I really, really appreciate it.

HOLSTON: All right.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

We are now getting a little bit more information here from some of the students including this student witness. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT (via telephone): There was just a big group of kids. The whole table was filled up. Big roundtable right next to the door from the other cafeteria and I was sitting at the table right next to the roundtable and I was just eating my food. I just got done eating my food.

He was quiet. He was just sitting there. Everyone was talking. All of a sudden I see him stand up, pull something out of his pocket and at first I thought it was just someone making a really loud noise with like a bag, like a pretty loud pop until I heard four more after that.

And I saw three kids just fall from the table, like they were falling to the ground dead. I jumped under the table as fast as I could and when it stopped I looked back up and I saw he was trying to reload his gun and when that happened I just ran the opposite direction and I was out of there as fast as I could. That's it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to be honest with you, just listening to your description. I'm just getting choked up. You sound incredibly calm considering what you just witnessed.

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: I -- the way I handle things, I guess. I don't know. I've never been able to explain it, I guess. It's just the way I am. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be -- I'm not trying to be rude.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Austin, you're not at all. Do you have any knowledge of weapons? Do you have any idea what kind of gun it was?

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: It was a very small pistol. It didn't look like an American pistol. It looked like a -- some type of -- very cheap weapon, and I know because -- as it looked like he was trying to reload it, it looked like his gun had jammed.

His gun had jammed and that's where I -- he started messing with it and I ran out so I think his gun jammed and he got it back to working and he popped off a couple more shots after that.

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: Did he say anything, Austin, did he say anything?

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: No. He had a blank stare. He -- he was just face was calm during the whole thing and he was perfectly fine the day before. I remember talking to him. He seemed like the normal old, you know, kid that we all knew.

Everyone knew him. Everyone knew him as that kid and he was always very nice. No sign of -- I mean, he was always a little bit of a child, got into fights, but he was always a very nice kid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: That is the second time we have heard he was a nice kid, this particular gunman, the student gunman. And yesterday according to people who saw him at the high school he was fine.

Let me bring you up to speed on those injured. So, again, as you see on the screen according to our federal law enforcement sources, two individuals are dead including this gunman. Here's what else we have.

Three patients are in surgery at Providence Medical Center. This is in Everett, Washington. A woman at this hospital tells us a total of four patients arrived from this school shooting, but one of those was transferred to a hospital in Seattle.

The hospital has about 25 physicians, 25 responding here including trauma, heart, vascular, and neurosurgeons. Four trauma rooms were used. Let me throw to some sound. This is from the hospital. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four patients came to this center from the scene. Three of them remained at the center. One was transferred down to Harbor View. The three most critically ill were kept here. All three are young people who are in very critical condition.

They're all being worked up and taken to the operating rooms. One is still being worked up. One patient did go to Harbor View. Our emergency department chief doctor triaged the patients in the parking lot here, felt that that patient had wounds that were less severe and could be handled in Harbor View.

We have -- we're ready to handle these cases. We are a level two trauma center. We've been drilling for this. We had a very good response from our medical staff. About 25 doctors showed up. We had two neurosurgeons on the scene. We had two heart surgeons, a vascular surgeon and multiple trauma surgeons as well as our E.D. doctors. Four trauma rooms were used.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BALDWIN: And we should also mention that they will be having another briefing in about 10 minutes from now there at Providence Medical Center in Everett, Washington on the condition of those other individuals who were shot, who were hit from the student gunman in and around the cafeteria area here in Marysville, Washington.

Got David Katz with me, listening to the bits and pieces of student eyewitnesses, a father we just spoke with on the phone. We've learned a little bit more about the gun. Hearing that student describe it, what jumped out at me is looking cheap and also that at one point it appeared to jam. What does that tell you?

DAVID KATZ: All speculation. But the young man who sounded very, very calm and self-controlled. He apparently is familiar with weapons. He said it did not look like an American-made firearm. But we now know that it was a handgun. Thank God the gun malfunctioned.

At least we know it was a handgun, which makes it more difficult to stop something like this. Kids show up to school with backpacks. They walk in, they put a handgun in their backpack and apparently this kid is being bullied and something pushed him over the edge.

BALDWIN: Take a listen to a little bit more sound. This is from another student eyewitness.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT (via telephone): I was so scared. I can't believe out of how many high schools there are in this world that this happened at our high school. I grabbed my lunch, went to the lunchroom. I heard four sounds.

After a few seconds, I heard it again. And people are like, go, go, it's a gun. I started running. I've never had nothing like this ever happen before in my life. It was very nerve-racking.

UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR: Dwayne, I am so sorry you're going through this. Right here in our neck of the woods, we see these stories from across the nation and that it's happening right here at Marysville-Pilchuck high school. Now, without naming names at all, did you see the gunman and do you know that person and what can you tell us about him?

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: Well, I didn't quite see the gunman, but I could see the sparks. It was very scary. I took off running.

UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR: We're glad you did run. Can you tell us, before the shots or during, after, anything, did you hear anybody say anything that indicated what was going on?

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: I did not hear anything like that. I can't imagine what would drive someone to do this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Calls came in just about two hours ago, right around 10:45 in the morning local time there in Marysville, Washington. We spoke with a father on the phone who was telling us both his son and daughter, attend this high school of about 2,500 students.

He was telling us his daughter is still in one of the classrooms. I think it's just worth reiterating, even though this is video of a lot of these students leaving the school, getting out safely on these different school buses.

They're being bussed to the student-teacher reunification center which is nearby at a church. Keep in mind, this is still active. Two hours in, this will take a little while to be able to account for every single one of these students.

David Katz is with me and Alexandra Field is with me. It's worth reminding our viewers here that with this young daughter, she along with many others, you see the orange doors leading to different classrooms, they are going door to door, clearing the building as they referred to it.

FIELD: So many people have not been reunited with their children at this point. We know students are inside this school. We also know that everyone's focus right now are on the people who were hurt today inside this school.

We're hearing these reports came in at 10:30 when a student called 911. At 10:45 there were tweets going on. This took place in and around the cafeteria. Students saw this. Some of the victims, six people were affected, that includes the shooter. Two were killed.

Four are in hospitals now, three of them in surgery at this point. We're told three were in critical condition, one in serious condition. You heard the spokesperson for the hospital treating three of those patients, Providence Medical Center, say they have three people who are critical and are in surgery and they're young people.

Everyone's hearts and prayers are with those three young people. We don't know who the fourth person is. It could be a student, teacher or staff member. But these are people wondering -- if they're inside the classrooms, many are wondering who's been hurt, are all of my friends OK?

Parents who have not reached their children are wondering, is my child OK. We're hearing things about the shooter at this point, that he was -- he or she, we can't confirm whether it was a he or she. But described as a nice kid, a popular kid, but I think people's focus will be on the four who are getting treatment that they very much need right now.

BALDWIN: Let's take a listen to the hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most likely students or --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Young people. I don't know their identities or their ages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we know about anticipation for more or do you feel comfortable with where we are?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We spoke with the incident commander at the scene. At this point, we don't expect more patients from the scene.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened at the hospital once you learned there was a shooting --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have an incident command system that was called into action about 45 minutes after the initial word from the scene, the first words, of course, were informal cell phone communication. A trauma code was called before the first patient arrived.

We had four trauma teams ready when the patients arrived here. About 15 people on each trauma team had about 25 doctors in the emergency department, our usual emergency department staff. We had two trauma surgeons, two neurosurgeons, two heart surgeons, and several general surgeons as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of treatment are the ones transported to Harborview getting there --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have no information on that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys train for this. But this is a day you hope to never --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly. It's our worst nightmare. We have trained for it. We are a trauma center. We don't want this to happen, but we were prepared for it today. At this point, we want to focus our attention on getting these patients through the operations and on focuses with their families.

We've set aside space for all of the families who might show up. We've brought in all of our chaplains. We'll have plenty of support for them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You said there was a 1:00 briefing --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to get up there and find out more information. If you want to stay in that room downstairs -- from now on, that's where we're going.

BALDWIN: So you heard them talking about -- asking questions about a briefing. There will be a briefing at the top of the hour. Stay tuned for that.

David, my final thought is this, I'm so mindful of that father we talked to what said, there were plans in place. My kids, my daughter and son knew about the drills for instances such as these.

You never think in a million years it could happen at your kid's school. It's happened here in Marysville, Washington, but at least there was a plan.

KATZ: That's right. At the school and the hospital, they referred to the incident command system. People set up response teams for critical incidents. They have an incident command resources. And every part of the puzzle, whether it's the police department, fire department, emergency services, hospital, they're all on the same page. That saves lives in every case that we experience, unfortunately.

BALDWIN: This is a high school. This is 2,500 students, grades nine through 12. They have forever had their lives changed today after this individual, according to police, the student, we can say that, the student today brought a gun, opened fire in this cafeteria, according to one student eyewitness, there was blood everywhere, everywhere.

We're trying to get a little bit more information for you as far as the status, the conditions of a number of these young people who are being treated by, I'm sure, phenomenal medical personnel in the Washington State area. So stay with us as we get more answers. The question is, why, why would someone do this?

I'm Brooke Baldwin here in New York. Thank you for being with me on this Friday. Our live coverage of the school shooting there in Washington State continues now Jake Tapper.