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News on Mass Shooting at a Gaming Tournament at the Landing in Jacksonville, Florida. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 26, 2018 - 15:00   ET

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: And we do want to warn you that what you're about to hear and see is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be hard to get him on screen. It's a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not a tough out today. (GUNFIRE) Excuse me, not an easy (GUNFIRE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, (BLEEP)! What is he shooting with? Oh. (GUNFIRE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be hard to get him on screen. It's a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not a tough out ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: So all that was taking place while that tournament was livestreaming, people playing that Madden Xbox game. We have a team of correspondents looking into these breaking developments. Let's begin with CNN's Polo Sandoval. What more do we know?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NEWSROOM CORRESPONDENT: Fred, it certainly is disturbing when you see that live web feed interrupted by the sound of gunshots. The latest information put out by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the authority in this right now, is, as you mentioned, multiple fatalities. Among them, a suspect. Investigators saying that they are still waiting to try to confirm if there are any other potential suspects out there, but att least for now, they can confirm again multiple fatalities at this tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, in the downtown area, a place that had been bustling with activity.

Now, the challenge for authorities is to try to find people who had sheltered in place. Just a few moments ago, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, turning to their Twitter page, to tell people, trying to get -- to relay a message to individuals who are seeking shelter to use their cell phones to call 911 so a SWAT Team or police officers can actually get to them. They point out that they are finding many people, again many still hiding in locked areas at the Landing. The Landing, a very popular spot there in the downtown area along the

banks of the St. Johns River that houses a lot of stores, dining, and night life location, and this game bar where this Madden video game tournament had been happening. So this message right now has been put out there.

And interesting, as you read the bottom of that tweet, Fred, that Jacksonville Sheriff's Office using that hashtag #TheLandingMassShooting to relay all official information, that again, at this point, the latest headline is multiple fatalities at this Florida gaming tournament mass shooting. Among them, a suspect, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Ah, terrible. All right. Polo, thank you so much. We're going to check back with you. Meantime we're going to go right there to Jacksonville where it is raining. And it is an active scene. Reporter Vic Micolucci from WJXT in Jacksonville is joining us right now.

So, Vic, last you were able to tell us it was unclear, you know, whether majority of the activity was on the inside of this game bar or if it had been taken outside where there was a triage being set-up. What more can you tell us now that the police are confirming that there are multiple fatalities there and that people have been hiding -- were found hiding in locked places inside?

VIC MICOLUCCI, WJXT REPORTER: Well, Fredricka, I want to start with an update on the number of people. I just got off the phone with a supervisor with the fire department. He told me 15 total victims right now, four fatalities. These 11 remaing surviving victims that we know of have been taken to area hospitals around here. We have several trauma centers in the vicinity of downtown Jacksonville.

As far as the location, we're looking at it happening both indoors and outdoors, still waiting on that. I've been talking to the guy that's a general manager at another restaurant, an Irish pub down the hall from this restaurant, which is the Pico (ph) [00:03:45] Sports Bar. He told me he's on lockdown. He can't get out, but he did or somebody that he knew did see bodies outside.

So, obviously, as you can imagine, protocol, police keeping us away right now. We do have our helicopter up above. We're trying to get all the details. Heavily armed police.

We have a large police force in Jacksonville. We're not far from the police station, probably about a mile down the road so they were able to get here quickly. There's usually police officers at the Landing anyways, but we have a robust SWAT Team that's going to be here that's going to clear the area.

Let me give you some perspective about Jacksonville. For the most part, people don't live here. There's a few residences. But for the most part, people live in the suburbs. They live at the beach. They live in the surrounding neighborhoods, so we're not looking at a huge amount of people that live in this downtown area. And most people come here, they commute for work. So that's the situation at the moment. I'm currently driving around, trying to find the best vantage point.

As you can imagine, there are just dozens of police officers. I'm told firefighters did clear the scene. And right now, it's all about just making sure that they do have this situation under control and that they have everybody safe and that they go very, very carefully, room by room, building by building to make sure the threat is neutralized.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: And so, Vic, police are confirming multiple fatalities and that one suspect is dead. But what, if anything, can you tell us about how they are going about going into these locked places, finding people there, trying to discern, you know, who may, if at all, you know, with there was any involvement with anybody who may be in these locked areas or if those people who have been located in locked areas were all just trying to cover for safety?

VIC MICOLUCCI: So they are not talking about their protocol right now. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office keeps their -- especially their SWAT Team tactics quiet, but we do know that they train for this extensively. So they are always working to make sure that they are prepared for this. It is all-hands on deck with the Fire Department, with the Sheriff's Office, with their partner agencies that are here in the area.

And I can only imagine that they're just going to be making sure just 100% that there are no additional threats.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Do you have a better handle of how many people were at this gaming bar for this tournament, this gaming tournament?

VIC MICOLUCCI: Right now, Fredricka, I do not, I do not. This is an area that's -- that's fairly quiet unless there's a concert or a football game or some sort of sporting events on the weekends. We had a Jaguars game last night. That brought a lot of people. It was against the Atlanta Falcons, so the Falcons were -- you know, there were a lot of Falcons fans in town staying at the downtown hotels. And this is one of the areas that a lot of tourists go to.

In recent years, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out things have kind of changes because there has been violence in and around the Jacksonville Landing. And it's been a big issue. There have been teenagers that have been shot. Police have told us that these appear to be gang-related. And we have had fatalities at the Landing before, so this is not the first murder. This is not the first shooting at the Jacksonville Landing.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: All right. Vic, thank you so much. We'll check back with you, Vic Micolucci of WJXT there in Jacksonville.

Also with me now, CNN Senior Media Correspondent Brian Stelter. So, Brian, what more can you tell us about, you know, these gaming centers appealing to a number of people who come at any one time and are involved in -- in this case, you know, a tournament of this Madden Xbox game.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, this has been on the rise for the past few years, but it's the first time I can recall when we've heard about multiple fatalities at one of these events. Look, Fred, as a reminder, a little part of our society is immune from these mass shootings. We have seen this at nightclubs. (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: All right, Brian. We're going to have to re- establish that connection because it's very difficult to hear you. But if any -- if you folks are joining us right now, what's taking place here in Jacksonville, Florida, you see the live pictures on the right side. Downtown Jacksonville, there's a gaming bar there. There has been a shooting. Police are confirming that there have been multiple fatalities, but still unclear just how many people may have been inside this game bar.

When -- what you hear on livestreaming is gunfire erupting. It's a horrible situation. Police are describing it as a mass shooting. When we get more information on what's taking place there, we'll bring it to you. We'll be right back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Welcome back. We're following breaking news out of Florida, where there has been what authorities are calling a mass shooting at a game bar in Jacksonville. Let's take a listen to some eyewitness account.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So this woman, Scot, was here with her husband, who was remodeling a -- a building just about a block away from the Landing when people started coming over from the Landing when the shooting happened. I spoke to her just a second ago, and I'm so sorry to -- to get you to repeat yourself. If you would, just tell me what that man came over and told you when you were over here a block away from the Landing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just said that he -- he was in the -- in the tournament, that game at the Chicago Pizza place, and that he had a -- his friend had won, the other guy, and that guy that -- that beat him he got mad, and he went to the bar. And so when he got -- I guess, when he got up, he just started shooting. And -- and he said that he just ran out because he got scared. And -- and he didn't want to talk -- some camera people wanted to talk to him, and he said he didn't want to talk to nobody because he wanted to know about his friends, that they were critical and they were taken to the hospital, but he didn't know where -- where -- where they were at.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was he injured at all or ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, okay.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, he said he seen the -- I don't know. He said he seen the lights of the gun or something. And he said he's -- everybody there was -- there was a lot of kids. They were trampled on and it was a lot of chaos in there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he say anything to you about how many people it appeared had been hurt or shot or ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said 11 people were shot and four of them were dead. And not too long ago before he left, because he was over there, and not too long ago he said that -- that there was two shooters. And that they think -- he -- they committed suicide, but I don't know that for a fact. That's what he said.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And -- and did he say what -- what sparked this, what -- what -- what brought this on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, he said it was just because the -- because the guy lost the tournament. That -- that's what he said.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was this like for you, being a block away, not having anything to do with this, and then sort of seeing the aftermath of it? What was it like for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's scary. It's scary just to think that, you know, somebody could just -- you know, just start shooting. And you can be -- you can be having a good time and all the sudden they start shooting. And -- and, you know, you don't think that there's people like that that don't -- don't care about somebody else and they just take it for granted that they -- you know, they're like on that game. I don't know why -- why. I guess, there must have been money involved if it's a tournament or what. But I'm not from here. I'm from Georgia, so this is really, really, really news to me because it is scary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: So again, if you're just now joing us, there was a shooting at a game -- gaming bar in the middle of a video gaming tournament, taking place there in Jacksonville, Florida. It remains an active scene, meaning an open investigation. Police say there are multiple fatalities. You're looking at the live pictures to the right, all this taking place right in downtown Jacksonville, Florida.

I want to bring in Ryan Alemon. He was at the tournament. So, Ryan, tell me what happened.

RYAN ALEMON, EYEWITNESS: Well, I was there and I was watching Trueboy and Joe play. And as it was happening -- this happened so quick, like, we just seen the gun, like a -- I guess, he had a laser on the gun and he shot True. And -- and everybody just started running. And I ducked down. And I went towards the restroom. And as I was going in the restroom, I stayed in there, and I just heard there were just so many gunshots, at least 20 of them at the most.

And after that, I mean, for something to happen like this is I'm not even from here, like, I'm from Texas. I come from Texas to play. And I mean, it's just -- I'm still shocked like I can hardly talk like I've never ...

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Ryan, could you tell, Ryan, whether there was one gunman or more than one?

RYAN ALEMON, EYEWITNESS: I think there was two, there was two of them.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: There were two. And did -- did these two gunmen walk into this bar and start opening gunfire or did the gunfire start outside?

RYAN ALEMON, EYEWITNESS: Yes, they -- yeah. Yeah, they -- because the bar -- the gaming bar is toward the back of Chicago Pizza, you walk in Chicago Pizza and the gaming -- the hosting tournament was in the back. So they went to the back. It was -- they were just shooting and they were shooting like everyone was just running there, was just dropping because they were getting shot.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Could you tell whether they -- whether they say anything? Could you tell whether they were targeting anyone in particular, yelling out anything?

RYAN ALEMON, EYEWITNESS: No, there was -- I -- I mean, like I said, I'm still in shock like I can -- I mean, to be in a situation like that, like risking my life, I mean, I didn't hear it. I just heard gunshots, to be honest, like at least 20 of them.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Right, it's shocking. So, is there ...

RYAN ALEMON, EYEWITNESS: Yeah.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: ... a way to describe for me, you know, the -- the makeup of the people there? Could you tell in terms of ages?

RYAN ALEMON, EYEWITNESS: I -- I -- and honestly, I couldn't tell you because as me, I was just trying to get to safety, like once I -- once I heard the shot -- the shooting like I just ducked down and crawled to the restroom, towards the restroom, like I didn't look nowhere. I just crawled into the restroom and -- and just stayed in there.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Yeah, Ryan, could you tell that there were other people who had the same instinct? A lot of people just, you know, hitting the ground or going to locked areas?

Ryan Baum: Yeah, they -- they were just running around, everyone. There was at least, like, at least 40 or 50 people. And -- and ...

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: How long did you stay in that locked bathroom?

RYAN ALEMON, EYEWITNESS: I was there for like 10 minutes at the most. Everything calmed down, like everything was quiet, like everybody was just crying, yelling. And -- and all I did was just run out. And when I ran out, like everybody was just running all around.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: So talk to me about how -- how you felt it was safe to get out. Did someone open the door, knock on the door? When did you know ...

RYAN ALEMON, EYEWITNESS: No, no, no. FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: ... it was safe to get out?

RYAN ALEMON, EYEWITNESS: I -- because I waited, right, and the gunshots were done. Boom, it was done. I waited, I waited a while. And when it happened, I didn't hear anything, like I just heard yelling. I heard like, help me, like I'm shot, and -- and all this kinds. And I -- I -- when I peeked out, like I opened the door a little bit to make sure nobody's around, like I don't know if the shooter is still around. I don't know if he's looking for like more people, I don't know. And I just -- I went out and I started running because, you know, I just -- I was scared for my life like I don't want to be there.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Ryan, could you see other people trying to tend to one another, help each other while you ran out?

RYAN ALEMON, EYEWITNESS: Yeah, people kind of helped each other, but the thing is everybody was just -- everybody running around like -- like trying to get to safety, trying to get cops in, trying to call the cops it's over. It was just scattered. But I've seen whenever I -- whenever I ran, I've seen like at least six -- six bodies on the floor that were shot.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Horrible situation. Police are saying multiple fatalities and many people have also been transported to various hospitals with injuries.

Ryan, thank you so much for your point of view. Glad you're okay. Frightening, horrible, scary moments for so many involved. And, of course, our hearts are going out to the many families who are going to -- going to receive some terrible news from authorities who do say multiple fatalities.

I also want to bring in now Retired Astronaut Mark Kelly, a strong advocate for gun safety, gun reform, especially after the shooting of your wife, Former Representative Gabby Giffords, you know, was injured in that shooting in Tucson, Arizona back in 2011. And then you were also very outspoken after the mass shootiing in Las Vegas.

Mark, good to see you, so your impressions. Of course, we originally booked you to talk about John McCain, which we still want to do, but your impressions now of what we're hearing of this tragic shooting happening in Jacksonville, Florida.

MARK KELLY, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT, GUN SAFETY ADVOCATE: Well, when -- when you listen to Ryan, who you were just speaking to, it's pretty obvious that, you know, shootings like this are incredibly chaotic. You know, people running in all difficult directions, not sure of the -- or the -- of the details, you know, necessarily how many shooters there were.

I think it -- I think it just demonstrates, you know, how difficult a situation these mass shootings are, not only for the people there, obviously, but for -- for law enforcement. It's going to take some time to -- to figure out the -- the facts. I have to say, it's really sorry to see this happen in Florida. Yet again, about a year and a half ago was the Pulse nightclub shooting, and then the shooting in Parkland at the -- at the high school, and now this. And I think it's obvious to people, a lot of people living in Florida, that they need to take -- continue to take a serious look at their state's gun laws.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Yeah. And how does something like this -- I know it's so soon, it just happened, but how does another incident like this help shape -- while you're a big gun advocate at the same time, you've been pushing for gun safety, gun reform. How does another incident like this get folded into what you've been pushing for on Capitol Hill on a federal level?

MARK KELLY, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT, GUN SAFETY ADVOCATE: Well, you know, you're going to have to find out the details from the shooting. You know, sometimes it's hard to find, you know, one thing that'll -- that'll prevent a specific case. But what we do know is in states that have stronger laws and less guns, you know, freely available for pretty much anybody to get them, there's a lot less gun violence.

You know, Florida kind of sits in the middle of a pack when you look around the country. One of the safer states is Massachusetts. They have about three people per 100,000 per year dying from gun violence. In Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, you know, those numbers are closer or even over 20, you know, seven times what -- what the gun violence is. So you got to, you know, look at -- look at the scenario.

But I can tell you this, Florida needs stronger gun laws, as does Arizona and Texas and a bunch of different states. And then we need strong federal legislation. If we do that, some common sense things, we can start to drive these numbers down.

But, Fredricka, you know, it's -- it's really sad that in this country today we've got 36,000 people shot and killed every year, over another 100,000 shot and injured. We can do a lot better than this.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: So, let's talk about John McCain now. He passed away last night after a year-long battle with brain cancer. And, you know, you've called, you know, McCain a hero on twitter today, as have so many. Talk to me about your memories of John McCain, what you most admired about him.

MARK KELLY, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT, GUN SAFETY ADVOCATE: Well, from the earliest time as a -- you know, as a kid and, I guess, in high school when I wanted to be a Navy pilot flying off an aircraft carrier, I knew of John McCain. And then as I started flight school in the Navy and as I, you know, went through that progression to get my wings and flying off of aircraft carriers, flying in combat, he was somebody that we -- we thought about a lot.

You know, when you're in harm's way, I flew in Operation Desert Storm, I've flown in combat before, you think about getting shot down. And when you think about being a prisoner of war, we all think about, you know, how John McCain served in a really, really difficult situation. He was a hero to us all. He's an icon of naval aviation. And I was glad to one day be able to call him a friend.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Yeah, yeah. I was going to ask you about that. I mean, from afar, you admired him. You know, he was your hero, an inspiration. And then over time, he also became your friend, even with your wife in politics as a Democrat. You know, talk to me about that friendship, how it really was one that defied politics, but what was it at the nucleus of your friendship?

MARK KELLY, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT, GUN SAFETY ADVOCATE: Well, Gabby and John served in Congress together, obviously, him in the Senate and Gabby was in the House starting in 2007, and she resigned in 2012 so that was five years where they served together in the same delegation. So they did things together. I think they traveled together on -- on certain occasions.

I had, you know, the pleasure of being around John McCain several -- more than several times. I've met with him in his office, both in Arizona and D.C. And he was somebody I really looked up to. And as I got to know him, he -- you know, this thing you don't see on TV, he's got an incredible sense of humor. You know, we would joke about, you know, the other arm -- branches of the Armed Services, which Navy guys like to do.

And he was somebody, you know, I really looked up to. And Gabby did as well. And she tried to model her own service in Congress, you know, after John, somebody who would reach across the aisle to get things done for the American people. And he's going to be really missed, I mean, especially now this country really needs people like him, you know, serving at the highest level. And there's going to be a loss here, there is, in Arizona. I think that loss is going to be felt in washington, D.C., and around this nation.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: He's admired by so many. Retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, thanks so much for your perspective. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Welcome back. We continue to follow Breaking News out of Florida. We're following out of Jacksonville, downtown Jacksonville at the Jacksonville Landing. There has been a mass shooting taking place in the middle of a gaming tournament taking place at a gaming bar. Police were saying 11 people have been injured, four are dead.

Jacksonville police also saying on Twitter that one suspect is dead. It's unknown if there is a second suspect. Authorities are warning people to stay away from that area in downtown Jacksonville called the Jacksonville Landing, claiming that the area is still not safe.

We're told that gunfire erupted during what is known as a Madden Xbox football gaming tournament at that bar, the game bar there in Jacksonville. We do have video of what appears to be the shooting. You will hear it because this tournament was being livestreamed, but we warn you that it is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be hard to get him on screen. It's a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not a tough out today. (GUNFIRE) Excuse me, not an easy (GUNFIRE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, (BLEEP)! What is he shooting with? Oh. (GUNFIRE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: We have a team of correspondents looking into these breaking developments there out of Jacksonville, Florida. Let's bring in CNN Justice Correspondent Evan Perez. Evan, what more can you tell us?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, as you can hear from the -- that scene, this is very much a -- a horrific scene. Well, the -- we have a big response from the federal law enforcement as well as the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. At this point, as you mentioned, the initial reports from the scene are that there are at least 11 people who were shot, four people who were killed in this gunfire.

And so at this point, while -- you know, usually we -- in -- in this type of situation when you have what's believed to be a suspect that's down, you still are conducting a search to make sure there are no other suspects. There almost always are never multiple suspects in these types of situations. It's almost always just one shooter, but you have to make sure and you have to assume that there could be others. And so that's where this -- like this police response, the huge response now going on, not only from the local sheriff's office but also from their federal partners, the ATF, the FBI, everybody is on the scene to make sure that this is a safe place before they can determine that everything is -- is good.

But the problem is, right, at this point, obviously at set, you know, you -- you have a lot of people there who are there for this -- for this tournament, for this Madden tournament. And then, as you can see from the livestream and the video there and also from what you can see from the -- you can see the responses of people who are watching some of this, they can tell that there's something really going amiss. And so at this point, what they're trying to do is make sure they find everybody who's hiding, make sure that everybody is safe before they determine that this scene is over.

But at this point so far, 11 people were shot, according to the preliminary estimate, the preliminary reports from the scene and more people were killed in this -- what is now a terrific -- a horrific scene in -- in the Jacksonville Landing. This is the entertainment complex in the middle of downtown Jacksonville, along the river there. It's where families and everybody comes to gather there in Jacksonville on what must be a beautiful summer day. And so it's just a terrible scene to unfold there, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: And -- and, Evan, I think everyone will recall when there was the Orlando nightclub shooting and how people, you know, took cover and they were hiding and hiding for a very long time. When authorities move in, while they're trying to tend to the victims, they valso have to treat everyone as a potential suspect. And I just talked to an eyewitness at this location, at this gaming bar who said he was among those who hid in the bathroom. So, give me an idea of what -- you know, how police are handling this situation when they do want to tend to the victims but, at the same time, they are looking to make sure there isn't another suspect.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: No, exactly. No, you're describing the exact dilemma of the law enforcement. Look, they train for this stuff. Unfortunately, in this country, this happens all too often so they have a lot of factors in these types of scenes and that's unfortunate. But it also means that we know exactly how they go about clearing one of these scenes. And, obviously, this is a crowded place.

There was -- you're dealing with not only the fact that this was a -- a gathering for gamers, but also this is an entertainment complex. This is a gathering place for all of -- of Jacksonville area, alongside the river there. There's hotels, there's -- there's apartments, everything is happening in that area. So it's a nightmare scenario because you have to make sure that there are people who -- everybody who's fleeing the scene here either has to -- they try to go hide and they try to, you know, flee the -- you know, from harm. But also, you also have to make sure that there's no second suspect or third suspect hiding there and nobody has tried to get away.

That is the big dilemma that these scenes present. It's very complicated for law enforcement, but they know exactly what to do. And so what it does, it just means that it takes a long time for us to know that this is over, that this -- that this shooting, this mass shooting event is over. At this point, it does appear from the -- from the body language you see at the scene with the police from the fact that, you know, the preliminary reports that are coming in, it does seem like it's under control. But until they've searched every single places, cleared every nook and cranny, and they've talked to the people there, the witnesses, they can't be sure that everything is -- is just right. So that's what they're doing now. It's going to take probably a couple hours before we know that this scene is over. Right?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: All right, Evan Perez, thank you so much. We're going to continue to monitor this situation there in Jacksonville, Florida, a mass shooting taking place, 11 injured, four dead. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. We continue to follow Breaking News out of Florida. Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Jacksonville, Florida, there was a mass shooting at a gaming bar in the middle of a Madden Xbox tournament there. And law enforcement now saying at least 11 people injured, four are dead. One suspect also killed. Let's bring in CNN's Polo Sandoval in New York. So, Polo, what more are you learning?

POLO SANDOVAL: Fred, let's keep in mind it's only been about 90 minutes since the sound of gunfire interrupted that video game tournament happening in Jacksonville so much of this information certainly preliminary. But what officials have confirmed is that there have been multiple fatalities. As we heard a little while ago, one source telling my colleague, Evan Perez, that four people now confirmed dead, another 11 injured. Authorities adding to that information that a -- a suspect is -- is dead.

Two key questions here, the law enforcement on the ground is certainly going to try to answer here. Was that a -- a lone suspect or could there be possibly an accomplice? And also a motive, what could have driven this individual to -- to -- to get this -- you know, for this to happen here?

As we have heard from several officials and also one of the hospitals that's been taking in some of the injured, at least three -- three people are in stable condition. That is perhaps some positive news. We've also heard from one of the gaming organizations that was taking part in this, that had a player at this Madden tournament, saying that their player did sustain a fairly minor injury that was hit in the thumb, but is otherwise doing fine and now cooperating with authorities. So these are some of the information that we're getting again from the survivors, some of the people who were there, who in that room when those shots rang out.

And finally, just to -- to stress on -- on the sense of urgency that authorities were putting out there via social media, initially after this shooting happened, authorities were telling people to stay away from this area. As we see some of these live pictures, obviously, the body language of some of the law enforcement officers, it does lead us to believe that the situation could be under control. However, as we've heard from local law enforcement officials, also the city of Jacksonville, this situation is certainly still ongoing when it comes to the investigation and also to make sure that there's nobody left behind in that facility itself.

Just a little while ago, the Jacksonville Police Department was officially tweeting a message to some of those people who may have sheltered in place, saying if they did lock themselves up in a safe place not to run out, simply pick up the phone, call 911, that officials would eventually come to them. So again, CNN now confirming through information coming in through a source, my colleague Evan Perez, at least four people dead and 11 injured at that tournament, that gaming tournament in Jacksonville, Florida.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: And -- and this taking place while people were livestreaming in this tournament. We've heard the audiotape. It's, you know, very disturbing. You hear people -- you hear the gunfire and then you hear, you know, a couple voices even like, what's going on, and then a realization. And then you hear some screams there. Do we know, in any -- in any capacity, you know, Polo, if they have any suspicion that there might be another suspect involved?

POLO SANDOVAL: Not quite. The only indication that we've had is through the Jacksonville social media pages, the Jacksonville Police Department saying that they're still trying to investigate this, still trying to find out if there were any potential suspects. I'll read you the direct post that was published by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office about an hour ago when they confirmed that one suspect is dead at the scene and that it is unknown, at this time, if they have a second suspect. However, the search is being conducted. So far, from what we've heard from sources on the ground and some of our reporting teams right now at CNN, it doesn't seem to indicate there could be a second suspect, but again police are still investigating that right now. As we mentioned, the shooting only happened about an hour and a half ago or so.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Right, and still waiting to hear the circumstances of the death of the suspect.

POLO SANDOVAL: Correct.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Hello again everyone, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Welcome back. We continue to follow Breaking News out of Jacksonville, Florida, where there has been what authorities are calling a mass shooting at a video gaming tournament. Law enforcement officials telling CNN that at least 11 people were injured, four are dead. We'll keep you updated on this breaking story as the details become more available.

Meantime, the other major story we're following today is the death of Senator John McCain who left his mark on the people that he met even if it was only for a short time. The HBO documentary about his -- about his life "John McCain, For Whom The Bell Tolls" takes an intimate look at his incredible journey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John, throughout his life, has been heroic. If he showed us how to live, he's also -- he's also showing us how to die.

JOHN MCCAIN: I stand here today -- looking a little worse for wear I'm sure -- we're getting nothing done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The measure of the man is how he responds under adversity, and look at John.

JOHN MCCAIN: I've have been tested a number of occasions. I haven't always done the right thing, but you will never talk to anyone that is as fortunate as John McCain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Joining me live now is Teddy Kunhardt who is the co-director and co-executive producer of that HBO documentary. Good to see you.

TEDDY KUNHARDT, HBO DOCUMENTARY CO-DIRECTOR AND CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: (Inaudible) [00:02:26]. FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: So how remarkable this documentary, because this

is something that you put together really quickly. I mean, it wasn't long after the Senator revealed his cancer diagnosis that I understand that you approached him and said, "I want to put this together." So, how welcoming was he of that, and then tell me about this, you know, journey of putting it together.

TEDDY KUNHARDT: That's correct. We -- when we approached Mark Salter and John McCain, we presented him with this idea, and he immediately said yes and wanted us to come down to Arizona as soon as possible. And when we got down there, he pulled -- he pulled us aside. You know, he takes everyone. First thing he does is he -- he walks you around his property and shows all of his trees and the stream. And he said, "I brought you down here this quickly, because I know this disease is so terrible, and I want to get my story out while I still have, you know, my memory."

So, it was -- it was important for him as much as it was important for us to get out his true story, what -- what, you know, unfiltered. He -- he didn't want any of the words hidden. So, we hit the ground running, and it usually takes us, you know, a year to do -- at least a year to do one of the films for HBO. And this one, we cranked out in about -- just about seven months.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Wow! So then when he said yes, and yes, while he had his memory, he wanted this done, he wanted to be a part of it. Did he have almost like a wish list of this is -- these are the areas of my life that I really want to make sure that you cover? I mean, how did you all collaborate? How did you come up with the idea of what to depict?

TEDDY KUNHARDT: You know, he had -- he had no say to the editorial control of the film, but he definitely said, you know, there were areas that, you know, making introduction to his -- his first wife Carol, he was happy to do it. He actually called Carol and said, "Please participate," you know, and she doesn't usually talk to -- to journalists.

So, he -- he wanted us to tell his story, the -- the -- sorry. He wanted us to tell his story, wrinkles and all. And we just went through his time line, and we -- we picked out what we thought was, you know, portions of his life that depict the man. And I think that, you know, what we did was we tried to show his honest interior voice, and -- and I think we accomplished that.

And I was fortunate enough to tell you a -- a few -- a few months ago, probably in April, I took the film down to the Mayo Clinic and played him -- played him the film.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Oh. And his impression?

TEDDY KUNHARDT: You know, he -- he was transfixed to the -- he was transfixed to the -- to the movie, and at the end he grabbed my hand and says, "You nailed it."

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Oh, wow. What a compliment. Well, Teddy Kunhardt, what an incredible honor, I'm sure, it was to put this together in -- in a beautiful tribute. Thank you so much. And the documentary "John McCain, For Whom The Bell Tolls."

We, of course, invite you the watch two special tributes to the Senator tonight on CNN, the CNN premier of the documentary "John McCain, For Whom The Bell Tolls" at 9 p.m. And our Dana Bash takes a special look at the life and legacy of Senator John McCain, a special CNN report "John McCain: Moments That Made The Man" airs at a 11 Eastern. We'll be right back.

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