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Washington Navy Yard on Lockdown. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired July 02, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00] REP. HENRY CUELLAR (D), TEXAS: Make sure that we take all precautions. But it's unfortunately the new era that we live. You know, we're going to see situations like this. We've got to prevent as much as we can. But it's - you know, it's those type of situations that we've been seeing lately.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Congressman, I mean, is this the type of - we're looking at a massive response as far as the eye can see down the street that we're looking at. There are police cars, there are ambulances. Is this the kind of response that would be called if there was just a phone call in with a threat, or does this tell you that because the Navy Yard is on lockdown and there's a shelter in place directive, that they did hear something more?

CUELLAR: Well, you know, I don't think just a simple phone call is going to get that unless they have a little bit more than that. Again, I'd rather have this type of response than just say, oh, you know, somebody's crying wolf and we don't react. So, I mean, that just shows that our men and women are reacting to situations, again, might be false, it might be - it might not be true, but, again, I'd rather have them react the way they're reacting just in case.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Congressman, we're getting word right now that Pennsylvania Avenue, in front of the White House, Lafayette Park, right next to the White House, they are right now closed to tourists. Our White House correspondent Jim Acosta is telling us he's seen stepped up security around the White House at this time. You have to imagine that is standard operating procedure whenever there is a security threat being investigated in the Washington, D.C., area right now. All we know right now is there is a threat being investigated. Reports of shooting in the Navy Yard. The Navy right now asserting there are no confirmed reports of a shooting as of now, but they are investigating.

Congressmen, I wonder if you could talk about what lessons have been learned since the shooting there two years ago. Again, a dozen people were killed right on that scene where we're looking at live pictures right now. The security presence is huge. The issue following that was security clearance, contractors who were perhaps let on the ground there of a military facility without being screened as thoroughly as they should be.

CUELLAR: Well, you know, certainly we've seen that it's not only the folks, the terrorists, the folks that might commit this type of situations, but sometimes it's even folks that we have cleared and maybe not properly vetted and continuously vetted on this, or sometimes it might be a mental illness. But that - this just shows you that when somebody wants to cause harm, all they have to do is just, you know, make it right one time, just get through one time.

For law enforcement or for the folks that have to security it, they have to be right 100 percent of the time. They just have to - it's a harder job, but that shows you, you know, the good work that our men and women are doing. That shows you also the difficulty that they have. And this shows you also the role that our citizens play by -- they see something suspicious, they have to report it. And we all have to be part of, you know, this type of vigilance to make sure that we provide the eyes and ears if we see something.

BERMAN: (INAUDIBLE) of Texas. We're looking at that vigilance right now on the streets. A huge police presence reporting to - responding to reports of an active shooter at the Naval Yard. The Navy now says those reports, as of now, unconfirmed.

Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we want to turn to somebody who actually was right inside when all of this went down. We have Lieutenant Commander Scott Williams with the U.S. Navy with us live right now.

Sir, please tell us, what went on? What did you hear? What happened?

LT. COMDR. SCOTT WILLIAMS, U.S. NAVY: Well, actually it was like any other morning. And a colleague of mine, Jordan Rogers (ph), he came over just to talk to me. And about that time, we just heard someone yell, get out of the building, stay away from the cafeteria. And because he and I had both been here in September of 2013 when the first shooting went down, you know, we took shelter right in our boss's office, actually, and pretty much blockaded ourselves in there. And that was the last we heard of anything. Unlike last time, you know, we didn't hear any gunshots or anything like that when things first went down.

PEREIRA: So, again, you did not hear gunshots but you heard someone shout out to get a - stay away from the cafeteria. Was there a rush, was there a hustle, was there a struggle, did you see anything visually that pointed to trouble?

WILLIAMS: No. So we didn't see any struggling or anything like that, it's just - we heard someone - we heard someone scream, get out of the building, stay away from the cafeteria, and we saw everyone running for the exits or, you know, or adjoining offices and just, you know, there - we weren't near an exit so we - you know, there was - there - there was no time to try to get to an exit, so we just sheltered in the office and that was the last we saw. But there was no struggle or anything like that, just everyone running to either get out - get to an exit or -

PEREIRA: Did anyone -

[08:35:04] WILLIAMS: Go ahead.

PEREIRA: Was there any mention of a weapon?

WILLIAMS: No, not - not from what we could hear. There was no mention of a - of a gunshot near the cafeteria or anything like that. No mention of anything like that. Just get out of the building, stay away from the cafeteria and then that's when we took shelter.

PEREIRA: OK, so you take shelter. What happened then? Did you - did law enforcement respond immediately?

WILLIAMS: Actually, absolutely. I thought the response from law enforcement was great. I mean obviously within minutes we saw police cars driving up. We could see outside the window police cars driving up. And then we were out - we were out at - we were out of the building within half an hour of when we took shelter, you know, so the police response, I thought, you know, from the first time - I thought the police response was great. They got us out of there and they got us out of there safe.

PEREIRA: So they escorted you out of the building. Did they have guns drawn? Set the stage for us there.

WILLIAMS: They - they were definitely - they were definitely in a defensive posture, where they had their weapons drawn and they were - you know, they were making us identify ourselves in the rooms and stuff like that. And, you know - you know, so they were - they were - there definitely was something going on, but nothing that we could see. I mean we --- we were staying low to the ground as they were escorting us out with our hands up. So there wasn't, you know, there wasn't much we could see, but they were definitely, you know, there was definitely something going on. They were definitely in a defensive posture in case something was going to happen.

PEREIRA: Commander Williams, again, you were there in 2013. Correct me if I'm wrong, is this the same building that that shooting happened in, building 197?

WILLIAMS: Yes, it is. Yes, it is, unfortunately.

PEREIRA: What is happening there right now?

WILLIAMS: Pretty much - when I look behind me, pretty much a mirror image of what it was back in 2013. I mean it's almost identical and brings back a lot of painful memories. So, you know, it's - it's kind of hard.

PEREIRA: Well, and I can imagine that is, sir. I mean I think so many of us are sort of struggling with the fact that this is the same building, it's the Navy Yard, it's an active shooter potentially on the Navy Yard premises there. Have you noticed there has been a lot of change since that happened in 2013 in procedures and protocols surrounding security on the base?

WILLIAMS: Absolutely. I mean we do - we're doing drills now, active shooter drills. And I will say that based on the police response, it's obvious that they were - they - that they've been practicing coordination between the different agencies and that they really knew what they were doing. You know, I mean, they had great - they had great communication and I - you could definitely tell that things have changed since the last shooting.

PEREIRA: Lieutenant Commander Scott Williams again telling us that he and other colleagues heard someone say, stay away, get out of the cafeteria, get out of the building, but not saying they heard gunshots nor saw a gun. He is now in a safe place while law enforcement, Alisyn, investigates what went on here.

CAMEROTA: OK, we want to bring in Pamela Brown. She's our justice correspondent. You have some new reporting to share.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: So we're learning a little bit more about what initially elicited this response. Apparently there was a phone call placed to 911. Someone said that there was a shooting on the second floor of one of the building on the Navy Yard. And so immediately, you know, authorities were dispatched. MPD, park police, ATF and FBI were also made aware and the active shooter protocol was immediately activated. This is a place where we've seen an active shooter situation before, so police didn't want to take any - any risks here.

They have searched the building, we're told. MPD has searched that building. So far we're being told nothing has been found and no one has been shot.

CAMEROTA: Building 197?

BROWN: We believe building 197 where the previous shooting happened. So, building 197, and we know they - they have gone through that building going room to room. So far, though, they have not found anything. No one has been shot. But I can just tell you, given the history of the Navy Yard, given the fact that we're right around the 4th of July holiday, now as we've been talking about, the threat level is significantly high. Authorities don't want to take any chances here and so they - they want to, you know, bring out everything they can to ensure that it's a safe situation. The scene, obviously, as we see, hasn't been cleared yet, so it's still an active situation as far as them searching, going room to room. But right now we're being told nothing has been found and this apparently began with a phone call placed to 911.

PEREIRA: But that person, were they able to ascertain if that call came from on the base?

BROWN: We're not sure yet. You know, I mean it's difficult immediately to know where the call is coming from. We saw that with the bomb threats that were recently called in against airplanes and against the White House Press Briefing Room and the U.S. Capitol. It - authorities didn't immediately know where this call was coming from. Again, they determined that was a hoax. We haven't been able to determine that in this case, you know, because authorities just aren't ready to come to any sort of conclusion as they try to figure out why that phone call was made, is there actually a situation. But so far we're being told no one has been shot, nothing has been found. [08:40:13] BERMAN: All right, and you're looking, though, at the

enormous security response. The protocol being followed right now to this report of an active shooter. Again, an unconfirmed report and they are investigating. They've found no sign yet of an active shooter, no sign of injuries, no signs of any shots fired as of now. But again, an enormous police presence around the Washington Navy Yard right now.

And the response is being felt beyond just the Navy Yard, all over the city of Washington. I want to go to the White House, bring in CNN's Jim Acosta, because, Jim, precautions are being taken right around where you are right now.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. Let me just show you what we're talking about here. Pennsylvania Avenue, which is a pedestrian plaza basically in front of the White House North Lawn, and Lafayette Park, they've both been shut down right now as a precautionary measure we're told by a law enforcement official. This is standard when something like this happens, this incident that's under investigation over at the Navy Yard. And we - from what we understand from talking to this law enforcement official, there is nothing, you know, to be worried about over here at the White House. They're not investigating something over here. But as a standard precautionary measure, they have shut this area down to traffic.

You're going to see people walking behind me. Those are White House officials, hard pass holders as we call them here at the White House, people who have press passes and so forth, they can get into this area. But right now, John, tourists cannot get into this area in front of the White House. And as you know with the 4th of July coming up this weekend, this is a very big tourist destination.

But for the moment, all we're seeing right now in front of the White House, police activity, that sort of thing. Yellow tape being drawn on both 17th Street and 15th Street. Those are the two perpendicular routes to Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. All of that has been shut down right now as a result of this investigation at the Navy Yard.

John.

BERMAN: Washington very much on alert right now based on these reports. Again, unconfirmed of an active shooter at the Naval Yard. The Navy tells us they're investigating but they've found no information as of now to verify that anything is going on.

Jim Acosta at the White House, thanks so much.

PEREIRA: Obviously we're going to stay on this story. CNN will stay on the fact that there is - reports of an active shooter at the Navy Yard. We know it's on lockdown and people are being told to shelter in place. A huge law enforcement presence there. We'll have more breaking news ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [08:46:02] CAMEROTA: We are following breaking news for you. This is the scene outside the U.S. Navy Yard. As you can see, a massive police presence because at about 7:40 this morning -- this according to "The Washington Post" -- a 911 call came in saying there was a shooter inside the Navy Yard. At that point, the active shooter protocol went into place at the U.S. Navy Yard. Though there was no confirmation, still, they have security measures and what they did was tell everyone to be on lockdown and to shelter in place. What the 911 call claimed was that there was a shooter on the second floor.

Our justice correspondent has now told us that many buildings there have been searched, including building 197. That is significant because that was the scene of the shooting there that turned out to be a massacre in which 12 people were killed back in 2013. Reportedly, all those buildings have been searched and nothing has been found. However, as you can see, they are not clearing the scene yet. There are still police inside and they are still searching.

We want to bring in right now an eyewitness who watched all of this unfold this morning. His name is Jordan Rongers. Jordan, can you hear us?

JORDAN RONGERS, NAVAL ARCHITECT: Yes, I can hear you.

CAMEROTA: Jordan, tell us where you were this morning and what happened.

RONGERS: I was on the second floor this morning talking with my colleague, Lieutenant Commander Williams. We had just gotten back from travel. And at about 7:30, 7:40, someone came up on the floor yelling to get out of the building, stay away from the cafeteria. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that we've gone through this. Scott and I ran to the nearest office, locked ourselves in. After about half an hour, police came and got us. It was pretty much the same thing as happened a couple years ago. I think the response has been a lot better so far.

CAMEROTA: Jordan, we have a picture right now of you evacuating with your colleagues there. You have your hands up. What were you told when you were leaving the building?

RONGERS: I think it's pretty standard protocol to keep your hands up, don't make any sudden movements, stay close to the person in front of you. Obviously, I think in any situation, they're not sure who it is that might be around. And you just follow directions of the police and law enforcement around us as they lead us out of the building.

CAMEROTA: Jordan, when you say that it was about 7:30 or 7:40 and someone was yelling to you stay away from the cafeteria, you know, take cover, who was yelling that?

RONGERS: I'm not sure who she was. It was a woman, I assume, that's in our office or at least on our floor. But I didn't get a chance to see her. (INAUDIBLE) She started running.

CAMEROTA: Before that warning from the woman, did you hear any gunshots?

RONGERS: No, I did not.

CAMEROTA: You didn't hear gunshots throughout this entire -- all while you were sheltering in place for 30 minutes either?

RONGERS: No, no. We didn't hear any gunshots.

CAMEROTA: You said, unfortunately, you've lived through this before and you mean what happened in 2013. What was the situation that day?

RONGERS: The situation that day was pretty similar to today and how everybody reacted. You know, unfortunately, I was on the third floor, pretty near where a lot of the action went down. I spent a couple more hours in the office with my coworkers, once again, locked in a room. The evacuation was the same. It just took a while longer. I think the training, obviously, shows that everyone's been going through since then. Didn't take us that long to get out of the building this time.

CAMEROTA: What a traumatic deja vu for you to have to live through again. What has changed since 2013? How has your life inside the Navy Yard changed in terms of security that you have to go through?

[08:50:04] RONGERS: I think the command has done a much better job as far as, you know, the level of security that's on the base. I think that the -- all the civilian and military workers are much better trained as far as what we're supposed to do. Everyone is, of course, more vigilant. Nobody wants something like this to happen again. I think probably a lot of people were able to run for the exits. And those that weren't, had offices that they were able to go and lock themselves into.

CAMEROTA: Jordan, is it your impression that everyone, all of the workers like yourself, civilian and otherwise, that they are now out of the Navy Yard at this hour?

RONGERS: It's a big building with a lot of office spaces. I think that there are definitely some people that are still inside. I know a couple of my friends that I've chatted with since this morning told me that they're still in their rooms waiting to get out.

CAMEROTA: Is that right? What are they telling you?

RONGERS: They're not really saying much either. I don't think there's much to hear. I haven't heard anything about shots fired or anything like that. They're just waiting to get out.

CAMEROTA: How many people work, do you know, inside the U.S. Navy Yard on any given morning?

RONGERS: The Navy Yard itself, I'm not sure. I know in building 197 it's probably a few thousand.

CAMEROTA: Jordan, this is -- How scary for you, just watching, again, you having to evacuate. What have you been told now that you're outside? Who is coordinating and telling all of you who have been evacuated what to do now?

RONGERS: We have local coordination from our program manager, our captain. He's been e-mailing everybody, getting the muster, making sure that everybody's outside and safe or at least accounted for, whether they're at home or not. We have a general e-mail system that gives us warnings whether we should shelter in place, whether it's okay to not do that anymore. And we haven't really gotten any specific information as to what the issue has been on the yard.

CAMEROTA: And last, Jordan, when you were told to shelter in place and when you were doing that for half an hour, what was going through your head this morning?

RONGERS: I mean, it was a similar feeling to last time, kind of a not again sort of thing. We tried to make ourselves as prepared as possible, barricaded the door, look for anything we could use as a weapon in case someone tried to come in. I think we found a hammer and a screwdriver. You know, you think about what you would do if someone were to actually come into your office, which is not a good thought. But unfortunately, we were forced to be in that situation.

CAMEROTA: Jordan Rongers, thanks for sharing what's going on inside there. You've given us a lot of good information. Thanks so much and take care of yourself. We know this has been a hard morning.

BERMAN: You're looking at a live picture right now. The security presence around the Washington Navy Yard right now. Helicopter flying overhead, huge police response, huge law enforcement response, not just there at the Navy Yard, but across the city as well. They're responding to what was a phone call, a report of an active shooter at the Navy Yard. The Navy Yard went on lockdown. People initially told to shelter in place there. You can see the law enforcement presence. Some buildings have been searched. No evidence of shots fired as of now. That's what's going on in Washington.

Here in New York, our Pamela Brown is with us who has been working the phones nonstop and you just got some new information.

BROWN: Yeah, so our new information is that we know right now MPD is still searching, they're going through hallways, bathrooms, stairwells, every room. They've gone to the second floor, the third floor, fourth floor and fifth floor and so far have not found any evidence of a shooting. No one has been shot that they have found thus far. But again, we see right here, the scene has not been cleared. So there has not been a determination that has been made.

What we know is this all started with a 911 call that acme in this morning. Someone called and said that there was a shooting on the second floor of building 197, which, as we've been talking about, is the same building where the Navy Yard shooting happened a couple of years ago where 12 people were shot and killed. So immediately, the MPD, park police, FBI, ATF, all of these different law enforcement agencies converged on the area. They have taken this very seriously.

But my colleague Evan Perez is on the ground there and he's been speaking to several people who were there in 2013 who heard gun shots during that situation. And he says those same people are telling him that they didn't hear any gunshots this time around, which I think is a piece of the puzzle here.

BERMAN: It is. And we've spoken to a few witnesses there. No one we've spoken to here says they've heard shots fired -

PEREIRA: Or seen a weapon.

BERMAN: Or seen a weapon. None of our reporters, including Evan, Jeff Zeleny, have heard shots fired as well. Pamela, stand by for one second. Our Jeff Zeleny is at the scene right now near the Washington Naval Yard. Jeff, what are you seeing right now?

[08:55:01] JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well John, just about the same. I mean, you can still see a massive police presence. It's not really grown over the last hour or so, but it certainly has not diminished either. They are still inside focusing on exactly what happened. The witnesses we are talking to, no one so far who I've spoken to or Evan Perez has spoken to have heard any reports of actual shots fired inside. That's not to say that there weren't, but we have not heard any reports of that or anyone who has actually heard or saw it with their own eyes here. So the police inside are still trying to determine what is going on.

Now, one of the workers I talked to said this is such a large facility, they are perhaps going room by room by room, sort of door to door to door to figure out what's going on inside. They may have located the person who actually called 911. One report is saying that they know who called 911. But we are still trying to determine what is happening inside.

I can tell you, John, this is more of a calm situation out here than you would see if there was some type of a mass trauma inside. It does not feel like that at all to me. I've covered shootings in shopping malls and other things across the country. This does not feel like that. But people are on edge, on high alert here and the police presence is certainly not diminishing. John.

PEREIRA: Yeah, I'll take it here, Jeff. And in fact, that's a very important point. You said they want to talk to the person who made that 911 call telling authorities there was an active shooter on the Navy Yard. We're working to break out those details and find out what's going on. We know that the Naval Yard is on lockdown and people are being told to shelter in place.

"NEWSROOM" will pick up our breaking news right after the break. Poppy Harlow is in for Carol Costello.

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