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New Day

Updates on the Louisiana Theater Shooting; Witness Speaks Out; President Speaks on Gun Violence; New Questions Raised Over Clinton's E-mails. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired July 24, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00] ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bullet's flying and showing of Amy Schumer's comedy "Trainwreck," it turned into a horror. A lone, White male stood up and began shooting a handgun into the audience.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We saw a lady with blood all over her leg. I just grabbed my child and then we -- we just all ran.

LAVANDERA: Police dispatched to the scene at about 7:30 P.M. central time. Witnesses describe the terrifying ordeal as something like a war, gunshot after gunshot as patrons fled the theatre for safety.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heard all the sirens and people coming out and chaos, basically.

LAVANDERA: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal praising heroism of two teachers who were members of the audience.

GOVERNOR BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA: Both of them were shot one of them was released tonight, her friend literally jumped over her and -- and -- and her account actually saved her life. If she hadn't done that, her friend got shot and fellow teacher got shot. That bullet -- people will get hit in the head. The second one, the one whose life was saved, even though she was shot in the leg she had the presence of mind to pull the fire alarm to help save other lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: And actress Amy Schumer who stars in the film took to Twitter to express her sympathy, my heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: We are joined right now by Jordon Broussard. He and his brother were attending a movie in a nearby theater watching a different movie when the shooting when it happened. They heard it all and witnessed the chaos after all.

Jordan, first of all, I imagine you are in a state of shock this morning, darling, how are you?

JORDON BROUSSARD, WAS IN THEATRE DURING SHOOTING: I'm good. Definitely in shock. Didn't get but two hours of sleep last night. All this crazy scene out here.

PEREIRA: I can imagine. You are fatigued, shocked, you're stunned about what happened. First of all, let's walk through, you go to a movie. What time was the showing, around 7:00? The same time the other showing was?

BROUSSARD: Yes, Ma'am. My movie was at 7:15 and about 7:20, the alarms came on and just before that, we heard some loud noises, which, later, we found out came from across the hall. Alarms sounded, our theater got evacuated. We came around the front and we hear tons of cop cars. We see 10 to 15 cop cars outside already.

We see a woman lying about 20-25 yards from the theater with a gunshot wound on her leg. After we seen that scene, we were pretty scared. We took cover behind a car and realized there was about 10 to 15 armed officers with assault rifles going in the front door and heading to the right of the theater, which is where we came out from. It was very, very surreal.

PEREIRA: It's all happening so quickly. Let's back up to when the alarms sounded. Sometimes they go off and they are false alarms. How did you know this was the real deal?

BROUSSARD: We had no idea. First thing was the malfunction of the movie. Lights came on, we go outside. I thought there must be a fire. We come around the side. Once we saw the woman and all the cop cars, we knew it was something more serious than a fire.

PEREIRA: Was she getting help at the time you saw her?

BROUSSARD: Yes. She was getting help by a man who was helping her with her leg, then seconds, minutes after, an officer came with a tourniquet and helped get her to an ambulance.

PEREIRA: You talked about the law enforcement presence arriving soon after you came out of the theater. Talk about that. That must have been a relief to you. It also must have frightened you. You realized something was going on.

BROUSSARD: Yes, Ma'am. Yes. Seconds after we rounded the corner of the building, cops came in. They had their sirens on and radios on. We could hear them telling each other where to go. About a minute after we were outside, we heard an officer say get to theater 14. We have some men down at theater 14, we need an ambulance. That was really when we were like, wow, this is crazy. This is -- we were all in shock about what's happening out here.

PEREIRA: From that point, until you understood there was no more threat, how much time did it feel like passed?

BROUSSARD: Definitely the whole night, until we got home. It was a nerve-racking feeling out here. At least for me and for my friends. Just knowing that coming to a movie on a Thursday night, we never expected that we would see a crime scene and a gunman go in a theater. Very sad night.

PEREIRA: I want to talk to you about that, Jordon? How old are you? You look like a young man, maybe a college student?

BROUSSARD: Yes, ma'am. I'm 19 years old.

[07:05:00] PEREIRA: You're 19 years old, going to the theater with your brother, in Lafayette. You're a local guy, aren't you?

BROUSSARD: Yes, ma'am, local. Live about 10 minutes from the theater.

PEREIRA: Is this something you ever imagined would happen in your town? As an 18, 19-year-old man, you have seen this happen around the country.

BROUSSARD: Yes, ma'am, first thing I thought was, when we heard there was a gunman is the "Batman" shooting a couple years ago. I never, ever thought I would be in a movie theater that would have a gunman in it. No, never thought that this would ever happen.

PEREIRA: Jordon, it's almost three years to the week that shooting happened in Aurora. What is it going to take for tour community to heal, do you think?

BROUSSARD: I'm sorry?

PEREIRA: What do you think it's going to take for your community to begin the healing process?

BROUSSARD: I think that this community will come together. Lafayette is a great place, great people. I think that me, myself, will be nervous to come to the theater here for a little bit. But, hopefully, everybody can understand and put that behind them and come out to have a good night and a good time.

PEREIRA: I hope you and your community begin the healing process and you and your brother can support each other and your family. This is something we wish hadn't happened to you. We are glad you were able to speak to us. Thank you for joining us on NEW DAY.

BROUSSARD: Yes, ma'am, thank you.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: The looming question is why this happened. That takes us to what do we know about this guy and what happened in that theater from his perspective. Let's get to CNN's Alexandra Field for that part of the story. We know certain things.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't know his name, Chris. Police have not released that. He fits into some of the categories we have come to expect. We'll walk you through them. At 58 years old, he's older than the typical shooter you see in these situations. He is a White man. He has some criminal history. No details on what that history entails. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside that movie theater. The question of motive can't be answered.

Investigators will be hard at work this morning, talking to friends, family members trying to paint a picture of this man and what could motivate something as senseless as this. We have data to fit this person in categories. What we can see here in data by mother jones is overwhelmingly, the shooters are White people followed by Black and Asians. The Whites are in line, Asians higher for Latinos. These are the faces of the other mass shooters we have had to talk about over the last few years. All of them, men.

Overwhelmingly, men. This comes near the three-year anniversary of the Aurora shooting. Many people waking up, trying to say is this a copycat attack? It is something investigators have to look at. This is three years after the shooting by James Holmes after the screening of "The Dark Knight." This is a face that has been in the news because of the anniversary and this is somebody who was convicted by jury and is now in the sentencing phase of a trial. Chris, Michaela?

PEREIRA: Some of the heroes we are told about prevented more deaths from happening is truly a bit if a miracle in a dark situation. Thank you for that.

President Obama is enroute to Kenya. He has been briefed on the Louisiana shooting. Before the trip, he sat down with BBC. He says the failure to tighten gun laws in the U.S. has been his biggest frustration. CNN's Michelle Kosinski is in Nairobi ahead of the president.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The timing. Look at the president preparing to come here, the talk was about security concerns here. For the time being, that's been overshadowed by yet another shooting in America of innocent people in a public place. When he did this interview with the BBC, it was unexpected they asked him about the gun issue.

Once again, he spoke out strongly about wanting to do more to prevent gun violence. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The one area where I feel that I have been most frustrated and most staggered -- it is the fact that the United States of America is the one advanced nation on earth, in which we do not have sufficient, common sense, gun safety laws.

[07:10:00] Even in the face of repeated mass killings. And you know, if you look at the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism, it's less than 100. If you look at the number that have been killed by gun violence, it's in the tens of thousands. And for us not to be able to resolve that issue has been something that is distressing, but, it is not something that I intend to stop working on in the remaining 18 months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSINSKI: Every time one of these shootings happens, the White House is asked about what the administration is planning in terms of executive actions. They haven't said too much about timing or content. Remember, in 2013, the president enacted two dozen executive actions on guns. Most of them were about information sharing and some elements of background checks and wanting to do more studies on the issue. Chris?

CUOMO: Thank you. The tragedy in Lafayette bringing back haunting memories of the shooting in Aurora, Colorado. The jury is weighing the death penalty against the killer convicted for shooting 12 people dead during a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises." 70 others were injured. There's going to be a press conference soon. As soon as it happens, we will take you to it.

PEREIRA: A some scene in Louisiana to pay tribute to a hometown hero. A motorcade escorted Skip Wells to his home. He was gunned down in Chattanooga. Scott walker putting his campaign on hold to attend the funeral for one of the other slain marines, Sergeant Carson Holmquist.

CUOMO: The New York Times reporting a pair of inspectors general asking the Justice Department to probe whether sensitive information was mishandled with the e-mail account Hillary Clinton used during her time as secretary of state.

Let's bring in CNN's Global Affairs Correspondent Elise Labott live in Washington D.C. with the latest. It has to do with how they changed the wording here, right?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. That story has been revised. The times reported the request was made into the inquiry of Clinton's handling with her private e-mail. As secretary of state, now, the justice department was asked to find out if sensitive information was mishandled in relation to the e-mail account.

The inspectors general for the state department and intelligence agencies made the request to justice to see if the handling of the e- mails was improper. A spokesman said in a statement, contrary to the initial story, which has been significantly revised, Clinton followed appropriate practices in dealing with classified materials.

Clinton, exclusively used that e-mail saying it was easier. Those revelations dogged her presidential campaign. She did turn over 50,000 pages of e-mails, asked for them to be made public. Now, the state department is reviewing them to make sure no sensitive information would be released. So far, 4,000 pages have been pleased. One of the e-mails was deemed classified after the private account became known.

PEREIRA: How is this going to affect a presidential run. Thanks so much for that. Stay with us here on CNN for the latest on the breaking news out of Lafayette. A gunman kills two people inside a Louisiana movie theater. We are awaiting a news conference from local authorities. This is the latest in a string of shootings. The big question, what can be done to prevent it from happening again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH PATIN, COUNCIL MINISTER, LAFAYETTE CITY PARISH: It's a -- it's terrible, you know, we are used to dealing with natural types of catastrophes, hurricanes, stuff like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: We are following breaking news. A deadly shooting at a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana. A gunman killing two and wounding nine others, then taking his own life. Why? We are not yet sure. We are waiting for a press conference. Let's talk about why this continues to happen. We have a former senator from Georgia with us. Sir, always a pleasure. Thank you for joining us on NEW DAY.

FMR. SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS, GEORGIA: Sure, thanks, Chris, good to be with us. The hearts of all Georgians go out to the Lafayette community particularly the families of those killed and injured. Terrible tragedy.

CUOMO: Once again, we are seeing the best of people come out when we are introduced to the worse of people. Calling 911 right away, making sure that the help was there in a time of need and, of course, it all starts with the worst. There are three components. You have guns, you have a culture of violence and you have the continuing expression of mental illness. When you look at these components, do you see them all as equal in why we keep having these mass shootings?

CHAMBLISS: Well, I'm not sure there's a culture of violence in Lafayette, Louisiana. I have been there many, many times. It's a very quaint, nice, community. Home of the rag rajin cajins. The facts will be revealing themselves over the next several days, but, there is an issue relative to those who shouldn't get their hands on guns getting guns.

We have lots of laws on the books to prohibit that. We simply don't do the job we need to do to enforce those laws. Why not -- that is a point that is often ignored in this debate. You have plenty of laws. Enforcement is weak and enforcement for how to secure your arms is weak. Often, people get guns by getting them from people who don't have them properly secure. Why do you think enforcement is LAX?

[07:20:00] CHAMBLISS: Education is critically important. Education about gun safety. If you are going to have possession of a gun, you need to know that there are trigger locks available to you. You have to buy a trigger lock with a pistol and you need to put that lock on there. But, that's not the issue that we have here.

The issue we have here, obviously, is an individual who for whatever reason, mental instability, who knows, depression or whatever got their hands on a gun and decided to commit a terrible act that was undoubtedly random from what the facts revealed thus far. How do you control that? You know, that's a very, very difficult question to answer.

CUOMO: That's true. We have to keep asking it and talking about it. Obviously, I'm not talking Lafayette, Louisiana as being a violent place. I'm talking a culture of dynamic that embraces harshness. What we are seeing in politics right now. Donald Trump popped in the polls. It is not simply a phenomenon. It is not just about his celebrity. He is tapped into a mood of anger and outrage and it is moved him to the top of the polls of your party which is the lesson in it to you?

CHAMBLISS: Well, I think it's obvious that when you have a poll like that and somebody is getting 25 percent in a 16-man field that there are not just republicans angry and upset, there are democrats, too, that said, hey, this guy is saying things that I been wanting to say for years and been thinking for years.

I think Donald Trump, who is a smart guy, obviously, is capitalizing on the fact that Washington has been sitting on its hands for the last 25 years on any number of issues, including the issue of immigration reform. His statements were not random statements, they were calculated. He came out of the box, everybody knew if he got into the race, he would not be a shrinking ballot and he isn't.

He's capitalized on an issue, i.e., immigration, that really strikes at the heart of a lot of Americans, republicans and democrats.

CUOMO: Do you like the way he's framed it? Do you like how he's seeking to seemingly be more divisive than bringing people together toward a solution?

CHAMBLISS: I would not have said what he said, but, hey, this is politics. It is a contact sport. Donald Trump know that is well. Even though he's never run for office, he's been very engaged in the political scene. I wouldn't have said what he said about my friend John McCain, who is a war hero. It generates headlines and it generates the situation in the political race right now where Donald Trump sucked all the presidential political air out of the room.

Every story you hear today has Donald Trump in it. You don't hear anything about any other candidate. That's a calculated move on Trump's part.

CUOMO: Well, what, ultimately is the value to Trump? Do you think he's got a shot at being the party's candidate? Do you think he becomes something productive or more noise than news?

CHAMBLISS: I don't know Donald Trump well, but I know him. I know he's a very smart guy. He's a guy that has made a contribution to not just the city of new york where he lives, but to the economy of the United States and other parts around the world. He's a good thinker. Certainly, he has the ability and opportunity to contribute long term to republican conservative politics. I hope he stays engaged.

But, whether he gets the nomination, we are a year out now from the end of the primary season, so, there are going to be lots of hills and valleys we get to get to. I think, while trump has gained the headlines over the last several weeks, we are getting close to primary season.

Over the next couple weeks, debate season, as we go into this august debate, Mr. Trump and others are going to have to talk about substantive issues. That's what voters are going to make up their mind about. It will be interesting to watch the debates and see how he and others react to what's happened however the last few weeks. [07:25:00] CUOMO: You are suggesting a change in the state of play

once the debates start. We will see. Thank you very much former senator. You are always welcome on NEW DAY, have a good weekend.

CHAMBLISS: You, too.

CUOMO: Mick.

PEREIRA: Of course, we are hearing the very latest developments in Louisiana. We are awaiting a live news conference, an update from law enforcement on the ground on what happened. Maybe more about the gunman and a motive. We are following Donald Trump after his U.S./Mexico border tour yesterday. Did he give immigration reform specifics and what is he saying about a third party run?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Witnesses describe a frightening, terrifying scene inside a Lafayette Louisiana theatre, a 58 year old man open fire inside that theatre two people were killed before the shooter turned the car on himself, nine other people were wounded in that shooting.