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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Oregon Campus Massacre; Tracking Hurricane Joaquin. Aired 5- 5:30a ET

Aired October 02, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:00:08] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. The breaking news this morning, disturbing new details in the college campus massacre. Gunman asking their religions before shooting them. Newly uncovered blog posts now linked to the shooter. They are very revealing. Of course, new information about the victims and that's where our minds are at this morning as well.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday, October 2nd. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

We welcome our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world.

We begin with new disturbing new information about the 26-year- old gunman who opened fire on the campus in Oregon. Police say he showed up at Umpqua community college heavily armed, with body armor.

According to a father of a wounded student, he opened fire as soon as he entered the classroom, asking his victims if they were Christian during a killing spree that left 10 people dead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACY BOYLAN, SHOOTING VICTIM'S FATHER: He came in and there was gunfire immediately and scattered the room and got everyone's attention. He -- from what I understand, what she said is he shot the professor point blank, right, one shot killed him. Took him right out. Others had been injured.

And then he -- this man had enough time -- I don't know how much time elapsed before he was able to stand there and start asking people one by one what their religion was. "Are you a Christian?" he would ask them. "If you're Christian, stand up." And they would stand up and he said, "Good, because you're Christian, you're going to see God in just about one second." And then he shot and killed them.

And he kept going down the line doing this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Let's get the latest. Our John Vause is on the ground in Roseburg, Oregon.

I mean, when you hear that, John, when you just hear that father of a witness talking about that scene in the classroom. It's just -- it's just horrifying. What more do we know?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there are many stories like that which have been emerging over last few hours, Christine. We still don't know why the gunman decided to come here to this community college.

We know more about how he went about this rampage and classroom to classroom and how he shot the students in those classrooms. We know he was armed with three handguns. He had a long rifle and a lot of ammunition.

Law enforcement sources say he had so much ammunition, he was ready for some kind of a prolonged gun fight. He did in fact die in a shootout with police. It is unclear if police killed him or if he took his own life.

And we also know he had body armor with him. One student, Hannah Miles, spoke to an affiliate of ours. She spoke about the terror as gunshots rang out and what happened when they heard the gun shots and the teacher went to the door to see what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANNAH MILES, UCC STUDENT: She knocked on the door and she yelled through the door. She said, "Hey, is everyone OK over there?" As soon as she said that, multiple shots were fired. When she turned and looked at the classroom, the look on her face was horrifying. That's when I knew something was wrong.

And she looked at us and -- I don't know. It's hard to explain. When she looked at us, she said, "We have to get out now." One of my other classmates jumped at me and like, "Everybody out. Come on. Let's go." We immediately began running.

Still don't know what was going on. I knew the look and fear on my teacher's face that it was serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And other students spoken how they hunkered down in their classrooms and they hid under desks and behind their backpacks. They closed the curtains, they turned off the lights, locked the doors and turned the curtains down. They thought it was a drill, but then realized it was real.

And, Christine, we are being told authorities should name the victims here later today. There is a slow process in formally identifying the names, but those names should be coming out in the coming hours.

ROMANS: All right. John Vause, thank you for that.

BERMAN: And, of course, learning information about the people killed. That is what is really important here. The victims here is what we want to focus on.

It does appear there were nine people killed. A tenth death is the shooter itself. But even that is not perfectly clear.

There's new information about the shooter through police reports and some of his own recent blog posts. Authorities say he was prepared for a prolonged gun fight. He had four weapons when he arrived on campus. Investigators confirmed he lived near Roseburg. Wrote online about recent mass murders and he is deeply troubled. He focused on the attention brought to the gunman.

In one passage he wrote, "A man who was known by no one is now known by everyone.

[05:05:00] His face splashed across every screen, his name across the lips of every person on the planet, all in the course of one day. It seems the more people you kill, the more you are in the limelight." And awful plot.

In California, the gunman's father spoke briefly to reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IAN MERCER, GUNMAN'S FATHER: I don't answer any questions right now. I don't want to answer any questions right now.

Obviously, it has been a devastating day, devastating for me and my family. All I ask is, I know you guys are here to do your job, all I ask is respect our privacy. So far, you have done that.

REPORTER: Any surprise at all?

MERCER: Shocked. Shocked is all I can say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: CNN's Sara Sidner is in Winchester, Oregon, live outside the apartment where neighbors say the shooter lived.

Good morning, Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

We have been showing a picture of the shooter that was given to us by authorities, to see if the neighbors recognized him. Indeed, the two neighbors we talked to did recognize him. They have seen him around here. They had seen him in the mornings and sometimes the evening.

But that he really kept to himself. He was quiet and not gregarious. He basically did not say much and did not interact with people that much here.

They did also talk about the fact that they could not believe what they were hearing this whole area is in mourning. The entire state. Specifically, Roseburg itself and surrounding areas that the college is the only college in the county where had shooting happened.

And people from ages 20 to 70 used that college. It was part of the community. Now, I can tell you there was something different that happened here today that neighbors noticed. One neighbor who lives in the same building where the shooter also lived noticed a woman visibly upset and started to cry. She started to bawl according to one of the neighbors. They believe that was the shooter's mother who was here who ended up later on talking to authorities.

Authorities showed up in the evening here. They said they looked out the window to see SWAT teams here. They were in full gear trying to get closer and closer to the apartment on the second floor, apartment number 12. They did eventually enter that apartment.

We noticed there were a lot of agencies. The FBI, we saw them. The ATF, sheriff's department were here as well. They had taken some items out of the apartment here and there are still a couple of deputies stationed here tonight protecting that apartment, making sure no one goes in or out.

At this point, there is still crime tape there. All of the other crime tape has been taken down. Right near the door, we noticed that neighbors were starting to come back here because most people had left because they could not get into their apartments. Starting to come back and just trying to go into their rooms and go to sleep.

They simply cannot believe the person responsible for the shooting of ten, maybe nine or ten people, was living next door -- John.

BERMAN: Sara, any link at this point between the shooter and Umpqua Community College and victims who were there?

SIDNER: You know, everyone wants to know why did he choose Umpqua Community College? So far, we have not heard of a link. Not from law enforcement, not from the people who saw him around here, not from his family.

What we can tell you is a little bit about where this all happened. It happened in Snyder Hall, which is an area for humanities. It is where kids learn and English classes. They have writing classes.

We ended up talking to one of the students who was in a writing class in an adjoining classroom with a door between her classroom and the classroom where the shooter was. She describes what she heard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH COBB, WITNESS: I heard one gunshot and then I looked over outside and people were running away from the building. I knew what happened. I said to the teacher, we have to get out of here. We have to go.

The second and third gunshots happened, and by that time, I was out the door.

I was one of the first people out. There were some people scattered around campus and I said you need to get out. Follow me if you need to. There's been a shooting. People are injured. Some killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Sarah Cobb said she had only been in school like everyone else for four days before this shooting happened. She said it rattled her so much and rattled so many of the other students so much, she herself cannot imagine going back into a classroom there in the near future. This community is in mourning -- John.

[05:10:00] BERMAN: What a mess. I was talking to one of the survivors last night. I was asking if your friends are OK. He said I think everyone is OK, but I have only been on campus for four days. Just been four days here. What an awful beginning to the school year.

Sara Sidner for us in Winchester, Oregon. Thank you.

ROMANS: So many of those students visibly shaken. The president of the United States visibly shaken and clearly frustrated. This is the 15th time President Obama since he has been in office that the president has been forced to address the country after a gun- related massacre. Listen to him here. He challenges the American people and the news media to force a change to the nation's gun laws.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Somehow this has become routine. The reporting is routine. My response here at this podium ends up being routine. The conversation in the aftermath of it.

We have become numb to this. We talked about this after Columbine and Blacksburg, after Tucson, after Newton, after Aurora, after Charleston. It cannot be this easy for somebody who wants to inflict harm on other people to get his or her hands on a gun. And what's become routine, of course, is the response of those who oppose any kind of common sense gun legislation.

Right now, I can imagine the press release is being cranked out. We need more guns, they'll argue. Fewer gun safety laws.

Does anybody really believe that? There are scores of responsible gun owners in this country. They know that's not true.

What's also routine is that somebody somewhere will comment and say, Obama politicized this issue.

Well, this is something we should politicize. It is relevant to our common life together, to the body politic.

I would ask news organizations -- because I won't put these facts forward -- have news organizations tally up the number of Americans who have been killed through terrorist attacks over the last decade and the number of Americans who have been killed by gun violence, and post those side by side on your news reports. This won't be information coming from me. It will be coming from you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: So here are the numbers. Killed by gun violence from 2004 through 2013, 313 Americans killed by acts of terrorism. During the same time frame, 316,545 Americans died from gun violence. All sorts of gun violence on U.S. soil.

"The Daily News" this morning does a different mathematical calculation. They do it from sandy hook. So 87,423 people died because of a gun in this country. Sandy Hook, you know, that shocked American conscience.

I'll tell you, people close to the president said that was one of the moments he really felt like there was a failure in the United States. That was such a horrible situation. Here we are again with another one. The president is saying save these lives. Let these people grow up.

BERMAN: He does say it's one of his biggest regrets, for people know him say one of the biggest regrets they have had is that they have not been able to do more since then.

You know, it is important to take a step back. We don't know yet how this shooter got the guns. He may have bought them legally. There may be no gun law even under discussion right now that would have stopped this person from getting guns, if there is no record of mental health, if had no criminal record.

ROMANS: It is more than just access to guns. Mental health care and being lost or abandoned in American society. What are the things that create a broken person who does something like this?

BERMAN: We're going to follow this all morning long. Obviously, new information coming in every minute.

First, we have update on hurricane Joaquin, which is gaining strength and shifting course in the Atlantic. We will have the very latest forecast next.

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[05:17:36] ROMANS: All right. Our other big story this morning: Hurricane Joaquin battering the Bahamas. It's a category four storm now, sustained winds of 130 miles an hour.

State and local officials along the East Coast, they are preparing for the worse. They are preparing for a possible direct hit from this powerful hurricane.

Now, the latest forecast model suggests they may dodge a bullet with Joaquin remaining out in the Atlantic. That is my personal hope. I'm really hoping that forecast holds. We just don't know.

Let's get more on Hurricane Joaquin's track from meteorologist Karen Maginnis.

Karen, we can look out 12 to 24 hours, but after that, really, there's no clarity where this thing goes.

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is a huge question mark.

Now, as you mentioned, the computer models remain in agreement that this is going to remain offshore. But there are a few that bring it into the Atlantic.

Here's the latest: 130-mile-per-hour w Bahamas. The Grand Bahamas islands have wind gusts to 160. It has moved very little in the Bahamas. Eleuthera, the Berry Islands, the Abacos, the Grand Bahamas islands have been battered. The National Hurricane Center brings this cone up through the Atlantic and offshore.

Here you can see by Monday, we are looking at category two, that information by the National Hurricane Center.

Look at this. Comparisons made to Sandy. Here we go. Sandy and then it moved in toward the New England area.

But here are the computer models out into the Atlantic. There is another component here. It is not just the hurricane. It's a stubborn area of low pressure just kind of languishing across the Southeast.

It is all tapped with the moisture. South Carolina, this is going to be terrible over the next several days. You could see record setting, historic rainfall totals here. A terrible weekend to head to the beach. But beyond 24 and 48 hours, critical timing for Joaquin. We will keep you updated on that.

Back to you, guys.

ROMANS: OK, we know you will. Thank you so much for that.

Breaking news this morning: ten dead in a college campus massacre. Presidential candidates, we'll tell you what hat they are saying about the tragedy and about gun control next.

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[05:23:28] BERMAN: The campus massacre in Oregon, ten people dead out there. We are covering the breaking news all morning.

The president candidates, they are weighing in, mostly offering their condolences, their prayers.

Jeb Bush, he went on Twitter. This is what he said, he said, "I'm praying for Umpqua Community College and families impacted by this senseless tragedy."

Donald Trump said on Twitter, he said, "My warmest condolences to the families of the horrible Roseburg, Oregon, shootings." Trump also told "The Washington Post", "It's happening more and more. I just don't remember -- years back, I just don't remember these things happening. Certainly not with this kind of frequency."

John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, George Pataki, they all tweeted condolences as well. Huckabee went on to criticize the president, saying, quote, "With few facts, Obama is quick to admittedly politicize this tragedy to advance his liberal, anti-gun agenda. Gun violence is a problem in this country, but it's not the fault of Second Amendment, it's a fault of evil people doing evil things."

Ben Carson said the focus needs to be on preventing unstable people he says from getting their hands on guns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Obviously, there are going to be those who are calling for gun control. You know, that happens every time we have one of these incidents. Obviously, that's not the issue. The issue is the mentality of these people and we need to be looking at the mentality of these individuals and seeing if there are any early warning clues that we can gather that will help society to be able to identify these people ahead of time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:25:06] BERMAN: You know, it is interesting. You know, mental health is an issue that people want to discuss when talking about the gun laws in the country.

Hillary Clinton, she expressed anger and disbelief and talked about the gun issue as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm sick about it. I feel an absolute urgency for this country to start being sensible about keeping guns away from people who should not have them. I'm going to try to do everything I can as president to raise up an equally large vocal group that is going to prove to be a counter balance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Bernie Sanders also went on Twitter. He wrote, "We need sensible gun control legislation which prevents the use of guns by people who should not have them."

ROMANS: All right. There's new information this morning about the gunmen, what could have been his motivation. Authorities are scrubbing the background of the shooter. Live team coverage breaking it all down next.

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ROMANS: Breaking news this morning. We have new information about the gunman in the campus shooting that left ten people dead. The disturbing blog posts linked to him and his father speaks to the media.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. About 30 minutes past the hour right now.

And breaking news this morning: new information about the shooting and the 26-year-old gunman who opened fire on the college campus in Oregon, leaving ten people dead.

Police say he showed up at Umpqua Community college heavily armed with body armor.

Now, according to the father of a wounded student, the gunman opened fire as soon as he entered the classroom. He asked some victims about their religion during this killing spree.