Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Desperate Manhunt for Cop Shooter; Can Ferguson Police Control the Streets?; Iran Nuclear Deal; Vigil Held for Officers Shot; Carjack Victim: Tamerlan Admitted Bombing

Aired March 13, 2015 - 09:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: NEWSROOM starts now.

And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. We begin this morning with the second day of a desperate manhunt in Ferguson, Missouri. Investigators say they may know who pulled the trigger in a vicious shooting that nearly killed two police officers.

We'll have more on the search for a suspect or suspects in just a minute but first, Ferguson Police are no longer overseeing security of those protesters. That mission has now been handed over to the St. Louis County Police and the Missouri Highway Patrol.

The changeover has left many wondering if the Ferguson Police Department is on its way to being dismantled. And the president is speaking about the situation in Missouri saying that while the protesters had cause for outrage, it's never an excuse for violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There was no excuse for criminal acts and whoever fired those shots shouldn't detract from the issue. They're criminals. They need to be arrested and then what we need to do is to make sure that like-minded, good spirited people on both sides, law enforcement who have a terrifically tough job, and people who understandably don't want to be stopped and harassed just because of their race, that we're able to work together to try to come up with some good answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right. Let's get to the manhunt now and head to Ferguson, and Alina Machado, she has more on that for you.

Good morning.

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. We know authorities are chasing a number of leads this morning, and they've been doing that since the shooting. We also know that as you mentioned, they've identified two people they want to talk to, one of those people could be the shooter.

Now I want to set the scene here so you get a better idea of how this shooting happened. Police say they believe the shots rang out from a hill that is overlooking the police department. Authorities say officers saw muzzle flashes some 125 yards away, so presumably these bullets had to whiz over the protesters who were standing between the area where the muzzle flashes were seen and the area where the police officers were shot.

Now in the hours following the shooting police went to a house that's just a few blocks away from here, they executed a search warrant. They also took in three people for questioning. One of the people is a woman who lives at that house. We did talk to her after she was released.

Listen to what she says happened during that arrest -- during that -- the moment that authorities showed up at her house and took her into custody.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IRESHA TURNER, QUESTIONED AND RELEASED BY POLICE: I opened the door. He said, the door is open, it's open, it's open. Screaming, letting everybody know. I opened the door, I scooped back. I looked at my chest, there's a red dot on it. I had my hands up. Please don't shoot me. I said, I surrender, I open the door. Please don't shoot me. He said, come out. I said, are you going to shoot me? He said, no. I just stood there crying.

I said, he's going to shoot me. I was telling him, he was going to shoot me. He walks in front of me and my son walks in front of him. My son --

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Who is how old?

TURNER: He's 6 years old. He is the reason that I live every day. He got more sense than I have. That little boy walked in front of him and me and he had a beam on my son as well. They said, come over to his. They had us do a 360. They had us walk backwards and they had us get on our knees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACHADO: Now, again, the child was not hurt. The woman was not shot. Police took her and two men into -- into the station for questioning. They were there for several hours. They were eventually released and, again, Carol, as far as we know, no arrests have been made in this case.

What we do know is that there is now a $3,000 reward that is being offered in this case for any information that leads police to the people who are responsible for this ambush -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Alina Machado reporting live from Ferguson, Missouri, this morning. Thank you.

As the search continues for those responsible for this incident, questions continue to swirl around Ferguson's police force. The Missouri State Highway Patrol and St. Louis County Police have now taken over protest security.

So could this be the first sign that an even bigger overhaul is coming to the Ferguson Police Department or maybe the Ferguson Police Department is on the -- is on the verge of being disbanded.

CNN's Brian Todd has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The police call it an ambush. Two officers shot, almost killed. It followed a night of street fights between protesters, following the resignation of Ferguson's police chief. From an exasperated St. Louis County police chief, a window into how tough it's been to maintain control.

CHIEF JON BELMAR, ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI POLICE: I want everybody here to understand how difficult this is to do it the exact perfect way.

TODD: Last summer there were many complaints that police were overly militarized, showing too much force during protests. Then they were criticized for not doing enough allowing looting and other violence.

Have the police lost the streets of Ferguson?

ROB HOSKO, FORMER FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: The police are trying to find their way. They're trying to find their footing. They're going to be criticized harshly one way or the other.

TODD: A Ferguson police official tells CNN they've not lost control of the streets but some law enforcement experts say their loss of credibility is what got us to this moment.

MALIK AZIZ, NATIONAL BLACK POLICE ASSOCIATION: A failure to engage with the community has cost them the trust that is needed to be productive.

TODD: And that may have come back to haunt the police in the moments after the officers were shot. An official with the St. Louis County Police tells us at least initially many potential witnesses were reluctant to give information to investigators.

Ron Hosko is a former FBI assistant director who's worked with several police departments. He says the mindset for an average police officer on the streets of Ferguson from this moment on is one of survival.

(On camera): How nervous are they and what are they thinking going in?

HOSKO: Policemen are human beings first. And so the first thing you're thinking about is how do I come out of this situation tonight intact? You're thinking about the person that the police officers next to you.

TODD (voice-over): Is there a strong, trusted figure among police who could bring calm? Captain Ron Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol was a visible presence in Ferguson last summer. Walking the streets. Trying to tamp down tensions.

Will he be called upon again? Officials across the state are silent on that.

(On camera): The challenge for police going forward, if there are protests, just how are they going to keep the peace. Some protesters have said in Ferguson and elsewhere, police with Kevlar vests and helmets with shields have been too provocative, that they've come on too strong. But Ron Hosko says now more than ever officers have to protect themselves.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: All right. In other news this morning, a little later today Secretary of State John Kerry talks ISIS with the president of Egypt, but this weekend his focus will be on Iran, as another round of negotiations kick off in Switzerland over this very controversial nuclear deal. According to Reuters, if a deal can be made, this early talk that U.N. sanctions could be lifted.

Ian Lee is in Cairo this morning with more.

Hi, Ian.

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Secretary Kerry is in Cairo to -- in Egypt to talk with President Sisi over security, also showing support during their economic conference. What this trip mainly is about Iran's nuclear program. He's going to be going to Switzerland on Sunday for a meeting with the P5 Plus 1. That's the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council which includes France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia, and China, plus Germany and Iran.

According to Reuters citing Western officials, there's already talks that a U.N. Security Council resolution could be passed lifting sanctions if a deal is reached. Now that is a big if.

Now the U.N. has passed eight resolutions against Iran's nuclear program for include sanctions, but what this proposed deal would look like is strict controls on the enrichment of uranium for at least a 10-year period. After that those restrictions would be slowly eased. There are also be shipping out or changing the current stockpile of enriched uranium inside Iran.

But ultimately this deal is to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon for the West and for Iran getting sanctions lifted. Now any deal would be under the control of Atomic Energy Agency. Secretary Kerry did tell Congress on Wednesday that this deal is not legally binding, that a future president could undo it, but if the U.N. Security Council resolution is passed, that could be legally binding undermining Republicans' efforts to undo the deal.

Now they're hoping to get the framework for this deal done by the end of the month and by June 30th a full agreement -- Carol. COSTELLO: All right. Ian Lee reporting live from Cairo, Egypt, this

morning.

Still ahead in the NEWSROOM, a prayer vigil in Ferguson in honor of those officers wounded in the line of fire. Is it a first step towards healing?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In an effort to bring together members of Ferguson, my next guest organized a vigil last night near the location where those officers were shot. While there, Reverend Traci Blackman, a member of the Ferguson Commission and pastor of Christ the King United Church of Christ, addressed the crowd.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. TRACI BLACKMAN, MEMBER, FERGUSON COMMISSION: We came to give God thanks that the officers who were injured last night are now at their home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

BLACKMAN: We came to give thanks that police officers who carried their little 6-year-old boy in hopes that they could make it to a hospital before he died. We came to remember that we are all connected and until we recognize the humanity in one another --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My god.

BLACKMAN: We cannot heal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Reverend Blackman joins me now.

Welcome. I'm so glad you're here.

BLACKMAN: Thank you.

COSTELLO: I was very moved by your words at the vigil last night but I must ask you also about this. You have also said, quote, "As frequent victims of violence, we certainly understand and know well the pain of these senseless acts." And you're talking about the shooting of those police officers.

Why can't you and other protesters just for the moment simply say you pray for these wounded officers without a qualification? Wrong is wrong, right?

BLACKMAN: Well, because all of these acts of violence are connected. And we cannot -- we cannot forget the reason that we're out here in the first place is because senseless acts of violence have happened by the police and senseless acts of violence have happened to the police. They are connected. And it is our responsibility to keep that connection because it's in that connection that we learn to care for one another.

So it wasn't a qualifier on the officers being hurt. We certainly grieve the wounding of any person, but it's the fact that all people matter. All situations matter, and we have to keep those things connected.

COSTELLO: For the officers who manned the vigils in the following demonstration last night, they were tense. They were worried that they would be ambushed again, yet they appeared without riot gear, no heavy equipment.

Is that a sign to you that they get it?

BLACKMON: Well, actually, I was out here last night after the vigil and perhaps there were tense moments before I arrived, but I got here about 9:00 and I stayed until the end, and I was amazed at what happened. What I saw were police officers in a much more lax position than they have been before.

I saw police officers engaging with protesters and protesters engaging with police. I saw protesters able to exercise their rights and police officers not being threatened by the exercising of those rights. I believe that we were out here last night as community and as one humanity. Yes, we might not all share the same vision of what should be happening, but there was something different about last night and then about 11:30 the protesters gathered in a circle, said some chants, some encouraging words, and everyone went home.

So, in Ferguson, like in Fergusons all over the United States, we all have to get it. And I did see last night, I'm grateful for the response of the officers and I am grateful that they allowed the protesters to exercise their rights without aggressiveness.

COSTELLO: So, do you feel that this is a turning point for Ferguson?

BLACKMON: No, it's too early for Ferguson to be turning. We just received verification or affirmation from the DOJ reports of things that parts of this community has been saying for a long time. I believe that a turning point is coming. I believe that permanent change, systemic change is coming, but to say that last night was a turning point is premature.

COSTELLO: Do you think the Ferguson police department should be dissolved?

BLACKMON: I think that the Ferguson Police Department should be dismantled as it is, whether or not something is built in its place that governs and protects and serves the people of Ferguson, that remains to be seen. But we are fighting against systems, we're not fighting against people, and to remove a person from the system does not change the system.

There has to be a fundamental change in the system. That is what we are still protesting for, that there's a fundamental change in the way that we do business. If that means that Ferguson police department has to be disbanded, then so be it. But if that can be done by dismantling what is there and reconstituting something that serves the needs of all of the people that is free of racial profiling, that is free of racialized targeting, then I would be supportive of that as well.

COSTELLO: Reverend Traci Blackmon, thank you so much for joining me this morning.

BLACKMON: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUN MENG: They are the suspects of the marathon explosion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: He saw his chance and ran for his life. This man's daring escape from the Boston bombers, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Week two of the Boston marathon bombing trial comes to a suspenseful close. Carjacked and kidnapped, the man who fled the Tsarnaev brothers testifies in court, recounting the heart-stopping decision to run for his life.

Alexandra Field is covering the trial in Boston.

Good morning.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, good morning, Carol.

Dun Meng says he was really out for an aimless ride when he somehow put himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and Tamerlan happened upon him. On the witness stand, he describes how he summons the courage to make a decision that may have spared his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): It might be his only chance, so Dun Meng takes it, flinging the door open running for his life, hiding inside a gas station storage room. He makes the frantic phone call to 911.

MENG: They are the suspects of the marathon explosion.

FIELD: Dzhokhar is shopping for snacks, Meng's car is sitting at the pump. Tamerlan is behind the wheel when Meng makes the move.

"It's the most terrified moment, the most difficult decision in my life. I could feel he was trying to grab me. His hand was so close to my left hand I could feel the wind.

MENG: Can you please come? 911 OPERATOR: Sir, they're already on their way.

FIELD: Tamerlan gets his brother who drops the snacks. The two take off in Meng's Mercedes, the same car Tamerlan forced his way into earlier in the night.

Meng says he was driving the car in Cambridge when he pulls over to return a text message, Tamerlan jumps in.

MENG: It's crazy. They have guns. They want to shoot me.

FIELD: Tamerlan holds a gun to his head, Meng says, then he robs him of his cash. Takes his wallet and makes him keep driving.

"Do you know the Boston marathon explosion?", he said "Do you know who did it? I did it and I just killed a policeman in Cambridge."

Later, Meng testifies Tamerlan tells him, "I'm Muslim. Muslims hate Americans." He responds, "I'm Chinese. Chinese are very friendly to Muslims."

The younger brother Dzhokhar follows in another car before getting in the back seat. Altogether, they listen to a CD he describes as religious. He says it makes him feel nervous.

Surveillance video shows Dzhokhar with Meng's ATM card in hand, taking $800 from his account. Prosecutors say the brothers had placed homemade explosives in SUV's trunk. Meng testifies the Tsarnaev's talk about traveling to New York, when they stop to fuel up, he breaks free.

MENG: Please help me. Please help me.

OPERATOR: Sir.

MENG: Someone took my car.

FIELD: Inside the Mercedes SUV, a tracking device installed as a security feature puts police on the brother's trail. The back glass is smashed. The car riddled with bullets by the time it's recovered.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: And, of course, Meng never gets that car back. Prosecutors say that the Tsarnaev's were in that car when they drove to Watertown. From there, there was that shootout with police that we all remember. Next week, when the third week of this trial picks up, that is exactly what the prosecutors will be talking about. They'll be presenting evidence based on what happened when the two brothers engaged in that shootout, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Alexandra Field reporting live from Boston -- thank you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, as the committee of Ferguson deals with the aftermath of another shooting, the attorney general says whoever pulled the trigger is a punk.

Up next, the latest on the Ferguson manhunt.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Carol Costello.

A pure ambush, that's how Attorney General Eric Holder describes the shooting attack that nearly killed two police officers in Ferguson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: This was not someone trying to bring healing to Ferguson. This was -- this was a damn punk, a punk who was trying to sew discord in an area that is trying to get its act together and trying to bring together a community that has been fractured for too long.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Police now believe they may have identified the gunman in Tuesday night's shooting. Right now, a massive manhunt is underway for two individuals.

In the meantime, the job of protest security ripped from the Ferguson police department, county and state police now taking the helm. All of this as anger intensifies over the scathing Department of Justice report that the Ferguson police department engaged in widespread discrimination against African-Americans. That report already forcing the city's police chief to resign.