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Memorial Service Gets Underway Soon for WDBJ Journalists; Deputy Darren Goforth Shot and Killed Execution Style; Chris Christie's FedEx Plan to Solve Illegal Immigration; Donald Trump Continuing to Lead the Republican Pack. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 30, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:00] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Happening right now in the NEWSROOM, Alison Parker's mother and father share memories about their daughter and talk about their new mission, changing gun control laws in our country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY PARKER, ALISON PARKER'S FATHER: It's the only thing that's given me strength right now, to go to -- to take on this cause because, you know, I know that somewhere she'd be looking at us and saying, you go, dad. This is what she would want me to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Plus, a terrifying fall. A fan plunges to his death from an upper deck during an Atlanta braves and Yankee game at turner field.

And new poll show Bernie Sanders closing the gap on Hillary Clinton.

NEWSROOM starts right now.

Hello, everyone. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin in Roanoke, Virginia where a memorial service gets underway soon for WDBJ cameraman Adan Ward and reporter Alison Parker, gunned down in cold blood while on an assignment by a disgruntled former employee. The station will hold a ceremony for its fallen colleagues beginning at 3:00 eastern time.

Ward's funeral has been set for Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. His family will receive visitors tomorrow at the high school where he graduated.

The parents of Alison Parker are also speaking out today. We've heard quite a bit from her father this past week. But this is the first time we've heard from her mother. In this exclusive interview, our Poppy Harlow spoke with them a short time ago about their mission to enact stronger gun control and why their opponents are, quote, "messing with the wrong family." (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA PARKER, ALISON PARKER'S MOTHER: We cannot be intimidated. We cannot be pushed aside. We cannot be told that this fight has been fought before and that we're just one more grieving family trying to do something. Because I have looked in the camera on other interviews and I have said, if you are a parent, if you're a mother, if you have children, can you look your child in the eye and say we are willing allow you to be collateral damage in order to keep what some people perceive as their constitutional rights?

A. PARKER: I hate to say that we're the, you know, fresh face of gun violence, but if we have to be, at least I think we can effect a change and we are going to effect a change and it would be -- Alison would be really mad at me if I didn't take this on. And I promise you, and I've said this time and again, these people are messing with the wrong family. We're going to effect a change and it's going to happen and we need people like Senator Murphy and Governor McAuliffe courageous to stand with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The general manager of WDBJ is also speaking out today on how this tragedy has affected his newsroom and how they do their jobs of covering the news.

For more on that, let's go to CNN's Polo Sandoval in Washington.

So Polo, you know, first, let's talk about what will be happening in Roanoke in about an hour from now.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, it will be an interfaith memorial that is scheduled there at a (INAUDIBLE) in Roanoke. It will be a relatively large venue. The reason for that is that those two families, the Parker and Ward families, are expected to have a more private memorial later in the week. So this is their way and really also that station WDBJ's way of allowing members of the community to take part in this.

Because I tell you what, we just returned from Roanoke, Virginia, and I can tell you there is this constant support we've seen from the community. People, strangers alike, that have been stopping by the studios there where Adam and really his co-worker actually worked, Alison, and dropping off really just a sign of support. And so, we do expect in the next hour this memorial to begin shortly, expect several speakers including Jeffrey Marks, the general manager, as well as other people as well - Fred.

WHITFIELD: And in addition to the memorial service, it makes everyone take pause. At the same time, the station, the television station, WDBJ, is also having to make some adjustments. This has been a very difficult time for them. In what way, is your understanding, how they are trying to resume, you know, their routine news gathering business yet, at the same time, you know, they are grieving?

SANDOVAL: I can tell you, that's the question that is on the minds of not just folks at that station but really across the country. And that is, also, a security concern. We're so used to really doing our job out in the field without having to necessarily look over your shoulder, especially if you're covering a feature story domestically, as is the case here.

And so now, the general manager of that station, Jeff Marks, saying that they are really speaking and talking about what changes can be put in place. In fact, earlier today on CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES," he was asked exactly what will happen from now on. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:05:21] JEFFREY MARKS, GENERAL MANAGER, WDBJ: The plan going forward is to look at each live opportunity separately and make the proper decisions. But I'm not going to go here and say, every live shot is going to have three or four people. Because there are crazy people out there and I think it is best if we keep our plans to ourselves. But it's certainly a subject of discussion here. And I can imagine every newsroom in the country that routinely does these what we call live shots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So what will local stations do from here on? Will gun laws potentially change, Fred? These are all of the discussions happening but in the meantime, today will be focused on the short but very accomplished lives.

WHITFIELD: All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

And of course, you can see more of Poppy Harlow's complete interview with the parents of Alison Parker in a CNN special. That is coming up at 5:30 eastern time today.

All right. Now to Texas where investigators are trying to determine why a man shot and killed a sheriff's deputy execution-style as he was gassing up his patrol car. Harris county police have arrested a suspect, 30-year-old Shannon Jay Miles. He is charged with capital murder. This happened at a Houston area gas station Friday night. Police say Miles approached the deputy from behind, said nothing and fired multiple shots.

Deputy Darren Goforth was a ten-year veteran. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Houston at the gas station where this happened.

And so Ed, there was a vigil last for the deputy. I see the flowers, the balloons there piling up behind you there at the gas station. How else are people expressing both their shock and grief?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, people here, as you see that growing vigil in the memorial that is growing here at pump number 8, here at the Chevron gas station just northwest of Houston. People have been coming over the course of the last 24 hours as news of this tragic shooting has spread throughout this community. People have a steady stream, hundreds if not thousands of people have come by taking up collections for the family. The wife and two children that you mentioned of the sheriff's deputy.

We are told here by the local organizer there at the table that in the course of the last day, nearly $25,000 has been raised for the family of Deputy Darren Goforth. So that continues.

And Goforth's wife issued a statement last night saying, there are no words for this. My husband was an incredibly intricate blend of toughness and gentility. He was loyal and fiercely so. And he was ethical. The right thing to do is what guided his internal compass. I admired this quality perhaps the most.

So the news of this shooting has really struck in their fear in the Houston area. Well, not just here in the Houston area, but across the country and law enforcement circles. The sheriff here saying that essentially that Goforth was gunned down simply for wearing a deputy's uniform. So very much focused on what exactly the motive of this particular shooter was.

Fredricka, we have not learned much about what exactly motivated the shooting. But it's been described as cold-blooded and cowardly and an execution-style attack her on the sheriff's deputy who had pulled to his gas pump Friday night after about 30 minutes or so after working a traffic accident in the area. He had walked back and was completely caught off guard. Sheriff's investigators are saying that he had no idea that he was being followed or was on the verge of being attacked.

So the brazen nature of this attack here in this community and in the neighborhood is something that they are looking at closely. But an exact motive, we haven't really learned much about just yet - Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ed Lavandera, keep us posted. Thank you so much.

Well, later on this hour, I will be speaking with the retired NYPD detective Harry Houck about the possibility of this deputy being targeted just as in the words of the sheriff yesterday because he was in a uniform.

All right, coming up, a fan falls to his death at a baseball game. His family now speaking out. What they are saying, plus, what police believe may have happened.

And Bernie Sanders is closing in on Hillary Clinton in the latest poll. Details on that, next.

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[14:13:02] WHITFIELD: All right. Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is inching up on Hillary Clinton in a new Iowa poll. According to the Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics, Sanders is within seven points of the former secretary of state.

Here's Bernie Sanders on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" this morning hitting some of his big campaign points.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not only in Iowa, not only in New Hampshire but all over this country we're generating enormous enthusiasm. People do not understand why the middle class of this country is collapsing at the same time as almost all of the new income and wealth going to the top one percent. People do not like the idea that, as a result of citizens united, our campaign finance system has become corrupt and politicians are depended upon super PACs and billionaires for money. People want us to deal with climate change, make college affordable. Those are the issues that I have been talking about. Those are the issues that are generating enormous enthusiasm from one end of this country to the other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk more about this surge. With me now from New York, political strategist Brian Morgenstern and columnist Ellis Henican. Good to see you guys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: OK. So seven points, just within the margin of error.

So Ellis, what do you see is behind these numbers?

ELLIS HENICAN, COLUMNIST: You heard Bernie. He sounded good, right? He is pounding that middle-class message. He is in talking about things that a lot of folks, not just progressive Democrats, but a lot of people in the middle really does ring into their lives, college costs, income inequality. If he keeps doing that, he's going to keep making progress.

WHITFIELD: Well, what difference, though, are we seeing between what he's saying and what Hillary Clinton is saying? She too has been campaigning about making sure that college is affordable and accessible to everyone. Why is it translating differently, Brian?

BRIAN MORGENSTERN, POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Well, I think we can see sort of a bigger picture here in terms of the mood of the American voters. This is the summer of the protectionist grandfather from New York.

Look at the similarity between what Trump and Sanders is saying. Trump wants to close the border. Sanders sends the open border's movement as a right wing gimmick. Trump wants to renegotiate trade deals. If there's one thing Sanders hates more than billionaires, it's NAFTA.

These guys are attacking that the middle-class problem by going after, you know, our immigration problems and our trade deals. That's what they have in common. I think that's something that Hillary maybe hasn't been talking about and that's what is appealing to the white middle-class voters in the Midwest. [14:15:27] WHITFIELD: And then there is this kind of based on a

hypothetical when Hillary Clinton goes head-to-head with Joe Biden and voters across the country are asked about trust, it's Biden who has the big lead there, 56 percent considering Biden to be honest, but just 34 percent say the same about Clinton.

So you know, Ellis, this is pretty remarkable because, you know, Biden isn't even in the race. Might he be taking these polling results into considering as he ponders whether he should, you know, dive in or not?

HENICAN: A very good point, Fred. The real headline on this poll and out of Iowa is run, Joe, run. Bernie may not be the ultimate Democratic nominee. Pretty much any scenario we cook up but it suggests that there's a little bit of room in this race and I don't think anybody out there who could fill it up than Joe Biden could.

WHITFIELD: So Brian, is he the backup?

MORGENSTERN: Well, he may be. Look, people like Joe. And we talked about it before. He and Hillary are both liberal people. Both have both been in the public eye for over three decades. There's little difference between them on paper. The difference is in personality. Hillary has been rubbing people the wrong way. She has a trust gap because she says demonstrably false things on a routine basis whereas Joe is the guy everybody wants to have a beer with. And we know from past election, that could be pretty good.

WHITFIELD: But isn't it interesting, because you say, you know, Clinton in many ways, they rub people the wrong way, people don't necessarily think that they can trust what she says. But this Des Moines Register poll reveals the majority of voters don't think the Clinton email issue is even important. So what is a lot of this based on then, Brian?

MORGENSTERN: Well, I think it's not just the email issue. I think it's how she is responding to it. Look, the president has to be a good crisis manager. And step one of crisis management is figuring out the fact of what actually happened so you're not communicating false information.

She's gone from, there was no classified information to it wasn't marked classified to, you know, I didn't know if it was classified. I mean, she's been all over the map here. And so that speaks to bad crisis management, bad judgment. It doesn't instill confidence in her leadership abilities.

WHITFIELD: Ellis, you want to punctuate anything there?

HENICAN: Well, you know, I wouldn't call it so much as a trust gap as a charmed gap. I mean, it is streams that you could be in politics that long and have so little of them. Imagine where we would be, honestly, Fred, Brian and me if we didn't have any charm. I mean, come on, you know, in fact, some days I think that's all I have, you know. Where would we be without that, right?

WHITFIELD: Why do you think you guys are back every weekend? We think you are so charming. And in fact, we're going to have you back very soon. We're going to take a short break for now, OK?

Ellis, Brian, thanks so much. Stick around with me.

New Jersey governor Chris Christie has a new immigration plan. Track immigrants like FedEx packages? We'll discuss that, next.

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[14:22:01] WHITFIELD: All right. Back now with my charming political analysts, political strategist, Brian Morgenstern and columnist Ellis Henican.

All right, guys, so let's now talk about the Republicans and Chris Christie specifically. So last night, he was at a town hall in New Hampshire and he talked about tracking immigrants in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And at any moment, the feds can tell you where that package is. It's on the truck, it's at the station, it's on the airplane, it is back in another station, it's back on the truck, it's at the doorstep. She just signs for it. Yet, we let people come to this country with visas and the minute they come in, we lose track of them. We can't -- so here's what I'm going to do as president.

I'm going to ask Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx come work for the governor for three months. Just come for three months to immigration and custom enforcement and show these people because guess what, of the 11 million people who are here illegally, 40 percent of them didn't come in over the southern border. Forty percent of them came in legally with a visa and overstayed their visa.

We need to have a system that tracks you from the moment you come in and then when your time is up, whether it's three months or six months or nine months or 12 months, how long your visa is, then we go get you and tap you on the shoulder and say, excuse me, thanks for coming. Time to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. So what's really behind all of that? Is this Chris Christie being bombastic because he's falling back in to the pact and Donald Trump continues to take up all the air in the room? Or, Ellis, you know, was he at first being funny but then, you know, once he engaged everybody, he said, no. Hey, I'm dead serious about this? What was this?

HENICAN: When you absolutely, positively have to track an immigrant, it's Chris Christie's FedEx plan. Let me say this to you, Fred. If you're the party that needs to reach out to new immigrants, comparing them to cardboard boxes may not be the best strategy in the long run. He's reaching. He doesn't know what he is saying. It seems quick on paper. And, you know what, you have to feel bad for the guy, right? He was supposed to be the plain-spoken northeastern Republican in the race and it turns out there's another guy who's been filling that role.

WHITFIELD: So Brian, is this part of the Trump factor? Is this what is happening to the other candidates who feel like they too, need to bring something so unique, trying to sound unscripted even though they are not, you know, trying to be a little outrageous just to kind of get some traction and get the attention that Donald Trump is getting?

MORGENSTERN: Well, I think everybody is trying to be as funny as Trump which is an uphill battle because Trump has proven to be the best stand-up comedian touring today. But look, Chris Christie is pointing out a pretty good issue I think for really any candidate serious about cracking down illegal immigration when four out of ten of people here illegally overstaying visas, it is a problem. And so, you know, he is pointing out a legit issue there.

I think somewhere in America Rand Paul is feeding a wood chipper a pile of FedEx boxes because this sounds a little big government dis, big brotherly. And that said, you know, the debate they like to have with one another on that stage. So when the CNN debate comes around, expect that line to be delivered by Chris Christie and rand Paul to go absolutely bananas.

[14:25:19] WHITFIELD: All right. So let's talk about another poll here. Donald Trump continuing to lead the Republican pact. The Des Moines Register, Bloomberg poll, his favorability rating with likely Republican caucus goers is at 23 percent. But maybe the real surprise here is that Ben Carson comes in at a very strong 18 percent.

So Ellis, you know, explain what is going on here that Ben Carson is now, you know, number two. What is it that he's saying or doing as the nonprofessional politician, you know, the non-businessman?

HENICAN: You know, you've put your finger on it. It is what they are not more than what they are. Think of it as the fresh air caucus. It maybe isn't so important what they believe in. But they aren't the people we have been staring at for the last decade. And boy, that's got a lot of power issue.

WHITFIELD: And then, Brian, where is Jeb Bush? I mean, let's look at that, you know, polling one more time. I mean, where is he? What's happened? He was supposed to be the one that was getting the majority or good, you know, I guess support from a lot of big donors. And now, apparently, you know, Jeb Bush and his camp is asking at the next fundraising event, we don't want to see the same people, we want to see some new donors, some new blood. What does that say to you?

MORGENSTERN: Well, I think the poll actually says all we need to know which is, if you look down the list of the questions they asked, the favorable and unfavorable numbers, Jeb Bush is underwater with Republican voters. He's 45 favorable and 50 unfavorable, I believe it was. That's a problem.

But you know what, for the Bush camp there's plenty of time and money and they are going to run a whole bunch of commercials to get Jeb Bush's message out there and improve his numbers. So this is obviously something that is catching their attention and it should because they have a lot of work to do but there's time and money for them to do that.

WHITFIELD: Well, you know, you said there was a lot of time, you know. And it was Bernie Sanders kind of reminding everybody today. It's only been three months. And I'm like, really? It's only been three months? It feels like this has been going on for a long time. But, really, is very early. So anything can happen. Just because we're seeing the polling the way it is now doesn't mean a month or two from now when things really matter as we, you know, get closer to the year end and first caucuses that lots could change.

MORGENSTERN: Actually, I saw a bunch of charts, Ellis. I don't know if you saw it. It was floating around twitter. It showed the last several cycles and the spikes happened around December and January, around four to six weeks before the votes actually started being cast is when everything just went awry. It's where John Kerry came from like a couple of percent to leading the pact. It's were, you know, Perry collapsed and McCain rose up. That's the time frame that's really going to tell the story here.

WHITFIELD: All right. Brian Morgenstern and Ellis Henican, thank you so much. If anybody wants to know about charm, just look these guys up right here.

Charming. And funny all the time. Thank you so much appreciate it.

MORGENSTERN: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Investigators are now searching for a motive in the execution-style killing of a Texas deputy. Nest, we ask the former NYPD detective if the deputy could have been targeted just because he was wearing a uniform and the security concerns now for officers patrolling the streets everywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hello again, everybody and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The suspect in the execution style killing of a Texas is now facing capital murder charges. The Deputy Darren Goforth was shot in the back at a gas station while he was filling up his patrol car near Houston.

The suspect has been identified as 30-year-old Shannon J. Miles. The motive for the killing is still under investigation. Joining me now to talk more about the case is CNN law enforcement analyst, Harry Houck. He is a former NYPD detective.

Harry, we still do not have details about the motive, but yesterday the Harris County sheriff called this a cold-blooded assassination and the deputy was targeted because, in his words, he wore a uniform. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF RON HICKMAN, HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS: Our system of justice absolutely requires law enforcement to be present to protect our community. So at any point there is calculated, cold-blooded assassination of police officers happen, this rhetoric has gotten out of control. We've heard black lives matter. All lives matter. Well, cops' lives matter too. Why don't we drop the qualifier and say lives matter and take that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Harry, you may have seen that as it happened and now you're listening to it here, what's your response?

HARRY HOUCK, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: The officer is definitely right. All lives do matter here. This was clearly an assassination of a police officer. He was not even involved in police work at the time. He was sitting there getting gas and this man came -- this animal came behind him, shot him and then when he was down on the ground, shot him even again.

There's no doubt that all of this rhetoric that's gone on around this country, especially with the black lives matter group, they are perpetrated on lies and assumptions where the truth doesn't matter and apparently they are effecting a couple lunatics out there targeting police officers.

WHITFIELD: So this shooting, followed by the cold-blooded shootings of two officers in Brooklyn months ago, do you see that as a result of what has taken place, that there will be changes instituted at police departments as it pertains to officers protecting themselves or just how they go about their business on a day-to-day basis, whether in uniform or not?

HOUCK: Well, it's going to be kind of hard. These are the things that police officers have to go through every day here. They face this every day. I can't see how police officers can protect themselves even more. What I can see is police officers being even more wary on a car stop or approached by people. Is it possible that they might be attacked?

WHITFIELD: How is that going to impact policing, in your view, as a result of what we're seeing here, how will that affect the relationship between a police officer and community or a police officer and the duty to serve?

HOUCK: Yes. Well, it will affect it to a certain point. Officers are going to be even more careful when they do a car stop and when they are approached by other people. The community has got to also realize that since officers are being targeted more and more, officers may be a little more apprehensive.

[14:35:06] And that when an officer tells you to do something, like keep your hands where we can see them or comply with the officer's actions and orders, that, you know, that maybe that would be a smart thing for them to do on their part.

WHITFIELD: All right, Harry Houck, thanks so much. Appreciate your time. Good to see you. HOUCK: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: This heartbreaking story, a baseball fan killed after tumbling off the upper deck at a Braves/Yankee game. We'll have details on this incident and hear what the victim's family is saying next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. A horrible incident at last night's Atlanta Braves' baseball game, a fan died after falling from the upper deck of Turner Field.

[14:40:01] The 60-year-old Gregory Murray tumbled out of the stands during seventh inning and landed on a concrete walkway in front of a row of fans. Here's what one witness told affiliate WSB.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM STAUDACKER, WITNESS (via telephone): People were really, really disturbed. The guy fell and he fell very hard. It was not good. They were doing CPR from the moment that they got to him and they were still doing it on him when he left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let's bring in CNN Boris Sanchez. Boris, what are you learning about the circumstances of this fall?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, right now investigators are conducting an autopsy and a toxicology report to figure out whether or not alcohol may have played a role in this tragic incident although results of that are expected in the coming days.

I can tell you that investigators do not suspect foul play. Witnesses tell us that Murray had been enjoying himself and during the seventh inning of the game between the Braves and the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez went up to bat and Murray approached the railing to boo and tumbled over that railing headfirst falling 50 to 80 feet onto a concrete walkway between two rows of seating.

Paramedics immediately rushed to try to help him. He was rushed to a hospital, but obviously Gregory Murray did not make it. Important to note, in 2013, a similar incident at Turner Field where a fan fell to his death that case was ruled a suicide.

Clearly no indication yet as to what led to this incident. Hopefully we will be finding out soon. In the meantime, the Atlanta Braves put out a statement offering condolences to the family of Gregory Murray -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Gregory Murray's family have also released a statement?

SANCHEZ: Yes. His son, Jason, speaking to CNN gave us a statement saying, quote, "Gregory Ace Murray was a husband, father, grandfather, son, brother and friend to many. He dearly loved his family, Atlanta and the Atlanta Braves. Greg was a season ticket holder with the same seats for 23 years. The night he passed away, he was doing one of his favorite things, watching his Braves." Your heart goes out to his family.

WHITFIELD: All right, indeed. Boris Sanchez, thank you so much. We're going to find out what stadiums are doing to prevent these kinds of tragedies from happening.

I want to bring in Carl Herron. He is a former crisis response agent for the FBI who was at the London and Turin Olympics and he is also the former security manager for the Georgia Dome. Carl, so good to see you.

We still don't know anything more than what Boris has reported police say they don't suspect any kind of foul play. They are still investigating this. But almost immediately people start thinking about, you know, the safety of a stadium, the circumstances that could happen, how easily it would be for someone to fall over the railing.

Give us an idea from the stadium's point of view, those managers there, what are they taking into consideration when it comes down to striking a balance between safety of fans and the enjoyment of the activity for the fans.

CARL HERRON, FORMER FBI CRISIS RESPONSE AGENT (RETIRED): Yes. There are a number of things that can take place in the building and designing of a stadium. The railing, how high you want it to be, depending on what events are played at a stadium, possibly netting can be considered. There are systems put in place, procedures that in technology now, a lot of stadiums have text messaging for the fans.

WHITFIELD: What do you mean by that?

HERRON: Usually there's a number maybe on the back of your ticket that if there's an incident, that can be liquid spilled on the floor or it can be an unruly fan.

WHITFIELD: The fans are expected to text, call that number, report it so that the stadium can respond immediately?

HERRON: Correct. They can respond and come clean up the spill. If it's an unruly fan or somebody drinking alcohol and also, there are notification systems from fire alarm systems, notification systems in stadiums.

WHITFIELD: While we still don't know the circumstances surrounding Mr. Murray's fall, most stadiums when there's an upper deck, you naturally wonder why there wouldn't be a safety net on all of those. What would be the answer as to why there wouldn't be just in case, particularly on an upper level, why there wouldn't be nets automatically?

HERRON: On the design of the facility, it might impede fans from getting to the lower levels. There are a number of reasons why you wouldn't include netting on the lower levels like that. WHITFIELD: How do you suppose the stadium is going about their investigation? What do you believe they would be evaluating right now?

HERRON: I think they would be looking at the response, which from the news clip it seems like it was rapid.

[14:45:05] The protocols and procedures, you know, was there anything in place that if that -- if the response was adequate enough, did they do everything they could to assist with the fan that fell?

WHITFIELD: And their concerns about liability for any stadium, every place has insurance and that's something to think about but what would be applicable in a case like this.

HERRON: As far as stadium concerns?

WHITFIELD: Liability.

HERRON: As I mentioned, some stadiums to help them I guess cushioning them on liability is if there is alcohol involved, they have a cutoff. It could be at halftime, third quarter where no alcohol is sold, trying to limit the exposure. There are other things to put in place.

WHITFIELD: Carl Herron, great to see you. Thank you. Appreciate it.

In New York, a Broadway star falls to his death. Actor, Kyle Jean-Baptiste died after falling from a fire escape Friday. He made history as the first African-American to play the lead role in the Broadway production of "Les Miserables."

The production sent their condolences to his family and in a statement called Jean Baptistes a, quote, "remarkable young talent and a person who made magic and history in his Broadway debut."

On the west coast, wildfires in Washington State could burn for months. We'll tell you why, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have completed the Serena slam twice. You currently hold all four major titles and you're staring down the barrel of doing something that no one else done for nearly 30 years. What have you learned about yourself that you've been able to get to this point?

SERENA WILLIAMS, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: I learned to have a tough mind and face a lot of adversity. I won that and when I was a little bit better and close to losing in the third round, but I think each grand slam has such an amazing story and, you know, I just look forward to being at the Open and I'm excited to be there and no one wants to be there more than me.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: All right. Checking our top stories, we're just about 10 minutes away from the start of a memorial service in Roanoke, Virginia, for slain television reporters Alison Parker and Adam Ward. We'll bring it to you live as it happens. You can see Alison Parker's father, Andy Parker.

You've become familiar with him over the past few days, letting everyone know he is very much committed to assisting in some sort of legislative changes that would apply to gun control.

All right, at least two people have died after fierce storms swept through Washington State this weekend. One man was killed after winds knocked a tree onto his car. His 3-year-old daughter was in the back seat. She was unharmed. Another person who died was just 10 years old. The little girl was playing at a friend's house when a branch fell and hit her.

Also in Washington State, a memorial for three firefighters killed by battling a massive wildfire. The men died when the Twisp River fire torched their van. They will be honored at a citywide memorial.

And that group of wildfires in Washington is now bigger than any fire ever and costing $20 million to date to fight. The fire is so out of control that officials are now warning that they can burn until the first snowfall, these wildfires.

Let's bring in CNN meteorologist, Tom Sater. Tom, why are they saying that, that it's going to be -- I guess the conditions are so ripe for these flames to continue to burn?

TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Fredricka, we've been in this dry, hot conditions for the last several months. There's no change in the pattern. We are seeing the rain on the coast and it's not making it over the mountain ranges where they need it.

We're actually behind in the number of fires. It's hard to believe here but, look, total U.S. wildfires, 43,000 on the ten-year average, that's 52. But they've been so much larger. The very large wildfires are expected to increase 200 to 500 percent as we get in the middle of the century.

A ten-year average of acreage burned, 5.4 million acres every year. That's Alaska just this year. They've had over 5 million just in Alaska, 7.8. When you look at the big pictures, we have 66 large fires from California up to the northwest.

Now, there is a smoke issue here right now. There's an air quality alert. You're told to stay indoors, do not go outside to exercise. We had fires in Calgary that the summer moved all the way to the east coast and I believe the smoke will make its way across Montana.

The winds going to carry it across the upper part of the U.S. but the problem is this, too, when you think about it, it was a month ago that they said 6,000 firefighters were working in the western U.S. and I thought, 6,000? My goodness.

It jumped up to 25,000 and then help came in from Canada, Australia, New Zealand. National Guard is out there as well. Strong winds with the storms that you mentioned. When the cold front moves through, the thunderstorms are going to -- of course, with lightning, they will spark more of these fires for quite some time. We're only halfway through the season.

WHITFIELD: So first snowfall in that region, October?

SATER: Yes. Many times. It was snowing in Calgary a week ago. It could happen.

WHITFIELD: All right, Tom, thanks so much. Keep us posted.

All right, coming up, an injured hiker found alive after surviving nine days in the wilderness. She did have broken bones. No food. The amazing details right after this.

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WHITFIELD: A 62-year-old woman was missing in the wilderness for nine days after she didn't return from a day hike. She had broken bones and had nothing to eat. California Highway Patrol said she blew a whistle when she heard the voices of rescuers nearby. Smoke from a nearby wildfire made the rescue even more difficult.

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SHERIFF MARGARET MIMS, FRESNO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: They found her in a very remote area in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in a very rocky location. She was injured and she has broken bones and we don't know the specifics or at this time will comment on specific injuries that she has.

The smoky condition made the rescue extremely difficult. The California Highway Patrol was able to find a way into the area where Miss Harwood was found. They had to find a pathway into that area. They were able to land, load her into the helicopter and airlift her to CRMC in Fresno.

CHIEF JIM ABRAMS, CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL: When you're nine days into it and starting to wonder if the dividend is going to pay off for you and then have such a success story is amazing and it just tickles us all to death --