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At This Hour

Theater Shooting in Louisiana, I.D. of Shooter; More Information on Victims of Shooting; More Insight into Shooting Investigation. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired July 24, 2015 - 11:00   ET

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

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[11:00:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You can check out "THE HUNT," Sunday night 9:00 p.m., here on CNN.

And I would like to thank you for joining me today on CNN. I'm Carol Costello.

AT THIS HOUR with Berman and Bolduan starts now.

KATE BOLDUAN: CNN ANCHOR: Nightmare at the movies. Shots ring out inside another movie theater. Two women killed. Right now, others are still fighting for their lives. New information just in from the crime scene. Plus, the shooter being described as a drifter. And he planned to escape using disguises and a getaway car.

I'm Kate Bolduan. This is CNN's special coverage of the tragedy in Louisiana.

Hello, everyone. We are learning more about the gunman who opened fire in a crowded movie theater last night in another apparently random mass shooting. This time, in Lafayette, Louisiana. Gun fire rang out in an evening screening of "Train Wreck." The gunman police describe add as a 59-year-old, white man, a drift a drifter of Alabama that sat silently and then 20 minutes into the screening opening fire with a handgun. Witnesses say John Houser shot two people in front of him and continued firing at random at least 13 rounds in that theater. When police closed in, he turned the gun on himself. Two young women and the gunman are now dead. Nine others wounded, one of them in critical condition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM CRAFT, CHIEF, LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, POLICE DEPARTMENT: It is apparent that he was intent on shooting and then escaping. What happened is that the quick law enforcement response forced him back into the theater. At which time he shot himself. He's kind of a drifter. He's been in Lafayette since early July. As far as we can tell, he was staying at a local motel on University Avenue. We served a search warrant on that motel room at about 4:30 this morning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Now, amid the tragedy, at least one heroic act. Two schoolteachers inside the theater, they took quick action that may have saved the lives of many others.

Ed Lavandera is joining us now live from Lafayette.

Ed, it was a horrible night there. What are you hearing today?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here as investigators have been working throughout the night and into the morning here inside the theater, processing that crime scene. And speaking with dozens and dozens of people not only here in the Lafayette, Louisiana, area but the city of Phoenix City, Alabama, which is just across the border from Columbus, Georgia. And that is where Houser was from.

Authorities say that Houser arrived here in the Lafayette area earlier this month and staying at a motel not too far from the theater so investigators going through his belongings here and they talked a little while about what they discovered there in the motel room.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAFT: We found wigs and glasses and disguises basically in his room. His vehicle had a switched license tag on it. As far as we know, one .40-caliber handgun is involved. That weapon has been recovered. It appears that at least 13 rounds were fired during the time he was in the theater discharging the weapon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And, Kate, we also are trying to keep up to date with the conditions of the victims. We talked about the two women that were killed, 21-year-old Mayci Breaux and 33-year-old Jillian Johnson. Told by the mayor here in Lafayette, as well, Mayci Breaux's boyfriend is a wounded victim and recovering from his injuries in the attack. Nine other people wounded and one of those last we heard in critical condition. Two of those have been released from the hospital since last night's shooting -- Kate?

BOLDUAN: Tragedy not over for that community, in no way, shape or form.

Ed, thanks so much.

Police are also still trying to find out more about the shooter and, of course, searching for why.

Let's bring in Alexandra Field, looking into this.

Alexandra, what do we know so far about this man?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kate, they have obviously identified him but police are making appeals to people who know this man to reach out to them, give them information which might help them to answer that question of why. They cannot speak to the shooter himself. He is a 59-year-old white man. We heard police say he was something of a drifter. They have to investigate the ties to this community. Why he would have come from Alabama to Lafayette? And they know that he was intent on shooting in that theater and escaping. There was a car parked near the exit of that theater but he returned into the theater, shot himself as police approached. They have discovered that he had disguises that could have helped with a getaway.

[11:05:19] Here's what we also know about this shooter. While we may not know the details of him specifically, he fits into a profile and you can say profile because we have had enough of these mass shootings that you can analyze the data. This data from Mother Jones, analyzed by CNN, and what it shows is vast majority of mass shooters are white people, 64 percent. Next black people, 16 percent, in line with the population number and then go down to Asian and Latino. Asian is disproportionately high. Latino low compared to statistics. All men that you are looking at in this picture, the faces and the names you unfortunately know and know all too well, the people behind the mass shootings and overwhelmingly locking at male shooters and white shooters.

This is data on the number of mass shootings here in the states from 2000 to 2014. Terrible moments in this country's history and the moments where law enforcement learns how to respond and how to prepare for these scenarios happening too frequently. We know in this case that police were able to respond quickly.

A lot of questions being asked today. When you look at the timing of this, this comes three year it was Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting. People asking is this a copycat scenario? This is a man, a face in the news a lot last few weeks. He was convicted just last week. Is this man watching what's been happening in Colorado and in the news and inspired him to unleash attack and otherwise just no answers for -- Kate?

BOLDUAN: This is at least at the very least a horrific coincidence in timing and that's just the beginning of it.

Alexandra, thanks so much.

A lot known about this man. Now a lot still to be learned. So let's try to get more insight into the investigation.

Joining us now is Colonel Michael Edmondson, with the Louisiana State Police.

Colonel, thank you for your time. I'm sure you have no sleep and much more work ahead of you. I appreciate you taking the opportunity.

A lot to get through here. We have heard from you guys in the press conference you held early investigators have gone to Alabama to speak with friends and family of this gunman. What did you learn from them? Can you describe that at all?

COL. MICHAEL EDMONDSON, LOUISIANA STATE POLICE; Well, first of all, it's partnerships. It's not about uniform, badge or whatever. It's about everybody working together. Police was on the scene within minutes and within an hour federal agencies, everybody on the scene and working together which is where we're at right now, interviewing family members, the mom. Here's a mom that gave him money not too long ago. Why? What did he tell her? Any friends to have spoken to, any persons that he befriended while here in Lafayette. Everything that can sit here and put a type of motive, part to the puzzle trying to put together, another piece.

You know, as I'm standing here, we have forensic scientists and DNA technicians and crime lab that's still scouring the scene to pick up every single bit of evidence and information we can, account for each one of the bullet casings from the gun and put those two together and then go to the hotel room. I mean, you have got the wigs, the glasses. All that information, why. And that's what we're trying to figure out. Why Lafayette? In a neighborhood not far from a university. Why Lafayette. Why that particular movie? Why that seat? Why open fire when he did. Trying to come out. Those all- important and critical to those two beautiful young ladies whose lives we ended last night.

BOLDUAN: To that point, have you been able to establish, learn from the family or friends or whoever knows him in Alabama any connection to Louisiana, any connection to Lafayette at this point?

EDMONDSON: We are not finding anything concrete. This is just a drifter. This was an individual who was really not in close communication with his family. Only reached out to his mom for money. So trying to find out any friends that might have spoken to him. He had an uncle here 33 years ago. Nothing to connect him here to Lafayette area. We're going to keep working on it. He was in stores. We have some receipts of things he bought in local stores. We'll pull the cameras, look at who he talked to. Why switch the license plate on the car? Why the keys in an area on top of the tires for a quick getaway? Why getting out and then ran back in? We can't talk to him. We can talk to anybody else that might have seen him or might have known him. That's what we have to put together. It's critical at this point.

BOLDUAN: Colonel, just getting information about the fact the man we believe posting extensively on websites, espousing anti- government, anti-media views. What are you learning from his online profile and how does that fit into this if at all?

[11:10:09] EDMONDSON: Well, we are reading every piece of that. That's what the Fusion Center is doing, sharing that around the country. He was reading up on things on the government. Commenting on them. He's a blogger. Got a lot of those individuals. They don't ever act out as this one did here. Nothing in that so far to indicate a motive or any type of planning but let's be clear about this. Obviously this was planned out. Obviously, he's got a gun loaded and a movie theater so we have got to try to figure out his motive and made him at that critical junction to pull that trigger and to take two human lives, two human lives with a future, a name, a future not to die in a theater like this. We owe this to the family to bring closure to the community, the family and those working that theater last night.

BOLDUAN: The families while no answer makes them feel better, they absolutely deserve those answers. I know you're obviously working very hard on that. He had tried to escape with the crowd. Can you describe that? Can you give us more information of how he was trying to escape with the crowd? Was he trying to blend in? Is that what you think?

EDMONDSON: That's what it appears. Nobody was sitting there shouting and screaming. There he is. There he is. I think people were just trying to get out. You know? We had two teachers and some employees that pulled that -- at the movie theater, they pulled that alarm. Look. I'm a father of four kids. I had two kids in Madrid, Spain. I just spoke to them on Facetime (ph). I wanted to hear their voice. I wanted to see them. That was a calming, calming feeling for me as a parent. I think that's what parents need to do across the country. Have conversations with your kids. What would you do in a situation like this hearing an alarm, gunshots? What do you do and I think they need to have the conversations. Put the cell phones away and have those candid conversations about who's your kid's friends. What would they do in a situation like that? It's important. Looks like he was just trying to get out. Was he blending? Something we have to put together and find out. But certainly he saw the police in the parking lot, got here within a minute, that put him back in the movie theater and then he ended his life.

BOLDUAN: That clearly saved lives in the immediate response. He's in this movie theater. He's sitting there for 20 minutes it's believed into the screening. And then he stands up and begins firing. From what you are hearing from witnesses, did he say anything? Did they describe his demeanor?

EDMONDSON: They're not saying he said anything. He simply stood up and started firing so I mean, we have to put that together. What was going on in the movie? No indication that anything caused that. No I could case anything happened inside the theater to made him snap. I think we have to sit there and talk to his friends and family and see if we can't extract something to give us motive, something that will say, OK, this is what happened, how it happened. Something to bring closure. That's the million-dollar question. It's -- we're not even a little bit over 12 hours, 15 hours since this occurred so we need to put the pieces together.

BOLDUAN: Finally, the governor, in speaking on CNN earlier, he said that he believes that there's a possibility that there could be no explanation here, that this could end up being another absolutely frustrating -- doesn't even begin to describe it -- but random act of violence. Where you're standing from your perspective today, do you believe your investigation is heading in that direction?

EDMONDSON: You know, that's a great possibility. I mean, the Lafayette Police Department, the chief craft, credible group of men and women and supporting them. We want to find a motive, certainly want an answer and possibility an answer we won't. He acted of his own accord and this happened. Something caused that. Something caused him to pick this movie, buy that ticket, come to Lafayette.

BOLDUAN: Right.

EDMONDSON: Hopefully, we can put it together but, you know, there's that possibility we won't find out what happened. BOLDUAN: And in all of this --

(CROSSTALK)

EDMONDSON: I sure hope that's not the case.

BOLDUAN: Yeah. Absolutely. Believe you me. We all hope that's not the case and all hope in all of this we have to, as you have been, wonderfully doing, remembering the precious lives lost, remembering the victims and those and keeping our prayers with those still recovering from wounds in hospital.

Colonel, we appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

EDMONDSON: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: A lot of work ahead, as you can see right on that man's face.

Coming up for us, brand new, emotional sound coming from witnesses about what they saw during those horrifying moments in that movie theater.

Also ahead for us, President Obama making a big admission about guns and his presidency just before this shooting happened.

And a criminal investigation now possible over Hillary Clinton's personal e-mail account, the one she kept as secretary of state. So what could this mean?

And Sandra Bland's fellow inmates talking to CNN about what happened in the moments before Bland was found dead inside her cell.

Stay with us.

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[11:18:39] BOLDUAN: Back to our breaking news right now. A gunman, described as a drifter, opening fire inside a movie theater and two young lives lost in an instant. Several other people fighting for their lives still this morning.

Boris Sanchez is here.

Boris, you have been looking into -- still, really hours after this tragedy. But you are looking into the innocent lives, into the lives of victims and who they are.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Such a sad situation here. We are learning more about the deceased victims this morning, 21-year-old Mayci Breaux and 33-year-old Jillian Johnson. Mayci Breaux is from Franklin, an hour southwest of Lafayette. Her boyfriend is one of the other nine injured by the shooter, John Houser. The police chief saying they believe they were in front of the shooter when he decided to open fire. We have learned that Jillian Johnson was a shop owner in

Lafayette, ran a boutique with her husband, Jason. A friend saying earlier she was a lively person, involved in the community, someone who had a local band there, as well.

In the tragedy, some acts of heroism. Two teachers, Jena Mo (ph) and Anna Morn (ph), one of those women diving in front of the other getting shot in the leg, possibly saving her friend's life before running a fire alarm and pulling it the alert others what was happening. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal calling it an act of incredible heroism this morning on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[11:20:05] BOBBY JINDAL, (R), GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA: Two teachers here on summer break, wanted to come see a final movie, see a comedy as they getting ready for school to start again. One teacher literally jumping over her friend, potentially saving her life. The second teacher felt like that bullet would have hit her in the head. The second teacher was shot anyway in the leg. Presence of mind to pull that fire alarm. Who knows how many lives were saved by the presence of mind?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Law enforcement actually telling us they believe lives were saved by pulling the fire alarm. Two of the nine people injured and in the hospital have now been released. We're still waiting for word on the others.

BOLDUAN: Our thoughts and prayers with them. Can't say it enough.

Boris, thank you so much for focusing on what needs to be focused on, the victims in the tragedy. Thank you.

We're also getting breaking information that we need to bring to you about the shooter's mental health history and his history with guns.

Stay here. We have more breaking news coming out of Louisiana, next.

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BOLDUAN: Breaking news about the shooting, the shooting rampage in Lafayette, Louisiana. New information coming in, painting more of a clear picture, if you will, of the gunman, who he was and his background, his history with guns and mental health.

Let's get straight to Ed Lavandera in Lafayette with much more on this having to do with his background in Alabama.

Ed, what more are you learning?

LAVANDERA: Well, this is coming from the sheriff in Russell County, which includes Phoenix City, Alabama, which is just right there on the border between Alabama and Columbus, Georgia. The sheriff says a series of things. That Houser was treated for mental health issues in 2008 and 2009. The details of that we don't necessarily have, just the way it was phrased to us. In 2014, the sheriff's office there in that county evicted Houser from a property there and said that he had damaged some property and that he had done some damage to the gas line in a fireplace. And he was evicted because of that. In 2006, the sheriff says that he applied for a concealed-carry permit and denied because of some issues with arson on his criminal background so kind of a troubling aspect of his career and just talking as you were talking to the state police here in Louisiana. This is part of the process that investigators going through to talk to as many people as possible to get a time line of his life and put together details of what motivated him to carry out the attack because clearly officials here in Louisiana do not have a clear picture of why he picked this theater, why he picked last night, carry out the deadly attack.

[11:26:17] BOLDUAN: Absolutely not. They acknowledge that, at this point, they have not established any connection between Alabama or any connection he has to Lafayette, Louisiana, at all. But what you're describing and the information coming from the sheriff there in Alabama does fit in to what they have described him as, as a drifter. He was evicted and clearly has, to say the very least, a lot of issues in his past. I think, I fear this is just the beginning of what we are learning about the colored, checkered history and past of this man, John Russell Houser, now dead, but is the alleged gunman in this shooting rampage.

Ed, thank you so much. Thanks for bringing the breaking news to us. A lot more to learn about why this happened.

Coming up for us, we'll have more on the breaking news we just discussed. A lot to dissect here. What was the shooter's motive? They're searching for that as we speak. And what did he plan to do after the escape he had hoped to pull off? Hear what they just discovered inside this man's motel room.

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