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Helicopter Missing in Nepal; Tremor Hits Nepal; Robinson Shooting Charges; Zimmerman Shooting. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired May 12, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: We'll learn whether or not a police officer will be charged in the shooting death of an unarmed teenager in Wisconsin. Tensions have been building in this particular community for weeks and weeks now as these protesters and Tony Robinson's family are demanding answers. Today, they will be getting them. A family, a community, a police department on edge awaiting this announcement. We'll take you there.

But first, we have to begin with Nepal and something now just unthinkable. This country, already in ruins, hit with another monster earthquake. A 7.3-magnitude quake striking some nine miles deep, this time near the border - here you can see where it says the epicenter. This is just along the border with China. At least 68 are dead and more than 1,200 injured.

All of this happening just three weeks after that other massive earthquake brought down buildings and killed more than 8,000 people - 8,000. This is out of Nepal.

Also, we are now getting some more breaking news just in last few minutes. We have now learned that a U.S. military helicopter has gone missing. This helicopter carrying out earthquake disaster relief just outside of the capital there of Kathmandu. An emergency search is now officially underway. So, first, let's get some reporting on this from our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. Also joining me, I have retired Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona.

But, Barbara, first to you. I mean I'm looking at, you know, the clock here, knowing it's near midnight in Nepal. What do we know about this helicopter?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, this is a U.S. Marine Corps UH-1 Huey. There were six Marines on board, two Nepalese. It has now been declared missing. An emergency search is underway for this helicopter.

We're facing a very difficult situation here. We know military families may be watching, and there just are no answers right now. It is possible that the helicopter simply ran into some trouble and put down in a remote mountain area, and they're having trouble locating it. We do not know, on the other hand, if this is a crash situation.

What we are told is another helicopter from the Indian military was flying in the area at the time. It picked up radio chatter from the American crew that they had run into some sort of fuel problem. BALDWIN: Uh!

STARR: We do not know what that fuel problem was. We don't know if the pilot, the American Marine Corps pilot, was simply able to set his helicopter down. Now it's nighttime. Remote area. They can't find it. They will begin - continue to search throughout the night. They will search at daylight.

What they're looking for is the potential of some sensor or beacon or locator data being emitted from the helicopter, from the crew that will help them be able to locate what has happened here. So far we are told they don't see a crash site, so that is giving the Pentagon some hopeful signs at the moment. Very early reports that maybe the crew simply set down, and they're going to try and find them.

But this - this is a very tough situation. The crew had been conducting earthquake relief. They had dropped supplies off in one area. They were moving to a second area. And what we are told is because it is dark now in Nepal, aircraft operations scaled back, but the Nepalese army, at this hour, is on foot trying to make its way into this mountainous area, trying to see if they can find the Americans.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. I want to remain hopeful that, you know, communications in this area on a good day, based upon conversations I've had, can be spotty. So hopefully, if there were those fuel concerns you mentioned, they were able to put the bird down, as you also were reporting. So six Marines on board this helicopter.

Colonel, to you. Again, the fact that now that you have military weighing in saying, to be precise, their language is it's declared missing, they're responding to the emergency. How are you reading this?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I'm reading it that I'm hopeful, as you are and as Barbara said, that the pilot ran into some sort of a problem - he knew he had a problem, so he had time to react and put that helicopter down. They practice this all the time. So I'm hoping - it's a relatively new helicopter. Although we think of the Huey and we think back to Vietnam days. Many of the Marine Corps helicopters were built in the early 2000s. So it's good equipment. They're good pilots. One hopes that they were able to set it down.

I'm not basing too much on the lack of communications, as we talked about. This mountainous area plays havoc with this line of sight communications that the helicopters use.

BALDWIN: Right. Right.

FRANCONA: So if they can get an aircraft up high enough, they may be able to talk to them. But what I'm hoping is that they're on the ground, they're safe, and they'll weather out the night. And in the daylight, they'll be easier to find. BALDWIN: OK. Let's remain hopeful. Six Marines, two Nepalese on this

missing helicopter. Barbara Starr, as soon as you get hopeful word they're OK, please let us know. And, Colonel Francona, as always, my thanks to you.

[14:05:08] We'll stay on that.

Also, though, let's just talk about the devastation, the stories now coming out after this second massive earthquake. The moment it hit here, it was caught on video. And as you can imagine, just sheer panic, it's setting in as people start to scramble here in an attempt to find a place away from crumbling building.

(VIDEO TAPE)

BALDWIN: Scenes of total devastation, and desperation, as the power of the quake moved masses of rock and earth forming this landslide here, threatening people, homes in the village below. And a reminder, when this quake hit, there were still people sifting through the rubble, searching for the dead after that April 25th quake that killed more than 8,000 people. Incredibly, today's earthquake is technically considered an aftershock.

So let me bring in someone who has an incredibly deep and personal connection with this country, what's happening here right now. She is Sumnima Udas, who was born in Nepal, returned to cover the initial devastation.

And here you are joining me, you know, tonight from Delhi. But, you know, can you tell me, have you reached out and talked to, you know, your own loved ones, friends, family? I mean to think that this happened again, it's almost unthinkable.

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brooke. Even when we were there, a lot of people there were saying, look, you know, they're too scared to go back to their homes because there was that fear that another earthquake will hit again. That's what some of the experts had said. That's what some of astrologists had said.

And there was just constant aftershocks. Even while we were there, Brooke, every day, or every other day there seemed to be at least two to three aftershocks. And you would hear people just screaming every time, running out of their homes. Those were, of course, just smaller aftershocks. And now, of course, this big earthquake.

There's complete chaos on the streets, as you can imagine, Brooke. A lot of people were already camping outside because they were too scared to go to their homes or they didn't even have homes to go into. And now certainly tonight, especially in Kathmandu Valley, the capital, a lot of people camping out today.

And, Brooke, I went back, of course, just a day after the earthquake hit to report from Katmandu and outside of Kathmandu Valley as well. And then, of course, the one thing that stood out was the temples, the monuments that had collapsed. Centuries of history have gone (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UDAS (voice-over): I'm not sure what I was expecting to find here. Barta (ph), an ancient complex of temple and palaces, where my ancestors lived for generations. So much of it now devastated.

UDAS (on camera): This is where I used to hang out all the time. This is where I'd bring my friends, especially those from abroad, to show them the beauty and magnificence of Nepal. And so much of it is like this, in complete ruin.

UDAS (voice-over): What's lost is intangible. Somewhere in the back of my head, I always knew I would have to cover this story one day. An earthquake in my homeland is something I've always feared. Now that it's happened, it's heartbreaking to see Nepal, a country already struggling economically, politically, now set back by at least a few decades.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Beautiful images, Sumnima, but also the rubble and the devastation. And I'm wondering, do you have a sense from those you know and love and those who you met when you were covering this story, will they rebuild or are they too fearful that this could keep happening?

UDAS: They will rebuild eventually because they're incredibly resilient people. A lot of Nepalese have to deal with a lot of hardship, especially outside of Kathmandu Valley on a day-to-day basis anyway, so they will bounce back, that's for sure. But it will take a lot of time. And right now it's more just the panic. There - it's - it's so - people are so traumatized still from that first earthquake. Many people were still looking for their missing loved ones, and then this happens. People were just beginning to start their lives again. The shocks were just beginning to open. People were just starting to go back to their work. And so this is going to have a huge impact psychologically, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Sumnima Udas, thank you very much. And I just want to stay on Nepal and bring in my next guest who's been working tirelessly to help the people there after April's quake, but she never imagined, like so many others, that she herself would experience firsthand the terror of this monstrous aftershock. She is Kayla Robertson. She joins me now.

And so, Kayla, I understand you were - you were there just for a day to help the relief efforts with World Vision Australia. Tell me, you know, what did it feel like to experience such a massive, massive aftershock?

[14:10:11] KAYLA ROBERTSON, AID WORKER CAUGHT IN EARTHQUAKE: Well, needless to say, today did not go the way that anybody planned. In fact, when I was reading the newspaper headlines this morning, it said that Nepal was on the mend, which is obviously a very, very different picture than what we're looking at today as night falls here.

It was around about midday when we were out having lunch in Kathmandu when the earthquake was felt. And instantly people froze and then they began screaming and crying, pushing outside the buildings, out onto the street, into the passing traffic. And sure enough, when you turned around, you could visibly see the buildings moving around us for several minutes. And then for the next hours, there was a series of aftershocks that continued to shake Kathmandu. And we've been hearing reports that they were felt as far as China and in India.

Today, now as night falls outside of our buildings here, we have a number of families that are sleeping outside, one with a baby who's just 18 days old. They're too afraid to go home. They don't know whether the buildings are still going to continue to collapse, so they're choosing to sleep outside tonight instead. Just terrible scenes here today.

BALDWIN: That - I think - let me underscore the point you just made because when I was covering the initial quake, you know, people would talk about, you know, obviously they lost the roofs over their heads, they lost the walls of their homes. Many were afraid, if they didn't, they were afraid of aftershocks and they were afraid of it crumbling down on them so they slept in the streets, they slept in tents. And it was my understanding that they had just begun to feel hopeful enough to return inside of their homes when this hit.

ROBERTSON: I think it's difficult to describe the feeling among the Nepalese here because I very much think that there was this feeling of - of things were going to be OK. They were through the worst. Aid was getting through. In fact, our staff on the ground were actually distributing food items when this earthquake hit. So they thought that they were - that things were getting better. And unfortunately today has brought it right back to square one and we're facing a very, very different picture again.

BALDWIN: Kayla Robertson, to you and those who you're with, with World Vision Australia, just doing what is so very necessary in that country, please, keep up the good work. And to all of you who are watching and you want to reach out and lend a helping hand to those in Nepal, you can. We have made it simple for you. Just go to our Impact Your World website. That is cnn.com/impact. You'll find a list of charities. We vetted aid organizations. So you can click on those and you can help, cnn.com/impact.

Just minutes from now here the state of Wisconsin will announce whether it will charge a police officer who shot and killed an unarmed teenager. The district attorney in this one particular county will make this call. The shooting sparking weeks of protests. We'll speak live with the teen's aunt about whether she expects this prosecutor will bring charges or not.

Plus, just in, the 911 calls from that George Zimmerman shooting. They have just been released. We'll play them for you.

You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:17:45] BALDWIN: Let me take you to east Texas now where families are beginning to rebuild after tornadoes and floods damaged more than 50 homes in that hard-hit town of Van. But this next family is proving what it means to be Texas tough. The Barretts (ph) were out of town when the storm hit. When they returned, they found their ranch, as you can see, totally submerged. A gate had also gotten lodged and trapped 31 horses in a very muddy, flooded creek. So, ranch owner Will Barrett (ph) and his sons, Bailey (ph) and Jade (ph), grabbed their lassos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ha! Ride up there, little buddy. Ride up there, little buddy. Keep hollering at them! Ho! Ho!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: My goodness. This is not something you see often. By the way, they did get all 31 horses and ponies safely into the pen.

To this family in grief and a community outraged and a deadly police shooting at the center of it all. Today the city of Madison, Wisconsin, is on edge. In just about an hour from now, one of its officers will learn if he will have to defend himself in the justice system in which he was sworn to serve. The local district attorney here is set to announce whether Officer Matt Kenny will be charged for shooting 19-year-old Tony Robinson to death. Robinson did not have a weapon. This happened back on March 6th when Officer Kenny responded to a 911 call about Tony Robinson jumping between cars, attacking people. The family reportedly says Robinson may have been on hallucinogenic mushrooms. This is what they told the local paper.

Kenny says when he reached the scene, the door was open. So Kenny went inside where Robinson assaulted him, forcing him to shoot. An autopsy found Robinson was shot in the head, torso, and arm. His lawyer says the officer suffered a concussion.

So joining me now is the aunt of Tony Robinson. She is Lorien Carter.

Lorien, my condolences to you.

LORIEN CARTER, AUNT OF MAN KILLED BY MADISON OFFICER: Thank you very much, Brooke.

BALDWIN: You are about to learn what happens, the fate of this officer, in just about an hour from now. I understand one of Tony's uncles, Turin Carter (ph), says he is expecting a non-indictment. What do you anticipate happening?

[14:20:06] CARTER: That's - I as well expect a non-indictment. My nephew, who was a victim, was criminalized locally, as well as nationally. The way that they have treated us here in Wisconsin from the releasing of my sister's information, to trying to demoralize her as a parent, and almost trying to discredit her as a parent, it - it leads us to a diminished sense of faith in this - in this system. We are still hopeful, but I do expect a non-indictment.

BALDWIN: If what you are anticipating, in fact, happens, and there is no indictment of this police officer, tell me, Lorien, in the - in the hours or even the days after this, how will you react, how do you think people in your community will act?

CARTER: I think that we will continue to move in a peaceful manner. That does not mean that it's not without action. Our voices are demanding to be heard. There has been minimal coverage of my nephew's tragic murder, and I fully intend on pressing the issue, on pressing the light into this - into this bubble of Madison, Wisconsin.

BALDWIN: I know we've certainly covered it here at CNN. I spoke with Tony Robinson's mother just a couple of weeks ago. But let me follow up on this one word you've just used, so you want peace, but you also want action. Define action for me.

CARTER: I apologize. Can you repeat that, Brooke?

BALDWIN: You said you want peace, but you also want action. Define action for me.

CARTER: I mean, for example, the Berlin Wall. It was not taken down by simply people requesting it to be taken down. There was a necessary rise as far as the people's understanding in this justice system and what is happening and they tore it down themselves. It did not mean that people were attacked or things were destroyed, but there's a necessary course of action for anything that we want changed.

What it is exactly, I'm not sure. But I know that I'm coming to every politician. I know that my family is going to be relentless in trying to get some of these policies changed, as well as trying to shed light on the social and economic injustices that are happening here in Madison, Wisconsin, as it was across the nation.

BALDWIN: Let me take you back specifically, you know, on this - on your nephew's case, and as we await this announcement from the D.A., back to the details. I know that police say your nephew at the time was aggressive and erratic. I know your family told the newspaper they thought maybe he was on mushrooms. Should that influence, Lorien, should that influence the D.A.'s decision here?

CARTER: You know, there - there - I'm going to comment very briefly on that. I'm just going to say that there are procedural courses that every officer, every person in any job is trained when dealing with certain situations. Anything that Kenny responded to, he was already well aware of. And beyond that, I mean I don't have - have much to say about that.

I'm just really disappointed in the way that we have been treated and the behavior that they have shown towards our family as far as even announcing the 48-hour decision to be on Mother's Day. It took from my sister the last bit of solace that she may have had before this was announced. They stripped her of her right to be with her children and to love them as a mother on the last day.

BALDWIN: I know that there are still so many unanswered questions in this entire situation for you and your family. What is - what is the one unanswered question about what happened that day inside that home?

CARTER: I believe a lot of people would ask why. And I personally don't think that that would be my question.

BALDWIN: Why what?

CARTER: Why - why did he shoot him? Why was my nephew murdered? Why did this happen? My question is, did you really feel that there was no other solution? Did you really feel that there was no other option other than to pull the trigger as many times as you did and riddle my nephew with holes?

BALDWIN: Final question. Regardless of what happens with this officer, whether he will be, you know, will he face a criminal charge or not, do you think you could ever forgive him?

CARTER: I've already forgiven him, Brooke. That's the amazing part about my family, that regardless of the hate that is thrown toward us, we do unto others regardless of how they treat us, as we would want to be done. I've already forgiven Matt Kenny. I just question whether or not he can forgive himself.

[14:25:15] I did want to just make mention of any further events, anything that anybody might want to know about my nephew or the ongoing case, it can be found on his web page at tonyterrellrobinson.com. And I know there's been a lot of spew out here that's been false information being given out. And I just - we just want to reach out to the world and let them know that it's accessible information and you don't have to look far.

BALDWIN: Forgiveness is a powerful thing. Lorien Carter, thank you so much. And we'll be taking that announcement from the district attorney there coming up in about an hour from now. Thank you so much for your time. I truly appreciate it.

CARTER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, George Zimmerman. He is recovering today after his face was cut when a gunshot shattered his truck window. Who fired the shot? Turns out the man who pulled the trigger knows him pretty well. We have more, new details and those new 911 calls coming up.

Plus, more on our breaking news. A U.S. military helicopter right now is missing in Nepal, six Marines on board, two Nepalese, after helping out in this earthquake-ravaged region. Stand by for new details there.

You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: George Zimmerman apparently can't seem to avoid trouble. Today the man acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin is recovering from injuries caused by broken glass after a bullet was fired through the window there into his truck. A man named Matthew Apperson has been identified as the gunman. He and Zimmerman have had altercations in the past. More on that in a second here. But today police did release an edited 911 call from a witness moments after the shooting. George Zimmerman's name was already front and center. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

911 OPERATOR: Yes, how can I help you, sir?

CALLER: Yes, a guy just said he had to pull a gun on a guy. And now a guy right here just said he had to shoot at someone through his window so he wants the police to come.

911 OPERATOR: That he saw shoot somebody out of his window?

CALLER: Do what?

911 OPERATOR: OK, say that again. He saw what?

CALLER: He - he had to shoot at somebody.

911 OPERATOR: Is he there with you right now? He's there with you right now, sir?

CALLER: Yes, the guy (INAUDIBLE). Yes, he said he had to shoot a (INAUDIBLE).

911 OPERATOR: What business is that?

CALLER: It's uh - he's kind of outside on the street. He's just standing out here.

911 OPERATOR: What kind of car is he driving?

CALLER: He's driving an Infinity. He said he had to - it was George Zimmerman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That was the 911 call. Here is my colleague, Suzanne Malveaux, with more.

I want to know more about this back and forth. I mean George Zimmerman and this guy, Matthew Apperson, are not strangers. Tell me about their past.

[14:30:02] SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not at all, Brooke. As a matter of fact, according to the Lake Mary Police Department, these guys, in fact, have this ongoing dispute. It started last year. Now, Apperson's attorney says that Apperson had three altercations with Zimmerman.