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Democratic Presidential Hopefuls Respond To Massacre; Police Search For Motive After City Worker Kills 12 People; Pelosi Speech Interrupted By "Impeach" Chants; Trump On Meghan Markle: "I Didn't Know That She Was Nasty"; Virginia Beach Deadly Mass Shooting; Tariff Set By President Trump. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired June 01, 2019 - 20:00   ET

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


[20:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: You are live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Jessica Dean in for Ana Cabrera tonight.

This evening, people in the city of Virginia Beach, Virginia have a few more answers but are still reeling with deep shock and grief after Friday's horrific workplace shooting. Twelve people killed, nearly all of them public servants. All shot in death by a man state officials call a disgruntled employee. They know his name. They know his background. They know how he got his guns.

What they still don't know is why the gunman did it. And they can't ask him because he's also dead, either killed in a firefight with responding police or by his own hand. That detail also not clear tonight either.

These are the 12 men and women whose lives were cut short Friday by a rampaging man with a gun. They were engineers, and technicians, and clerks who died in the place where they worked. One man, a contractor, who just happened to be in the city for a permit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BOBBY DYER, VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA: Let me just say this. We will not be defined by this horror. We will go forward. We are a city of resiliency and resolve. The true character of our city is going to rest with our public, our citizens, and our neighbors that we share borders with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Let's go live now to Virginia Beach. CNN's Erica Hill is there. And, Erica, you are standing in a city in mourning tonight.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Jessica, all of the things that you've been hearing from police and federal agents about what they know about this senseless tragedy, there is a big focus of course on what they don't know. Everything happened in the building behind me here. And there are a lot of questions tonight about who the shooter is. We know from neighbors and co-workers, he's been described as a nice guy. A good guy, said another co-worker. Made pleasant small talk in the office, even on the day of the shooting, just yesterday. We have not heard anybody talk about signs that they saw to be obvious. Keep in mind, it's just over hours since this happened.

But, again, that is the understandable question tonight. We can tell you the in flag is flying at half-staff over the White House, as you can see in that picture there. The president ordering that earlier. He sent his condolences on Twitter to the people of Virginia Beach.

CNN's Miguel Marquez is here with me. So, we know that the FBI has taken over the investigation. We heard from the ATF a little while ago, in terms of what they found for weapons. Where do they stand with the investigation, at this point?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Virginia police - Virginia Beach police are looking into, sort of, how all of this took place. And they have stressed that this was a long gun battle, an intense gun battle with police officers. And we're starting to get a better sense of that.

Our David Shortell spoke to a police source with the Virginia Beach police. It was a detective who was nearby. This is sort of a campus for the city here. The police station is very nearby. When the call went out, a detective, who wouldn't normally be wearing any sort of protective armor, grabbed a plate, an armored plate that he took to the scene -- donned and took to the scene.

They engaged the shooter, who had shot somebody, seemingly, in a car outside, and then on all three floors. Despite having a silencer on his gun, they were able to locate him. And not only did they engage in an intense gun battle with him, he was able to barricade himself in, at some point. They were then able to get at least one shot into him.

And it cannot -- it can't be stressed enough. These officers went into that building, into the line of fire. And not only once they had taken the shooter down, they then tried to revive him and save his life. He did succumb to his injuries onsite there. But it sounds like the two officers, the two detectives that responded and the two officers who run K9 units, they all went in with, you know, maximum effort and maximum force, and probably saved many, many more lives. .

HILL: And that's what we've been hearing over and over again from local officials as well. Whether it's the police chief or the mayor, they are so thankful for the actions that they took, running directly into an active shooter situation. There had just been an active shooter training actually the day before. But even the police chief saying, there's only certain - you know, so much that you can train for. When you're running into it, it is slightly different.

There are still these questions about the shooter himself who died. We know 40 years old. We know if he had worked in this building here. But even his parents, not a lot that we've heard from him - from them.

MARQUEZ: So, sources describe him as disgruntled to us. Now, whether or not that was something that developed over time or not, it's not clear.

[20:05:00] We did speak to his parents. They had not been spoken to by the police when CNN got ahold of them. They also said, at that point, before they had talked to anybody, that they were unaware of any issues at work. So, either he kept it to himself.

Neighbors seem to say that he was not somebody who was, you know, out there talking to them all the time. He was a fairly quiet guy. Even the person who met him just before the shooting and saw him just before the shooting took place said he was -- I liked him. He was kind of a quiet guy, always kind of nice and cordial. So, none of that on the radar.

HILL: Yes. Interesting, too, that that co-worker, I believe, also said he had the impression, based on their conversations -- because they would talk about family and friends, he had the impression that he was close with his family. That is probably one of the other things we'll learn in the coming days.

MARQUEZ: Indeed.

HILL: All right, Miguel, thank you.

MARQUEZ: You bet.

HILL: so, tonight, here in Virginia Beach, there is, of course, shock. There is mourning. Some police officers, understandably, struggling as well to cope with everything they saw as they ran into the building behind me.

As Miguel mentioned, we're on the city campus, essentially. It was just a little over a hundred yards away, the area that police were, where those officers ran from to get into the building. Here's a little bit more about what we've been hearing from their boss, the Virginia Beach police chief.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHIEF JAMES CERVERA, VIRGINIA BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT: Our lead cops are doing great. (INAUDIBLE) this is going to affect him and all the officers that responded to this scene. It's going to affect them for the rest of their life. We have to remember that.

There is something to it when it happens within your community, let's say, within your family. Folks that you see every day. You may not know them. You may not know their names. But somewhere along the line, you've passed -- crossed paths with each other. There's something about a situation like this happening in a city building. Remember, these officers were only about a hundred yards away from that building, so they immediately responded to it.

This is a large-scale crime scene. It's a horrific crime scene. And please understand, it takes not only a physical, emotional, and psychological toll on everyone who spent the night inside that particular building. The officers checked every room on every floor, every closet, under every desk, and they escorted a large number of city employees out of the building.

And, remember, they were escorting them out of the building while the victims were still in the building. I want you to know those officers worked with compassion. They worked with caring. They worked with professionalism in assisting our brothers and sisters who work for our city.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Joining us now, Virginia Beach City Councilwoman Sabrina Wooten who is also - you wear two hats, because you're also the chaplain -

SABRINA WOOTEN, CITY COUNCILWOMAN, VIRGINIA BEACH: : Yes.

HILL: -- for the police department. Let's start with that.

WOOTEN: Sure. Yes.

HILL: This is a time, you know, in speaking with the mayor earlier. We have seen the police chief, everyone, they are so focused on taking care of their city. But you can see how much they are hurting.

WOOTEN: Yes.

HILL: And we have heard, and we just heard a little bit there, their concern for what the officers saw and for what the survivors saw.

WOOTEN: OK.

HILL: Where do you begin in those conversations with these officers?

WOOTEN: It's a really important question. Because, as chaplains, what we do is we come alongside the officers, and we meet them where they are. They want to talk about what's on their mind, you know, that's what we're there to do, listen. And so, we're -- our presence, it's called the ministry of presence. And so, we're present for whatever they need. You know, whether it's just being there and being silent or whether it's just talking to them, answering their questions and just listening or giving them a hug.

HILL: How do you see the need, based on what happened behind us, being different from the need with another difficult situation that they may face? How does it change things when these are people that they likely know very well?

WOOTEN: Right. Right. Well, I think it really hits home. You know, and it -- it's probably harder to talk about, you know, because it's really close to home, like it is for all of us. So, I think it just takes more patience, you know, maybe understanding. And so, I think that's what it must be. You just have to take time and let people, you know, decide what they want to say and when they want to say it.

HILL: When you got the call, --

WOOTEN: Yes.

HILL: -- what was your reaction?

WOOTEN: I was stunned. I didn't believe it. I thought, quite frankly, that it was a mistake. Because I was in a community meeting, and the alert came across from one of the city employees who was at the meeting. And he excused himself from the meeting and took the call. And came back to confirm that we had an active shooter. So, I was stunned and I was in disbelief.

HILL: It's been a little over 24 hours. I would imagine, at least in my experience, unfortunately having covered too many of these, that, at this point, people are still in shock. Mourning is starting to happen.

[20:10:00] WOOTEN: Yes.

HILL: The grieving is starting to happen. But it doesn't feel real because it seems so unimaginable.

WOOTEN: Absolutely.

HILL: What are the conversations within the city about how to take that first step? How to begin walking that path of grief and of mourning?

WOOTEN: Right. Right. I think our first step is focusing on the staff that experienced the traumatic act. And just really making sure that we move them from that location, give them a new space, --

HILL: Yes.

WOOTEN: -- a new workplace to work with. And just being patient to see when they are ready to move on. So, we're just going to have to really listen for their needs and work with them and be patient. And so, our first step is to focus on the staff.

HILL: The mayor had said earlier that they - that the city will not be defined by this event. It soon will be defined by love and resiliency and resolve.

WOOTEN: Yes. Yes.

HILL: I know you were at a vigil this morning.

WOOTEN: Yes.

HILL: There have been a number planned throughout the work. What was it like this morning at that vigil, for you and for the other folks who showed up?

WOOTEN: Yes, absolutely. You know, when I got there, we were met with songs of praise. And so, it was very uplifting. We heard inspirational messages from pastors and ministers. So, I was uplifted. You know, I was able to worship. You know, I looked around. There were some people who were, you know, crying. There were some people who were hugging one another. And there were some people who were singing. But when we left, we all prayed together. We all sang together. And we all felt better, uplifted.

HILL: Some hope.

WOOTEN: Yes.

HILL: On a very dark day.

WOOTEN: Absolutely.

HILL: Well, we appreciate you taking the time to join us.

WOOTEN: Yes, sure.

HILL: It is a long road ahead, but good to know that they have you there on that journey.

WOOTEN: Thank you.

HILL: Thank you.

We will continue to update you, as we learn more here in Virginia Beach. But, for now, Jessica, I want to send it back over to you in New York.

DEAN: All right. Erica Hill, thanks so much.

Still ahead tonight, we'll hear how the 2020 presidential candidates are responding to the shooting.

Plus, new today from the White House. The attorney who was brought on to help President Trump respond to the Mueller investigation is now leaving his post.

And one of the few Republican lawmakers who said he might challenge Trump in a primary has officially decided not to get in the race. You're live in the CNN Newsroom.

[20:12:20]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: New today, a top Republican who was openly mulling a potential 2020 challenge to President Trump for the GOP party's nomination made up his mind today. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's answer is no. He won't be a 2020 candidate for president. Hogan later turning to Twitter, writing a prolific string of tweets on his big decision. Here's one of them. Quote, "I also want to play a major national role in the years ahead both within my party and in the path our country takes."

Let's get right to CNN White House Reporter Sarah Westwood. And, Sarah, this is a big deal. What are you hearing about the major factors that went into Larry Hogan's decision in all of this?

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Jessica, Republican Governor Larry Hogan is siding his plans for Maryland is the primary reason why he's not wading into the 2020 fray. He was just reelected to a second term as governor of Maryland last year. And he's also pointing to his upcoming stint as chairman of the Bipartisan National Governors Association.

But in an interview with "The Washington Post," Hogan did acknowledge that Trump's sky-high popularity with the GOP would have made this an uphill battle for him if he had decided to wade into 2020. And this is a blow to Republican critics of President Trump who had hoped to recruit someone high profile to challenge President Trump for the nomination. That's looking increasingly unlikely.

And this could be good news for the Trump campaign. They've, so far, not commented on this. And this is not necessarily because Hogan was ever a serious threat to President Trump. But because the Trump campaign has been working behind the scenes to consolidate GOP support behind President Trump to make sure that that Republican convention next year goes off without a hitch. And so, this just, sort of, helps eliminate one more complication to that for the Trump campaign -- Jessica.

DEAN: Right. It really smoothes out that path. Now, also today, the president announced White House Attorney Emmet Flood, who handled the response to the Mueller investigation, will be stepping down next month. What are your White House sources saying about that exit?

WESTWOOD: That's right, Emmet Flood was the White House lawyer brought on last summer to deal with the Russia investigation for the White House. President Trump took to Twitter today to argue that because the case is closed, and that Flood would be leaving -- he's supposed to be leaving on June 14th according to the president.

And a source tells our colleague, Jeremy Diamond, that President Trump and Emmet Flood met in the Oval Office yesterday to discuss Flood's exit. That was widely expected because Flood's primary responsibility was the Mueller investigation. And Special Counsel Robert Mueller announced his resignation from the Department of Justice on Wednesday so that is over. Flood has had a waning role within the White House as that investigation wound down.

And it had been an open question within the White House, whether Flood would stick around to help with the looming potential impeachment proceedings in the Democratic House. But White House Counsel Pat Cipollone's has led the White House's responses or non-responses to Democratic Congressional Oversight. He will continue to do that and Flood will transition back to private life - Jessica.

DEAN: All right, changes at the White House. Sarah Westwood, thanks so much.

Moments ago, President Trump tweeting that tariff is a, quote, "beautiful word indeed." But many Republican lawmakers and business leaders beg to differ with that sentiment. We're going to talk to one of them about the potential damage this trade war with Mexico could do. You're live in the CNN Newsroom.

[20:19:15]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Mexico is about to be slapped with new tariffs, meaning you are about to pay more for any products made there. These tariffs will start at five percent on June 10th. Then, as you see, they're going to slowly increase month by month, hitting 25 percent by October 1st. But it's not clear what Mexico would have to do in order for President Trump to lift them. He tweeted they'd be there until, quote, "such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico and into our country stop."

And when acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, was asked about the specifics, he admitted there really weren't any, telling CNN this, quote, "We're going to judge success here by the number of people crossing the border and that number needs to start coming down immediately in a significant and substantial number. So, we're going to take a - we're going to take this and look at it on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis."

Now, I want to bring in a CEO and business owner, Ravin Gandhi. And, Ravin, as a business owner, does it worry you that the administration doesn't really have specifics as to what it's going to take to actually stop or remove these tariffs?

RAVIN GANDHI, CEO, GMM NONSTICK COATINGS: Oh, it worries me tremendously. I mean, every single day, 40 million people in this country use my products. And my clients are large multibillion-dollar American corporation who source from all different countries around the world. And the fact of the matter is, the president likes to say that the U.S. is making all this money. You know, China is paying or Mexico is paying. There is one party who is paying for Mr. Trump's tariff, that is hard-working American consumers. And it's a giant tax on the American consumer.

And it's, literally, disrupted our global supply chain. Because my clients, for instance, who are in China, they aren't moving back to the states. They're moving to, say, Malaysia or Indonesia or another low-cost country. So, it's not helping the trade deficit at all. And I think that it's very confusing.

Recently, we actually received a notification from a trade industry - trade industry association. And they basically said, call your senator. Now, when you hear, call your senator, from a business perspective, it is an extremely troubling.

[20:25:02] DEAN: Yes. Because of the unknown factor and that you've got to reach out and start talking to these senators.

Now, these tariffs are expected to have a huge impact on the auto industry. I want to show you this. Deutsche Bank says that if we reach the 25 percent mark, that highest end of it, the average price of a car is going to increase by $1,300. And auto production will decrease by 3 million vehicles a year. Now, you own a nonstick coatings' company. You provide nonstick

coatings for everything from bakeware to hair tools. How do you see these tariffs impacting your field?

GANDHI: Well, cookware, bakeware, and electrical appliances would all be impacted in the second tranche of tariffs that are coming. So, what will happen is prices will go up at Target and Walmart and Amazon. That will reduce demand to my clients. And, you know, it will reduce sales to my company. Last year, we were down, for the first time, about 15 percent in sales, after having growth for 10 consecutive years. So, I'm extremely nervous about it.

And more than that, you know, Mr. Trump, if you talk about China, for instance, or even the E.U., in China, though, he's always said he wanted to fight. And my message is, be careful what you wish for. Because now you have -- in China, you have a country that has made a 100-year track record of making its citizens suffer from woefully stupid economic policies. But in America, I don't think Americans are going to deal with that. I think if prices go up in this country, I think Mr. Trump is going to face a big issue, you know, with reelection.

So, personally, I hope a deal gets done. Because, you know, there's that saying which is, sometimes you can fall down the stairs and land on your feet. I think the president's trade policy is clearly falling down the stairs. The question is, will the global economy land on its feet?

DEAN: Those repercussions. Yes, the president pointing out these tariffs, he says, could be avoided if companies like yours buy and hire American. Really, like, boiling it down to that. Is it that simple?

GANDHI: Say that again.

DEAN: He's saying, the president has said that these tariffs could be avoided, that if companies, like yours, buy and hire American. But is it really that simple?

GANDHI: Oh, of course it's not that simple. I mean, what he's basically saying is, I have never been to a Target or a Walmart or bought anything on Amazon.com. You know why? Because Americans are addicted to cheap prices. The highest possible - the highest possible quality at the lowest possible price.

And until you change capitalism, that is not going to happen. And I've seen this play out in my industry for over two years now. The president makes all of these statements, and his base really buys into them. But the fact of the matter is, no one in my industry has moved their production back into America.

You know, I just read - I read a book recently written by a guy named Scott Adams who analyzed the 2016 election. And he basically said, Trump makes these hysterical statements. Let's fix immigration by tariffing Mexico. Let's build a wall. Let's ban a billion Muslims. And it riles his base up emotionally. But guess what? No one remembers when he backs these policies back.

The base just remembers how they felt emotionally, that Trump was with them. And, you know, Mr. Adams says, Mr. Trump is, basically, crazy like a fox. I mean, he's kind of playing chess when we're all playing checkers.

We have never had a leader of the free world who is so adept at manipulating and being persuasive from this emotional perspective. And it is really, really dangerous. I hope it works out, because I'm very patriotic. But if the market tanks, I think Mr. Trump's going to have a big problem in 2020.

DEAN: All right. Well, Ravin Gandhi, thanks so much for making time to be with us tonight. We appreciate it.

GANDHI: Thanks a lot.

DEAN: Up next, we're going to be back in Virginia Beach as the investigation continues into the mass shooting that killed 12 people there. What we're learning about the gunman and those harrowing moments as police first responded to the scene.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) will be six victims. 107, I've got one survivor in the corner (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: South corridor. I have a male victim with gunshot wound to the face. He's still alive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody just went out the second floor, on the east side.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Officer hit. Officer hit.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

[20:29:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:30:35] ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Erica Hill live in Virginia Beach where just over 24 hours ago, a gunman opened fire in the municipal building behind me, taking the lives of 12 people.

As people around the country react, we're also hearing from the democratic presidential hopefuls. They are in California for the state's annual Democratic Convention, not just campaigning though on this day. They are talking about, being asked about this deadly shooting and, of course, their thoughts on guns in this country. Take a listen.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What can you say? It's a terrible tragedy. And it's -- you know, it speaks to the need for this country finally to do what the American people want and that is common sense, gun safety legislation, and that is making sure that people who should not own guns do not own guns and doing everything we can to make this country and our schools safer.

MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D-IN) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We cannot tolerate being the only developed nation really. This is routine. We know it's not the last time this is going to happen. And Washington's failure to act is costing lives.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I sat across from President Trump after Parkland while he was telling us, oh, yes, let's get universal background checks done. Let's get all this stuff done. He never did it. He met with the NRA the next day and he turned on it. So it is time to get this done.

GOV. JAY INSLEE (D-WA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: For those who said we should not talk about gun safety in the wake of this tragedy, that's just wrong. This is exactly the time we need to talk about gun safety.

BETO O'ROURKE (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We as a country must change and ensure that we take action. Just incredibly saddened at the loss of life.

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is happening all across America. It's happening on sidewalks, in playgrounds, in people's backyards. It's happening family by family across this country and it doesn't get the same headlines. And that is wrong. We have a gun problem in America, and it is putting our children at risk all across this nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: President Trump also tweeting about the shooting this morning, saying that he had spoken with the governor of Virginia, as well as the mayor of Virginia Beach, offering his condolences and also pledging that the federal government would be there for whatever they may need.

We are learning more about what happened during that deadly rampage, more about the suspect who opened fire on his long time co-workers. And also about the officers who moved in and who are being credited with stopping this rampage. Take a listen to how the police chief described their actions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[20:35:12] JAMES CERVERA, VIRGINIA BEACH POLICE CHIEF: Once they identified him, he identified them, he immediately opened fire. We immediately returned the fire. And again, I want everyone to know that this was a long term, for lack of any other term, running gun battle with this individual. This was not what -- is traditionally a police-involved shooting. This was a long term, large gunfight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: James Gagliano is a retired FBI supervisory special agent and CNN law enforcement analyst.

So as we look at this, James, and we are listening to what the chief tells us what happened there, what really stood out to you in how these four officers ran into that active shooter situation?

JAMES GAGLIANO, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Erica, it's good to join you. Unfortunately, it's in the wake of another mind-numbingly senseless tragedy like this. I mean, it was only six months ago that the Thousand oaks shooting happened out in California and 12 people lost there too.

And I looked at the pictures of the victims this morning and they were black, white, brown, young, old, male and female. They literally represented us. Just a tough situation.

And look, it's not easy for law enforcement in the 21st century now. They're conditioned, they have to go to the sound of the guns in these instances. Because whether it's a hate crime, an act of terrorism, whether it's workplace violence, or a domestic dispute, unfortunately, far too many of these instances where a gunman enter into a building in a soft target like this. There just been an extracting as bigger casualty count as possible.

What struck me was a couple of things. First of all, CNN has reported -- and we know that the police have acknowledged that there were two .45 caliber pistols recovered at the scene.

Now, in 25 years in the FBI, I carried a .45 caliber pistol, what made this unique was the gunman had installed extended magazines in these weapons which allowed him to fire additional rounds.

Now, in the country, from 1994 to 2004, we had an assault weapons ban and we also had an extended magazine, high capacity magazine ban as well, which set any magazine beyond 10 rounds in a clip was illegal. So we know he had quite the arsenal with him.

As well as the fact, as you and I have discussed before, he had a suppressor with him. And, Erica, that's the thing that jumped out to me the most.

HILL: That suppressor, and for people who are not familiar with it. I hadn't heard of it. That would muffle the sound of the gunshots, which I guess one would imagine you would employ if you didn't want people to hear you. And yet the officers were able to locate him.

GAGLIANO: Yes, so let's make sure that the viewer understands the term "silencer" gets thrown around a lot. In this type of after- market add-on, in 42 states, you don't even need a license to own one of these. You can make them at home. And they do not silence the weapon. What they do is they suppress the weapon's report.

So instead of hearing the bang, bang, bang which everyone associates with gunfire, it's more of a wap, wap, wap. It's much quieter. So a lot of the people that were there on these three floors where the gunman attacked, when they heard the initial shots, we teach people, run, hide, fight and tell. But if people aren't accustomed to that sound, they didn't know what was going on.

It was until the intrepid law enforcement folks entered and engaged with the gunman that I think a lot of people there really realized what was going on, Erica.

HILL: Yes. There is so much that people want to know. And the biggest questions is always why. We can't ask the shooter, the shooter is dead, as we know. But we're why, the shooter is dead, as we know.

But we're picking up little clues. His parents were surprised to hear this. In fact, CNN spoke to them before the police officers had. We also know that someone had said he had been in this job for 15 years, we know that. But one person described him as disgruntled. Another co-worker there telling CNN, they didn't see anything untoward, anything unnecessary, that they often shared pleasant conversations, talking about their families and friends and even spoke on the day of the shooting, not long before the first shots were fired.

When you're adding all of this up, I know investigators are looking for the digital footprint, they're going through, they're combing through the house. What would be the first thing that you would be looking for if you were working this case?

GAGLIANO: Sure. And, Erica, you and I discussed this too many times to count. And in law enforcement, we want to understand motivation. And people say, why is that so critical? Because we want to be able to get in front of the next potential incident or attack like this.

Now, sometimes, and I know it's tough for us to grapple with this, because we want easy answers in this -- in this country and in this world. Sometimes evil happens, and people look at this and say, well, wasn't there a tipoff? Why didn't law enforcement understand this? Why didn't one of his neighbors say something or why didn't somebody with intimate knowledge of like a family member come forward? And sometimes, it just doesn't happen that way.

[20:40:06] You put a lot of things together. You want to understand what caused this to happen. By the same -- by the same token, in an instance like this, sometimes people snap. And in this instance, cops have to be Olympic athletes and they also have to be mental health professionals when they respond to these type of incidents in an information vacuum. Very difficult job to do, Erica.

HILL: Yes, it is a lot. And it's also important to focus on the care that they need to take for themselves. We've been talking a lot about that today, both the physical and the emotional toll that responding to this crime scene has taken on so many of those officers and investigators.

James Gagliano, always good to see you, my friend, appreciate it. Thank you.

And as night has fallen here, we can tell you that candles are now being set out at this small vigil that has popped up behind me. There is another one just on the other side of the building. We will continue to monitor all the developments here in Virginia Beach.

But for the time being, let's send it back to you Jessica in New York.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: All right. Erica, our thanks to you and the entire crew there for your excellent reporting in just this devastating situation. Thanks so much.

Still ahead, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was interrupted during a speech today as people chanted the word "impeach" at her. We're going to break down the numbers that show why she's reluctant to try to remove the president from office.

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[20:45:19] DEAN: Over a dozen presidential hopefuls are converging on California for the state's annual democratic convention. And while candidates vie for the spotlight to make their pitch to voters, all eyes shifted to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

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REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): -- the president won't defend our democracy from this foreign threat. What is the president covering up?

CROWD: Impeach. Impeach.

PELOSI: The Mueller report revealed --

DEAN: You hear the audience there yelling "impeach" at Nancy Pelosi. She's been the leading voice opposing the growing calls to impeach. A strategy that my next guest says is a smart one.

CNN senior politics writer and analyst, Harry Enten, joining me now. Harry, you've been looking at registered voters, appetite for impeachment. What do the numbers say?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICS WRITER AND ANALYST: Yes. I mean, I get exactly what Nancy Pelosi is doing, why she's so hesitant to call for an impeachment inquiry. We asked this poll at the end of April, should President Trump be impeached and removed from office? And only 37 percent of American said yes, the vast majority, 59 percent said no.

And keep in mind, of course, President Trump is not popular so there's this whole group of voters who may not like the president but don't necessarily want to impeach him.

But it's more than just that. This is a Quinnipiac University Poll from late April. Should Congress even begin to investigate to the side whether they should bring an impeachment charge? And only 47 percent of voters nationwide said yes. The majority, a slight majority, 51 percent said no.

So again, the "I" word is just so dangerous for voters in that center of the electorate. And, of course, Nancy Pelosi is trying to protect those endangered house members in those more moderate districts. But then this, I think, is key. Should Congress -- should they investigate whether Trump should be -- investigate whether Trump obstructed justice. Look at this, 58 percent of Americans said yes here. So they are all for -- they're all for investigating. They just don't like that "I" word.

DEAN: They like the "investigate" "I" word, not the "impeachment" "I" word as much.

ENTEN: That's exactly correct. And then let me just point out one other thing that's so important. And that is, how the different parties are breaking down on this.

Do you believe that President Trump should be impeached? Sixty-nine percent of Democrats said yes. And that, of course, is key to understanding why Nancy Pelosi was out there in California, why all those activists were saying, yes, we should impeach him. It's because the democratic base does want to impeach him, but those in the center of the electorate, independents, only 3o percent say yes.

DEAN: Right. And we heard Kyung Lah out there, she was saying this is obviously a very liberal part of the Democratic Party, so that was --

ENTEN: That -- liberal Democrats are even higher than this, they're well into the 70s.

DEAN: All right. Harry Enten, with all the numbers for us. Thanks so much.

ENTEN: Thank you.

DEAN: Up next, President Trump, apparently, surprised that Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, was not a fan of his during the 2016 election. Why his comments about her today could make his visit with Prince Harry next week a little bit awkward.

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[20:50:46] DEAN: President Trump leaves for the U.K. tomorrow for an official state visit and he's kicking off his trip by responding to what the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, said bout him in 2016. Here's part of an interview President Trump gave to the British newspaper, The Sun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, Meghan, who is now the Duchess of Sussex. We've entered a different name. She can't make it because she's got maternity leave. Are you sorry not to see her? Because she wasn't so nice about you during the campaign. I don't know if you saw that.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't. I didn't know that, no. I didn't know. No, I hope she's OK. I did not know that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She said she'd move to Canada if you got elected. It turned out, she moved to Britain.

TRUMP: Well, that would be good. There are a lot of people moving here. So, what can I say? No, I didn't know that she was nasty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it good having an American princess, Mr. President?

TRUMP: I think it's nice. I think it's nice. And I'm sure she'll do excellently. She'll be -- she'll be very good. She'll be very good. I hope she does.

DEAN: On Monday, President Trump will meet with Meghan's husband, Prince Harry. We're going to cover the full visit right here on CNN.

CNN senior diplomatic correspondent, Michelle Kosinski, joins me now from Washington. And, Michelle, I can imagine that that meeting might be a little awkward.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT: I don't think anything was as awkward as that interview there. I mean, along with the word "nasty," he also managed some very complimentary language towards the duchess, formerly known as Meghan Markle.

So I think that this meeting, this trip could very well be awkward with the royal family, but not for this reason. When you think about the things that the royal family is great at, they would be duty, protocol, being polite. Not getting into the fray of things. Not getting into fights with people, especially publicly. Not showing emotion and keeping their silence.

So if there is to be awkwardness, I would say that these events would be only as awkward as the president himself chooses to make them by whatever things he chooses to say or chooses not to say. I think it's interesting though considering that certain members of the royal family, especially Prince Charles, especially Prince Harry, and now his wife, they are huge on environmental issues, on conservation issues.

And then you have President Trump who, of course, pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement, which Britain disagreed with. You have his sons having posed in these pictures with these large animals that they killed on their large-scale hunting trips.

So there is plenty of possibility for awkwardness. And other presidents have encountered awkwardness with the royal family too. When there's that much protocol involved and Americans are not used to it, there are pitfalls everywhere.

Remember Mrs. Obama put her hand on the queen's back and people loved to talk about that. President Obama made his toast at slightly the wrong time which was very awkward. So there's always opportunity for awkwardness. But I don't think we should assume that the royal family cares about this weird interview that the president did.

DEAN: Yes. They don't seem to weigh into those things. All right. Michelle Kosinski, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

[20:55:01] And just into CNN, we're hearing for the first time from the family of the gunman in that mass shooting in Virginia Beach. We're going to have their words. That's next.

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DEAN: Just in to CNN. We have received a statement from the family of the man who was suspected of killing 12 people in that mass shooting in Virginia Beach. It was posted to their front door. It says, quote, "The family of DeWayne Craddock wishes to send our heartfelt condolences to the victims. We are grieving the loss of our loved one. At this time, we wish to focus on the victims and the lives lost during yesterday's tragic events -- event. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives and those recovering in the hospital.

We are also keeping an eye on record flooding with upwards of eight million people under warnings along the Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri Rivers. Ten states are facing threats from rising water levels. And one of the hardest hit is Arkansas. Many roads there are under water. Hundreds of homes are saturated after the Arkansas River breached a major levee yesterday.

That's going to do it for us here. I'm Jessica Dean in for Ana Cabrera.

Up next, triplets separated at birth. Discover the most remarkable true story ever told. Stay with us for the CNN film, "Three Identical Strangers."

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