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Crime and Justice With Ashleigh Banfield

Another Mass Shooting in U.S. Homeland; Deranged Suspect Targeted School. Aired 6-8p ET

Aired February 14, 2018 - 18:00   ET

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

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

[18:00:00] BOBBY CHACON, RETIRED FBI SPECIAL AGENT: ... go into if someone is not an adult by the state law and there is probably a framework of

things that they have to follow. And they are probably working with the state attorney already on making sure that they go down that checklist and

do everything by the book, you know, in dealing with a minor if he is in fact a minor. They are probably following all those protocols to make sure

that nothing gets, you know, done that can hurt their case later on.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HOST, HLN: I`m glad I didn`t lose you because that`s critical information. Bobby Chacon, thank you for that.

We are now at the top of the 6 o`clock hour and this time to reset exactly what we know, but if you are joining us at the top of this hour, that

picture on your screen is critical.

Because this news is breaking and it is breaking fast. For the last three hours we`ve been following this tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida

in Broward County.

We don`t know how many dead. We know for sure two at this point, but 20 or so injured or casualties we were told. Nobody separated dead from injured

when they gave the 20 person casualty so we`re waiting to find out what this toll is.

But in that cruiser going down that freeway is the suspect in this shooting. Arrested without incident. A former student at the school, not a

current student. There is the arrest picture on the left before this person was transported to the hospital and then transported again as you are

seeing live on your screen presumably to a police station for booking.

Arresting officers could only tell the surrounding press when questions were shouted how old is he. Approximately 18. That`s what we know at this

time. Arrested without incident and uninjured potentially taken to the hospital just to check off all boxes and now being transported to a process

that will likely last for years. If not decades, if not for life.

The suspected shooter was in the maroon shirt being arrested being transported. We do not know if that shooter`s parents are with him have

been notified. We don`t know what the situation is with those parents.

We covered numerous school shootings where parents have also been victimized. So we are waiting to hear about any other potential crime

scenes and any other potential crimes. But rest assured the investigation is vast.

The crime scene right now at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is massive. It`s being processed as the alleged shooter is being transported.

And I think you can see what appears to be potentially even slightly a motorcade at this point.

There several police vehicles I believe that are with that cruiser on the left hand side of your screen in Parkland, Florida. Right now all I can

tell you is that there is a massive clearing operation underway at Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

They are trying to figure out if there are any more kids or teachers cowering in closets, under desk in any kind of cranny they can find for

safety because that`s what happened when the fire drill went and the emergency lockdown went into effect.

I think I`m being told that we`re just about to learn the identity of the shooter. Nikolas Cruz. I`m being told the name is Nikolas Cruz. Can we just

ask if I can get clarification as to whether or not Nikolas Cruz is indeed 18 years old or if we know that information yet? Do we know if -- we do not

know.

All we know is the arresting officers and what they describe as the age of the suspect. And they said somewhere around 18. That Nikolas Cruz is the

person in that cruiser. Presumably, en route to, well, any number of things. A booking, a processing, a first appearance and then what will be

many appearances after that.

As far as who Nikolas Cruz is, we know very little. I am getting confirmation he is 18 years old. That is a huge, huge metric in this story.

Because that`s an adult. An adult is treated in an extraordinary way.

In Florida, it is a death penalty crime. So that changes everything the fact that Nikolas Cruz is 18. The suspect in this case that changes

everything.

If there are multiple fatalities, that changes everything. So we are going watch to see as Nikolas Cruz is unloaded from that cruiser when they get to

their destination.

I want to bring in Bradford Cohen. Bradford is a defense attorney. He has spoken with us many times on CNN and HLN. We lost Bradford, but the reason

I was going to bring him in and I want to establish contact again if we can reestablish because Bradford`s nephew knew this alleged shooter.

So if we can reestablish contact with Bradford, maybe we can get some insight as we watch the transportation.

[18:05:00] And I`m just getting some very distressing information that we are now hearing the number is at least 16 dead. At least 16 fatalities in

this high school shooting in Broward County. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a school that has somewhere around 3100 students.

At least 16 fatalities reported. How many are students and how many are teachers, I don`t know that yet. And sadly that`s not going to be the final

story. Because we were given a hard, at least.

Earlier we were told there were 20 casualties, but no delineation between dead and injured. Now I can tell you, 16 dead. And you can bet your bottom

dollar with 16 casualties, dead, would raise this to a death penalty case in the State of Florida.

The reason I say that is you are watching the beginning of a process whereby we don`t often have a shooter who is alive in these high school

shootings. Oftentimes if you look at the Dylan Klebold, Eric Harris model, they take themselves out before they can be arrested and questioned and

then maybe we can get insight as to why this happened. Maybe.

But this is the cruiser where I`m assuming that Nikolas Cruz will be escorted out of at any moment. This is a live picture from our affiliate,

WPLG. You can see one of the officers is gloving up. There are a lot of reasons for that.

There are ballistic tests that will likely be performed, they don`t want to disturb any kind of forensics on this person. We may even see his hands

gloved up at some point or bagged. That`s oftentimes if you want to find out if there`s gunshot residue.

He is not wearing the burgundy clothes. It appears he might even be in a forensic suit, a protective suit of some kind or at least maybe that`s a

hospital gown. I think it might be the hospital gown.

That`s Nikolas Cruz, 18 years old being escorted into the process of now what will be an extraordinary case against him. Sixteen people dead and

that qualifies as a mass murder. That qualifies as one of the most serious crimes you can perpetrate in this this country. And this also qualifies as

the deadliest mass shooting in Broward County and you are watching it.

Seconds ago, fresh from the hospital, Nikolas Cruz, 18 years old, being escorted by deputies into law enforcement agency where he will be

processed.

It`s pretty remarkable to see how quickly that happened. Always in a time span of about three hours, 16 people at least, at least lost their lives.

And an arrest was made off campus of an 18-year-old young man without incident, without confrontation.

A transportation to a local hospital was made of that suspect. And the transportation yet again to this scene you are seeing right now of Nikolas

Cruz in Broward County getting the slow march as we call it.

And there will be plenty of slow marches for that suspect in the foreseeable future and they will not be pleasant. This person will not be

bonded out, not with 16 dead, not death penalty on the table. This person probably will never see the inside of his home again if convicted. That`s

for sure.

And that person that you are seeing in the hospital gown may see a -- may see a death penalty ward, death row as his home for two decades because

that`s on average how long it takes if it ends up as a death penalty case for that process to play out.

But that will be likely the last time he sees any kind of pavement that the free man walks.

Just an unbelievable scene how quickly that was processed.

In the meantime, I want to remind you that there are a number of people who are being treated in those area hospitals. At least two that we heard of

earlier at Broward Health Medical Center, and Broward north, another facility that received some of the victims.

Others just ran for their lives and others got out of that school and ran to wherever they could. Many of them jumping those fences going to a nearby

Wal-Mart and a mall to escape the gunfire.

We had two to six shots at least that they heard before SWAT, FBI, ATF, and local law enforcement descended upon their school. Dozens and dozens of

vehicles and sirens and officers and kids being marched out single file being told to put your hands up, put your hands forward and drop your

backpacks.

You might not think that`s as traumatic as obviously what some saw inside that school, but make no mistake. These are kids who just lived through

something that the rest of us will never live through, thank God. And they are just kids. And many of their parents haven`t even been reunited with

them yet.

[18:10:02] So that end, parents were sent to a local Marriott Hotel as the staging area. Many of the kids were then rescued from the school if they

hadn`t already run from the school. Many who were cowering in closets for upwards of 30 minutes and some reports say two hours.

They were then transported to that Marriott and hopefully at this early stage of this tragedy, they are being reunited. But you know, I hate to say

it. It`s hard to say it, but there will be 16, you know, the families of 26 will not, they will not be reunited. And they may not know that yet.

You know, this happens just all too often and it never gets easier. It just doesn`t get easier. These are some of the images coming in to us obviously

of traumatized kids and relieved parents to say the very least.

To get a hand on the shoulder of your boy after all of this, it`s just -- I think every parent can imagine.

Wow. This is just sort of this raw moment because we are still living the middle of this incident. It`s still happening. And I think a lot of these

people, you know, they got their news and they are getting the hell out of there and they`re going to where they feel safe and they`re going to their

normal. And God bless them because they get their normal back. Whatever their new normal is.

They get at least a new normal. Just imagine these hugs.

So I`m going to bring in Mike Galanos. Mike, you know, I thought that we sort had been through the worst of this. You know, with Newtown.

And you just think about these parents who are waiting to find out if they are going to be among that 16 and you see these others who know they

aren`t.

And even -- God, I`ve been doing this for 30 years and it`s just like a wave to think of what they are going through. You know? The ones who are

reunite and the ones who aren`t yet.

MIKE GALANOS, ANCHOR, HLN: You can feel the emotion just seeing that. A dad putting his hand on his son`s shoulder. A mom hugging a daughter. And I

couldn`t even imagine the emotions and those are the emotions that you mentioned, Ashleigh, that become the new normal.

They have their child back and they can hug and they can go to that place where they feel safe and they can begin the recovery. And there is one of

those hugs. You hold them so tight and so close.

But yet, there are going to be at least 16 families without -- where there will not be a unification. Instead it`s tragedy and grief and horror and a

new normal that you never thought you had to live through. And you become a member of a fraternity you never want to become a member of.

There is the dad and his son who is trying to cope with what he went through. You know, I`m sure it knocked us all back when we hear the number.

At least 16 dead. Parkland, Florida where tragedy breaks out at a high school of over 3,000. At least 16 dead.

We heard the number at least 14 injured have been taken to a hospital. And these numbers they could change and become more tragic as the day ends and

we continue to follow this story.

We do know the shooter is in custody. The suspect`s name is 18-year-old Nikolas Cruz. And we know the sheriff has been keeping us updated. Scott

Israel as we see that suspect there, saying that the student was not a current student. Or the shooter was not a current student, but has attended

the school in the past.

And we heard official say that this person had been to the -- had been a student in the past there and this person taken into custody and I`m

quoting, "after committing a horrific homicidal detestable act."

[18:14:59] Nikolas Cruz taken into custody without incident. There was no confrontation. As this was going down, I was following the local media and

it sounds like law enforcement did a great job. They were getting witness accounts. They knew the name, they knew what he was wearing and they were

on top of this within the hour. They had him in custody, 1.4 miles away. They knew where he lived.

So they were definitely on top of this. And the school superintendent of Broward County is Robert Runcie. He made mention very earlier on that

mental health issues need to be looked at in this situation.

So those are all situations and all the different aspects of this case. One thing that is chilling as well, and Ashleigh, you had mentioned it, the

number of school shootings this year, my producer Sammy did some research. The number now in the year 2018 and we are barely into February. It`s 18.

BANFIELD: It is, isn`t it?

GALANOS: Eighteen.

BANFIELD: I don`t know. I thought it was 18. I wasn`t sure. I thought it wasn`t possible. I actually -- wow. Silly me. Six weeks. I didn`t think it

was possible. But it`s 18.

You know, Mike, I`m just going dovetail on that statistic because Bobby just handed me this statistic on this one now. Officially makes this the

ninth deadliest mass shooting in United States history and we are just at least 16 at this time.

If you need a reminder, number one is Las Vegas which we just came back from a few months ago. Number two is the Pulse nightclub. Number three is

Virginia tech. Number four is Sandy Hook. Number five is Sutherland Springs. Number six is Collin, Texas back in 1991. Number seven is San

Ysidro at a local McDonald`s back in `64.

And number eight, if you can believe is Austin, Texas. The University of Texas tower that way back in 66. So now we are at number nine. By the way,

we are only -- we`re only at a partial number we think at this point. Because we`ve been told at least 16 dead.

And now you can see in the banner on your screen that an AR-15 style firearm was used in this shooting. And this has been the subject of so much

angst for so many people.

We are already hearing people on Capitol Hill weighing in on this. When will the deadly gun violence and when will we do something about gun

control. Others are saying the only way to do something about a shooter is to have more guns.

And still we find ourselves in this situation. The only country in the world that does. The only country in the world that finds itself with 18

school shootings. Eighteen school shootings and it`s only February 14th.

I want to bring in Bradford Cohen. Bradford, I spoke about you earlier and I think we lost your signal. We`ve done interviews before. You are a

defense attorney, you`ve appeared on our programs on HLN and CNN. And now it turns you -- it turns out you have a direct connection to this tragedy.

Your nephew -- your nephew knew the shooter. What can you tell me?

BRADFORD COHEN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: So without giving names of who the alleged shooter is, my nephew is now in private school. We actually removed

him from the high school a couple of years ago. He attended junior high with the alleged shooter.

And he told me that everybody pretty much knew this alleged shooter had issues not only with other students, but with the school and had some

pretty serious outbursts with the school. And I think effectually he left the junior high school and I think that`s possibly when he went to this

alternative school.

BANFIELD: So, Bradford, I can tell you right now...

COHEN: Yes.

BANFIELD: ... the police are releasing the name. It`s 18-year-old Nikolas Cruz.

COHEN: It is.

BANFIELD: They are showing pictures of the arrest. He was transported to a hospital and still in hospital gown, was then escorted by several very

burley officers. Slowly and methodically in for processing at the law enforcement agency.

So you are saying that your nephew attended school with Nikolas Cruz and that your nephew found Nikolas to be troubled back then?

COHEN: Yes. He described several incidences that were pretty troubling. I mean, where there were several outbursts, violent outbursts where, you

know, it would cause anybody to have concern.

And then my nephew said that he either left the school or never return or was thrown out of school. He`s not sure, quite sure what happened, but he

knows he never came back. And I think that`s possibly when he went to a different school and then ultimately, an alternative high school before

returning to Stoneman Douglas.

[18:19:56] So, you know, to me, and I said this often, I said it on your show in fact, you know, gun control to me is a Band-Aid over the mental

health issue. And I think you are going to see some overtures of mental issues with this case.

It`s a tragedy. It should never happen. None of these shootings should ever happen. And I think that gun control is one aspect of what the discussion

should be. But it should also revolve around mental health issues. Which everybody kind of ignores when it comes to -- when it comes to gun control.

They only want to talk about gun control. AR-15s and what we should do about it. But they`re not talking about these individuals that mentally

show signs before anything happens.

And this is just a guess from my end, but I think when you look at this young man`s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter accounts, my guess is that someone

ignored the signs that were probably pretty evident that this individual is troubled.

BANFIELD: So, Bradford, I want to ask you a little bit more about these violent outbursts that your nephew says Nikolas Cruz displayed. And by the

way, can you just give me a timeline. Is this a year or two?

COHEN: No.

BANFIELD: How long ago was this?

COHEN: This is -- so this would be in -- it would have been in eighth grade I think in junior high school when my -- when my nephew still attending

Stoneman with this individual. And he can tell you, he told me in one of his classes, there was an outburst against the teacher and then the

individual ended up kicking out a glass window and running off campus. And that`s just one incident. So we...

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: And this was in, Bradford. Sorry. This was in eighth great that your nephew witnessed Nikolas Cruz kicking out a glass window after an

outburst against a teacher?

COHEN: Correct.

BANFIELD: And how long ago -- it`s hard to tell when someone is 18 how long ago they were in middle school. I mean, some kids are, you know, two years

older than they should be or younger. But how many years ago was this?

COHEN: So, my nephew is 17, he`s turning 18. So I would guess it was at least, I would say six years ago? I would imagine six or seven years ago. I

mean, you know, I don`t know how old eighth graders are now, but I would imagine it would be at least six or seven years ago. He would explain I

think...

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: Were there any other incidents that you -- were there any other incidents he described?

COHEN: He described some incidences in P.E. class of outbursts and you know, just -- he told me that this individual had everybody kind of knew

that he was -- and I don`t even like to use the term crazy. Obviously I`m using what a kid would say.

But that he had serious issues. You know, in terms of the way he behaved in school and the way that he behave towards teachers. I don`t think this is

something that just sprung up overnight.

And like I said, I think that a lot of people ignore the mental health aspect of this. And that, you know, when someone needs help or someone is

looking for help and then coupled with if there is photographs or things on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram that cause alarms, those are individuals

that need to speak up. And I don`t think anyone really speaks up.

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: Is there...

COHEN: I`m going to put money on that there is going to be something on his Instagram, Facebook or Twitter account that would have displayed issues

that he was having.

BANFIELD: And you know, without question there is a lot of vetting that goes on before that can go up on television. And so certainly we have

(Inaudible) of people who are combing through the social media aspects of this person`s history. And then, trying to vet whether it`s really that

person.

I mean, that`s one of the difficulties that we have.

COHEN: Of course.

BANFIELD: Bradford, I don`t want to you go just yet. And I understand your feelings about the commitment to mental health and the gun control debate,

et cetera. But we`re still in the -- we`re still in the breaking news and I`m still trying to get my head around what, who that person is and what

kind of like that person has led up in these 18 years.

And so right now you are my only connection and your nephew is my only connection to try and get some insight into this.

COHEN: Yes.

BANFIELD: There is the incidence in the P.E. class. Can you give more detail about that?

COHEN: He didn`t go into great detail. He said that there was -- it was an issue with a teacher. And that it was a -- it escalated past a verbal

argument, but he didn`t give great detail about it. My nephew is not the great communicator.

So, you know, when we are discussing things, of course, it happened at least six or seven years ago. But when we`re discussing things he gave an

overview of the individual than he did of every specific incident.

And the overview was pretty much everyone that was, you know, anywhere near this individual knew that he was a troubled kid. And it was a kind of the

norm to stay away from them.

[18:25:08] BANFIELD: Can I ask if anyone...

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: So nobody really got very close to him.

BANFIELD: Well, then that`s sort of where I`m going. Once this Nikolas Cruz who we are seeing again in the hospital gown being led into the police

station presumably for booking on multiple first-degree murder changes, that`s my guess since we have 16 people dead and he is the alleged shooter

according to authorities.

Once he left that middle school, did anyone have any other contact or was he sort of a, you know, a lost connection to them? Did they have any other

information on him after he left? And actually, Bradford, hold that thought. The sheriff is giving a live update. I want to hear what he had to

say. Just a moment.

SCOTT ISRAEL, SHERIFF, BROWARD COUNTY: It`s horrible. It`s catastrophic. There are -- sad to say that 17 people lost their lives, 12 people within

the building, two people just outside the building, one person out on Pine Island Road and two people lost their lives in the hospital.

There are people that are still undergoing surgery. We just pray for the city and pray for this school, the parents, the folks that lost their

lives. It`s a horrific, horrific day.

As I said before, my triplets attend and graduated from Stoneman Douglas High School. It`s just horrible. Absolutely horrible. We will -- we

continually ask you in the media to continually put out the message, if you see something, say something.

If anybody has any indicator that someone is going through a behavioral change or on the social media, that there are disturbing photos, or perhaps

bombs or firearms or just, you know, videos or pictures that are just not right that there is something, please make sure law enforcement knows about

it.

We`re already -- you can follow us on Twitter. We will put out numbers where people can possibly call and what have you, so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sheriff, (Inaudible) are all of the victims, all of the wounded and fatalities students or a mixture of students and teachers and

can you give anything on...

ISRAEL: We don`t know.

(OFF-MIC)

ISRAEL: Can you go back there. There was -- it`s very distracting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you go back to whether these are students or teachers or mixture of both.

ISRAEL: It`s a mixture. I don`t know if there are any teachers, but there would be, you know, there are certainly students and there are certainly

adults.

(OFF-MIC)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were there any signs that you know of?

ISRAEL: I believe there will be once -- our investigators have -- that`s a great question. Our investigators are certainly began dissecting social

media and looking at the web site and Nikolas, I think it spell his name as N-i-k-o-l-a-s Cruz was the killer, he is in custody and we`ve already begin

-- began to dissect his web sites and the things that social media that he was on and some of the things that come to mind are very, very disturbing.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What can you tell us about him? And we understand he may be a former student.

ISRAEL: He`s 19 years old. He was born in 1998 in September. He was a former student of Douglas High School. He got expelled for disciplinary

reasons. I don`t know the specifics. I think he might have surfaced at Taravella High School. We`re still trying to confirm that. And this morning

when he woke up whether he was a student or not, I don`t know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you speak to weapons he had and whether or not we heard there is fire alarm was pulled off. Was that in this investigation

for shooting that took place?

ISRAEL: I don`t know anything about the firearm at this point. He had countless magazines. Multiple magazines and at this point we believe he had

one AR-15 rifle. I don`t know if he had a second rifle or not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you speak to the fire alarm that was pulled?

ISRAEL: I know nothing about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he say anything when he was apprehended and he was taken to Broward Health North. What are his injuries then how did you get

him?

ISRAEL: Yes. I think he`s left Broward General North. I don`t think his injuries were anything significant. I believe they arrived at the public

safety building. The investigation will continue.

I will keep Broward County informed. Anything that we uncover, anything that`s important to report to the media, you know, we will -- I know it`s

going to be a long night for all of us, but on behalf of my family, BSC family just continue please to pray for these victims and these families.

We`ll give you a briefing the next time...

(CROSSTALK)

[18:29:58] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have a quick timeline from when the first shots were fired in the first...

ISRAEL: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you go over the number of fatalities and the victims again?

ISRAEL: Yes. We have 17 confirmed victims. Twelve victims were within the building. Two victims were outside, just outside the building. One victim

is on the street at the corner of Pine Island. And two folks are people who lost their lives at the hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Do you think this kid woke up this morning hell bent on causing massive destruction at the school?

ISRAEL: I have no idea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Sheriff, do you think the shootings started inside or outside? Any idea?

ISRAEL: It started outside and went inside. Thank you. Seventeen fatalities.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): How many injuries?

ISRAEL: At one point, I reported that there were 14 folks that went to the hospital. Two succumbed to their wounds. I don`t know if more people were

wounded or we are just finding out that more went to the hospital. Perhaps they were not transported by us. Perhaps by their own families or friends

transported them. But we will keep you updated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Have the families been notified?

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, PRIMETIME JUSTICE SHOW HOST, HLN (voice over): So the sheriff then leaves this most recent update with a couple of critical

pieces of information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: That is that the shooting began outside the school. Victims were everywhere. Twelve of them found in the building. Two of them found outside

the building. One of them found on a street corner. Two died in the hospital having been transported from this massacre.

Nineteen years old Nikolas Cruz. Nineteen years and critical to the investigation, the social media and as the sheriff said, his websites which

the sheriff determined to be disturbing. He was expelled for disciplinary reasons which coincides with what our last guest just told us about his

nephew.

And what Bradford Cohen`s nephew experienced as a school colleague of Nikolas Cruz about six years ago in middle school, that there were violent

outbursts in middle school. In one incident, an escalation with a teacher that led to violence and breaking of glass. Another incident with P.E.

teacher that got more than just verbally violent.

And as Bradford Cohen put it, an attorney who works with us oftentimes here and now, finds himself intersecting with a crime firsthand because his

nephew knew this alleged shooter. Everyone knew. That`s what Bradford Cohen`s nephew says about Nikolas Cruz. Everyone knew that this person had

issues.

And now we know where this person is headed. He was taken from a hospital as the sheriff said. Didn`t think there were serious injuries. But

certainly left the Broward Health North Facility where he was taken -- and may I just add, that is the second facility that was reported to have

received victims in this shooting.

So God knows, if Nikolas Cruz was taken to the same hospital where many of his alleged victims were also taken and God forbid, the two who died in the

hospital may have died at that hospital, we don`t know that yet, but he is now at the public safety public. The visuals you are seeing now is Nikolas

Cruz in a hospital gown being led into the public safety building in Parkland, Florida.

I want to bring in Joseph Scott Morgan. He is a certified death investigator, also professor of forensics at Jacksonville State. Joseph,

the process that now needs to be for lack of a better word, collected, in order to prosecute that 19-year-old adult, it`s massive. And the forensics

scene at that one crime scene alone and I don`t know how many others there may be.

Walk me through the school, what it looks like, what some of those investigators are doing, the yellow cones that they putting down where

where they find casings from that AR-15 and the multiple rounds that the sheriff just announced were found. Just help me understand the massive

forensics project they have ahead of them.

JOSEPH SCOTT MORGAN, CERTIFIED DEATH INVESTIGATOR: Sure, Ashleigh. I can characterize this in one word and that`s chaos. And it`s reminiscent of the

Jonesboro, Arkansas shooting back in 1998, which is almost 20 years ago next month as a matter of fact.

If we remember then, one of those boys that did that shooting up there pulled the fire alarm. And what happens with that as you create a chaotic

situation

[18:35:00] within the school, they are overstimulating the children as they are moving. And all of a sudden, someone just starts firing. If this is the

case that that fire alarm was initiated, it sounds like it may have been, these children are very vulnerable in this environment as are the staff.

You will have potentially people that were trampled, that have sustained injuries relative to that. There will be a tremendous amount of blood

evidence that will be found on all of the surfaces where the shootings took place. And the idea is we had to straighten out the dynamics of what

exactly happened.

Remember, we had a prosecutable case here with an assailant who is still alive. You mentioned well earlier that unlike other cases, this individual

is not deceased. Florida will move ahead with the prosecution in this particular case, I`m sure. And so it is mountain of evidence.

And then we have people that were removed from the scene. And they have both evidence that is at the scene. Their blood evidence always -- the

people that will survive. And there is evidence that is contained on their clothing at the hospital, also any kind of -- this is hard to say, but any

kind of projectiles that are still within their bodies that is removed at surgery.

Those automatically become evidence as well. So it is a huge mountain that Broward will have to climb here. I know that they are up to the task. Their

crime scene people are fantastic, particularly aided with the ATF as well as the FBI in processing this. We are talking about a cavernous structure

here, multi-buildings.

Obviously, we got people that were outside of the building that were injured as well. It was mentioned just a moment ago that we had one person

that was deceased on the street, two outside of one of the buildings, as well as the 12 within the buildings. And of course those victims that had

passed on at the hospital and currently being triaged and evaluated and undergoing surgical treatment, I`m sure.

BANFIELD: And I am just sorry to say from the empirical experience that I have in covering these things, with 17 people dead now, we had that as an

at least when it was 16, but now 17.

MORGAN: Right.

BANFIELD: It is very possible there could be other fatalities elsewhere.

MORGAN: Yes.

BANFIELD: We have seen shooters who have killed parents or siblings or friends prior to or even after wreaking havoc inside those facilities. We

don`t even know at this point what the story is of Nikolas Cruz`s parents, whether they are safe, whether they are in that public safety building

alongside him.

I just wish I were the fly on the wall who could hear that Miranda being issued and see if it`s being honored or if it`s being broken. Because at 19

years old, you don`t get a whole lot of mulligans, especially if Miranda was done perfectly. Anything you say can and will be held against you. And

this I am going to say flat out will be a death penalty case.

You just can`t mow down 17 people with an AR-15 in the United States and not face the maximum penalty. Because that`s why we have the death penalty.

We have the death penalty for suspects like this young man in this hospital gown being led into the public safety building in Broward County becaue 17

people at least are dead.

Seventeen families and all the friends of those 17 people will never see those people again. This is how it shook out. This is where the casualties

were found. And you know what?

MORGAN: Yes.

BANFIELD: The sheriff just said that the surgeries are continuing. There is still an emergency going on right now in at least two hospitals. Quickly,

Joe, before I leave you, will there be more than two hospitals given the magnitude of the casualties?

MORGAN: Yes, I would think so. This is a mass casualty event. As all counties have over the past few decades, you prep for this sort of thing

with mass casualty events such as plane crashes and this sort of thing. So you will have -- police will have to be on their toes in the collection of

evidence.

Let`s also not forget that the medical examiner and again I hate to say this, will be very, very busy tomorrow. That`s another piece we have to

consider going forward. You were talking about this case in terms of the aggravating circumstances. Remember what the sheriff said. This individual

showed up with -- he was very specific. He said multiple magazines.

[18:40:00] That to me states that he came there to kill and fire and maim as many people as he possibly could.

BANFIELD: And that will be an aggravator in any case. Let`s just say this case may never go into a courtroom at all. This could be a case that

pleads. This could go any number of ways, but if it pleads, I don`t know. I`m not sure if I were a prosecutor in the state of Florida that I would be

so willing to plead out a death penalty case when there are so many witnesses, so many dead, and just so much incredible mayhem.

Joe, I am going to ask you to stand by for a moment, if you will. I just want to let people know that the FBI -- it`s a sign of the times when we

have a hash tag, "Stoneman Shooting." The hash tag "Stoneman Shooting." That`s where a lot of people are getting and giving information about hash

tag.

The FBI has also established the old-fashioned tip line for anybody who might have information, who might have anything and no information is too

small about the shooter, the alleged shooter, Nikolas Cruz, or the shooting itself.

Again, there may be 3,000 somewhat students at that school, but this is critical in terms of being able to get some answers and put together an

iron-clad case. The FBI, the lead investigator now on this case is going to need as many eyes as it can get. And you can`t say it loud enough or often

enough, no detail is too small.

If you ever see the programs like "Forensic Files," they sometimes turn on the tiniest pieces of evidence and information. So, this is critical. If

you knew anything or know anything about this person or this person`s travels or this person`s -- throughout the day and throughout the week,

social media, anything at all. That`s the tip line. 1-800-call-FBI.

I want to go to Mike Galanos, if I can. Mike, I know you have been monitoring a lot of this as the information comes in pretty quickly with

the updates and the locations of the dead. Do you know anything about those who are still in surgery or whether this number on our screen is going to

go up?

MIKE GALANOS, ANCHOR, HLN: Nothing definite, Ashleigh, we will say that. The number 17 is still just unbelievable to soak that in. We know that it

was 14 and then we know two lost their lives on the the hospital. It`s 12. It could be more.

You make a great point when you hear of 12 killed in the school, two outside, one on the street, and two lost their lives in the hospital. There

could be others elsewhere. So, we are monitoring all of that. It was a very enlightening and sobering press conference from Broward County Sheriff

Scott Israel starting with the fact that this is catastrophic. Let`s listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISRAEL: Seventeen people lost their lives. Twelve people within the building, two people just outside the building, one person out on Pine

Island Road, and two people lost their lives in the hospital. There people that are still undergoing surgery. Just pray for this city, pray for this

school. The parents, the folks that lost their lives.

It`s a horrific, horrific day. As I said before, my triplets attended and graduated from Stoneman Douglas High School. It`s just horrible. Absolutely

horrible. We will continually ask you and the media to continually put out the message. If you see something, say something.

If anybody has any indicator that someone is going through a behavioral change on the social media, that there are disturbing photos, perhaps bombs

or firearms or just videos or pictures that are just not right, please make sure law enforcement knows about it. We are already -- you can follow us on

Twitter. We are going to put out numbers where people can possibly call and what have you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): (INAUDIBLE) Fox News. Are all of the victims, all of the wounded and fatalities, students, or is it a mixture of

students and teachers? And can you give anything --

ISRAEL: We don`t know. I keep hearing that. Can you go back? It`s very distracting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Are they students or teachers or a mixture of both?

ISRAEL: It`s a mixture. I don`t know if they are teachers, but certainly students and certainly adults.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): (INAUDIBLE) were there are any signs that you know of?

ISRAEL: I believe there will be once our investigators, that`s a great question. The investigators certainly

[18:45:00] began dissecting social media and looking at the website and Nikolas Cruz was the killer. He is in custody. And we have already began to

dissect his websites and things that social media that he was on and some of the things have come to mind are very, very disturbing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Tell us about him. What can you tell us about him? Is he a former student?

ISRAEL: He`s 19 years old. He was born in 1998 in September. He was a former student of Douglas High School. He got expelled for disciplinary

reasons. I don`t know the specifics. I think he might have surfaced at Terra Bella High School. We are still trying to confirm that. This morning

when he woke, whether he was a student or not, I don`t know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): (INAUDIBLE) fire alarm was pulled off, was that in anticipation of a shooting taking place?

ISRAEL: I don`t know anything about the fire alarm at this point. He had countless magazines, multiple magazines. And at this point, we believe he

had one AR-15 rifle. I don`t know if he had a second one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Can you speak about the fire alarm that was pulled?

ISRAEL: I know nothing about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Could you say anything, when he was apprehended and he was taken to Broward Health North, what are his injuries

(INAUDIBLE)?

ISRAEL: I think he has left Broward General North. I don`t think his injuries were anything significant. I believe he arrived at the public

safety building. The investigation will continue. I will keep Broward County informed on anything that we uncover and anything that is important.

BANFIELD (voice over): That is the sheriff in this case giving the update. Sheriff Scott Israel, also personally connected, his triplets went to that

school and graduated from that school where Nikolas Cruz is now alleged to have killed 17 people.

Waiting to find out if the number climbs. Waiting to find out how many in that number were the adults, how many were the students. The sheriff just

simply does not know at this time.

Tyjanai Thomas is a student at the school. She she saw her teacher shot while trying to protect students. Tyjanai, can you hear me?

TYJANAI THOMAS, STUDENT AT MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL (via telephone): Yes, I can hear you.

BANFIELD (voice over): Can you tell me a little bit about what you went through today, what you saw?

THOMAS (via telephone): We heard the fire alarm go off and our teacher told us like normal procedure to get our things together and walk down to our

zone. So, we all started walking and me and my friend Brianna have paused for a second because we`ve seen someone coming down the hallway.

And he stopped in front of our door because the door was open and he was trying to get more students, but our teacher started to like interfere and

protect the students so he shot him.

BANFIELD (voice over): So, the shooter came to the door of the classroom you were in and shot the teacher in your classroom right in front of you?

THOMAS (via telephone): I wasn`t in the classroom with him. I was about to go down the stairs, but I was standing like halfway so I can still see out

into the hallway. And that`s when I seen him approaching my teacher and we heard it go off and he fell down.

BANFIELD (voice over): Do you know if your teacher was able to get away or to move after the shooting?

THOMAS (via telephone): Later on I heard that he died. He didn`t make it.

BANFIELD (voice over): What did you witness?

THOMAS (via telephone): I witnessed him being shot.

BANFIELD (voice over): Did you see him fall after he was shot?

THOMAS (via telephone): Yes. After that, we took off running.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD: Did you see him shoot at any other students or teachers?

THOMAS (via telephone): No.

BANFIELD: And where did he go after shooting your teacher?

THOMAS (via telephone): I believe he went back the other way where he was coming from.

BANFIELD: And at that point -- and please don`t name your teacher if I can ask you please until we get next of kin, we don`t want to identify anyone

and cause any more stress or mental trauma to a community that is already been through hell today.

Tyjanai, when your teacher was shot, what happened to the rest of the kids who were all around your teacher, who your teacher was trying to protect?

What happened to them?

THOMAS (via telephone): They ran out. He went the other way. We don`t know why or for what reason. They all took off running. It was so much smoke

around, people were bumping into each other trying to get out of there.

BANFIELD: There was smoke as in from his gun or do you think he set off some kind of smoke device? Did it seem like that?

THOMAS (via telephone): Right now we are not even sure. It looked like someone set off fireworks in there. There was so much smoke.

BANFIELD: It looked like fireworks from the amount of smoke. What did it smell like?

[18:50:00] Did it smell like the fireworks smell?

THOMAS (via telephone): No. That`s how we knew it was like real and we were in danger.

BANFIELD: So when you say smoke, was it so smokey you could barely see or did it look like it was -- I`m trying to figure out if the shooter might

have actually tried to set off some smoke bombs to make it more catastrophic and difficult for people trying to get to safety.

THOMAS (via telephone): I`m pretty sure that`s what had to happen with the amount of smoke that was there, couldn`t have came from just the gun.

BANFIELD: It did not seem like the amount of smoke that you witnessed seemed to have been able to come from a gun.

THOMAS (via telephone): Yes.

BANFIELD: Tyjanai, can you stay with me? I have a lot of questions for you about what the shooter looked like, but I want to go to the doctors who are

updating us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We received eight patients and one suspect. The suspect was treated and released in police custody. Of our eight patients, we had

two mortalities. Three in critical condition and three are stable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): What condition was the suspect in?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I cannot disclose that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Can you repeat again, 17 patients at Broward or more? I don`t believe that`s correct.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no. System-wide in Broward Health, there was a total of 17 patients. Nine here, seven at Broward General and one at Coral

Springs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Can you talk about what type of injuries? How serious are these?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of the eight patients that we had not including the suspect, two mortalities, three critical condition, three stable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): What are you seeing? What kind of wounds?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Out of respect for the family members and our respect for our patients, we are not going to disclose that information.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Are they all gunshot victims?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, they are all gunshot victims.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Sometimes we see people that are trampled on their way out or sustained other sorts of injuries so that`s why we

wanted to clarify. Of the eight victims here, they are all gunshot wounds, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s correct.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Can you elaborate on the ages of the patients brought here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again, we can`t talk about the age or any information related to the patients out of respect to the families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Can you talk about -- I know you guys were in lockdown, but can you describe for us if this is a mass casualty

incident? What was it like inside as these patients were coming in after the shooting?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure. We work very closely with our pre-hospital personnel. Fire rescue on scene and in conjunction with Broward Sheriff`s

Office. Pre-hospital communicates information to us. We routinely run drills at our institution to be ready for instances like this. So we have a

process in place that gets initiated so there is calm collected care that our patients receive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Can you tell us anything about the fatalities, their ages, and do you believe they are students and possibly

people working at the school?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We prefer not to comment on our patients in respect for our patients.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Can you talk about this personally? I mean, seeing this sort of thing, knowing that they are -- I mean, just as

human beings outside of being doctors, treating these people who have come in here after experiencing if not the worst event of their lives, having

the responsibility of treating these people and ensuring the best outcome, I mean, how does that affect you all as human beings?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do this every day. So what we saw today, we have the trauma center. That is what we do every day. Fortunately for everybody, we

are located very close to this high school where this shooting happened. So it is fortunate for everybody they brought these patients to our hospital

and we were able to do a great job to deliver care.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): The suspect was brought here. I know you can`t say much. But from people at home, they might be surprised that the

suspect was being brought here. How do you guys take the Hippocratic oath and do your job knowing that this guy potentially did what he`s accused of

doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every patient gets treated as a patient. We take care of them medically. That`s what we do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Was there any particular reason why he was brought to this facility versus one of the other facilities?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of the location. They have to go to the nearest facility.

[18:55:00] We are the nearest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Is this the biggest mass casualty you can remember?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At our hospital, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Are you expecting more victims?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We cannot comment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Can you tell us if it was a large caliber or small caliber?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Do you know the update on conditions for the other hospitals?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Are any of them still in surgery or did the surgery go on after?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We still have three patients in the operating rooms. They are in stable condition.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Did all of them undergo some type of surgery?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Can you describe what their demeanor was like and if it was obvious, can you describe it for us?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, I prefer not to comment on specific patient`s demeanor. But as a human being, you can imagine that they would be in shock

or be emotional about the whole situation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): That`s it, guys. We have to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pardon me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We work closely with our pre-hospital personnel to set that up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): One more question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Can you walk through what`s next for these patients specifically, the three in critical and three in stable, in terms

of services? I understand Chaplains are now here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are going to have successful surgeries and probably go home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks very much.

BANFIELD (voice over): So these doctors are giving sort of (INAUDIBLE) news conference outside of -- I believe this is Broward North, the Broward

Health Systems has a number of campuses, I think he was alluding to this Broward Health as Broward Health North. They were trying to at least clear

up and I`m not entirely sure we have sort of the layout perfectly clear.

But at least we know that he said here, let`s just say Broward North, there were three patients being looked after. Seven of them were at Broward

General and one is at a hospital he referred to as Coral Springs. He did refer to eight specific patients and listing two of them as having died.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD: Three in critical condition, and three who have been stabilize. That`s hard to tell given the other numbers that he gave out. 17 total

treated. And at least we know at this time 17 total treated and I hope that means that we`re not going to see this number climb much more and God

forbid it climbs at all, but at least not much more than that.

But we do have three in critical condition still. Can`t discuss the suspect because yes, that suspect did arrive at their hospital and was treated.

Obviously alongside some of the victims and then transported. And as we know now, it didn`t appear to the sheriff that those injuries and the

suspect were significant.

Doctors however can`t discuss that. Lots of reasons out of the respect of families, but also HIIPA laws. There is a lot of reasons why doctors can`t

get into the details that those reporters were hoping for.

Just before we went to the doctors news conference, I was speaking with a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Tyjanai Thomas, are you

still with me? Can you still hear me?

THOMAS (via telephone): Yes, I can hear you.

BANFIELD: Tyjanai, before we went to the doctors, you were telling me about the smoke in the hall, that you saw the shooter come to the doorway of the

classroom where your teacher was protecting students. You saw the shooter shoot your teacher and I will remind you, please don`t say his name at this

time.

I know you heard later that your teacher didn`t survive, but we are still waiting for official confirmation of those who lost their lives. Can you

describe what the shooter looked like, what the shooter was carrying, and if you saw the shooter`s face?

THOMAS (via telephone): OK. Considering the amount of smoke, it was really hard to make out the facial features, but you could tell he was a

relatively average height. Maybe a little taller than that. He was like hiding something behind his back. That`s how we knew right away something

was wrong. It was really hard to make out who he was.

BANFIELD: Could you see a gun?

THOMAS (via telephone): Yes. You could see the handle of it like from behind his back where he was holding it. You could see it.

BANFIELD: And did it look like one of those rifles that is referred to as an AR-15, but it`s looks like one of those military-style assault rifles?

THOMAS (via telephone): It looked like a heavy-duty gun. I`m not really sure how to describe it.

[19:00:00] BANFIELD: Could you tell what the shooter was wearing?

THOMAS (via telephone): No.

BANFIELD: Could you tell, Tyjanai, if the shooter had on any of that -- that kind of (INAUDIBLE) equipment, it`s normally called body armor. Some

call it bulletproof vest. But could you tell if he had any tactical - go ahead.

THOMAS: I believe so. Like the figure looked like a little bulky and like we were believing that that`s what it was like a bulletproof vest or

something.

BANFIELD: It appeared to you he was wearing a bulletproof vest, Tyjanai?

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: Did you see him carrying anything other than what looked like the gun behind his back? Did he carry any other kind of -- nothing else that

you saw?

THOMAS: Not that I could tell.

BANFIELD: Could you see his face at all?

THOMAS: No.

BANFIELD: And did he say anything? Could you hear him saying anything?

THOMAS: Not at all.

BANFIELD: Was he running? Was he walking slowly? What was his demeanor? How did he appear to you?

BANFIELD: The way he appeared was like a very strong, dominant person. Like he had a plan. He knew what he was doing and he just trying to get there.

But something got in his way and he got rid of it.

BANFIELD: So it seemed to you the shooter that you witnessed who shot your teacher was methodical and calm throughout this?

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: Didn`t look nervous or afraid or erratic?

THOMAS: No.

BANFIELD: And when he turned away after shooting your teacher and walked in the other direction, did he walk with purpose or was he running?

THOMAS: He was running.

He ran the other way. How long after that did you get out of there?

THOMAS: Right after I heard it, we ran. Everyone that was in the hallway, they just ran down the stairs.

BANFIELD: And Tyjanai, were you on what`s been described as the tenth -- I think it`s the tenth floor or the building -- I`m looking for the name of

the building and the floor where you were.

THOMAS: The 1200 building, the freshman building.

BANFIELD: The freshman building and the third floor?

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: How many shots do you remember hearing?

THOMAS: If I`m not mistaken, I believe it was three.

BANFIELD: You heard three shots. Were those the three shots he fired at your teacher?

THOMAS: No. Those were three shots I heard from like downstairs.

BANFIELD: So you heard the shots downstairs and then you saw the shooter come upstairs?

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: How many times did he fire at your teacher?

THOMAS: If I`m not mistaken I believe there was one or two.

BANFIELD: It was one or two?

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: Were the other students screaming or were they frozen?

THOMAS: They were like in panic mode, but like they didn`t really know what to do on that situation. Everyone was just so shocked. We just kind of

stood there for a second trying to get together in our minds what was actually happening.

Were there any other adults with you at that time or were you pretty much left alone as a group of kids once the teacher was shot?

THOMAS: Yes. We were pretty much left alone until all the other teachers - like it was weird. We didn`t see any other teachers out in the hallway, no

other classes. So we were kind of confused as to what to do.

BANFIELD: And this was again, you call at this time freshman building, right?

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: And it was the third floor in the freshman building called the 1200 building where we had heard earlier there were about 10 classrooms. Do

you have any idea how many kids have been up and down that hallway? How many kids would have been in those classrooms at the time this was

happening?

THOMAS: No, I`m not really sure.

BANFIELD: Tyjanai, had you ever seen this shooter`s face before? Did he look familiar?

THOMAS: No. Like he -- I couldn`t really tell anything.

BANFIELD: And no one else around you knew who he was?

THOMAS: No, not until later. We heard the last name and someone was like he sounds really familiar like he knew them.

BANFIELD: The name Nikolas Cruz sounded familiar to someone you know?

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: And did they say anything about Nikolas Cruz at the time?

THOMAS: No. They just said that they just knew his name, like the last name sounded familiar to them.

[19:05:03] BANFIELD: Tyjanai, when you ran from the hallway after your teacher was shot, did you come across anything else? Did you see anything

else, any kind of other victims, any kind of carnage, anything and broken glass? Did you see anything else on your way out of that school?

THOMAS: On the very first floor of the building, that`s where it was another big amount of smoke and we seen like something that appeared to be

a body on the floor closer to the other end of the hallway.

BANFIELD: That`s on the first floor?

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: So there was smoke on the third floor in the hallway where your teacher you witnessed being shot. There was smoke on the first floor

hallway where you said you saw another body of a student or an adult or a teacher?

THOMAS: We are not really sure what it looked like.

BANFIELD: Was that victim in the hallway or in a classroom?

THOMAS: In the hallway.

BANFIELD: Could you see anything else in the hallway?

THOMAS: No.

BANFIELD: Could you see -- go ahead.

THOMAS: But at the end of the hallway, we -- as soon as we got downstairs, we seen something there come threw out of the corners that appeared to be

another figure. So we all ran outside.

BANFIELD: You saw another figure at the other end of the hallway coming into the school?

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: Did it appear to be the same person you saw who was the shooter or did it appear to be, say, a police officer perhaps?

THOMAS: I`m not really sure who it was. But I don`t think it was the shooter. I don`t think he could have gotten down that fast. I`m not sure.

BANFIELD: Were you able to see into any of the classrooms on the third floor or on the first floor?

THOMAS: No.

BANFIELD: Did you see anything on the second floor as you were descending down the staircase?

THOMAS: No, we all just ran right past it.

BANFIELD: So there is no way to tell if there was smoke or anybody shot on the second floor as far as you witnessed, Tyjanai?

THOMAS: No.

BANFIELD: When you got outside, did you finally find a teacher or find an adult or someone to give you direction to get to you safety?

THOMAS: That`s what we were looking for until we heard more gunshots so we started to run the opposite way and then we heard it from that way and ran

back and finally seen security. They were telling us to just get off school grounds. So we jumped the fence and headed into the complex that is right

next to the school.

BANFIELD: So Tyjanai, if I`m not mistaken, I`m trying to get a start to finish, you know, accounting of your experience. But you said you heard a

number of shots when you were up on that third floor and saw your teacher shot. And then you heard additional shots when you were on the first floor

or outside. Can you just clear it up for me how many shots and where you heard the shots.

THOMAS: When I first heard the shots I was on the first floor and then when we got outside we kept hearing them, you know. It was just like someone

repeatedly at least shooting the gun.

BANFIELD: How many times do you estimate?

THOMAS: Maybe three or four times.

BANFIELD: And that was on the first floor.

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: But just one shot on the third? I`m just trying to get a clear indication. When your teacher was shot and you witnessed that on the third

floor, that was one or two shot, correct?

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: And then on the first floor, three or four additional shots, is that correct?

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: And when you got to safety, how did that happen? Who found you outside the first floor and where were you taken and what was that like?

What were you asked to do when you were rushing from that school?

THOMAS: No one found us. We looked down the hallway, a longer hallway, seeing one of our security guards pointing towards the gates and telling us

to get out and go somewhere and hide.

BANFIELD: I`m just going ask one last question and it`s probably a repeat. But you will have to forgive me, Tyjanai. It`s important. When you saw the

shooter, as smoky as it was, you could see the gun behind his back and it did look like he was wearing one of those police-style armored vests,

tactical vests, is that correct?

THOMAS: Yes.

BANFIELD: Was he wearing anything on his head?

THOMAS: I`m not sure.

[19:10:01] BANFIELD: But you are very sure he appeared to be wearing one of the bulletproof vests?

THOMAS: Yes, that`s what it appeared to be.

BANFIELD: Tyjanai, thank you so much for helping us with this information. It is invaluable and it is so difficult for grown ups to process this

stuff. And so for you to go through this, you know, are you with your parents now?

THOMAS: No, I`m not, but I can be.

BANFIELD: I want you to be. If you can be. It would be great if you can be with your parents, sweetheart.

Thank you so much, Tyjanai. I just wish you the best, sweetie. As you go through getting past this and the things that you have seen.

THOMAS: Thank you.

BANFIELD: Tyjanai Thomas.

Wow. A freshman. That`s what a freshman`s day was today. Tyjanai saw her teacher shot. Tyjanai heard her teacher was killed. We don`t have

confirmation on that yet.

HLN anchor Mike Galanos is with me now.

Mike, that`s the first indication and witness account that I have heard describing smoke in the hallways both the third floor hallway and the first

floor hallways in the 1200 building, the freshman building. And it`s the first count that I have heard of a shooter wearing a tactical vest.

MIKE GALANOS, HLN ANCHOR: And I`m still taking in the strength of this young lady.

BANFIELD: I know.

GALANOS: A freshman in high school who could recount to you the detail with such clarity and strength. So - and I`m with you, praying that she can heal

through this. It may take time, but to hunker down with her family.

Ashleigh, let`s get supposed details as we take in that riveting interview. The numbers, again, they are just so heartbreaking. Seventeen dead. And we

just heard the number taken to hospital total was 17. It sounds like and this is a rudimentary number, 14 injured, sounds like still fighting for

their lives. At one hospital, we know three in critical condition. Another number that is equally astonishing and saddening, this is the 18th school

shooting this year and we are just six weeks into 2018.

So family and victims are number one, but we do know the name of the alleged shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz. Had trouble that we know, at

least dates back, at least anecdotal stories tell us into eighth grade five years ago, violent outburst, expelled from his high school because of

disciplinary reasons. So we are taking all that in. The sheriff talked about this social media footprint. Websites that were very disturbing.

What did he use to carry out the horror, this hellish attack on students and teachers. An AR-15 with multiple magazines. We know that. And as we get

back to family, you know, our hearts go out to the families that are at a Marriott in Coral Springs. Parents told, if you are looking for your child,

go there.

What are those? We hope reunions like. But for some it will not be a reunion. It will be a moment of unthinkable horror and grief as they enter

into a fraternity they never wanted to be a part of.

Ashleigh, back to you.

BANFIELD: Yes. And you know, I just got handed a note that after this many years, you think that you would be (INAUDIBLE) to the sadness of this thing

especially when you see this, you know, statistics. It is the fourth deadliest school shooting ever.

Now Mike, officially. And so, it falls in behind Virginia Tech at 32 killed. And then Sandy Hook at 27 killed and then the University of Texas

which I mentioned earlier was back in 1966 from the Clock Tower. It is famous for so long because it just never happened back then, 18 were killed

from the Clock Tower, 13 were killed in 1999 at Columbine. But we are ahead of that with 17 so far, Mike. Seventeen so far.

You know, the interviews, Mike, I think you were listening alongside and made that comment about freshman, age 14, maybe 15, Tyjanai Thomas. So

clear and able to recount in such a distributive fashion what she witnessed. And I think this is the first time I`m really hearing maybe how

this played out. How she saw the shooter in a methodical, slow, calculated way. Not frantic. Not frenetic.

She described it as he had a mission and something got in his way and he needed to eliminate it. And that`s when she said he shot her teacher. I

hope we can get clarification on whether that teacher was able to survive. But the way she described it, that teacher was protecting students who

froze at that point. Froze in place and were left with no one. You know, didn`t have any adult to help them after that. And somehow with Tyjanai

were able to get out.

I mean, this, again, I feel we do these stories over and over and over and over and we are still blown away by the accounts, Mike.

[19:15:40] GALANOS: I mean, Ashleigh, when you stop and think, 18 already this year? We are on an average of what let`s say, we are six weeks in

three a week. Three per week school shootings? I mean, thank goodness for teachers who are heroes who can stand up. And we hope that that teacher

survived. It doesn`t sound like it. That would stand up and be a deterrent and save who knows how many lives. Just by allowing students like Tyjanai

to escape and get out of there. And then for her, as you mentioned, a 14 or 15-year-old to witness this and have that in her mind`s eye for the rest of

her life. Again, this is just something.

BANFIELD: You know, I interviewed someone and I`m looking at the clock. 7:16 now eastern time. I don`t even know when it was. It might have been an

hour and a half ago. Here is her name, Melissa (INAUDIBLE). I interviewed that teacher, Mike. And she hid in a closet for 30 minutes with 19 kids.

She said that they were rescued by a SWAT team. And then as they were being evacuated the SWAT team asked them all to close their eyes because there

was nothing that they should see there.

They walked out of there. She described very clearly the same situation that Tyjanai explained on the third floor, 1200 building. But that Melissa

(INAUDIBLE), another teacher who was protecting children and thank God Melissa was able to get out.

Mike, stand by for a minute. I want to go now to Brynn Gingras, our CNN correspondent who has been able to speak to some of the students who were

able to file out that was school and some cases run out of that school. And for the lucky ones, run into the welcome arms of their parents and loved

ones.

What are you finding out, Brynn?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And Ashleigh, at this point, you can imagine that sort of the adrenaline has worn off for these students. Maybe

teachers and administrators in that school and now it`s all sort of settling in. Before I get to the students I were able to escape. I do want

to mentioned that the Broward County sheriff`s department did just tweet about a hotline that anyone can call, a crisis hotline to get any help. And

a little bit earlier in your newscast, Mike actually jogged my memory. When I was covering Orlando, the Pulse nightclub shooting, I remember meeting a

group of folks that unfortunately has Mike used the word fraternity. They became a part of the fraternity as some of these mass shootings, not just

school shooting, a mass shooting that happened all around the country. Parents have banded together who witnessed tragedy, have felt tragedy and

losing loved ones through the shootings. And ever since they sort of lost a loved one, they sort of moved around the country trying to support as new

tragedies happen. So you can imagine the same group I talked to at the Pulse nightclub shooting will now be heading here to Florida to help

families who are grieving.

Because again, We know the number of people that were kill. We don`t know their names yet. We don`t know how many are students. We don`t know how

many are teachers. We don`t know how many are administrators at this point. But yes, Tyjanai really gave you a good idea of what she witnessed.

But we talked to other student who is witnessed incredible things. One student said, you know, this was a time of reflection, sitting in there,

being in lockdown upwards of two hours waiting for the SWAT team to come by. I`m sure having anxiety and stress and wondering what was going happen

next. And here are some more accounts on what students said they were going through during that time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Like far away. But I could still hear him clear as day. As soon as that ended, like I just told everyone just we have to go. Like we have to run.

And like everyone started running as fast as I can. And then like people like taking snap chats and stuff and like, man, you got to go. Like

everyone is got to go. So we ran into the field and then we here by (INAUDIBLE) right by the bushes and the swamp. We hopped over the fence.

There was people that need help. We were helping everyone that can. We are helping everyone that could be needed. And then after that it was rough in

there. And we just ran to Walmart and we saw (INAUDIBLE) said there is an active shooter at Douglas at the time. We still didn`t know what was

happening. And then we all just ran. I could hear gunshots clear as day. Like I said it was crazy. I never experienced anything like this in my

mind. And I`m sure many people hadn`t either. So like this is in the same moment and it is just you are scared to go to school.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:20:05] GINGRAS: And these are all the different accounts we have from students as this continues to unfold. Just like that student there, rushing

out of the building and some escaping to that Marriott where they were hoping to be reunited with their family. Some going to a nearby Walmart

that was adjacent to the school. And again, other students are being in lockdown situations for several hours waiting for that SWAT team to clear

them.

So just incredible stories again, Ashleigh, as we continue to see this story just sort of happen in front of our eyes, waiting until we get more

news about who is injured and who was killed during this. And that`s all going to sort of bring this to a close in some ways as far as the

adrenaline. Just people now processing.

BANFIELD: You know what, Brynn? I don`t know about you, Brynn, but I am struck. It`s just sort happening as I am doing this coverage. But I`m

struck by the composure of these kids freshman, you know, 14, 15-year-old kids. The way they are able to report the accounts to us. And it makes me

wonder if it`s a sign of the times. Because it is -- maybe it`s just not so foreign to them that this stuff happens. Yes, it`s a shock when it happens

to you, but maybe not so foreign.

School shootings to them now are part of their lexicon. Part of their culture as they grow. And yes, it happened to them, but it`s not so

unfamiliar. And that`s a really distressing reference. I mean, it`s really distressing thing to note. We see these pictures a lot, you know.

Brynn, I have to fit in a break, but sorry about that. I have to fit in a break. But I just - I want to dove tail off of what Brynn said. And that is

that there are people who are in the business of consoling. They are brought in to help those who are emotionally afflicted by this and they are

busy, busy people. More and more, they are busy, busy people. They go from the Pulse nightclub. They come to this school. The 18 other schools that

have been hit just this year alone in six weeks.

And with this being the fourth worst school shooting in U.S. history, let me put it into perspective. Seventeen people were killed in this school

shooting. And if Columbine really stands out to you, that was 13, a sign of the times.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:27:16] BANFIELD: A 19-year-old young man in Broward County is being processed right now at the public safety building because of what you see

on your screen. Seventeen people were killed at a high school in Parkland. Seventeen people at Marjory Douglas high school lost their lives today in

what can be only described as chaotic and sinister and evil and ugly. Seventeen is the country are we are at now, but the story is still breaking

and the news is grim every time we get an update. I hope those updates become less grim.

But in the meantime, I have this. Apparently, the bomb squad is now going through the school looking for what could be booby traps. It happened

before. And empirical evidence tells us you can`t be too safe because sometimes school shooters have bigger plans.

So right now, the bomb squad is scouring that school for any other kinds of incendiary devices that can cause even more casualties. We are also

learning and I think we may already have learned this from a remarkable young woman, Tyjanai Thomas, a freshman who witnessed the shooter, who

witnessed the shooter shooting her teacher and was able to described for us that the shooter was wearing a tactical vests. We are now learning that

that shooter had a gas mask on. And that the shooter had smoke grenades.

Tyjanai Thomas described for us an extremely smoky hallway on the third floor of the freshman building at the 1200 building at that school. The

third floor was smoky and hard to make it out. But she believed, yes, she saw a tactical vest on that methodical shooter.

She couldn`t see what was on his head, but we re now learning that indeed he had a breathing device. We are also learning that on the first floor

where that smoke was also reported by Tyjanai, it is possible those smoke grenades may have gone off there as well.

This is the suspect who has been arrested and processed at this point. He is wearing a hospital gown because he was first whisked to Broward health

for a very quick treatment. The likes of which we are not being told about. And then in a hospital gown was ushered right into the public safety

building in Broward County. Likely for bookings on 17 murders of some sort.

What kind of actual charges will be levied against this young man, 19-year- old Nikolas Cruz yet to be seen. But I will remind you this is a death penalty state and multiple casualties like this that qualifies.

Also, I want to tell you this. He is talking. We are being told right now that this shooter is talking to detectives. My guess is he has been fully

mirandized. He is a grown up. But he has been fully mirandized. He is talking. And one of the things the investigators say they believe was a

strategy or a tactic of this suspect was to pull the fire alarm to maximize the casualty counts. Think about it, what happens when you pull a fire

alarm. Kids flood out of classrooms into hallways. And if he was in the hallway, it makes the casualty count like shooting fish in a barrel. It

will be interesting to find out what else comes from the investigators, but that is a very disturbing development. All of those developments

extraordinarily disturbing.

I want to bring in Chris Robinson, he`s a firearms expert, also former NYPD detective and law enforcement consultant, Tom Verni and then also CNN Law

Enforcement Contributor and former FBI agent and investigator, Steve Moore. I have questions for all three of you. I`m going to begin with you, Chris

Robinson, if I can, as the firearms expert in all of this, I know you have ballistics knowledge as well. Just give me your reaction to what I just

told you about.

CHRIS ROBINSON, FIREARMS EXPERT: I mean, it`s just unthinkable this tragic circumstance.

BANFIELD: The smoke -- the smoke that was described by that freshman who I just interviewed (INAUDIBLE) Thomas, it makes perfect sense now, doesn`t

it, that she had trouble really getting a beat on this guy. The smoke grenades, just walk me through that. If you`re going to look for maximum

body count and you throw down smoke grenades, how were you able to see yourself of you`re the shooter?

ROBINSON: He was wearing a mask of some sort. He would initially have to see that you would confuse the people around you. They aim to be -- was

trying to exit the school and the fire alarm, it would make it that much easier, it may get confusing in the hallway, make it very dark, so all he

has to do is pull the trigger and you`re going to hit somebody.

BANFIELD: If I can, Steve Moore, I`d like you to weigh in on this as well. The idea that the shootings, according to the sheriff and his latest

update, I think it was just about a half hour ago, the shootings began outside the school. And we know that one of the victims, one of the -- one

of the casualties, the fatalities was found on a street corner. Two of them were found outside the school and the others were found inside the

school as well as two who died at the hospital. It sort of makes you wonder what the plan was and maybe even what was coming next.

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Right. And that really kind of caught me off guard that there were shootings before the high school.

Usually, they`re going in to settle a score, somebody in that high school or the high school itself. Getting people along the way is usually

counterproductive they think because it`ll alarm people, warn them in the few -- you know, that they`re may be coming.

The other thing that`s sad in this and kind of ironic is that the high school students in that -- in that district are taught that they should

shelter in place, meaning lock your doors, don`t let him in the room. Well, if he was a student in that district, he knew that. That`s why he

pulled the fire alarm because if he started shooting, they would -- they would lock the doors. By getting them out in the hallway with the fire

alarm, he overcame the things that he himself have been told that they were going to do.

So, it`s also possible he went to an alternate high school. I think it`s possible that he may have been on his way somewhere else. I would want to

know -- and these are horrible details, but I would want to know how many rounds, how many magazines he still had left. How he was moving, whether

he was -- whether he was walking, whether he had a vehicle. There`s so much , so much information out there.

BANFIELD: Why is he still alive? Why on earth, Steve, is he still alive? We don`t see shooters that do this much damage typically not just cowardly

take their own lives before they get taken in.

MOORE: That is -- that is an excellent question. I worked a school shooting where I talked to the shooter, one of the first people that talked

to him after arrest. And I asked him why didn`t you shoot yourself? Everybody else does. He said, I intended to, I just couldn`t bring myself

to do it. But another reason that they might -- he might not have shot himself is that he did have other things on his mind. He did have -- he

did have other targets, and he wasn`t going to stop until somebody stopped him.

BANFIELD: I had a note earlier that I believe he was actually -- he was actually arrested outside the school grounds. And I`m trying to figure out

if it was an hour after the shooting or maybe the control room can just help me out with that. But it was definitely off campus where they got

him.

[19:35:01] And it was -- there was time. There was a separation between the time that the multiple fatalities were shot and the time that they were

able to do this and apprehend him. It wasn`t proximate in distance necessarily, but it was -- I think it was within about an hour which gives

you plenty of time to execute whatever other dastardly plan you might have and certainly enough time, you know, to get your wits up about you if you

can execute that many people. It`s fascinating that that person told you they just couldn`t bring it to do it to themselves.

Tom Verni, first and foremost, let me get a little bit of breaking news out here before I ask you the question I have for you, and that is that the FBI

has now set up a Web site. They`re soliciting from the public, presumably the kids who were in the school and teachers who made it in the school at

the time. They`re asking that students and others send in videos and pictures that were taken from inside the school during the incident. They

want to collect as much evidence, realtime evidence, contemporaneous evidence, and they`ve got the tip line as well. The tip line if you just

want to call in is 1-800-CALL-FBI.

The Web site to upload photos of the Stoneman Shooting is a little long so bear with me, but it`s fbi.gov/parklandshooting. And there -- again, I`ve

mentioned this before, it`s a sign of the times, but there is a hashtag where a lot of people are getting their information on social media and

sharing information as well, and that is Stoneman Shooting, it`s #-S-T-O-N- E-M-A-N-S-H-O-O-T-I-N-G, Stoneman Shooting, #StonemanShooting.

Tom Verni, the question I have for you as an NYPD former detective is when you guys get these people in your interrogation room, I know you try your

best to do the best Miranda you have so that you have a pristine case, but where do you even begin?

TOM VERNI, FORMER NYPD DETECTIVE: You know, that`s the important part obviously, they have to be mirandized, because that`s just -- you know,

that`s what we have to do. So -- but we also want to get as much information as possible because, quite frankly, one of the -- in some of

these other shootings that we`ve seen, is that there are more than one person. So, first and foremost, we want to make sure that this is the only

animal that is involved in this incident and there isn`t someone else involved in any other way. It doesn`t seem to be that based on the

information to date, but that`s -- that would be the first thing as everyone want to make sure there isn`t, you know, someone else that`s out

there part of this plan or doing something else. So, that would be the first thing. And then, obviously, we want to find out --

BANFIELD: OK. Tom, before you go on, are you surprised at what we`re hearing from the detectives in Parkland right now? They have him right now

in the public safety building in a hospital gown and they`re already able to tell us that they believe he pulled the fire alarm to draw those kids

into the hallway to maximize his carnage. Surprised at knowing this?

VERNI: Yes and no. I guess this is kind of a new tactic that we haven`t seen yet. And as your other guests had mentioned, it does make sense in

that if you are a student and you are trained in a lockdown situation, if your school was training you, what would happen in a -- in a worst case

scenario. And now, you have someone who`s calculating how to maximize the damage that they want to do on any given day, then it does kind of make

sense that they would do something like that, knowing that they would force people out into the open, and it`d give them, you know, a clear line of

sight to shoot as many people as possible. You know, and of course, my, you know, my condolences to all the families that are involved in this

horrific tragedy.

BANFIELD: I think -- I think we all join you with that sentiment. I can just see by the looks on everyone`s faces, you know, in the last four hours

of this coverage. I do have a question, Steve. And I don`t know if we`re expert enough in this kind of thing yet to know the answer to this, but at

least with your law enforcement background, so many of the people I`ve interviewed not just in this incident, but others as well, they cower, they

shelter in place, they protect students if they`re teachers, they dial or they text if they`re kids, and they stay, you know, resiliently silent

until the emergency is over and they hear those magical rescue sounds. This is the police. Come out. You know, come out. We`re here to help

you. My question is how do we know -- how do we know that`s not going to be the next new tactic to ferret people out, to make this easier to

maximize carnage? How are we really supposed to know that it`s truly the SWAT on the other side of that barricaded door that`s going rescue you?

How do we know it`s not the bad guy who has a better idea?

[19:40:00] MOORE: Exactly, Ashleigh. If you -- if you are forced to shelter in place rather than escape which is the best thing to do, if

you`re forced to shelter in place, know that the police will eventually get to you, but don`t take -- don`t take just the word of that person. Don`t

just listen to a voice. You will see officers displaying badges, displaying weapons. They won`t just have one gun on them. They`ll have a

holster on them with another gun, even if they`re not in uniform. You will be able to see the difference. They`re not going to be another high school

student. So, while you`re going to need to obey the words, don`t show yourself until they find you. I mean, don`t just volunteer and stand up in

the room. Try to get a look at them. The police will do everything they can to help you believe that they`re actually the police.

BANFIELD: I think the shooter will do that, too. I think that just might be next. I think we may find ourselves with school district actually

having daily or weekly passwords. I mean, I just sort of feel like every time we do this drill, it gets worse. They get better, they get tactical

gear, they get smoke grenades, they`ve gone past Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. They`re just better, smarter, faster. They`re watching the media,

they`re reading what they can on the internet and they`re figuring out a better, more sinister mouse trap. And it`s just so distressing.

Gentlemen, I`m going to ask you to hold on for a minute. There is this one burning question I`m going to ask this after the break, and that is when a

student or a former student or a teenager or a 19-year-old decides to do this kind of evil, how do we know that he or she isn`t mixed among those

students running for safety? How do we know that that`s not the retreat plan? How do we separate the wheat from the chaff? How do we know who

they are? We`ll be right back.

[19:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MELISSA FALKOWSKI, TEACHER, MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL (via telephone): It was the end of the school day, the last period and about 15

minutes from dismissal and the fire alarm went off which was unusual because we had already had a fire drill today. And so, we did, you know,

what we were supposed to do which is when the fire drill goes off, we evacuate. And then, we didn`t get very far. We got out of the hallway,

and (INAUDIBLE) was there (INAUDIBLE) down stairs when the security told us it was a code red and he turned around and go back. So, he turned around

and he went back to the classroom. I had both of my students but not all and a couple of other students that were from somewhere else. And then we

were huddled in a classroom and then we moved to the -- to the closet and we were in the closet for about 30 minutes until the SWAT team came and got

us in the closet.

BANFIELD: That was Mellisa Falkowski, a teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County. She was in the mix of all of this.

As you watched it play out live on your screens, it`s still playing out live because there are still people in critical condition. There were

still surgeries being performed. Two people died at the hospital and the death toll is now 17. But we`re told don`t hold your breath. We`re not

sure that it`ll stop there. These pictures you`re seeing here, you know, I would say, we`re getting used to seeing these kids coming out holding their

hands above their heads, but this is something new, there`s something very new that`s happening in this school shooting that I haven`t heard happen in

other school shootings. And there`s a good reason why the kids hold their hands above their heads.

And it`s because of this, our Evan Perez, our correspondent has law enforcement sources who`s told him that the suspect in this case, Nicolas

Cruz mixed in with the students and blended in with these retreating students to try to get away initially. We`ve all wondered if that would

happen, right? We`ve all wondered, how do you perpetrate a school shooting if you don`t kill yourself? How do you expect to get away with it? And

today, we`re find out how at least the alleged shooter here, Nicolas Cruz, planned to get away or at least thought he`d get away, and that was to mix

in with those kids. Whether it was him putting his hands above his head or just trying to blend into the chaos, that was the strategy. That`s what

happened. It didn`t work. He was arrested not long after all of this played out, but not close by either. It was off campus. It was elsewhere.

But it was without incident.

I want to bring in Tom Verni, former NYPD detective. I guess it was a matter of time, Tom, that we would hear that a school shooter suspect

planned to just mix in with the retreating victims. Are you surprised at this?

VERNI: No, not at all. Not really. And because based on the information that`s coming out literally by the minute, it seems very clear that -- I

mean, look, you know, people will say, well, I hope he`s not going to mount some sort of insanity defense because he was crazy to do this. Of course,

he was crazy to do this. You know, this person clearly was emotionally disturbed, yes, but, clearly at -- from what we -- the little we know even

right now was calculating and methodical in what he did.

[19:50:05] BANFIELD: Tom, how do you -- if you`re -- if you`re these responders, though, in your line of work, how do you find that guy mixed in

with the sheep? How do you find the wolf if he`s retreating with the sheep? What do you do? Like, your expertise, where does it take you?

VERNI: Yes, well unfortunately, at -- in the short term, you probably wouldn`t know any different unless someone who witnessed him doing it, or

if he`s caught on videocamera and someone`s starting to already review videotape, you know, points him out and says, hey, wait a second, this is

the dude, you know, this is the guy that did it, why is he in the line, why is he in front or back of me? And so, unless someone can actually --

BANFIELD: So, you`re hoping for a lucky break. I mean, it`s devastating to think it come down to a lucky break, you know?

VERNI: Yes. Well, also, the other thing, too, that, you know, obviously, they haven`t come up with their hands in the air because they want to see

their hands visible to make sure they don`t have any weapons on them. And so, either he drops his weapon inside or got rid of it at some point, just

tried to blend in to be able to get out of there, which he did. And clearly, he was successful. But then, you know, the psychosis of him went,

you know, sticking around to kind of see what the response was going to be, to see who else was going to be taken away in an ambulance, I mean, it`s

just -- it`s just -- it`s just unbelievable on a lot of different levels.

BANFIELD: Yes, on so many -- on so many levels. And, in fact, if he did blend in, and was able to for a short period of time, ultimately not, but

he would have had to take off the breathing apparatus that we`re now being told he employed in this attack. He would have had to take off the

tactical vest that one of the witnesses (INAUDIBLE) Thomas described having seen him wear. And he would have had to drop that AR-15 and those multiple

magazines that the sheriff told me the alleged shooter had. Tom, standby for a minute. I want to bring in Joshua Charo, Joshua is a student at the

building where this happened. Josh, can you hear me?

JOSHUA CHARO, WITNESS AND STUDENT: Yes, hello.

BANFIELD: Josh, I`m told that you heard the gunshots and you may have actually witnessed some pretty terrible things today.

CHARO: Yes, ma`am.

BANFIELD: Can you describe what you saw today?

CHARO: I saw many videos of students and teachers lying dead on the floor surrounded by pools of blood.

BANFIELD: You saw this as you were leaving the school, you actually witnessed victims lying in the hallways or classrooms?

CHARO: Yes, ma`am.

BANFIELD: Where were you? Were you on the third, second, first floor of the 1200 building?

CHARO: I was on the first floor because I had just finished getting my course card signed.

BANFIELD: Can you tell me exactly -- just take me from the moment you heard the fire alarm, what did you do next, and what did you see?

CHARO: I ran to the bathroom after hearing the first shots and I just -- I just -- I hid there for a good five minutes and after realizing that I

didn`t -- I didn`t hear anymore gunshots, I thought maybe it was just something going on in the classroom. So, I ran out of the freshman

building and I got my stuff and I just started texting friends seeing where they were, and that`s when I heard more shots while I was in the art

courtyard, and then I just -- I ran with a couple of people and I caught up to the group of people that were leaving the school, through the back of

the school.

BANFIELD: Did you see the bodies that you`re describing as you were leaving your classroom? As you were headed to the bathroom where you

sought shelter? As you were leaving the bathroom? Can you explain to me where exactly you saw all of this?

CHARO: I saw all of this with -- from videos that were taken by my friends that were with me.

BANFIELD: So, I need to be clear, Josh, did you see this with your own eyes or you saw the videos that your -- that your friends took?

CHARO: I saw the videos that my friends took.

BANFIELD: So, your friends were running out of the first floor as well and they had their camera phones rolling?

CHARO: Yes, ma`am.

BANFIELD: And they were on the first floor with you at the time?

CHARO: Yes.

BANFIELD: So explain to me, if you can, it`s a little tricky since it`s not your video, but explain exactly what you saw. Were the -- were the

victims in classrooms or in the hallway? And did you also see the smoke that we`ve been hearing was in the third and the first floors?

CHARO: All the bodies that I saw were in the classrooms. And I don`t know what smoke. I don`t -- I haven`t heard of any smoke or I didn`t -- I

didn`t experience the smoke myself.

[19:55:08] BANFIELD: And then, I`m sorry, I just wanted to double check on the smoke as well because one of the other witnesses that we spoke with saw

an enormous amount of smoke on both the first and third floors. Did you also see that?

CHARO: No, ma`am. I ran out in the first five, 10 minutes that I was in the building.

BANFIELD: I`m so sorry that you`ve had to witness this, Josh. You know, live through it, see the videos. It`s important you tell your friends who

have those videos that the FBI needs a copy of that. They need those videos as well, Josh, and I`ve reported it before, if you didn`t hear me

earlier, the FBI has set up a Web site, and if you could tell your friends who were taking those videos inside the school, that it`s

fbi.gov/parklandshooting. Can you do that, Josh? Can you tell your friends --

CHARO: Yes, ma`am.

BANFIELD: -- to make sure that they get that video to the police? If they can`t remember that Web site address, just call the local police, they`ll

know how to get that video to where it needs to go.

CHARO: Yes, ma`am.

BANFIELD: I`m glad you`re OK, Josh. Thank you for talking to us.

CHARO: Thank you for having me.

BANFIELD: Josh Charo is 17 years old and he lived through this as well in the 1200 building, also known as the freshman building, even though kids

from all grades were in that -- in that building. We have some new video that we want to share with you right now from inside the school during the

shooting. It is from a Snapchat account, and before I roll this video, I do need to warn you that it is graphic. And I`m seeing it at the same time

that you`re seeing it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy (BLEEP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy (BLEEP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: If you have been listening to the witness accounts of what these kids have said, when they say I heard one or two or three or five or six

shots, we clearly just heard even more than that. You can hear the words, I heard three shots, I heard six shots, but you just heard those shots, and

it is markedly different when you hear those shots for real instead of hearing someone say that he or she has heard shots. Steve Moore, I just

want you to weigh in on what we just heard and what we just saw, and I just want to get your assessment of what you think we can glean about this crime

from that very short video.

MOORE: Well, we can -- you know, I was in the FBI, I was in SWAT, I was a sniper for a while, and I`ve heard those kind of rounds but never have they

sounded as horrible as that. I think what we learn here, unfortunately, is we have to be surgical and detach in the FBI and count the rounds, count

the directions -- or try to find the directions they were shooting. The whole thing here is to learn from this so we can better respond to the next

one, God forbid there is a next one. But this tells me the rapid rate at which he was shooting. He was shooting in groups of two, it seemed. That

he had practiced. That he was looking at targets. This wasn`t just random shooting. It seemed like he was -- he was at least aiming in a macro sense

in an area and it`s just -- it`s just horrifying.

BANFIELD: Yes, it sounds -- it sounds very different, even if you`re a ballistics expert or you`re familiar, if it`s your line of work. It sounds

very different when you hear children screaming alongside --

MOORE: Oh, God.

BANFIELD: -- of those gunshots. I`m just going to do a quick tally as we get towards the top of the hour here, I just can`t thank you enough, Steve

Moore, for your analysis and Tom Verni as well and Chris Robinson and to my other guests who have helped us to navigate through this tragedy. This is

the fourth worst school shooting in United States history, and it dwarfs Columbine. 17 today, 13 in Columbine. 17 total at this point, but this

number is fluid, and we are waiting to find out how those three in critical condition will fare. Thank you so much for joining us. I want to let you

know we`re going to continue to follow this as well. And tune in tomorrow night at 6:00 Eastern as well for CRIME & JUSTICE, and stay tuned now.

"FORENSIC FILES" is coming up next.

END