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Theater Shooting Incident in Nashville, Tennessee. Aired 3:30- 4p ET

Aired August 05, 2015 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] MATTIE SANCHEZ, SPRING STORE MANAGER (on the phone): There is a family dollar, there's a city gear, just the old mall that has been kind of converted into a college across the way from us. There's an old Charlie's pretty much directly across from the movie theater.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: So you were saying a college is across the street. Are classes, are students back? Do you see a lot of students?

M. SANCHEZ: I don't see any students currently. I can't tell as of right now who is a student and who is really not but they just released us to go in and out our front door again, so.

BALDWIN: They did. And Mattie, I so appreciate you just staying on the line with me. I realize I'm asking you a lot of questions and asking you to repeat a lot of information.

M. SANCHEZ: That's fine.

BALDWIN: But, you know, this is a situation we're just trying to get every piece of information we possibly can here.

M. SANCHEZ: I understand.

BALDWIN: So just finally to confirm. Police have told you all you can unlock your doors. Are they telling you it is clear?

M. SANCHEZ: They are telling us that we can unlock the doors and as of right now no vehicles can leave but we are free to go outside if we wanted to and -- and it's safe to do so at this point.

BALDWIN: All right. And final question back on this individual with the two backpacks who came trying to get into the back of the sprint store this morning. Older man, younger man?

M. SANCHEZ: I would put him middle age, older, yes.

BALDWIN: OK. What was he wearing?

M. SANCHEZ: It was like a yellowish, greenish kind of dingy looking shirt with black pants.

BALDWIN: OK. Mattie, thank you.

I have Boris Sanchez standing by. He has been, you know, gathering information here as far as what exactly happened.

Boris Sanchez, we heard from the public information officer before, and so he was saying we know that the gunman is dead. The gunman had a gun and a hatchet and there is what, one person injured?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The reports are still unclear. I think the fire department is still trying to sort out whether or not that person was actually hurt by the shooter or if there was anyone who was injured. I think the focus now goes back to the two backpacks that were discovered. We believe one of them was on the gunman and one of them was at the scene. And so, investigators are going through it with hazardous materials teams right now trying to figure out whether or not there may be anything dangerous in the backpack or whether or not it's still a potentially explosive situation.

But, again, details very unclear. We heard from our affiliate in Nashville, WSMV, that the call for a shooting came in at about 1:15. There was a swift response from law enforcement. Apparently, an officer went into the theater from a screening room from the projection room forward trying to clear people out. The gunman apparently engaged with him. They exchanged -- they shot at each other essentially and then the gunman or rather the officer quickly exited the theater. The SWAT team was called in. There's an exchange of gunfire there as well and eventually the gunman was found deceased.

Right now that's kind of the timetable that we have. As far as when that incident with a hatchet may have taken place we still don't know. And we don't know the extent of the injuries or the extent of the potential for more than one person to be hurt. All that still being sorted out, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Another theater shooting that we're reporting on here, this one in the Nashville, Tennessee area.

Boris Sanchez, thank you so much.

We got to get a quick break in. We are back with our breaking news. We will hear more from our public information officer that just briefed the media as far as what they know, what happened, broad daylight, middle of the week in an afternoon in Tennessee.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:38:16] BALDWIN: All right. Back to our breaking story. If you are just now joining us. These are pictures, this is in the Nashville area of Tennessee in which there was an active shooter situation in the middle of the week, in this theater, the showing of "Mad Max" there at this cinema. And according to police we just heard from, SWAT did arrive. The shooter is dead, and they also reported one injured.

Here's the thing though. Apparently the shooter not only was armed with a gun, but also had a hatchet. So as we're trying to piece all of this together, and, again, this is just, you know, just the beginning, just in the last hour or so, has all of this really happened. We're getting a little bit of information from the public information officer. Let's take a listen to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON AARON, NASHVILLE POLICE: At 1:15 this afternoon the police department responded to a report of an active shooter at the Hickory 8 movie theater. The individual was reported to have been armed with a gun and a hatchet. At this point there is a report that one person may have suffered a wound from the hatchet. That's still being sorted out by the fire department now, trying to take a look at what injuries we may have here.

The response from the south precinct was swift. An officer entered the theater where "Mad Max" was showing. The officer started at the projection room and started clearing down. He encountered the gunman. The gunman opened fire on the south precinct officer and that officer returned his fire and then backed away out of the theater.

The SWAT team responded and the SWAT team engaged this gunman. Some minutes later, there was gunfire and the gunman is deceased just inside the movie theater. So we believe the imminent threat has been ended. However, the gunman had two backpack-type bags with him, one on him and another that was left. We want to make sure that there is no danger with those backpacks. So officers are working now from hazardous devices to clear those backpacks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:40:32] BALDWIN: All right. Let me bring in Boris Sanchez who is a reporter who has been recovering this.

And Boris, here's my question. I understand as that PIO just said, that the police responded to a call of an active shooter situation at this movie theater, and it sounded to me that this police officer this approached the gunman in the projection area of this theater and so that was when the gunman began shooting and ultimately was taken down later once SWAT had arrived, but do we know anything? What was it -- what was the reason for the phone call to begin with? Are we learning anything more about how this all started?

B. SANCHEZ: Not yet, Brooke. We're still working to piece that whole thing together. It seems unclear as to whether or not there were shots actually fired in the theater before the police officer arrived. We're still working to find out whether or not the person, the potential victim that was head with a hatchet was actually hurt by the shooter or whether they may have been hurt evacuating the building.

Still too many unanswered questions here are and I think the big focus now is on those two backpacks that were discovered as to whether or not there were hazardous materials inside. We don't know the identity of the shooter as well. We are still working to find out whether it may have been a male or female and what age group they belong to. Still plenty of questions to answer and a long road ahead to find them all out.

BALDWIN: Jonathan Gilliam is with me as well, former ATF and FBI, and when you hear this individual was armed with a gun and a hatchet. And, again, here we are in a movie theater and what are you thinking?

JONATHAN GILLIAM, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT (on the phone): Well, I was never with the ATF. But I will tell you, you know, those backpacks to me, if there's extra baggage in there with him, that really sends up some alarms that he could have been planning something bigger if there's actually something in that. But I think we're starting to see a trend with people who has whether they are mentally deranged or they just have some other type of agenda. They definitely identified one of our biggest soft targets and that is our theaters.

BALDWIN: Yes, as we keep talking about what was it, only two weeks ago when we had that shooter situation in Lafayette, Louisiana. And so, again, here another theater and another soft target, as you describe. Can you tell me, and, again these are pictures from moments ago, the scene still cordoned off. How quickly will they be able to determine if there are explosives in one of those bags?

GILLIAM: They are going to be really careful with the backpack because if there is something in it, you know, that could go off, as a booby trap, they are going to be very, very careful with that. So they are going to take their time. You know, the shooter is dead and everybody is out of that theater. So they are in no hurry now to identify that stuff. So they are going to take their time. They are going to do it the proper way.

BALDWIN: What, you know, we know that the suspect is dead. Once they then clear the scene, it's interesting you mentioned, you know, that perhaps -- I shouldn't say he, the shooter. We don't know if it's a he or a she perhaps had been planning this for a while. Again, what's the reasoning behind that for you?

GILLIAM: I'm sorry. I missed that last part, Brooke. What was that again?

BALDWIN: You said off the top that you thought perhaps because of the bags the shooter might have been planning this.

GILLIAM: Right.

BALDWIN: And might have been some premeditation involved here. Why do you think that? Forgive me, let's listen.

BRIAN HAAS, NASHVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT: I am the public information officer for the Nashville fire department. We, along with police, responded here to a call of an active shooter. So far we have only treated three patients for pepper spray exposure. We believe at this point that the pepper spray came from the assailant. One of those three treated was also examined for what we -- what we've described as a superficial wound that could have been possibly caused by a hatchet. But at this point nobody has been transported. There have been no trauma injuries at this point and we're very thankful at this point.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Can you describe the gunman?

HAAS: I have no information on the gunman. The police will have information on that. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: How many people were in the theater?

HAAS: I don't have no information on that yet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Three people were injured?

HAAS: No. Three people were injured with exposure to pepper spray aside from the assailant.

[15:45:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: The assailant is deceased, is that correct?

HAAS: I don't know. We didn't treat the assailant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: The person that was injured by the hatchet, do you know what kind of injury that was?

HAAS: It was -- like I said, we described it as superficial. It appeared to be not much more than a bad bruise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Can you tell us where on the person that was, sir?

HAAS: I believe it was on the shoulder or the arm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: So a person was bruised on the shoulder or arm and that's the most serious injury in this whole thing outside of, of course --

HAAS: Well, I'm sure the folks with the pepper spray exposure weren't too happy as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Understood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: But they are OK.

HAAS: Yes. They are all OK. We don't anticipate at this point of transferring anybody to the hospital. So that is good news for everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Can you give us a rundown of what happened, time line, when he came in and how he came in and what interaction that he had?

HAAS: The police department will have the details and he did a darn good job on this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Hey, Brian. Can you tell us those other three people that were injured with the pepper sway, were one of those people injured with the ax as well or was it official?

HAAS: It was one of the three who is exposed with the pepper spray who got the additional superficial wound from what could be hatchet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Are these movie theater-goers or police officers injured? HAAS: We don't have any reports of police or fire officials injured

at this point, fortunately.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Male or female?

HAAS: I don't have that information yet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: You said no police are fired?

HAAS: No police have fire that we know of.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: You guys are still here on scene to (INAUDIBLE).

HAAS: We are going to stay here as long as we need to just to make sure that the scene is completely safe and clear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Any update on the backpack?

HAAS: No update on the backpack. Police are dealing with that. I did see the bomb squad coming in. I have no idea what they will be doing with that, though.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: How many people are in the theater?

HAAS: I don't have any information on how many were in the theater.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Did they evacuate out the back?

HAAS: I don't have details on that. That would be the police. So thank you guys very much. We'll try to get you as much as we can as quickly as we get it.

BALDWIN: All right. So that was just Nashville fire and they were just briefing reporters and the really biggest takeaway there is, you know, thank goodness that the worst that's happened to anyone who was in that theater with that individual armed with a gun and a hatchet, that three people were essentially injured from pepper spray, it sounds like from the assailant, him or herself.

They did follow up because we had heard from before from the police PIO that one individual was injured from the hatchet. Its sound like it's a bruise. It's a bruise on a shoulder or an arm somehow there so no one had to be taken to the hospital. That's the latest from Nashville fire.

I still have Jonathan Gilliam with me, formerly with the FBI.

And, again, Jonathan to your point on -- you know, here we are again talking about a movie theater as another soft target.

Jonathan, you with me? All right. We'll work on getting Jonathan. Let's take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:11] BALDWIN: I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN.

We're back with the breaking story here. This is what we have learned, as I have to report on another movie theater shooting here. We've learn both now from Nashville fire and Nashville police that there was an individual who showed up at this theater in the Antioch area of Nashville, armed with not only a gun, but a hatchet, and was inside. Police responded to a shooter situation at the theater. Police arrived. There was a back and forth within the theater, and then ultimately we know the SWAT team arrived, and the suspect is now confirmed dead.

You're looking at the scene here. It is essentially a strip mall, a movie theater. This is just off the interstate there in Antioch. Crime scene tape. Ambulances on scene. But we did just learn from Nashville fire, three individuals who were injured, the injuries specifically was from pepper spray from this individual. Pepper spray, no one had to be taken to the hospital.

So that said, the other issue, while this is still active in a sense, is that the individual had two backpacks. And so, they don't know what could be inside of those backpacks. So they're being incredibly careful. The bomb squad is on the scene trying to determine if they can ultimately clear the scene or not, depending on what they have.

I have Brad Ransom with me on the phone. He works across the street from this theater.

Brad, let's just begin with what you saw, what you heard.

BRAND RANSOM, WORKS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE THEATER (on the phone): Well, we just -- our building was on lockdown. And I was looking at the window and saw the police coming and saw an unmarked car pull up, and an officer get out and open the trunk, put on a bulletproof vest. It was hunkered down behind his car. And then other police came around a tree. And then there were four or five police officers right along the side of the theater. And I couldn't see exactly what they were looking at or what they were aiming their guns at. But all of a sudden they just opened fire, several shots were fired. I'm assuming like into a back door or something of the theater. And it wasn't long after that we heard reports and saw the tweets that the shooter was confirmed dead. So, I'm assuming they were shooting at him.

BALDWIN: And Brad, how long ago was this?

RANSOM: I don't know, 20, 25 minutes or so maybe.

BALDWIN: All right. So pretty recent.

RANSOM: Yes.

BALDWIN: And so, are you still there? Are you looking at what I'm looking at, essentially a huge police/fire presence?

RANSOM: Yes, I can still see the side of the theater. A lot of the traffic has moved away. I see an EMS, an ambulance, sitting close to where the -- I assume that the guy got shot. And I don't know if they're waiting to, you know, waiting for the ambulance to load his body once it's cleared or what, I don't know, but I can see the ambulance and police cars around it.

[15:55:04] BALDWIN: I'm curious, you know, your time just about 3:00 in the afternoon, you know, in the middle of the week, how often, just looking at this parking lot, how often do you see a full parking lot or half-full parking lot of people going to the movies?

RANSOM: Not very often.

BALDWIN: Because we don't know how many people were in the theater.

RANSOM: Yes, it's not usually pretty crowded during the week. I can't say that from parking lot in the front of the theater. I actually see the back of the theater and side of it. So I can't. I mean, there's trees that obscure my view from the actual front of the theater.

BALDWIN: I see. And I hear there's a college, maybe a community college across the street from the theater. Can you describe this neighborhood for me?

RANSOM: Yes, it's actually -- the community college is inside the global mall on the far side of the mall. It would be the furthest from the theater. The library and the ice center, that sort of thing, is across the parking lot. There's Zaxby's, and couple of other, Charlie's, a couple other restaurants and things just across from the parking lot. Family dollar and some other retail. But it's, you know, it's an open parking lot where a lot of businesses surround the outside of it.

BALDWIN: Got it. Brad Ransom, I so appreciate you. I appreciate you calling in there in the Tennessee area just behind where this theater is. Thank you so much.

A quick break, we're back with more breaking news, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:57:57] BALDWIN: All right. And we are back with the breaking story.

We want to take you back to a Nashville, Tennessee as we have been learning this, it was once an active shooter situation inside of movie theater, middle of is the week, broad daylight here in Nashville, learning that the suspect is dead now. He was armed not only with the gun but also with hatchet. A police news conference is just about to get under way. Let's take you there.

AARON: At 1:15 this afternoon, metro police officers responded to a report of an active shooter taking place here at the Hickory Eight movie theater. There were actually two police officers working a crash just off the parking lot superiority when persons ran to them and said there was an individual in the theater with a gin and with a hatchet. Those officers ran to the scene, as we were also getting a phone call at that point, apparently, of an active gunman, shooter inside the theater.

One of the south precinct officers immediately entered the theater. He encountered the gunman, as he entered the theater that was a film of "Mad Max." The gunman, the suspect raised his weapon toward that officer, pulled the trigger. That officer then fired on the suspect, and then backed away from the theater.

About that time, a metro police sergeant was arriving outside, and that sergeant encountered three citizens, one man and two women. The man had a superficial injury, a cut to his shoulder, evidently having been hit by the hatchet. The two women had been dowsed with chemical spray by the suspect. Their faces were blasted with pepper spray.

Back to inside the theater of "Mad Max." The gunman apparently unleashed this pepper spray throughout the theater. As additional officers, the SWAT team entered that theater, it was very thick with chemical spray, with irritant. Gas masks were brought into those officers as they attempted to get this person into custody. Other officers had set up at the back of the theater.