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Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield

Gun Shop Owner Alerted FBI; Video Shows Clubgoers Hiding; Congresswoman Meets First Responders. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired June 17, 2016 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:07] ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Ashleigh Banfield. And welcome to LEGAL VIEW.

It's set to be another gut-wrenching day for the city of Orlando after a tragic week there. The community is going to say good-bye to more victims of Sunday's shooting at the Pulse Nightclub. Funeral services for nine people, nine of the people shot dead, scheduled for today. All of this happening as we - we hear new details from an officer who describes what he came across the night of the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFFICER OMAR DELGADO, EATONVILLE, FLORIDA, POLICE: When I arrived on scene and was able to go inside, what I noticed was it was kind of dark. You know, it had this disco light still going. And I just began yelling, hey guys, come on up, come on up, come on up. You know, we got you, we got you. And just, unfortunately, it took a minute, but realized that they weren't faking. It was just, they couldn't get up.

We pulled like, you know, three or four people out. With all the chaos, couldn't see faces, you know. And if - the few faces that I saw, they were just covered in blood. It was - it was just so unreal because at that point in time you know there's someone in there and he's still constantly shooting, but you have bodies still that were laying there and some were moving and that was our objective to - to get those people out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: That was Officer Omar Delgado reunited here in these pictures. Moving, moving pictures yesterday. Reuniting with Angel Colon, who Officer Delgado had pulled out of the nightclub after he'd been shot three times and critically wounded. Look at this. This is just - I mean, if there's any hope in humanity.

FBI Director James Comey is set to visit Orlando today amid some new questions into the prior investigations of the murderer. The biggest question being, were there warning signs that somehow were missed, especially as a gun shop owner says that he alerted the FBI weeks earlier when that murderer tried to buy body armor and a thousand rounds of ammunition. His request was turned down.

CNN's Jessica Schneider joins us now with more on this area of the story.

So what do we know about the back and forth between the gun shop owner and the FBI?

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ashleigh, Robert Able (ph) is the owner of Lotus Gun Works. It's in Jenson Beach, Florida, about two hours south of here. He does say a man came into his shop, tried to buy the body armor, as well as a thousand rounds of ammunition, and then actually talked into his cell phone in a foreign language, and that was before he was turned away when he abruptly left the store.

Now, the owner's saying one of the employees did reach out to the FBI. They got a call back. But the problem is, it wasn't until after this Pulse Nightclub shooting that the gun owner realized it was actually Omar Mateen who he refused this sale to.

Now the thing is, the gun shop owner didn't get an ID, didn't have a purchase history, didn't have an surveillance video readily available, so this FBI investigation just couldn't move forward without any of this crucial information, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Well, another area that they are investigating are the text messages because this murderer, mid-spree, decided to have a text conversation. So work me through what happened and what they're finding.

SCHNEIDER: Yes, they're looking at the text messaging and the phone calls between the wife and Omar Mateen, the gunman. And it turns out, they had numerous communications throughout this attack, throughout this three-hour period. There was one text message at 4:00 in the morning from the gunman to his wife. He said, have you seen the news? At another point, the wife texted back and told him that she loved him. She also tried to call him several times. So a lot of back and forth.

And we're also getting some word from the city of Orlando that during that three hour span between 2:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the morning, there were more than 600 calls that came into emergency dispatchers, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: All right, Jessica Schneider reporting for us live in Orlando. Thank you for that.

Cell phone video is giving people a brand new perspective into what it was like for all of those people who were inside of the Pulse Nightclub when that attack started. One of the survivors, Miguel Leiva, captured some chilling and graphic images from inside the bathroom stall where so many of them were hiding out in desperation. CNN's Anderson Cooper sat down with Leiva and heard his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, ANCHOR, CNN'S "AC 360" (voice-over): It was dark and hot. And the bathroom was full of panicked club goers. This grainy cell phone video is one of three taken by Miguel Leiva, who got pushed into the bathroom when the shots began.

[12:05:02] MIGUEL LEIVA, ORLANDO SHOOTING SURVIVOR: I just remember, like, you can smell like the blood. There was so much blood. It was like you could just smell it. And it's like, everywhere you leaned, like all my clothes was full of blood. My - we were sitting down and it was just like, a huge puddle of blood. And after a while, when it started drying up, it just started like to smell really bad.

COOPER: Though some people were crying and whispering to each other, Miguel says he tried to remain quiet and recorded these images to send to his girlfriend so she knew he was alive.

LEIVA: The only people who are alive in the video are the people who are talking and moving. Everybody else is dead. There was about 17 of us in there. Only like five or six of us made it out.

COOPER (on camera): Had you been hit at that point?

LEIVA: Yes. I was shot in the foot.

COOPER: At one point in the video you see - it looks like people passing a glass of water.

LEIVA: Yes, we were passing water around because there was - there was one guy, Chris, he was choking on his own blood, so we were trying to, like, you know, make him swallow it to make sure he was OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chris. (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. OK.

LEIVA: And he kept asking for water. And there was other people that were shot that was just - they needed water and they wanted water, and it was the only thing we could think of to calm them down at the moment.

COOPER (on camera): So there was a sink inside the stall?

LEIVA: Yes.

COOPER (voice-over): Twice, he says, the gunman fired into the stall. As the hours passed, they tried to help one another stay calm, in constant fear the gunman would return, in constant fear those already wounded would die.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you stay with me?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

COOPER (on camera): Were people talking to each other?

LEIVA: Yes, we were whispering to each other, trying to keep everybody quiet.

COOPER (voice-over): Miguel was shot twice on his right foot and his left leg and he's just been released from the hospital. He knows he's fortunate to be alive, but says he can't stop thinking of those who died beside him. LEIVA: So many people, innocent people, you know, just there to have a

good time.

COOPER: Anderson Cooper, CNN, Orlando.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD: I want to show you a picture. I have to show you this picture. Without even seeing a face, this is the fear and the dread and the utter helplessness that everybody close to those people that you just saw and everyone else who was in that club, in that Orlando tragedy, what they were dealing with outside that club that night. That is a mother and a father on the left-hand side, then a police officer and in the sports shirt on the right-hand side, that is the brother of a young woman who was inside the club who was shot.

This is them being held back by police not knowing what the fate of Angelique Caro was. At the time, her parents and her brother had no idea whether Angelique was alive or dead. But I can tell you right now that she is alive. She is still in the hospital and she's on the telephone with us right now. And the anguished man in that picture, her father, William Caro, is with us, as well as her mom, Maribel.

I am - I'm glad to have you all with us, especially your daughter, Angelique.

Angelique, can you hear me on the telephone?

ANGELIQUE CARO, ORLANDO CLUB SHOOTING VICTIM: Yes, hi, I can hear you.

BANFIELD: Hi. I'm so glad that - that you're with us. I'm looking at a picture of you right now in your hospital gown in the hospital. Can you tell me how you're doing?

A. CARO: I'm doing OK. I'm hanging in there, taking it one day at a time.

BANFIELD: How are you feeling?

A. CARO: I'm still in some pain, but better than before.

BANFIELD: And I know you had - you had a terrible, terrible experience. You, as I understand it, you were shot twice? Can you tell me the nature of your injuries and how you're recovering in the hospital?

A CARO: Yes. I was shot twice, one in my arm and one in my lung. The one in my lung had traveled up to my neck, so right now it's on - on my neck. It bypassed all my organs and the one in my arm they did surgery to basically stitch up my arm back. So - so right now I was on (INAUDIBLE) chest tube and they would bandage my arm. So right now it's just taking it with therapy and one day at a time.

BANFIELD: And, again, I was mentioning this photograph of you and I believe these are your friends, Mariciela (ph) and Afiel (ph), who were - correct me if I'm wrong, wasn't one of your friends also injured by shrapnel in that photograph?

A CARO: Yes, in her arm, but they were able to take it out that same day when we came in, but they were both with me at the nightclub. We all came out together.

BANFIELD: I'm so glad that you came out alive and I'm sure that your mother and your father, who are with us as well, could not be more relieved.

[12:10:12] I know this is a tough question, but given the fact that you can hear your daughter's voice, she is recovering, she's going to be released from the hospital, there's a photo of her - of her smiling. It must be so difficult for you to process what your community is going through and at the same time what your family is going through.

William, can you speak to that for me?

WILLIAM CARO, ANGELIQUE CARO'S FATHER: Well, I just thank God that he's giving my daughter a second opportunity to go on with her life. And our concentration as our - as the parent is to just focus on her recovery and - and just ask God to help us with that and help her come through with flying colors with that. And we just stand with her 100 percent to help her all the way up to she comes out of this. And we just pray and - that he gives us the strength and - to continue on in helping her and - and as a parent, I mean we just - we just want the best for our children. And I just want to thank God that he still gave us that opportunity to go forward.

BANFIELD: And, Maribel, the photograph that - that went viral of - of you and William waiting on the street, being held back by the police, I can't imagine those hours, the hours of dread. But can you take me back to that night?

W. CARO: Well, that night was a parent's nightmare.

MARIBEL CARO, ANGELIQUE CARO'S MOTHER: It was a (INAUDIBLE) nightmare.

W. CARO: Of not knowing if your child is dead or alive. So you were in there with that in your mind, trying to get information, and yet there is none. At that point, we were trying to get as much information, which was no information at all. And I have my wife there trying to calm me down and I'm trying to calm her down. I have her - my son on the other side. And just waiting and waiting and waiting. It's just the most - it was like years. It was only hours, but it was like years waiting on information. And that's the hardest thing that you have to go through is just to wait, knowing that you don't know if she's dead or alive.

BANFIELD: And, Maribel, I want you to weigh in as well because at some point you got the information. As a mom, you were told that your daughter survived. I - can you tell me how that happened? When it happened? And explain to me the reunion that you had with your daughter, Maribel?

M. CARO: Yes, I can. Well, when we got the call, of course, there's uncertainty. It was the worst nightmare I ever heard - trying to reach to my daughter at this point. We were overwhelmed by the news, of course, and as we traveling there, we - we - we all we did was give God all the glory as we reach my daughter. But my daughter is a trooper. My daughter, while she was in the trauma room, as she was being taken care of, she called - she asked one of the nurses or - in the trauma unit, which I give a lot of - a lot of credit with taking care of my daughter the way they did. Now, the nurse gave her the phone and all I could hear my daughter say, mom, I'm OK.

W. CARO: Yes.

M. CARO: I'm OK. I made it through. I'm alive. And I thank God. And - and I - she - I dropped to my knees because just to hear her voice, she asked for her daddy. The first thing she said, let me speak to daddy. Daddy consoled her on the way. But, of course, we know there was more to it. As we got to her, she was well being taken care of and we know that God's hands were upon her and we give God all the glory for that. And I thank God that she's going through a speedy recovery right now and we just thank everybody for the love and support, the prayers that's been out there for her, holding her up, because she is overwhelmed. And not only that she's going through physical therapy, but she needs emotional as well. So thank you everybody for standing in for gap (ph) for her and we thank you.

BANFIELD: And, Angelique, the -

M. CARO: And it's a -

BANFIELD: Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead, Maribel.

M. CARO: Well, I just thank God for her. That's it.

BANFIELD: So, Angelique, if you're still with us -

A. CARO: Yes.

BANFIELD: To see your parents reacting like this, it's just, it's so difficult to process all of these emotions, that the luck that you had and the luck that your family has to have you, while at the same time I can't imagine that first phone call that your mom just explained to us. Tell me it from your side of that phone call, what that was like talking to your mom and dad, that first moment when you were able to tell them you were alive.

[12:15:11] A. CARO: Yes, of course. I was there (INAUDIBLE) alone by myself not knowing. And I'm in a lot of pain. So, you know, they're the first people that I want to speak to and just to tell them that I was OK and that I just wanted them there to be by my side. And I knew they were worried. And not knowing because I didn't know a lot what was going on when it all happened. So I was just really happy that I was able to get through to them and know that they were already there. And that they were going to come see me soon as they can.

BANFIELD: Angelique, can you -

A. CARO: But I'm - I'm thankful for everyone and for them being there by my side every single day. And all my friends and family, it's just amazing to see everybody come together and be there.

BANFIELD: Angelique, can you tell me, there's so much confusion as to where everyone was in the club and why some of you were injured and not killed and why some were able to run out in the first wave and why some were able to run out in the second wave. Where did you fit in? Where were you in the club and what did you see?

A. CARO: Well, the club is kind of divided into two separate dance floors. So a lot of people who were in the main floor, we were in a separate room, which is more of the hip-hop room. So we were in that room. The when we initially heard the shots, we didn't know what was going on and what were they. And then when we heard the second round and it was repeatedly back to back, we all dropped. We didn't - I didn't see the shooter. I didn't know where it was coming from. We just know that once it stopped for like 30 seconds, it didn't (INAUDIBLE) we had to try and run. And as we were running out, that's when I knew I got shot and I dropped outside the doors and we made it out.

BANFIELD: And did the police get you further away from the club and into safety right away?

A. CARO: After I fell, I don't remember anything else. I don't remember who picked me up or dragged me off to the side.

BANFIELD: Well, I am so glad to be talking to you today and I so appreciate you taking this time. Angelique, I wish you a speedy recovery. And, William and Maribel, I wish you a remarkable homecoming when Angelique gets home from the hospital and that you can be a family that heals together. Thank you, all three of you, for taking the time to speak with us and my best wishes and all of CNN's going to you today as well.

A. CARO: Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

W. CARO: Thank you.

M. CARO: Thank you.

BANFIELD: Thank you. Thank you all so much.

W. CARO: Thank you.

M. CARO: Thank you.

W. CARO: Thank you.

BANFIELD: Time to take a break right now, but when we return, a Florida congresswoman who traveled to Orlando with President Obama is going to join me live to talk about the experience.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:21:53] BANFIELD: Within minutes of the first shots being fired at the Pulse Nightclub, first responders were saving lives. Congresswoman Corrine Brown, whose district includes Pulse, was here with the president descending from Air Force One. She was also with the vice president yesterday as they all met with those first responders and officers and thanked them for their bravery. And the congresswoman is kind enough to join me live now from Orlando.

Thank you so much, Congresswoman Brown, for talking to me today.

I wanted to first ask you about your journey to Orlando from Washington on board Air Force One with the president. That is a very rare occurrence that someone has that kind of time aboard Air Force One, one on one effectively. Did you talk at length about what had happened and what the path forward was with the president on that trip?

REP. CORRINE BROWN (D), FLORIDA: Well, one of the things that the president mentioned, how hard it is to talk to families about this situation. I represented Orlando for 24 years and I've got to tell you, the community has really come together. And it's very hard dealing with this issue.

You know, families are very important and we have a problem in the United States with domestic terrorism. Clearly, we need to do something in Congress other than having one minute prayer. Today marked one year since the same situation happened in Carolina, and we had a minute of silent prayer. But after we finished praying, then what are we going to do?

BANFIELD: I'm going to talk to you a little bit about that and the efforts in Congress right now. There will be a vote on Monday. But before I do that, I - once you descended to, you know, the base of this staircase of Air Force One, there was that mission that you were all on. We're been seeing some pictures of the president and the vice president meeting privately with some of those survivors and family members. And you also had those meetings with the first responders. Tell me a little bit about what that was like.

BROWN: Well, you know, in talking to them, they said, they're not heroes. But, yes, there was heroes. They did their job and we - our hearts go out to them. We are thanking them for all of their service. They put themselves in harm's way because they did not know whether or not it was a bomb inside, but they was able to do what they needed to do to get people out and get them to safety. So we want to thank them from the bottom of our hearts.

It was a coordinated effort between the first responders, the polices, just the community, and the services, how this community has come together. When you say Orlando love and Orlando strong, this is an example. And we want to also say, Orlando safe.

BANFIELD: So - so there was a father and a mother yesterday who lost their son, Shane Tomlinson (ph), and Corlis (ph) Tomlinson said this about the visit from the president. "His words are not going to make me feel better. It's definitely not bringing my son back. I was just happy that he was showing compassion. But you sit there and you hear people talking and you don't know what they're saying because your mind is focused on, when I get home, I have to start making funeral arrangements." [12:25:00] And to that end, I'm sure that the Tomlinsons and so many other people in your district who have been affected by this want to know about that vote on Monday. And as brief as possible, if you could be, what difference will Monday make when so many are saying nothing will happen?

BROWN: Well, you know, I feel like the number one responsibility of members of Congress, whether you're talking about the House or the Senate, is to protect the American public. And I'm waiting to see that vote. Who's going to stand up for the American people? How long is this going to go on? It is ludicrous. Keeping in mind, in 1994, I voted to do away with assault weapons. Why? You're not hunting. You're not protecting yourself. What are you doing?

BANFIELD: Congresswoman, I -

BROWN: You know, many of my colleagues -

BANFIELD: Yes, sorry, finish. I beg your pardon.

BROWN: Many of my colleagues often talk about - yes, my of my colleagues often talk about religion. You know, to whom God is given much, much is expected. They expect us to do our job in protecting them, the American people -

BANFIELD: Well, we'll be -

BROWN: The community.

BANFIELD: We will be watching the votes on Monday. And I'm sorry that we're having to speak under these circumstances, and I wish you and your constituents all the healing that they can muster and find. Thanks so much for your time.

BROWN: Thank you.

BANFIELD: Time now for a break, but when we return, the takedown of the Pulse Nightclub killer, the murderer, as told by the SWAT team commander himself.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)