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U.S. Capitol Was in Lockdown; Eyewitnesses Speak Out. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired March 28, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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


[15:30:00] MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER (on the phone): And it does as we were mentioning on air earlier, does appear to be an isolated incident but out of precaution, they're asking folks to stay indoors. This is why that there is still the capitol's still in lockdown. But the news here being that a suspect is in custody and nobody else appears to be at large as the capitol police continue to investigate, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: OK. I've got a little bit more. Let me add on to that. We have now learned as just There is now a suspect in custody. Male suspect shots. Female civilian injured. Not a perpetrator, innocent bystander. So it looks like at least one injured. Male suspect to the hospital. That is the latest as we have been trying to get a little bit of information.

Just still -- this is still very active. The U.S. capitol on lockdown as the shots were apparently reported in or around. This is the part that's still not entirely clear. Was it within the capitol visitor's complex or not. That is what the e-mail to Senate staffers have said.

Again, we're learning one male suspect shot. Female civilian injured. She was just simply an innocent bystander.

And to everyone's point, Gloria Borger, back to you, to your point. You know, to your point, Dana, to Manu, I mean, this is the time of year everyone's in Washington. And so, how sad and frightening all at once that with all of these wonderful people who traveled to D.C., you know, who want to see how our country sort of works, you know, that this would happen like this.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, and you know, the city is hugely crowded. It's beautiful because of the cherry blossoms. People are bringing their children. School tours and school buses are all over the city. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if you had kids on tour, you know, passing through the -- passing through the visitor's center.

So this is, you know, this is the height of the season where Washington kind of displays itself. And last week was a beautiful -- was a beautiful week for that. And so I can only imagine how frightening it is when you are trying to get in to the United States capitol which is a beautiful building. That this, you know, that this occurs and somebody is, you know, a civilian is wounded, just waiting in line probably to get in for a tour. BALDWIN: So if we are talking about this happening in the CVC, in the

capitol visitors center, and was talking with Dana, you know, day after Easter, Congress out, spring break, I mean, how many -- you talk about being a congressional correspondent for "Newsweek" for a decade, how many people would you estimate would be within the house and Senate sides at work today to be on lockdown?

BORGER: Well, you know, it's hard to say because a lot times people take off when their bosses are off and when their bosses are out of town or, you know, they also try and get some work done maybe and work on things they couldn't get to when Congress is in session. But if I had to guess, I would say that a large -- you know, maybe half of them are gone. Who knows? You know, it was Easter yesterday. So a lot of people who work in Congress live -- their families are from somewhere else because maybe they're working for a congressman from California or, you know, or Indiana. So they may, you know, they may go home. The thing that we know is that Congress is not in session. So that there were probably few, if any, members of Congress in the building. But, again, it's the peak of the tourist season.

BALDWIN: So Tom Fuentes, spring board off Gloria's point, if you know, the halls were entirely pack with obviously no members of Congress, maybe some certainly some staffers, but the point being tourists, and we're now learning, you know, from law enforcement, there was a female bystander who was apparently injured and the male suspect was injured on the way to the hospital. What next as far as lockdown? Are they still going through building to building to building within the labyrinth on Capitol Hill?

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST (on the phone): Yes, they'll probably searching the area inside and outside the capitol building. But also the question will be, what's the condition of the shooting suspect? That person is not severely injured and is able to talk to investigators. And, you know, if in a few minutes they're able to determine that he or she acted alone and there's no other people involved in this plot. And, once they've neutralized that particular shooter, there's no one else to be worried about. Then I think the lockdown will probably end pretty quickly.

The other thing they will worry about for a while is that there's a copycat. If there is somebody sitting out there and heard the story that somebody fired shots at the visitors' center and thought what a great idea. I'm going to do that. So they have to worry about the other nut cases that live in the D.C. area that may respond in person and decide to do something on their own. But once they figure out that's probably not going to happen and the individual that did the shooting is neutralized and providing information that he was alone, then I think this will be wrapped up soon.

[15:35:10] BALDWIN: Let's hope so. Let's hope so for everyone's sake. There is --.

FUENTES: Not to mention, Brooke, that these offices will be closing anyway. They're not open extremely late. So right now it's 3:30 p.m. eastern time. They would have only been open a pretty short time for visitors anyway after this time. BALDWIN: Thank you, Tom. We're getting some new video. Let's pause

and take a look and see what's happening.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

BALDWIN: All right, so obviously shaky, sort of frightening video, taken by a witness. Do we know guys, tell me in my ears, was that in the CVC? Don't know.

Dana Bash, did you see that video? Maybe we can play it again. Looked like obviously panicked people trying to get out.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Very much looks like that. To tell even knowing, you know, that the inside of the capitol -- no, that's the CVC, that's the --

BALDWIN: That is?

BASH: Yes, that looks like the CVC. I can't say it 100 percent but it very much looks like it because you see those ropes there.

BALDWIN: For the tourists.

BASH: Exactly, that's where people line up to get into the capitol. I mean, there's a very -- as you would suspect, a very specific protocol for coming in as a tourist. And that's definitely looks like in the congressional visitors' center. And I can't even imagine, you know, how that feels to be a tourist, to be somebody from out of town or even from town, just in the capitol, to have that sense of absolute terror, not knowing exactly what's going on.

And before I throw it back to you, I just want to say that, Brooke, I heard earlier from one law enforcement source about the fact that there was a male suspect and a female civilian injured. We were waiting to get the second source which obviously as you reported we now have. But I just want to underscore, you know, as horrible as it is that anybody, any civilian was injured, the fact it was so isolated and so contained and that the suspect was taken down so quickly, again, just gives you a sense of, I mean, it doesn't look like it now, crazy for me to say as we're looking at these pictures, but how fortified the capitol is and how hard these officers work to keep everybody safe because it is so important to keep these buildings open for the public in this country and from around the world.

BALDWIN: How awful for these good people to just be in the capitol on their day after Easter, maybe spring break, and to have this happen.

Ian Shapira is on the phone with me, "Washington Post" reporter there on the scene.

Ian, can you hear me?

IAN SHAPIRA, REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST (on the phone): I can hear you fine, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Tell me where you are and what you know, please. SHAPIRA: Yes. I am right in between the Russell Bennett building in

the U.S. capitol. I'm sort of an intersection where lots of tourists are spilling out from the visitors' center area on to the nearby sidewalk. It's a lot of parents and children huddled together. Relieved that they're out of there. Many of them are telling me that they were inside a movie theater while this happened. They were inside I guess, watching one of the tour guide movies. And there was an announcement that went out that there was an active shooter in the building. And strange enough the movie kept playing actually for several minutes and people stayed in their seats. And then police came by, sort of safeguard them in that auditorium.

Other people I spoke with said that they were in the cafeteria when it happened. They are sort of descriptions were a little more vague than others. But that's basically where I am.

BALDWIN: OK. Ian, invaluable. Stay with me. Stand by. Let's just dip in and hear some sound from someone I believe was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they kind of -- they got a hand on it pretty well. Yes, I mean, it was scary hearing that kind of thing over the loud speaker. But, you know, at the end of the day, I think they did the best they could, given the circumstances.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you hear over the loud speaker?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It said capitol building lockdown, shots fired. I think it repeated twice. We didn't know if it was prerecorded or if it was parts of -- because we were watching the video at the time. So it came on over the top of that. And people kind of started looking around and trying to work out what was going on. And the lights are still down at the time. And then that's when we started seeing the exit doors opening and people coming in, that kind of thing.

[15:40:08] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ushering people into --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Apparently the shooter was two theaters over. They ushered some people into our theater that had been in the theater next door and had shots.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the shooting was after you went through security then?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't know, you know, as I said --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you go through security? It's been a while since I've been in the visitors' center. So describe what it's like walking in the visitors' center.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So wait in line. I had an appointment today. And you go through, it's a metal detector. You put all your metal in in the case that goes on the side and then you go through the metal detector. So that was my thought as well, how did they get a weapon into the building. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you understand that the shooting occurred in

a theater?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what -- the people that were shown into our theater said they heard from the theater next door. That's all the information we kind of got. The police are great about coming in and trying to keep us updated. There was someone in our theater who wanted an armed guard in the theater and the police were explaining they were kind of stretched in terms of manpower. Not stretch bud they were making sure they had armed guards at every door and that's what they kept repeating. I think that's what their standard procedure is to keep guards on every door.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How long were you inside that theater, if you had to estimate? I know minutes can seem a longer time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were half through the showing of the material so I'm guessing at least half an hour, 40 minutes. And then as soon as -- there was another officer that came in and he kind of -- he asked what was going on. So he explained the situation. He asked us if we were OK. Turning off the promotional show that was on the television, which they did. They turned it off. They turned the lights up. And people started asking questions. I mean, just he was answering them for people and explain they have to stay safe.

And again, they kept on making sure that if anyone came in, they asked if anyone came in and you're not next to the person you came in with, please tell us now because they were just very, very intent on making sure they knew where everybody was. And that's that is the kind of all I remember the. Eventually, when they got the all clear, they just, they shot the door and he is out so we all came out together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you think from start to finish in there about a half an hour to 45 minutes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From when the -- from the fired, I guess, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your name again?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My names Jay Blaskey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: All right. That is the first eyewitness we have heard from through all of this here. And in brief, you know, all a sudden, shots were fired. He talked about this is what Ian with the "Washington Post" was also saying, perhaps within one of the theaters at the capitol visitors complex. As tourists were in town and wanted to check out the U.S. capitol. And over the loud speaker heard capitol lockdown, shots fired, and to his point, how the heck did somebody get a gun in there through the metal detectors.

Let's go to correspondent Brian Todd who was there at the scene as well.

Brian Todd, tell me what you're seeing and what you learned. BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, just behind me, that is an

area where the incident occurred. That is the corner there, first street northeast and east capitol street where I am standing. Our photo journalist Greg Robinson is zooming in for you there, where you see some emergency response vehicles. You see police gathered there. That's right at the capitol visitors complex entrance where this incident might have taken place what we are told.

What we are now told by law enforcement officials is that a male suspect was shot at the capitol complex by U.S. capitol police. That suspect now en route to the hospital. A female civilian bystander was injured by shrapnel. No law enforcement no capitol police were injured in the incident.

But again, the latest that we are told by law enforcement officials, a male suspect was shot at the capitol complex by U.S. capitol police. That male suspect now en route to the hospital. A female bystander wounded by shrapnel in that incident. They're really not letting any of us go any closer than we are right now, Brooke.

If you can see the scene own the street from me, this is east Capitol Street where we're standing. You can see all the emergency responders. We had to walk some distance to get where we were. We were cordoned off on several streets north and northwest of the capitol as we made our way up here. Capitol is still on lockdown, we are told. And that's really the situation. People were told to shelter in place. People outside were initially told to take cover. But we did get word a short time ago that there's no active threat to the public right now. So this incident may be winding down, Brooke. The latest we're told again it was a male suspect shot and wounded by capitol police. That suspect now en route to the hospital -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Brian, thank you and your P.J., for the hustle, just so we can have eyes on the scene there down first street northeast in north capitol. We have word now hearing from more eyewitness accounts. Here is another one who is apparently in inside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You left your wallet behind?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And my cell phone and everything. My whole life is in there. But it was more important to get out then worry about that. The shooters were there.

[15:45:06] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here with colleagues, lobby, going through the visitors' standing security. And as I walk though, we heard, get out, get out, get out, there's an active shooter. And so we went out, went around to the side of the building that was secure. And then we were relocated up from the building. The police escorted us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And when you start to talk about it, I hear it --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It is (INAUDIBLE). It has been most stressful experience I've ever had in my life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What went through your mind when you heard that, active shooter, get out, get out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just get out and be safe and what could happen. It's pretty sobering for sure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sure people that knew you, that love you, that care about you, knew you were going to be here today, they knew that you are going to be in the capitol, you are fielding calls?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of my phone's still in the capitol building. So I think maybe they called. (INAUDIBLE) soon maybe with somebody else's phone to let everybody know I'm OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you're on the capitol grounds often, you know. This is a real threat to people deal with all the time. It will change your mind going into the capitol, coming on the ground from the future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I think that I would probably can do that. I think that we will continue to have life as usual, you know. I don't think we should let a shooter kind of dictate our lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was the respond were they were telling you guys get out. Get out. Were they, you know, kind of herding you in one direction?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were pretty much screaming at us to get out. Get out. They were trying to keep us safe. So they were pretty loud and they were kind of pushing us. So you know, you're concerned that the shooter's outside. So the guns were drawn. They were out, you know, making sure we were safe. But it was pretty anxiety producing even that part of it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many people in the visitors center when this happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know in the visitors' center. It's probably about 20 people in the security line. Right where the shooter was caught. So maybe about 20 people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And did you sense sort of like a swell that something was going on before the shouting began?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We all start (INAUDIBLE) as soon as the shot. Just went out, out of the building.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's going through your mind now? You are on the other side of the barricade. You're safe. They've got this gunman in custody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, my biggest concern is getting my stuff back because as I said my life in there. But just that I'm safe and, you know, I need to process it with my colleagues that I'm here with and just continue to be safe in here. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Life changing experience?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely, but I'm not sure what that is yet. I'm still processing. I'm pretty much in shock still.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And tell me your name.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). Dr. Vosovich (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have to be back in the lobby tomorrow?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We have lobbying again tomorrow, for sure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Crazy experience is that what people --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: All right. That's one of the local reporters there in Washington.

Just sort of dipping in and listening to different eyewitness accounts. Some folks working on Capitol Hill on this day after Easter. Some folks, you know, just wanting to enjoy what the capitol visitor complex can offer. And so shocking for, I'm sure, so many people in there.

Dana Bash is -- has been with us through all of this.

Dana Bash, you have some news. What do you have?

BASH: That's right, Brooke. I have been talking to a law enforcement official, but to be perfectly honest with you, since we want to make sure all of our Ts crossed and our Is dotted, I'm going to try to get one more source on it, just a little bit more information about what happened. And I will get back to you. So, I'm going to throw it back to you as I try to do that.

BALDWIN: You got it. You do that. I'll take it from here.

Art Roderick, he has just been seated. We were talking on the phone a bit ago. And now I have you, former U.S. marshal. And you know, you know the capitol visitor complex. We don't know is a lot by the way. We don't know exactly where it happened, but listening to one of the eyewitnesses saying he was sitting in one of these movie theaters. You know where that is, where?

ART RODERICK, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Exactly, the way the visitors' center is set up, there's a long approach before you get to the doors. You have to walk down several flights of steps and there is a long area. So if the lines can wait it to get into the front doors. As soon as you walk in to the front doors, you have security there. And on the other side of security, you have a bunch of greeters. Then you walk down some steps into the area where you pick up your tickets --

BALDWIN: Let me hit pause with you for just a second. I just want to tell everyone. I just got in my ear. Per U.S. capitol police, the lockdown has been lifted. Lockdown has been lifted. This is over. That said, a lot of questions remain. Please continue, sir.

RODERICK: Yes. So when you walk down into the main area where you pick up your tickets, there's a bunch of greeters down there that help you get to where exactly --

BALDWIN: By the way, to even get in there, you're going through a metal detector.

RODERICK: Yes. You are going through a metal detector just to get into that area alone. So if this occurred in the movie theater area, which is in the back portion --

BALDWIN: That is getting deeper and deeper and deeper.

BALDWIN: That's deeper, deeper, deeper into the facility which I'm sort of shocked at, that somebody was able to -- if you're walking through a metal detector to get a handgun down into that area and you can't get there -- unless you're a staffer or you have a staff badge or are an actual member of Congress, you can't get to that area without coming through the visitors center. Now, Congressmen and senators and staffers can get through their buildings to get through underground transport to get to that.

[15:50:03] BALDWIN: How big are we talking? I mean, I think I have an idea. I've only been to the capitol center once or twice but never sat for a video. Are these relatively small areas? Like how many people on tour would be, dozens?

RODERICK: Yes, they have a couple of dozen probably, maybe the whole max maybe 50. The setup is you go in and you can look around at how the capitol was built. They have different dioramas set up. It is the way the capitol about 100 years ago, 150 years ago. And then you have the sort of movie theaters off to the side that give you a little 15, 20-minute movie as to the history of the capitol. And that sounds to me like where this might have occurred. I'm not 100 percent sure yet, but I know there are couple of movie theaters off that particular area.

BALDWIN: So it sounded like from that eyewitness.

RODERICK: Yes.

BALDWIN: Chris Frates is with me now. He is also live on the scene near the U.S. capitol building.

Chris Frates, what do you know?

CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey. Good afternoon, Brooke. So we know that house speaker Paul Ryan has been briefed on the incident. He is not here in Washington today. And we also have some updates on other legislative leadership.

I can tell you that Nancy Pelosi is in San Francisco. Her staff was not anywhere near the incident. And I can also tell you that Mitch McConnell, Republican Leader, was home in Louisville. His staff is safe so we know that three of the four legislative leaders were not here in Washington during this incident. We have checked in with them and their staffs are safe. I have not heard back from Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid yet, and his office. So we're still trying to make sure that the leader is safe and what his whereabouts were during this incident, Brooke. But I can tell you that house speaker Paul Ryan has been briefed on this incident and his staff is safe and sound.

BALDWIN: Frates, thank you.

Again, if you're just joining us here, according to the loudspeaker and U.S. capitol police, you know, they'll have speakers throughout this entire complex. Initially over the speaker you would capitol building lockdown, shots fired. And then apparently over the loudspeaker, they were saying that the lockdown has now been lifted. We know that a male suspect has been shot by U.S. capitol police. That person is en route or perhaps by now is at the hospital. And there was a female who -- just an innocent bystander who happened to be hit by the shrapnel so she was injured as well.

Art Roderick is with us.

And so, talking about how familiar you are with this capitol visitors' center there in D.C. Beyond that, you were talking or texting with the staffer on the hill today.

RODERICK: Yes, I was. I've got several friends who work up on the hill coming from the D.C. area. So they knew they were in lockdown. They were texting me. And they were assured everything was OK. The situation was actually taken care of pretty quickly. And they were notified right away, hey, there's no threat, but we're going to keep everybody in lockdown until we're absolutely sure. It was very quick. And they were told we're just making sure there's no other actors involved in this active shooter incident.

BALDWIN: We have more sound from eye witnesses. Let's roll it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: `We were in the north theater during the little orientation video that you do before you go on your tour. And right in the middle of the video, they came over the loudspeaker saying that you're going to be sheltered in place action there's appear active shooter, and just to stay there. And so we did. The video kept playing. And shortly after that the capitol police came in, told us that there was a shooting, that we need to stay there. They had armed guards outside the doors, and we were probably safer there than anywhere else we could be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You hear the word "active shooter" and that is enough to strike terror to anyone in the United States. What went through your mind? What was the feeling inside that theater?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, the first thing I did was start crying because any fear that we have in this world, I know I can put that before God and he can take care of it and that's immediately what I did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about the other people? What was going on in there when they heard those words?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of talking amongst themselves, seeing everybody get their phone out to see what was going on. The lady next to us calling some of her family members who were not there with her. I think there was a lot of fear for people. The capitol police did a good job of keeping things safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can still tell this your voice is still a bit shaken up, which is very understandable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Certainly something we weren't prepared for, that's for sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, take care and thank you for talking with us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: All right. Again, just hearing from more and more people who on this beautiful spring Monday wanted to head down to the U.S. capitol building and it sounds like somewhere, perhaps according to these eyewitnesses from within one of these orientation video areas where all these tourists sit, perhaps before continuing on. That may be where the shots were fired.

Manu Raju, you know the U.S. capitol building so well. We were just talking to Art Roderick who was explaining sort of how deep and down hallways you would have to be and the metal detectors and everything else in order to walk through here with a gun. Can you lay out the space? How large would these areas be where the shots would have been fired?

RAJU: Well, it depends exactly where, of course, the shots were fired, if actually this gun actually entered into the complex or if it happened as the shooter was entering. I think that we're still --

BALDWIN: We don't know, that's a great point.

RAJU: Exactly. That's one thing we're trying to figure out. Of course, if the gun were in the capitol visitors center complex, that raises a huge security alarm that someone could get a gun in the complex, especially at this time of such high edge from all these terrors and sends overseas. But if they were to get in, this is a huge complex and there are tons and hundreds and hundreds of people just walking around. So any way you look at it, even if it is going through that metal detector, there are lots of people who are going through. There are usually big lines or people trying to get into the capitol visitors center complex. So that would create such a huge security risk, no matter exactly where the gun -- or where the shooting took place. Whether it was right at as the person, the shooter, was entering the capitol visitors' complex or actually in the capitol buildings. That's a huge question (INAUDIBLE) right now, Brooke.

[15:56:09] BALDWIN: Manu, thank you.

We are hearing from more people who are inside, more eyewitnesses. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obviously this had to have been pretty scary at the time. Can you describe to us where you were, what you heard, what you saw, what happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were just exiting the Senate gallery from visiting there and they escorted us back to the Senate gallery chambers, said the capitol was being put on a lockdown. And so they escorted everybody else. There was probably, you know, 40 people that they escorted back into a section of the Senate gallery chamber and they did advise us about every five minutes, give us an update as to the lockdown and what was going on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your kids, what kind of questions were they asking mom and dad?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were just worried that they didn't have their iPads.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Well, you know what, sometimes ignorance is bliss, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it is. You know, at four and nine, they really didn't need to know what was going on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And everything. But with the updates, they gave us updates, they gave us, you know, updates and they were very congenial to us, very hospitable and made us feel safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, everyone who has walked out of that area has described sort of the same experience, that they were getting a lot of communication and that you were getting the updates, which in a situation like that with it unfolding, you don't expect to hear that from folks as you're walking out of a situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct. In this, there was no lack of communication. Everything was well communicated as far as what was going on. And you know, everybody was made to feel safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And when you -- when you walked out, what did you see? Were there ambulances, police presence or were you able to just sort of escape?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We kind of escaped all that. We came out the Senate entrance and exit and so it was kind of closed off and nobody was around that, so. But it was, you know, an interesting experience, to say the least, on spring break.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To say the very least. We're sorry that that happened but glad that everybody is OK. Obviously a learning lesson for the kids. We hope you enjoy the rest of your time here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take care.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Spring break, a lot of kids. Look at all these little ones walking in and around the U.S. capitol building. Again, we have learned that it was Capitol Hill police who took down that gunman who was injured, en route to the hospital, and there was a female bystander hit by some of the shrapnel from the shooting. Again, not entirely clear where this happened. We definitely don't know why this happened or how the gun got inside this capitol visitors complex. If it was sort of the periphery or deeper within.

Gloria Borger, with the 90 seconds I have left, I mean, I think to your point, Dana and Manu, just how sort of phenomenal capitol police were in responding to this and how prepared Capitol Hill folks were, sadly, for something like this.

BORGER: You know, if there's any place in the country that's prepared for something like this, I think you would have to say it's the United States capitol. And this is something I'm sure that they have practiced over and over again, Brooke. And particularly when there's one estimate I just read that you have a million and a half visitors in town during these sort of high-peak weeks. They are prepared for these crowds. And it sounds like from the interviews that we have just been watching that the tourists were made to feel safe. And I think that that's really all you can expect in a situation like this.

BALDWIN: Absolutely, especially with what's happened overseas, as Manu pointed out. People are on alert and sadly they have to be.

Gloria Borger, thank you so much there in Washington.

Again, the U.S. capitol no longer on lockdown, but they have arrested or I should say the individual, the gunman is in custody. Let me be precise in my language. We have much more. Do not move. Continuing coverage of what has happened in Washington, D.C., continues now with my colleague, Jake Tapper.