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Deputy Daren Goforth was Ambushed at A Gas Station; Bernie Sanders Closing In on Hillary Clinton in the Critical State of Iowa; Shocking Death of a Baseball Fan at Atlanta's Turner Field Yesterday; Interfaith Healing and Memorial Service Held; Exclusive Interview with Alison Parker's Parents. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired August 30, 2015 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00] POPPY HARLOW, CNN HOST: Alison was a beloved reporter at WDBJ. She and her photographer Adam Ward were murdered this week, shot during a segment on live television. I sat down with Barbara and Andy Parker seeing firsthand their absolute strength. We spoke at length about Alison and Adam, their tough road ahead, and their mission to end gun violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA PARKER, ALISON PARKER'S MOTHER: 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 to allow you to be collateral damage in order to keep what some people perceive at their constitutional rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: My interview with the parents of Alison Parker coming up at the bottom of the hour, 5:30 eastern only right here.

But first, we do begin this evening in Texas. That is where people in the Houston area are still shocked at the sudden and violent death of the ten-year deputy in the sheriff's department. Deputy Daren Goforth was ambushed at the gas station. The sheriff calls it cold blooded and cowardly and believes his deputy may have been killed simply because he was wearing a police uniform.

A man is in custody charged with capital murder this evening. Houston officials believe he is the one captured on surveillance camera ambushing deputy Goforth. The suspect has a long criminal record. And police are now trying to figure out what drove him to allegedly kill a deputy in a way describe as an execution.

Ed Lavandera, live in Houston this evening.

Ed, the details of this still coming out. No motive that I know of at this point, right, according to police? What else are they telling us about what happened and if the suspect knew the deputy at all?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very little information in terms of motive. We'll get to that in a second. But in terms of the attack that happened here Friday night at this gas station that you see behind me. Gas pump number eight. What we're told by people around here, is that this gas station is a place where the sheriff's deputies are often seen refilling their patrol car tanks, come in for a cup of coffee and move along. So it doesn't sound like it was an uncommon thing to see sheriff's deputies here in this particular parking lot, which is an interesting note.

But in terms of motivation, investigators have not said if the suspect in this case, 30-year-old Shannon Miles has given them any indication as to why he carried out this attack. And by the accounts given by the investigators, it was brazen. Attacked from behind, the sheriff's deputy just coming back out of the convenience store and shot multiple times. And really no chance to defend himself.

HARLOW: What are the people - I mean, Ed, if we can look at the live pictures behind you in full, you see all - I mean, dozens of people have come out and they brought balloons and flowers. What are they saying?

LAVANDERA: It's been extremely emotional throughout the day. There have at least been three or four sheriff's deputies out here mingling and talking with the crowd. People have been coming up and hugging them. There have been hundreds if not thousands of people who have streamed through this parking lot of this gas station over the course of the last day or so leaving the flowers and notes and messages and that sort of thing.

But what is even more incredible is they have been taking up a collection for deputy Goforth's wife and their two children. They have collected almost $25,000, probably much more than that by now. The last count was done quite a while ago. And they haven't updated the figures on that. But people have been coming by and just dropping money. I've seen people drop off hundred-dollar checks and that sort of thing for these family members. And that's what they say, many people who are coming here today will tell you, with all of the tensions, with all of the intense rhetoric that have been surrounding police shootings, they wanted to come out here to send a signal and a sign of hope for the family of this deputy, their way of telling them that they wish them the best.

HARLOW: Yes, absolutely. It's a tragedy.

Ed Lavandera, live for us this evening right outside of Houston. Thank you, Ed.

An inexplicable part of this tragedy is that Deputy Darren Goforth was not involved in any police work at the time of the ambulance. He was simply filling up his patrol car at the gas station. So far this year, consider this number, 23, 23 police officers have been murdered in the line of duty in this country this year.

Cedric Alexander is with me. He is CNN's law enforcement analyst.

When you look at this, you're also a long-time police officer. When you hear that, what comes to your mind?

CEDRIC ALEXANDER, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, what is very striking about this case, deputy -- that particular deputy, Goforth, was a ten-year veteran there in that department. And he was just out doing his job that night. That's all he was doing. And filling up his gas tank so he could go back out in the community and continue to work in which he was sworn to do.

Police officers are losing their life in this country every day. And most often to gun violence. And the job that they do and the responsibility that they have, in spite of the ongoing criticism that police is receiving across this country, they're going to continue to do what they need to do. Poppy, in order to keep these communities safe.

[17:05:12] HARLOW: I had heard something that traffic stops are the sort of most deadly thing for police officers. I mean, if you think about it, I guess it makes sense. They go into traffic stops, right? You don't know who's in the car, you don't know what circumstance it's under. But these are people just doing routine duty.

ALEXANDER: Right. And part of any law enforcement official job is to manage traffic issues whether someone run a stop sign or involve in automobile collision. But in this case, deputy Goforth was just merely gassing his vehicle. So that was it.

But yes, traffic stops are dangerous in the sense that when that officer pulled that vehicle over, they don't know where that person is coming from or where they're going to. So yes, it is very dangerous.

HARLOW: What about your personal experience in uniform? I mean, you were a police officer in Florida, chief of police in upstate New York, did you ever feel vulnerable, exposed just for wearing the uniform?

ALEXANDER: Well, you know, we're going to wear that uniform with pride. And in spite of whatever the motivation might have been by this subject to shoot that deputy because he had a uniform on, we're going to continue to wear these uniforms across the country. We're going to wear them with pride. That's who we are. We represent the communities in which we serve. And many of those police agencies are hundreds of years old and they have a lot of history. And those uniforms dictate authority, they dictate leadership, they dictate community relations in which they have a great deal of pride in, that badge, that uniform. So that's not going to change.

But every law enforcement officer in this country today know that law enforcement is under a great deal of criticism. But this community across this country is going to have to continue to hold up and lift their agencies up even before something bad happened. We got to continue to work together. And those out here committing these violent crimes, we going to stand together, police and community, Poppy.

HARLOW: We see the community standing behind him today.

ALEXANDER: Absolutely. That's right.

HARLOW: With all these balloons and flowers out there for him.

Cedric Alexander, thank you as always.

ALEXANDER: Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: Up next, we go to politics and Bernie Sanders closing in on Hillary Clinton in the critical state of Iowa. New numbers and a new momentum. We will speak with his campaign manager next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:10:42] HARLOW: In Iowa, the outsiders are on the rise in the race for the White House. A new Des Moines Register poll find Donald Trump leading the GOP race with 23 percent of Iowa Republicans. Dr. Ben Carson is roared into second place with 18 percent support.

Among Democrats in Iowa, Hillary Clinton has the lead still, but that lead is getting slimmer. She's now just seven points ahead of Bernie Sanders, 37 percent to 30 percent. One clue to Sanders' success, I want you to look at that. Look at that photo. It's not a photo around a rock star. That is a photo around a politician. It is from Sanders' rally this month in Portland, Oregon. The age of the crowd.

This new poll also finds in Iowa that Sanders leads by 23 percentage points with potential caucus goers under the age of 45.

Let's talk about Bernie Sanders and his insurgent campaign with the man who know it well, Jeff Weaver. He is Bernie Sanders' campaign manager.

Thanks for being with me, Jeff.

JEFF WEAVER, BERNIE SANDERS' CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Good to be here, Poppy.

HARLOW: Let's talk about this new Iowa poll that found Iowa Democrats who back Sanders are not launching some sort of protest against Hillary Clinton. Ninety six percent of them say they are backing Sanders because they like his ideas and this is not about being anti- Clinton.

Here's the question. What happens when you leave Iowa, you head to states that aren't so rural, more diverse, may be not so liberal, can he appeal to minorities, blue collar workers, moderate Democrats? Can he get that critical vote?

WEAVER: Absolutely. Look, Poppy. So you know, we're gaining in Iowa. The last two polls in New Hampshire have us ahead in that state, which is obviously next door to Vermont. We have a team on the ground in South Carolina. We're reaching out to voters in South Carolina, including minority voters. We are talking to people from one end of this country to the other. I'm sure you know Bernie had a rally with 11,000 people in Phoenix, Arizona, not a blue state. We had 8,000 people out in Dallas, Texas, also not a blue area. 6,000 people out in Houston. Thousands of people, 4,000, 5,000 people out in New Orleans.

So Bernie is going from one end of this country. He is committed to a 50-state strategy. He is going to talk to voters, liberal voters, conservative voters, white voters, black voters, Latino voters. And he has a message that appeals to middle income and working people and poor people across this country.

HARLOW: We've certainly heard him talk about income inequality wage disparity. That's been a passion point for him before he started running.

Let me ask you guns, though. This is an issue that might some say might tripped him up because didn't support the Brady Bill on gun control in the '90s. He comes from a mostly rural state which as he admits has very few gun restriction. Is he out of sync with the progressive wing of his party on guns?

WEAVER: Well, if you look at his record on guns, I think you'll see he's exactly in sync with where the American people are. He supported that assault weapons ban in the Congress. He has supported instant background checks. He supports closing of the gun show loophole that allows people to buy guns without going through a background check. He supports expanding the background check system so we make sure mentally ill people do not get their hands on guns. And he also supports expanding mental health services because there's many people out there who are having mental health crisis who cannot get the help they need and who end up being involved in violent situations.

So I think if you look at his record, including his d-minus rating with the NRA, you'll see he's exactly in sync with Democratic voters and in fact, voters on both sides of the aisle.

HARLOW: So it is about getting that record, that message out pushing that even harder, I guess. I do want to talk about the black lives matter movement.

WEAVER: Sure.

HARLOW: Some in the movement say that the senator, Senator Sanders, has not talked enough about police violence, minorities, and we saw what happened. You're looking at images there of some of them taking over the stage at one of his rallies in Seattle, expressing that they are, you know, not being happy with his stance. Shortly after, your camp hired Simone Sanders, an African-American woman who has been vocal for the movement. What is he doing to address that criticism?

WEAVER: Look, there is no candidate running for president who will be stronger on civil rights than Bernie Sanders. He has entire career. I think if you look at his racial justice platform on his Web site, you'll see that he is committed to addressing issues of institutional racism and reforming our criminal justice system. I mean, the reality is that the United States of America has more people in prison, disproportionately people of color, than any other country on earth, including communist China, which is many times our size.

[17:15:13] HARLOW: This morning, your candidate Bernie Sanders was on "STATE OF THE UNION" with my friend and colleague Jake Tapper. He laid out a litany of things that make him different from Hillary Clinton. I want to play you just some of those. WEAVER: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe along with Pope Francis and almost all scientists that climate change is threatening this planet in horrendous ways. And that we have to be aggressive in transforming our energy system away from fossil fuel and defeat -- and defeat the keystone pipeline that is not Hillary Clinton's position. I believe that as opposed to my Republican colleagues who want to cut Social Security, I believe we should expand Social Security by lifting the cap on taxable income. That's not Hillary Clinton's position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: He does agree with Donald Trump on carried interest and taxing the hedge fund folks more. And he talked about bringing (INAUDIBLE) back. He went on and on.

Here's the thing. You can't do that without Congress. So, I'm wondering, what's the strategy if he is to be elected, how does he carry out all of that if President Obama couldn't?

WEAVER: Poppy, the reality is that this campaign is not just about Bernie Sanders. It is as he always says about creating a political revolution in this country with millions of people backing him. And when that happens, we're not only going to elect Bernie Sanders president, but you're going to elect Democrats to the Senate, to the house, to state houses across this country.

I don't think there is a scenario that one can imagine where Bernie Sanders is elected president and the current Congress is reelected with the current --

HARLOW: So you're saying this is a ground swell?

WEAVER: Yes. Absolutely a ground swell and it's going to carry not just Bernie Sanders but candidates up and down the ballot to transform America.

HARLOW: All right. Let me ask you this real quickly before I let you go. This Iowa poll also found in Joe Biden enters this race, he takes support from Clinton and Sanders. He takes six points from Clinton, he five points from Sanders. What is your strategy if Biden jumps in?

WEAVER: Poppy, all the numbers are moving in our direction. If you look at people who are going to be first time caucus goers, they are overwhelmingly for Sanders.

HARLOW: No, but what's your strategy -- I want to know what you do if Biden jumps in.

WEAVER: Well, you showed the poll. Biden is at 14 percent against Sanders at 30 and Clinton at 37. What we're going to do is continue to talk about the issues that are important to voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and every other state across this country. That's how we're doing as well as we are and that's the strategy we're going to maintain. Talking about the real issues that people are facing.

HARLOW: Jeff Weaver, it is nice to have you on the show. Come back, sir.

WEAVER: Thank you much. I really appreciate being here.

HARLOW: Thank you.

Coming up next, an absolute tragedy at turner field in Atlanta. A Braves fan falling 50 feet to his death after going over a railing. Boris Sanchez tracking the latest on this story this evening.

It is unbelievable.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is certainly a tragic story. Investigators are now working to figure out exactly how he fell. Coming up, you will hear how witnesses describe the scene at turner field last night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:21:45] HARLOW: Questions mounting today, both other the safety and the circumstances surrounding the shocking death of a baseball fan at Atlanta's Turner field yesterday. As a sellout crowd watched the Braves take on the New York Yankees last night, 60-year-old Gregory Murray tumbled over a railing falling 50 feet into an empty seat. One fan described what happened next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM STAUDACHER, WITNESS: People were really, really disturbed. The guy fell. 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 they left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: CNN's Boris Sanchez is with me now tracking this. How could this have happened?

SANCHEZ: That's what investigators are working to piece together. An autopsy was conducted on Gregory Murray this afternoon. You can bet investigators are going to be looking at that toxicology report to see if alcohol may have been involved in the incident. So far, they say that foul play is not suspected in the case.

Essentially, what happened was that in the 7th inning, witnesses say that Gregory Murray walked over to a railing to boo Alex Rodriguez. He was heading up to bat. And at that point, he tumbled over the railing landing head first 50 to 80 feet on a terrace below him, landing on his head. Paramedics rushed over to him. They administered CPR. They escorted fans out of that area. They rushed him to a hospital, but obviously Gregory Murray did not make it. We're hearing from his son Jason today, he gave a statement to CNN

saying in part 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 ticketholder with the same seats for 23 years. The night Greg passed away, he was doing one of his favorite things, watching the Braves." Difficult to imagine what that family's going through.

HARLOW: No, you can't. There was a bit of talk about the game kept going on and why it kept going on. I guess they didn't realize the severity at the time. What are the team saying today?

SANCHEZ: There was some criticism from fans because there wasn't a stoppage in play. But the Braves came out and put a statement saying that the Atlanta Braves are deeply saddened by the loss of Greg Murray at last night's game. Greg was a valued and longtime season ticketholder and an incredibly passionate Braves fan. This tragic loss is felt throughout Braves country and the thoughts and prayers of the entire Braves organization continue to go out to his family and friends.

This is something the Braves will certainly have to look at. Just two years ago, another fan fell to his death from the upper deck of Turner Field. That case was ruled a suicide. Obviously we still have to pin point exactly what caused this accident.

HARLOW: And their building a new seats in. So you think they take it in to consideration then.

Boris, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

Coming up next, the parents of Alison Parker join me to remember their daughter and to talk about their mission for change. It is the first time that we are hearing from Alison's mother. We will bring you our special half hour remembering Alison and Adam.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:27:51] HARLOW: Welcome back. In the coming days, Roanoke, Virginia will lay to rest two of their own, a photographer at WDBJ television. His name is Adam Ward. He and reporter Alison Parker were out on a story Wednesday morning when their lives were cut tragically short by a gunman.

The killings captured on live television left a nation stunned in horror and disbelief. Over the next few days, we saw Alison's father coming to the cameras, sometimes barely making it through an interview without breaking down. Alison's obituary, a ringing testament to the type of person she was reading in part, she loved her job and had such a bright future ahead in the field of journalism. She will be missed by everyone she touched and she lived life to the fullest in her short time on earth.

Just this afternoon, in interfaith healing and memorial service was held to honor both of them. Colorful flowers have been placed with cards in front of their station WDBJ, cards offering condolences and sympathy, candles burning in honor of the fallen journalists.

And it is to that end that I would like to dedicate the next 30 minutes of this show to Alison and Adam. I had the opportunity to sit down with Alison's parents earlier today. Her mother, Barbara, speaking to the national media for the first time. Here is the first part of our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Thank you both so much for being with me today.

B. PARKER: You're very welcome.

ANDY PARKER, ALISON PARKER'S FATHER: Wish this were under different circumstances, but thank you.

HARLOW: We all do. Let me begin with you, Barbara. What is your favorite memory of Alison?

B. PARKER: Oh, there are so many. She came into the world lighting up the room that she -- that she walked into. And she was full of mischief. I remember one time that we thought we had her in a place that she couldn't do anything as a child, and I came in and she had found a red Magic Marker and drawn all over the coffee table in our living room and the carpet and the kitchen floor.

But you couldn't be mad because this little golden girl smiling that she'd done this wonderful piece of art. And she's always been like that. She -- she was full of love and life, and she was a geek at heart. Which is the greatest compliment I can ever give anyone.

[17:30:17] HARLOW: Barbara, tell me -- what is your last memory of Alison? Because I know it was just her birthday, and you had just taken this amazing family trip to literally her favorite place in the world.

B. PARKER: My last memory is on -- on Tuesday, I was at work. And she would always call after work on her drive home. She would call and she's always say, just checking in. And she said, "I'm so tired after that trip," because her schedule was so unusual. And on our vacation, we slept in and we laughed and we ate more than we should, and we had such a lovely time. And then she had to go back to the unusual schedule that she had.

But she just -- she always had a smile, regardless. Regardless of the circumstance. And we -- I think that Alison and I had a very, very unique relationship. Unusual by any standards. If she was going shopping and she always said when I'd come up to Roanoke with her, she said, when you come up here, I end up spending money. Because we would go shopping for her wardrobe that she would wear. And I could tell her spot on what looked perfect on her and what was the right thing for her to wear and she knew it. And she respected that and would -- she always wanted me there when she was buying her clothes.

HARLOW: Tell me about her drive as a journalist. Because I think all of us in the business and everyone watching, it marvels at all she achieved by age 24. What drove her?

ANDY PARKER: She just -- you know, I think that's just the way she came into this world. She -- everything that she did -- everything she touched, everything -- every activity that she picked up, she excelled at everything. I mean she -- you know, she wanted to be the best. I mean, she was just extremely competitive.

And whatever she did -- and maybe she - you know, maybe she got that from me, from dad. Because if I pick up a sport or if pick up an activity, and as we'll talk about later, you know, now with this mission, you know, I want to be the best. And I've always been that way. And it just sort of was instilled in her that, you know, you got at it. And you know, thankfully, she was just gifted, I mean, beyond belief --

BARBARA PARKER: She was.

ANDY PARKER: She tutored calculus at James Madison University. And you know, how many journalism majors can tutor calculus? I mean, it was that kind of thing. I mean, she was an incredible athlete, she was an incredible whitewater kayaker. But she just was not satisfied with just, you know, doing something. She wanted to be the best.

B. PARKER: She wanted to be the best. And when she set out to do something, she meant that. She -- she wanted to be the best and never lose a race, never mess something up, she meant it. She wanted to be the best and never lose a race, never mess something up. She wanted everything she did to be perfect, and she was driven to do that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[17:37:48] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Adam Ward, walking sports encyclopedia. I would have liked to have been able to talk sports with him more, but I wasn't in his league. And it just kills me to know that the college football season is about to start, and here he is, gone before it ever got to begin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Adam had so much fun playing on the company softball team that they let me play on, too. Adam was a lot better than I was. And that's one of the reasons we won the city championship.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Playing for some high school football team or going to Virginia Tech or pursuing his career in sports broadcasting, he had the goals. And he achieved them with relentless work effort and a whole lot of just effusive joy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Welcome back. We continue our coverage now with our in-depth interview with the parents of Alison Parker, the reporter who was shot and murdered on live television earlier this week. Barbara and Andy Parker are now front and center in the gun control fight, a challenge they take on wholeheartedly in the name of their daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Do you find in Alison's passion the strength now to fight this fight, Andy and Barbara? To fight your passion, which is changing some of the gun laws in this country?

B. PARKER: I like to think that she got her strength from me and her passion from her father. And I always looked at her and thought, the genes just aligned, and how often does that happen? And she was absolutely the best of both of us. We're both passionate about what we do. Passionate about the arts. Passionate about the things that we feel are right and important. And she -- she had that. She had that passion from day one.

A. PARKER: And now we're passionate about a new mission. That's the -- you know, it's -- it's the only thing that's giving me strength right now, to go, to take on this cause. Because, you know, I know that somewhere she'd be looking down and saying, you go, Dad. You're -- you're -- this is -- this is what she would want me to do.

B. PARKER: I can see --

HARLOW: This is her fight.

[17:40:03] A. PARKER: This is her fight.

B. PARKER: It is her fight. I can see Alison sitting there going --

A. PARKER: Yes.

B. PARKER: -- because that's what she'd do. It's like good job, Mom and Dad. We do that for her.

A. PARKER: I'm sorry. Go ahead, Poppy.

HARLOW: Barbara, you have said this was the happiest point in her life. She was madly in love with Chris. She was working at her hometown station where she wanted to be. That was, with the utmost evil, stripped away from you, stripped away from your community, stripped away from this world. So I want to know more about your fight, Barbara. Where do you go from here?

B. PARKER: From here -- you can't change the world in a day. I mean, that's been proven that you can't change the world in a day. But we -- 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 -- I've looked in the camera on other interviews and I've said, if you were a parent, if you're a mother, if you have children, can you look your child in the eye and say, we are willing to allow you to be collateral damage in order to keep what some people perceive as their constitutional rights? If we as a society are willing to accept that, what kind of society are we?

HARLOW: On Friday, I interviewed Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut. And I want to play you part of what he said to me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Who are you talking about in Congress?

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D), CONNECTICUT (on the phone): I'm talking about the entirety of Congress, especially those that have stood in the way of common sense gun measures like expanded background checks or reforms to our mental health system. The fact is is that when, you know, our leadership in Congress stands up and says, we can't do anything, they are absolutely wrong. And I believe that we have become complicit in these murders because people listen to highest levels of government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Andy, I know you want to go to Washington. What will you tell Congress?

ANDY PARKER: Well, Senator Murphy is absolutely correct. And you know, I think every time there's been one of these tragedies, we all say, well, this is the tipping point. This is -- something's going to get done. After Newtown, after Aurora, after, you know, Gabby Giffords was shot, I mean, you know, you think well, something's going to get done.

This time, I think that the -- that the circumstances of this tragedy, their different. They're different this time. It has been not just another, you know, well, gee, gunman goes -- it's all horrific. But because of who Alison was -- you know, she was a rock star and she had such potential behind her.

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 are going to effect a change, and it's going to happen. And we need people like Senator Murphy and Governor McAuliffe who are courageous enough to stand with us. And we will effect a change.

HARLOW: Barbara, I'd like to read to you part of a letter from one mother to another this morning. Nicole Hockley, who lost her beautiful 6-year-old son Dillon in the Sandy Hook shooting, wrote an open letter this morning in the paper. And it reads, "I understand the overwhelming need to make something positive come from this, the need to save lives as part of your daughter Alison's legacy. I can see the shock in your eyes and the potent mixture of anger and grief bubbling under the surface, threatening to overcome you at any time. I have insight into the journey ahead for you and can sadly say that it will never get easier. But there is hope, and that is what you need to hold onto. People say, 'If Sandy Hook couldn't deliver a change, nothing will.' I disagree."

What do you say, Barbara?

B. PARKER: I absolutely agree with that. You think that how could that many children be killed and nothing happen, for it to be ignored? But what we have to do, there are people out there whose minds we will never change. They are the people that are unimportant in this fight. The people who are important are the silent majority who feel the way we do, that some kind of gun control measures are necessary --

A. PARKER: Even the NRA - you know, the majority of NRA membership supports reasonable closing of loopholes and making it harder for, you know, mentally disturbed people to get guns. And as Mark Kelly mentioned -- and I know this. This is not a sprint. It's a marathon. But I'm in it for the long haul. We're in it for the long haul.

You know, I look at you, and I see Alison. I mean -- you know, she was -- she was, you know, like a little sister of you. You could have been sisters. And I think why this is different this time is that, you know, that could have been you out there. And that's what I challenge the journalists. And I think that's why it's different. You guys are going to stay with us because she was one of you, she was one of your - one of the fraternity.

And, you know, that's why this thing is not going to go away. And that's why it's not going to be different. Because she was one of you. And, Poppy, it could have been you. And we don't want that to happen. We don't want another tragedy like this to happen.

B. PARKER: It's horrible to think that journalists have to go through the rest of their lives looking over their shoulder or wondering, is there somebody out there that's going to come after me? And that shouldn't happen to anybody. To live your life in fear is not living.

HARLOW: No.

B. PARKER: And no one should have to do that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:50:53] HARLOW: Welcome back. Now, more of our interview with the parents of Alison Parker, the reporter who was shot and killed on live television earlier this week. Alison was a shining star at her station. We all remember her smile and her bubbly demeanor, but it was hard news that was her passion.

She recently worked on the station's child abuse special, called "Childhood Lost," and that's where we pick up my conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: I know that, you know, we see all these images of her on TV. She could have a lot of fun on morning television. Dressing up in costumes - I mean -- but her heart lay with hard news, and she was working on a child abuse special called "Childhood Loss."

A. PARKER: Yes.

HARLOW: I wonder what she wanted to give the world, Barbara, with her stories. B. PARKER: That story was especially important to her. She spent

many, many hours with the little girl who was the feature that we call Hope and her adoptive mother, and talking about the things she'd gone through.

And Alison knew that she was one of the lucky ones. She had a loving family. She grew up with a lovely home, and she had what so many people do not have. And she realized that. And for this little girl to be so eloquent and so beautiful in telling Alison her story, that it broke Alison's heart. But she felt like that story was so important to be told.

A. PARKER: And she was so -- she was so proud of it.

B. PARKER: Very proud of it.

ANDY PARKER: She was so proud of it, and she said, Dad, you know, this could be, you know, this thing could win an Emmy. And so being the proud dad I am, you know, I posted, you know, the promo for it. And I said, you know, people watch this because it could be, you know -- this could be an Emmy-award winning piece.

And she called me up immediately. She was sensitive about this stuff. She said, Dad, you can't say this. You know, this is making me look like I'm bragging on myself. Take that off of there right now. I mean, she was -- her ethics were, you know -- I was trying to, you know -- I was a proud dad, and still am a proud dad. But you know, she was so careful and so modest and humble.

HARLOW: Finally, I do want to also honor Adam's family, as well.

A. PARKER: Absolutely.

HARLOW: They are grieving in their own way, but I know you've been able to spend time with them.

A. PARKER: Yes.

HARLOW: Is there anything you'd like to say on their behalf or just about Adam?

B. PARKER: We are public people. For years and years, we've been in positions where we work with the public, we talk to the public. We're comfortable talking to the media. And this is how, in a large way, we deal with our grief, is by telling our story.

Not everyone is like us. And we respect so much Adam's parents and his siblings, because they are much more private people, and they're grieving in their own way. So this site (ph) is for them, too. We are not only the spokespeople for Alison, we are the spokespeople for Adam, for the WDBJ family, for all of the people that are suffering because of this. And anything we do is in, not just Alison's name, but in their names, also.

HARLOW: Please tell me about the fund that has been set up at Alison's alma mater, where people can locate to help aspiring journalists.

A. PARKER: JMU set up a scholarship, you know, I guess it was Thursday. She - and they said, you know, when it hits $25,000, one of their largest alumni or biggest donors would match it, if it was -- if it hit $25,000. Well, in less than a day, it was $25,000. Now, it's $50,000. And it is an endowed scholarship that will be there in perpetuity.

But now, absolutely, keep contributing to that fund. There's also another scholarship fund for Patrick Henry Community College, where she got an associate's degree and was this year, she was named one of their distinguished alumni. The outpouring of love and affection has just been overwhelming, and we appreciate everyone's love and support.

[17:55:21] HARLOW: I am so sorry that I never got to meet her. But I am so glad that she had such an impression on so many. Andy and Barbara, thank you both.

A. PARKER: Thank you for having us.

B. PARKER: Thank you, Poppy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Many have asked, how can I help to remember the lives of Alison Parker and Adam Ward? Go to CNN.com/impact. There, you will find the links to the Alison B. Parker memorial fund at James Madison University and to the Virginia Tech Scholarship Fund in memory of Adam Ward. Both again at CNN.com/impact.

I do want to end this hour with some encouraging news about Vicki Gardner, the sole survivor of the shooting this week. She was being interviewed by Alison on the morning of the shooting. We are told that she has been up walking around in the hospital after undergoing two surgeries for that bullet wound in her back. Her husband says that bullet came within centimeters of killing her. We wish Vicki all the best in her recovery.

And a personal thank you from me to Barbara and Andy Parker for taking the time to spend with us and to share those wonderful memories of their daughter. We'll be right back.

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