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Shooting at Louisiana Movie Theater; Shooting Similar to Aurora Movie Shooting; U.S./Turkey Close to Agreement for Base Access; John Kerry Grilled on Capitol Hill While Defending Iran Nuclear Deal; Obama On His Way to Kenya; Kenya Struggles to Cope with Growing Terror Threat. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 23, 2015 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:13] LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to us in is U.S. and from around the world. We continue following the breaking news story of a shooting rampage in Louisiana.

I'm Lynda Kinkade.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm George Howell.

The shooting took place inside a movie theater. It happened around 7:30 central time, 8:30 eastern time in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana, near New Orleans.

KINKADE: Two people were killed and then the shooter turned the gun on himself. Others remain in the hospital in critical condition. They say a teacher helped save some of the lives by pulling the fire alarm when the bullets began to fly.

HOWELL: Some great acts of heroism. We will hear more about that in the newscast.

Police say the shooter is a 58-year-old white male. They believe he acted he alone, apparently shooting people at random inside that theater. There are multiple agencies, including the FBI. They are all on the scene and the bomb squad checked the suspect's vehicle. They detonated what they believe was a suspicious package in that vehicle.

One witness described the screams that she heard coming from inside after the shooting. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WITNESS: Whenever a whole bunch of girls started screaming, I came out of the movie theater saying that someone got shot.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And of that, what did you do?

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: We didn't know he what happened yet. So then we -- the guards came and told everybody to get out so we ran outside. Then a lady right there was under a dress and there was blood everywhere. That's when we realized what was going on. So we ran here and went inside. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did you see other people running? What did

things look like?

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: A lot of people running over here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: A scary situation for a lot of people in that theater.

For the very latest, on what's happening there, let's bring in Sergeant Brooks David, with the Louisiana State Police, joining us now by phone.

Sergeant, thank you for taking time with us. We know you're very busy tonight, this is an active investigation but what's the latest you can tell us about your investigation at this hour?

SGT. BROOKS DAVID, LOUISIANA STATE POLICE (voice-over): The suspect's vehicle has been cleared. Emergency services unit bomb squad has taken care of that vehicle. They are inside the theater right now, looking at suspicious packages in there. That the canine dog has alerted on. And once they clear that scene which should be a few hours, along with Lafayette Police Department detectives and state police detective will enter that with the coroner and starts to investigate what took place inside.

KINKADE: And last we heard during the pros conference the gunman's body and the victims, two of the victims, bodies were still inside the theater. Is that the case?

DAVID: Yes, ma'am. Those bodies will not be removed until the coroner gives us the OK to move those. It is a crime scene and an active crime scene. So evidence is still inside there that we need to preserve and make sure this our case is wrapped pretty tight where we can give the family as many answers as we can. Our hearts are just broke tonight and we want to protect the families.

HOWELL: I want to ask about the victims, we understand that from an earlier news conference that one of the victims was released from a hospital, one of the wounded. Can you talk to us just about the latest count when he it comes to the wounded and the difficult task that your teams must make when it comes to these death notifications.

DAVID: Yes, sir. Governor Jindal did go through the hospital to meet with the wounded. And he was actually there when one of the teachers got released from the hospital. He was here with a story of heroism. I'm sure we will hear more of that in days to come, like you said. We're unsure of the count right now or if any more that have been released from the hospital. Investigators are at the hospital speaking with the witnesses and the ones who were wounded.

KINKADE: Now we know you have identified the gunman. We only know that he is a 58-year-old white male. At this stage, I understand you're not releasing the identification of the gunman, is that correct? Or can you give us more information about what you're learning? [02:05:00] DAVID: That's correct. We're not going to release any

information on the suspect yet because we are sending agents out in the field to his residence to speak with his friends, family members, and we don't want them to find out through the media or our officers possibly getting hurt in the process of going to speak to them. He is we're keeping his identity quiet right now and in the next few hours and maybe sometime during the day tomorrow the name should be known.

HOWELL: Sergeant David, just for my own clarification so I can understand, so you're talking about suspicious items inside the theater. Is this similar to what you found in the vehicle? Could there be something active and live inside the theater?

DAVID: Well we want to take precaution and public safety is our number one priority. There was pack back in there that the dogs alerted to and some other items, small items. We want to make sure that those items are safe and that emergency personnel, when they do go into that, they are safe.

HOWELL: And one other question, sir, when it came it that vehicle and the fact that you detonated something in there, what can you tell us about that something? Do you have any information there?

DAVID: No, I do not. Our emergency service technicians, our bomb squad, they are now inside the theater. So I haven't been able to speak with them yet in reference to the package that was in the car.

KINKADE: Have police yet made it to the gunman's residence, his apartment or his house? And are there concerns that that could be booby trapped?

DAVID: Well, it's always a possibility. And that's why we don't want to release any names yet. Hopefully when our agents get there, they will be able to clear that scene and speak with family members and friends and find out more about this person and find out why he would have done something to tragic.

HOWELL: Sergeant David, one other thought comes to mind. I know that you, early on, made the point that this was a movie patron. So we are assuming this is a person who went to the movie theater, bought a ticket, went into the theater, and sat down. Is that what you're thinking and what can you make from that?

DAVID: That's correct. Everything shows that he was watching the movie and then opened fire. And there are reports of him being outside. But all details that we know of right now show him in one theater. There are 16 different movie theaters in this building. He was in one theater and did not leave and went into the other.

HOWELL: It is too early to speculate on premeditation. But it reminds me of the person in Charleston where you have a person that went into a waited.

KINKADE: Just give us an update on the scene. How many officers, federal, state, local. Are people still milling about or have a lot of people gone home now? DAVID: A lot of people have gone home. We have a hundred law

enforcement officers here. Probably still the same about from local, state and federal. A lot of the witnesses had come out to watch, have gone home. And obviously we have a large media presence.

KINKADE: OK. We will leave it there for now.

Sergeant Brooks David, we really appreciate you joining us tonight. Thank you very much for your time.

HOWELL: Many people who were evacuated from that theater described hearing gunshot after gunshot.

KINKADE: One witness who took off running when the alarm sounded spoke earlier and talked about seeing people who were wounded and bleeding outside that building. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: We heard people screaming in the theater before the alarm and we didn't know what was going on. And we had a weapon to protect ourselves and so she took off and said, I can't deal with this, I'm leaving. So I sat done and went to see if I could hear or see anything and I could hear people screaming. So then the alarm went off. We took off running outside. As I'm running outside, I'm seeing people bleeding on the leg. Shot. And I was just like, wow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:09:58] KINKADE: The movie shown during the shooting was "Trainwreck", the comedy, starring Amy Schumer. She took to Twitter and wrote this.

HOWELL: She wrote, quote, "My heart is broken and my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana."

This shooting in Louisiana is nearly three years to the date when there was a deadly shooting in Colorado.

KINKADE: A gunman opened fire at a crowded screening of the batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises", one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. History.

HOWELL: And just week ago, a jury found James Holmes guilty of multiple counts of first degree murder in that massacre. The sentencing phase of his trial began this week and is expected to last just about a month.

KINKADE: U.S. President Barack Obama admitted that the most frustrating part of his presidency has been the failure to tackle gun control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The one area where I feel that I've been most frustrated and most stymied is the fact that the United States of America is the one advanced nation on earth in which we do not have sufficient common-sense gun safety laws. Even in the face of repeated mass killings and if you look at the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism, it is less than 100. If you look at the number that have been killed by gun violence, it is in the tens of thousands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Still to come, President Obama is flying to Kenya at this hour, an historic trip to the country where his father was born.

HOWELL: Coming up, a live report about his visit. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:15:56] KINKADE: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade and you're watching CNN.

We return now to the breaking news from Lafayette, Louisiana, where three people are dead after a shooting inside a movie theater. Police say the gunman killed himself after opening fire at random during a showing of the movie "Trainwreck." At least seven people are wounded.

HOWELL: Investigators aren't releasing the name of the shooter but they say he has a criminal history that dates back several years.

We spoke earlier with reporter, Lanie Lee Cook, who is at the scene. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LANIE LEE COOK, REPORTER, ACADIANA ADVOCATE (voice-over): Three are dead, including the gunman. Nine people are injured. In a press conference that just concluded with Governor Jindal, the local police, one of the victims is in critical condition and undergoing surgery. Other than that police are still processing the scene. They found the shooter's car and found a suspicious package within. They will soon be detonating that. They escorted the media away from the scene. Other than that, we have no new information.

HOWELL: And we heard that you know, the officers, we might hear something around that car and given what people heard obviously earlier in the day about the movie theater, I'm sure people are jittery. But officers did say we could hear some detonation near that car as we tried to determine the nature of the suspicious package. If you could also just tell us, you know, what's the situation right now with people who did manage to get out. Do you see people there talking to officers? You understand they will be talking to at left a hundred people, the witnesses.

LEE COOK: Correct. People are still here inside the theater from what we understand. We don't know how many people are at the theater. A lot of people at the hospital. I did talk to some people who are in an adjacent theater. One of the teachers, according to the authorities, the teacher pulled the fire alarm after she had just been saved by her friend who jumped in front of her to stop the bull fret from hitting her.

HOWELL: Right.

LEE COOK: A very remarkable story. She pulled the fire alarm and everyone walked out of the theater. I talked to two men who say when they walked out they saw a woman on the ground covered in blood. The police interviewed them. They interviewed everyone on the scene at the time and I believe they are still conducting interviews right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: And we will continue. We have more developments into the investigation into that shooting.

And now to other news. And U.S. President Barack Obama is on his way to a country eager to welcome home their son. Mr. Obama is flying at this hour to Kenya, his father's homeland, where he still has family. He will be speaking at the global entrepreneurship summit. Though he has visited the region several times before, this is his first trip there as president.

Fro more, Robyn Kriel joins us from Ethiopia where the president will be traveling to after his first stop in Nairobi.

Let's first talk about the Kenya trip. We know he traveled there a couple decades there to learn more about his heritage. Can you just give us a sense of the affection the people of Kenya have for the U.S. President?

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just a few days ago, it was exciting on the streets of Nairobi. People were selling t-shirts, spray painting mini bus taxis as well as paintings going up all over the city, murals of President Barack Obama. Everyone is cashing in on the Obama mania that will hit Kenya. People feel he is part Kenyan. They are proud of what they say, he is the most powerful man in the world. They named cocktails after him. I believe one Obamatini, from one bar, a martini with a twist. People writing songs about it. As well as tremendous excitement ahead of the prospects of his visit, global entrepreneurship and hailing a real new step for Kenyans in terms of prosperity, trade and the economy, which has been one of the most powerful economies in east Africa.

[02:20:26] KINKADE: The Obamatini sounds like an interesting trip.

Of course, this trip, there are a lot of security concerns, whenever the U.S. president travels. The leaders in both countries will be asking for more support from the U.S. to support the countries in the region. What can you tell us about that?

KRIEL: That's really, Lynda, why they are the linchpins of security in this region. Really hails from the region. So I'm in Ethiopia, the first stop as the first sitting president in history and will also be representing the African union. The African Union is involved in fighting in Somalia in which Kenya and Ethiopia have a number of troops there. Really looking at regional security, tackling extremism together, and how the U.S. can lend a helping hand to the African union, as well as what it can learn on the ground from troops fighting and have been fighting extremism in this region for years, especially here in Ethiopia, where we spoke to an adviser to the government yesterday. He said that the U.S., while they are forcing this new relationship and improved relations with each other, the U.S. can really learn from its regional partners and needs to learn from its regional partners before it can fight regional terror, as it were.

KINKADE: We know that Mr. Obama is talking about the human rights, especially the gay, lesbian and transgender community, but those talks won't be welcome there, will they?

KRIEL: I suppose that depends who you speak to. We is spoke to members of the LBGT community in Kenya because they believe it is hugely important and there was so much excitement surrounding the recent Supreme Court ruling in the United States which allowed guy mar gay marriage. And that is gel foal for many in Kenya who are approving of gay rights and supporters of the LBGT movement. We have heard from as high up as the deputy president saying Obama's gay talk, as they call it, won't be welcome in Kenya. That he shouldn't do it. He spoke about it before on the continent. He spoke out quite strongly. And of course, if asked about it, it is doubtful that president will shy away from an issue that reportedly, according to his national security advisers, he feels very strongly about.

KINKADE: OK. We have to leave it there for now.

Robyn Kriel, in Ethiopia, thank you very much for your reporting. We appreciate it.

Kenya's government is hoping Mr. Obama will announce greater support for counterterrorism as they continue to battle groups like Shabaab. This comes as human rights groups are calling on the president to condemn abuses allegedly carried out by the very same agencies. But it isn't just al Shabaab that causes threats to the region. One family told CNN a few of their own relatives have left the country to join ISIS.

Nima Elbagir has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll not skip from this place.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the first time she's been back to a Greek university when al Shabaab burst into her dorm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was bleeding and my leg was bleeding. I could move at all. And said, oh, now I'm shot.

ELBAGIR: So much is as she remembers it, the padlocked dorm door blocking their escape, metal sheet fencing torn to the ground by government tanks, the bullet holes.

Kenya is still reeling from this outrage by the Somali militant group. As the government battles domestic radicalization and concerns over the shared border, there are global implications. And al Shabaab is no longer the only threat.

(on camera): People here are really scared to talk. One father agreed to tell us his family's story but said he wouldn't appear on camera because he just doesn't trust the government can protect him. He says that his son and nephew both travel to Syria why to join ISIS. The nephew left in 2013 via a sedan and a year later was able to send money back here to the cousin for this man's son, to follow on.

(voice-over): There are no numbers for Kenyan youth joining ISIS but the government is concerned.

MWENDA NJOKA, MINSTER OF INTERIOR SPOKESMAN: It is an issue of concern for the government and an issue that we have special level of community to ensure that we sensitize them.

[02:25:12] ELBAGIR: Many Muslim families say it's not that simple. First, they have it trust the government.

This is surveillance video from a shop in the center of town. It appears to show a 26-year-old sitting behind a cash register. In a video, man grabs him. Jumping over the counter to bind both hands are behind his back. The camera trained on the front of the shop shows the moment he is led away cuffed in broad daylight. His family said this footage is the last time they saw Barry. They believe he was taken by the Kenyan Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, ATPU, suspected of being a terrorist, a charge they deny.

His brother tells us, "I feel a lot of pain. Al Shabaab killed one of my brothers and the government took my younger brother. We don't know where to run."

NJOKA: If people disappear and they believe they could be held by ATPU, report to the police, there are many officers of government who they can report to and action will be taken.

ELBAGIR: As the country prepares for the U.S. president's historic visit, Kenya is hoping are greater cooperation between the two countries. With it comes greater scrutiny.

For this woman, one thing is clear, she refuses to allow what happened here to define her for any longer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At first, leaving this area, I thought I would never and just end here and my dream was shattered. But actually now I think I'm somewhere, I'm heading somewhere. I want to be someone in life.

ELBAGIR: Nima Elbagir, CNN, northern Kenya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Still to come, ISIS takes another hit. Turkey launches airstrikes and militants inside Syria as the U.S. is given the green light to access a key military base inside Turkey.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:40] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. We continue with breaking news out of Louisiana where two people are dead after a gunman opened fire in a movie theater and the gunman also killed himself. So a total of three dead. Here is what we know from police from the city of Lafayette.

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: So the first call came in around 7:30 p.m. local time. The shooter is identified as 58-year-old white male. Seven people are injured and three people are dead including the gunman.

HOWELL: Police say the shooter, as we mentioned, died of a self inflicted gunshot wound. And we are hearing three of the victims at this hour are in critical condition.

One theater-goer spoke to CNN about what she saw last night. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: I was across the hall from the theater the shooter was in.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: And what did you hear?

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: We were just watching movie and the sirens went off and lights came on and we exited through the back door. When we were outside we heard three shots. Not very loud but we heard three shots. We were like, what was that. When we walked around to the front of the theater there was a woman on the front, she had been shot in the leg, I believe. She was bleeding and that's about all we saw.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: This comes almost three years to the day after similar deadly shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. 12 people were killed and 70 other wounded when a gunman opened fire in a crowded screening of the Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises."

HOWELL: Earlier, we talked with our senior media correspondent, Brian Stelter, about reaction to this shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: Obviously, whenever something like this happens at a movie theater, it does affect the industry and creates concern in the industry, questions about security. You were describing Aurora three years ago. It has become one of those atrocities are you just say it with one word, Aurora. It really shocked the conscious of the country three years ago because so many were killed in such a usually happy, you know, entertaining place. I think that is what so unique about a crime that is committed in a movie theater. People go there implicitly believing they are safe enough to sit in a dark theater with strangers to be entertained. To in some cases see violence on the screen but know they are safe there. I think once again, people will in the coming hours and days wonder if they are safe when they go to the movie theater. The short answer is yes. Obviously for the most part when we see crimes like this, they are obviously the exception, not the rule. Certainly in the aftermath of the Aurora massacre, we did not see a big downturn in ticket sales or a dramatic change in people's movie-going habits. There were changes in security in the wake of Aurora and maybe we will hear about that again in the wake of this mass shooting in Louisiana. For example, there were more guards in some cases, more security checks at theaters, but we have not seen a real change in the way movie theaters operate. Many of the security measures that were implemented were implemented quietly. There wasn't a lot of publicity around them. Movie theaters didn't want to publicize them. At the moment, I have a feeling we will see the same reaction to this most recent tragedy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: At this hour investigators are taking inventory of that crime scene. We will of course stay on top of the story and bring you the latest and get you updated as we get any more information about this shooting in a U.S. movie theater.

Just a few hours ago, Turkey's air force bombed ISIS targets in the country of Syria. The Turkish officials say fighter jets hit three ISIS locations in a village one kilometer or less than a mile away from the Turkey/Syria border. This is just a day after militants opened fire on a Turkish unit killing a soldier.

KINKADE: The United States and Turkey are close to getting information about key locations about air strikes involving ISIS. The countries have a final agreement.

And Barbara Starr has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:34:52] BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: U.S. officials say there is a handshake agreement between the United States and Turkey for the U.S. and coalition to have access to bases in Turkey from which they can launch air strikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Key on the list is access to an air base in Turkey. If the deal with be finalized, this would cut down the time essential for U.S. warplanes trying to strike targets in sir why and ISIS strong hold. It would be a much shorter flight time than the current one they have to have from Iraq or the Persian Gulf. The only places that they can fly these lethal missions from into targets in northern Syria. But the deal has to be finalized. Both militaries have to work out the details, how it will happen, what kinds of missions will be flown, whether the U.S. will be able to fly missions in support of the Kurds that that consideration troubles the Turks quite a bit, we are told. So still not a final deal. The ink is not dry on all of this. There could be changes. But if it could be agreed to, there is a significant step forward officials say for the coalition effort against ISIS.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Let's bring in CNN producer, Gul Tuysuz, who is in Istanbul, Turkey, joining us live by phone.

Gul, thank you so much for taking your time to chat with us.

Gul, so the question that many people are asking, and you heard in Barbara Starr's report, that the ink is not yet dry on this potential agreement. But if the United States is able to base within Turkey, how significant is that change in the fight against ISIS?

GUL TUYSUZ, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Turkey is a very geographically important place for the fight against ISIS. But Turkey itself has been having to deal with ISIS terror in its own country as well. And we saw a reaction from the Turkish military just recently, just hours ago, Turkish fighter jets took off from a southeastern Turkish air base and hit ISIS targets inside Syria, taking out three ISIS targets. Two of them ISIS bases. And one place that's been described as a gathering place for ISIS ammunition. The operation is concluded but Turkish officials are not ruling out the possibility that they will carry out more targeted attacks against is. So they are saying that they're committed to preserving Turkey's national security interests there. And Turkey targeting ISIS inside Syria comes just a day after is militants opened up fire on a border patrol unit on the Turkish Syrian border killing one soldier and this is a response to that and Turkish officials described it as being a preemptive defensive missions you're making sure there are no more casualties from the Turkish side. The fighter jets took off and they flew along the border and used guided missiles take out these targets. Whether or not this means we will see an escalation in Turkey targeting ISIS attacks in Syria is unclear at this moment. But the ISIS attacks in Turkey are pushing the country towards a more -- a more strong position within the coalition and we'll see what comes up and what develops over the next couple of days in terms of Turkish military action in Syria.

HOWELL: And you talked about, we will see he what happens with that country, stepping up in this fight against is. And again, you know, depending on whether the United States is able to base there, that will have a significant impact. But we've heard of taking the Syria. As you see it escalate, do you see the impact?

TUYSUZ: Turkey has been a reluctant partner in some ways because there is a concern that taking action against ISIS could mean a retaliation within Turkey's borders by ISIS. And Turkey is leery of the forces fighting just on the other side of their border, Kurdish forces fighting against ISIS because Turkey also used the Kurdish fighting force over there a terrorist threat. Because it is an offshoot of the Kurdish Worker's Party, which Turkey has been waging a bloody war against for more than 30 years. So whether or not the dynamics of the situation that Turkey finds itself in was the Kurdish workers party on the one side and ISIS on the other side and whether or not the threat of is will supersede the threat that Turkey from the party will remain to be seen and it will be in the coming days that we figure out where Turkey has taken a stronger stance against ISIS and the fight against them in Syria.

[02:40:] HOWELL: CNN producer, Gul Tuysuz, on the phone with us live from Istanbul, Turkey.

Gul, thank you so much for your reporting from the region. Well stay in touch to see how this plays out with this, you know, partnership, with air bases there in Turkey.

The U.S. defense secretary made an unannounced visit to Iraq Thursday. Ash Carter met with Iraq's prime minister, Sunni's leaders and U.S. commanders. They talked about ISIS and Anbar Province and its effort to retake that key city of Ramadi. This was Carter's first trip to Iraq since becoming defense secretary in February.

A man has been arrested for threatening to kill the U.S. ambassador to Korea. He is said to be in his early 30's, identified only by his surname, Lee. Ambassador Mark Lippert was the threat. Lee allegedly made the threat in a post on the White House website in mid July. He was arrested in Seoul on July 16th. Ambassador Lippert was attacked in March by a knife-wielding Korean nationalist. He was cut on his hand, on his face, and he has since made a full recovery.

You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. We will take you next to the front lines of a battle to eradicate Polio in Nigeria. That country is marking a big step forward in that fight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:07] HOWELL: Welcome back. We want a moment to recap our top story. The deadly shooting that played out in a Louisiana movie theater. Witnesses heard screaming after a gunman opened fire.

KINKADE: Three people are dead, including the alleged shooter. Police say the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and say he was a 58-year-old white male. They believe he acted alone.

HOWELL: At this stage they are not releasing many more details about what happened. The bomb squad and the canine unit have been searching his car and have detonated a suspicious package. Seven movie goers, at least seven, are wounded and at a hospital.

One witness described what she saw. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: We were buying popcorn at the concession stand when a whole group of people, teenagers mainly, running out, tell be everybody to run for your life. At first I thought it was teen agers playing a prank. Then I saw another group come out screaming the same thing. Then we saw a lady with blood all over her leg. I just grabbed my wild and we just all ran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Polio has been eradicated in all through three countries in the world, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Nigeria will mark one year since its last confirmed case of Polio following years of efforts to reach children needing the vaccine.

HOWELL: But there is still a lot of work to be done.

Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta travelled it a remote village in Nigeria to meet health care workers on the front lines of the battle against Polio.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: When you come into these communities, how do they receive you? Can they welcome you?

UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: Yes. You we don't have problem with that. People are coming because we have interventions. We don't just bring polio. We bring entity.

GUPTA: So the check, that's a good thing.

UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: Very good thing. It means all the children there received immunization.

GUPTA: If child or parents refused, what would you write then?

UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: The parent refuse, we put an r and x it means rejection.

GUPTA: How big a problem is that?

UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: It is a big issue. For us, there's no child we want to leave unimmunized.

GUPTA: What is the biggest problem?

UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: Ensuring we don't miss any child. Missing a child means we won't get the desired coverage. That's one. Missing a child means there is potential for a polio virus, that's the most challenging thing. Ensuring we don't have missed children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry got a four-hour grilling on Capitol Hill on Thursday while defending the Iran nuclear deal. There was a hearing on the agreement and exchanges got a little testy.

HOWELL: As our Elise Labott reports, winning congressional approval could be an uphill battle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. BOB CORKER, (R), TENNESSEE: I believe you've been fleeced.

SEN. JAMES RISCH, (R), IDAHO: With all due respect, you guys have been bamboozled and the American people are going to pay for that.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a ferocious counter attack to Republican critics of the deal, the secretary of state warned rejecting it would give Iran, quote, "a great big green light to build a nuclear weapon."

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: Let me underscore, the alternative to the deal that we have reached is not some sort of unicorn arrangement involving Iran's complete capitulation. That is a fantasy.

LABOTT: Lawmakers accuse Kerry of treating the agreement as if it were already a done deal.

UNIDENTIFIED SENATOR: Convince me this we're going through now is not just a big charade.

LABOTT: Making Congress the guilty party.

CORKER: What you've done here is turned Iran from being a pariah to now Congress being a pariah.

LABOTT: In a new line of attack, Kerry said like it or not, Iran's nuclear know-how is here to stay.

KERRY: We set out to dismantle their ability to be able to build a nuclear weapon and we achieved that.

We can't bomb that knowledge away. Nor can we sanction the knowledge away.

LABOTT: Republican presidential hopefuls seized on the spotlight.

SEN. RAND PAUL, (R), KENTUCKY: Everyone that's for the agreement, yourself included, say it will prevent him from having a weapon and the ayatollah says the opposite.

LABOTT: And put Kerry on notice, if elected, they would not be bound by the deal.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R), FLORIDA: The regime in the world should know that the majority of members in this Congress do not support the deal and the deal can good away the day President Obama leaves office.

KERRY: There's no alternative that you or anybody else has proposed as to what you --

RUBIO: I sure have, Secretary Kerry.

KERRY: Nobody has a plan that is articulated that is reasonable --

LABOTT: Tension even coming from even some of Kerry's own party.

UNIDENTIFIED SENATOR: If you are going to snap back to something.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED SENATOR: So if you're not snapping back --

[02:50:] KERRY: Senator --

(CROSSTALK) UNIDENTIFIED SENATOR: Let me finish, Mr. Secretary.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED SENATOR: Mr. Secretary, please. Don't eat up my time. I'm sorry, with all due respect, don't eat up my time.

Elise Labott, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Heated exchanges there.

KINKADE: Certainly.

Still to come, we will return to a top story tonight. A shooting at a Louisiana theater. A gunman acted alone targeting theater goers at random. New details are emerging.

HOWELL: We'll have the newest development as the news continues after this break.

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HOWELL: Welcome back. We continue following breaking news out of Louisiana. We want it update viewers about a shooting that happened inside a movie theater in Lafayette.

KINKADE: Officials say three people are dead including a gunman who died from a self inflicted gunshot wound. Seven moviegoers are wounded and at the hospital their conditions range from critical to stable.

HOWELL: We understand the bomb squad and canine unit have been searching the suspect's car and have detonated a suspicious package there.

We will obviously continue to stay in touch with investigators there. But keep in mind they found suspicious items inside the movie theater and they are taking the time and care it determine the nature of those items and then will go through the process of inventory to understand all of the things that are in that theater, part of the crime scene.

[02:55:23] KINKADE: At this stage, local state police and FBI are on the scene and will continue to work throughout the night. We know the gunman's body as well as bodies of two victims remain inside the theater. The corps no are is at the scene. They are looking into any evidence they can find at that location.

The local governor, Bobby Jindal, has been to the hospitals to visit some victims. We know that two teachers were at the theater that night. One friend saved the life of another by diving across the theater instead of being shot in the head one of the teachers was shot in the leg. So remarkable heroic stories coming out right now.

HOWELL: You have to keep in mind, it was just three years ago, nearly to this day, we were talking about a similar situation in Colorado -- Aurora. Now we are seeing this play out.

We will continue to follow this break news story and have the latest just after the break.

You're watching CNN the world's news leader.

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