Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Nine Dead in "Hate Crime" Church Massacre. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired June 18, 2015 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:03] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are communities trying to live and survive. Why do we have to live like this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We stand in solidarity but we also solicit your prayers for the family members who have lost loved ones here tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be all right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. I'd like to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world.

Dangerous men on the loose right now. Two dramatic manhunts are unfolding in South Carolina. Authorities are searching for this man on the run after allegedly shooting and killing three men and six women during bible study at a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolina. Local leaders calling it a hate crime. Police are desperate to track this man down.

In just a moment we're going to put his picture up on the lower right hand side of your screen where it will stay over the next two hours. Police say this man is dangerous. If you see him do not try to engage him. Please call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

And in New York, day 13 of the hunt for those two killers who escaped from a New York state prison. Now police are looking at a prison tailor's phone records, hoping it offers information of how the fugitives vanished and where they could be now.

But we start in Charleston. Police have just released these new photos in the manhunt for that gunman on the loose. They showed the shooter from slightly different angles. Look. He's suspected of opening fire at that bible study just after 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time in the basement of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Killed nine people, including the church's pastor who you're about to see.

Now officials say the suspected gunman is in his early 20s, about 5'9", has sandy blond hair. Authorities are warning the public he is extremely dangerous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JOSEPH RILEY JR. (D), CHARLESTON: This is unfathomable and unspeakable act by somebody filled with hate and with a deranged mind. And as Chief Mullen said, this person is dangerous. We need every tip we can get to bring this person into custody as soon as possible. And of course will make sure that he pays the price for this horrible act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: We're also learning chilling new details about that violent rampage. According to the Charleston NAACP president, a woman who survived the shooting says the gunman told her he was going to spare her life so she could tell people what happened.

We've also just learned there were young children inside the church when the shooting went down.

I want to go to Evan Perez. He's live in Washington. There's a federal investigation going on as well. Actually we have Nick Valencia, too, in Charleston, South Carolina. So let's head to the ground first.

Hi, Nick, tell us more.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. An active manhunt is underway for this suspect. Police describe him as a 21-year-old, 5'9", a white male, slender built, who arrived at this historic Emanuel Church sometime after 8:00 p.m. while a bible study was in session. Officials also tell me that there was planning underway for an upcoming conference that was supposed to be held at this historic church.

What police say -- according to what they say at a press conference, this individual showed up just after 8:00. That shooting happened after he was said to have sat down with this bible study group for an hour before he carried out this massacre. The first calls came into police just after 9:00 p.m. of this mass shooting.

At a press conference held just a short time ago, the police chief talked about the details of what they know right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLICE CHIEF GREGORY MULLEN, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: This tragedy that we're addressing right now is undescribable. No one in this community will ever forget this night. And as a result of that, and because of the pain and because of the hurt that this individual has caused this community, this entire community, the law enforcement agencies that are working on this are committed and we will catch this individual.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: New details just into CNN in the last hour about exactly who was inside that Emanuel Church. We're told by state Senator Larry Grooms that 13 people were there when the bible study was ongoing. That's including the shooter. The victims, three men, six women. Three survivors from this unspeakable, unfathomable tragedy here in downtown Charleston. The community still wrapping its mind around this. Local, regional

and federal authorities are all part of this manhunt. A very active scene right here in downtown Charleston as they look for this suspect -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Thanks so much. We'll get back to you shortly, Nick. But as I said, we have Evan Perez, our justice correspondent on the phone right now because there is a federal investigation going on as well.

What can you tell us, Evan?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via phone): That's right, Carol. We've searched from the Justice Department they've opened a civil rights investigation. This is being done by the U.S. Attorney's Office in South Carolina as well as the FBI and the civil rights division here in Washington.

Obviously there's few facts we know as exactly what went down in the -- inside the Emanuel Church. But police say that the suspect when he opened fire used some racial epithets as he was shooting these victims. So that is probably the reason why this has become very quickly a hate crime investigation. It's not just a mass shooting, but one that is being investigated by the civil rights division and civil rights investigators at the FBI and the Justice Department.

And what this means is that now we're going to have the full weight of the federal law enforcement helping to conduct this manhunt and to try to prosecutor this man if he is caught alive. That means that the FBI, the Marshals, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and explosives are all on the scene. They're sending resources down from Washington to try to help local police and state police hunt him down.

COSTELLO: All right. Evan Perez, out justice reporter, remain on the case. I'll get back to you when you get new information. Thank you so much.

Among the dead the pastor at the Emanuel AME Church, Clementa Pinckney. He was a man with a booming voice but a gentle message. He preached peace. When I say his mission was to serve, I mean that. Not only was Pinckney a pastor, but he was a state lawmaker, too. He recently backed a bill to make body cameras mandatory for all police officers in South Carolina in light of Walter Scott's death.

You may remember Scott was shot in the back by a North Charleston police officer as he fled a traffic stop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLEMENTA PINCKNEY, PASTOR, EMANUEL AME CHURCH: We need a better, more comprehensive and fair tax system. But most importantly, every person in South Carolina needs to know that they will have equal protection under the law and that a badge and a gun does not give someone superiority or will trump their constitutionally protected privileges and rights here in South Carolina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But now that state senator among the dead inside that church. That officer, by the way, that he was speaking of has now been indicted for murder.

With me now, South Carolina State Senator Marlon Kimpson, he's on the phone.

Welcome, sir.

MARLON KIMPSON, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE SENATOR: Thank you for having me.

COSTELLO: I'm just so sorry. I know you just talked with Pastor Pinckney yesterday. I just can't imagine how you're feeling today.

KIMPSON: Well, it's quite frankly a feeling of disbelief. Yesterday I had a very long conversation with Senator Pinckney early afternoon about some legislation that we needed to work on together. He let me know that even though we had a budget debate going on in the general assembly yesterday, he would have to leave early because it was imperative that he attend a church meeting.

And that shows you the measure of a man who was not only committed to his Senate work by day, but also he was committed to his church 24/7. He drove two hours to be there with his parishioners and guide them through the organizational planning that they were doing for an upcoming AME conference and then stayed for bible study. It's a sad day in South Carolina. We've lost a giant and a legend of a man.

COSTELLO: You've been at the command center all night long. What have you been -- what have you been hearing from witnesses?

KIMPSON: Well, as you correctly note, I was at the 911 command center. And I can tell you that there were calls coming in mostly to report activity on the ground there in the aftermath of the shooting. Many were calling inquiring about what they could do to help. Shortly after midnight, the police began to gather evidence from the video surveillance cameras at the church. And I think you've seen those photos manifested on today's shows, flashed across the nation.

[09:10:05] And so we have a host as the interviewer earlier noted, a host of federal authorities, all of the state resources, SLED, the city of Charleston, the city of North Charleston, the county, we are all working together to bring this thug to justice. We must focus our efforts on apprehending this criminal so that he can be -- let justice take its course and be prosecuted for this very horrific crime.

COSTELLO: Senator -- Senator, did you hear from this woman who says that this gunman allowed her to live so she could tell the story of what happened inside that church?

KIMPSON: I have not. I've only heard of that from the reporting today. So I have no knowledge of what she said. But if true, that is even more evidence of this demented state of mind by this thug. And we want to bring him to justice. COSTELLO: Police are calling it a hate crime. You know, we all like

to make sense of senseless things, so I'll just ask you the question. Why did this happen?

KIMPSON: Well, I can't answer that question. I'd be speculating. I will say I think it was correctly labeled a hate crime, regardless of the race of the victims or the race of the shooter. Anyone who would murder a person in a church or anywhere else for that matter is filled with hate. But in the way and in the manner that this execution was done, it is very, very disturbing, and I know that in the state of South Carolina we've never witnessed anything like this before.

And this city is going to take some time -- it's going to take some time to heal. We just recently got over the law enforcement officer shooting here in the Charleston County. And the people of Charleston were resilient, largely led by the family of the victim, Mr. Walter Scott. But the people were resilient. They were patient. They worked with law enforcement authorities.

And we will do the same here. But most importantly, we have to make sure that after the grieving we are serious about addressing guns in this nation and in this state. And we need to examine our gun laws to make sure that we don't have unnecessary guns on the streets and that we pass tougher penalties for those who break the law.

And I think if anything can come out of this just as we responded in the horrific event of the law officer shooting of Walter Scott, a citizen, this city, this county will respond with legislative and community action.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, it's interesting. There have been more than one person tweeting this morning that pastors should be armed inside their churches and that perhaps could have prevented this situation. Your thoughts?

KIMPSON: Well, you know, I've never really given much thought to members carrying guns in a church. As you know, we passed a law recently last year in the general assembly to allow people to carry firearms in restaurants. And so I guess the talk is if we can have school resources officers who protect students, which is unimaginable but very real in this danger, we can have deacons carrying guns.

I am unsettled about the discussion of carrying guns in church. I don't think that is the will of God. We need to meet hate with love and despair with hope and minister to the souls of our citizens. If anything, we need to get the guns off the street and pass tougher gun laws in this state and send a message to the rest of the nation that hate will not be tolerated and the world is watching for South Carolina to respond.

And I want to applaud the law enforcement officials who have really, really worked together so far. We need as a community to support them and help them apprehend this criminal.

COSTELLO: All right. Senator Marlon Kimpson, I thank you for your insight this morning and your thoughts about your friend. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: New and terrible details coming out about that terrible shooting inside the Emanuel AME Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Nine people died. It is a scene, one died on the way to the hospital. Police are looking for one man, one shooter, a young man, 21 years old, a white man.

[09:20:04] Police are also calling this a hate crime. As I said, new details coming out and they're terrible.

This from the NAACP president in Charleston, she said that the gunman told one of the people inside the church, a woman, that he would allow her to live so that she could tell the tale. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOT SCOTT, NAACP PRESIDENT, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA (via telephone): Over a does times last night it was said that this victim, who was not shot but was there, her life was spared because the shooter said, I am not going to shoot you, or I'm going to let you go because I want you to be able to tell them what happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Awful, right? So, for more on the suspect, on the manhunt, I want to bring in Jonathan Gilliam. He has previously worked as an FBI special agent, the federal air marshal, and served as a Navy SEAL.

Welcome.

JONATHAN GILLIAM, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Thank you.

COSTELLO: First of all, what do you make of this detail that supposedly this gunman allowed people to live so that she could tell everybody what he did?

GILLIAM: Well, hopefully, you know, that he -- thank the Lord that he spared her, but hopefully, that will be the downfall for him. You know, I'm glad that he allowed her to live and I hope that turns around and evidence comes out of that that directly affects this.

COSTELLO: It's just mind boggling. Supposedly, he went inside this church and sat for an hour while people prayed. Nine people killed, six of them women, three of them men. It just seems like what a coward.

GILLIAM: Yes, that's exact word for it, cowardly. I mean, there's probably some insanity here as well. Anyone who does this is not right. That's for sure.

But it's a cowardly act to walk into a church where people are praying. These are obviously pillars of the community because they're on a Wednesday night, in a prayer service, not hurting anybody. And for this individual to walk in is just a cowardly act. My prayers go out to all law enforcement right now. And that area, as

we were discussing offline, you know, the community after the shooting in South Carolina with the officer, the community and the law enforcement came together. They're the perfect example of how these things should be handled. And I wanted to continue to see that now.

If those two rally together, the community and law enforcement, they will catch this guy.

COSTELLO: Well, seemingly, they certainly are.

So, let's talk about the police manhunt.

GILLIAM: Sure.

COSTELLO: Because they released pictures of the suspect, a lot of pictures. And they're asking for the public's help. So, let's put up our first close up shot, shall we? And then we'll ask about this.

So, we were wondering, is that something on the suspect's nose? Is he wearing a wig? What do you make of this shot of the pictures released by police?

GILLIAM: I don't know, because these -- I tell you, I've dealt with cameras like this before. When you pull the camera tape and then you go through it and make pictures out of it, a lot of stuff gets lost. I can't really tell what's on his nose. It could be a shadow. It could be light.

But that hair to me, you know, I'd be going out on the limb here saying it, but that looks like a wig almost to me. So, I wouldn't doubt very seriously if this guy has concealed the way he looks a little bit for reasons to --

COSTELLO: Got you. So, let's go to the next shot. If you could take that banner away, Scotty, I'd appreciate that, because I want to talk about this thing that's hanging down from underneath his sweatshirt. What do you suppose that is?

GILLIAM: Well, I'd like law enforcement to really take notice of this and just for a minute think that that might be body armor. Because lots of body armor without the carrier will have a piece of material that hangs down will either extra body armor can be put in there or it can be tucked into the uniform better.

You can kind of see that his shirt is catching on something. So, you know, my concern is that this individual has body armor. That does not look like a fanny pack. Most fanny packs do not hang down past the groin area that far. That looks like body armor to me.

COSTELLO: Yes, because we thought it was a fanny pack, but there's no strap that goes around his waist that you can discern.

GILLIAM: Right.

COSTELLO: So, we were kind of confused about that. The other thing about this, it appears that he's carrying something. That would be his right shoulder. A backpack? Is that where the weapon might be?

GILLIAM: I would assume he has a backpack with him. It looks like something is on his back, but if he's going to go in, and you know, there were threats of bombs, and that he has firearms. The only other place I could see him having a firearm is potentially on his ankle where one of his pant legs looks like it's kind of drawn up a little bit. And there are ankle holsters. That could potentially be it.

But a lot of times you do see individuals that come in and do mass killings like this, they're going to have a backpack because that's where their carry their weapons and ammunition.

COSTELLO: Right. OK. So, we could take -- do we have a shot of the car? Do we have a shot of the car? OK. So, here's the car. So, we were studying this in the commercial break and it appears he parked right in front of the church.

GILLIAM: He just drove right up and parked. You can actually see the car in the picture where he's reaching for the door.

[09:25:04] I believe that's his car in the background. You know, calm, cool and collected walking in.

Everything that we're seeing with his demeanor and the way he kept this one individual there so that she could tell other people, everything is telling me -- premeditated, thought out and very calm cool and collected. That's somebody who knew what they were going to do. Even though he sat in the church for a while, he knew what he was going to do the entire time.

COSTELLO: Yet, he didn't bother to discover his face. And police mentioned this distinctive front license plate. I can't really see what exactly is on that because it's blurry. But he didn't bother to obscure that either.

GILLIAM: Right. Well, let's hope that this individual, as crazy as this person or insane this person may seem, that they continue to expose themselves so that they can get caught. I mean, we've seen what happened in upstate New York where people can just disappear. And I hope this is not the case in this environment.

The good thing about -- you know, I come from the South where it's smaller towns, is that it's very ease t easy to notice when something is not normal there. If people see somebody acting odd, somebody that doesn't belong in that area, notify authorities immediately. Don't approach this individual, and let's get him off the street.

COSTELLO: Jonathan Gilliam, thanks so much. I appreciate it.

GILLIAM: You got it.

COSTELLO: I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)