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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Search for Suspected Cop Killer; Mass Shooting Reported in Florida; House and Senate Votes on Fight against ISIS; Interview with Ambassador Samantha Powers; New Video Of Missing UVA Student; Joan Rivers Death Investigation; "Whitey" Documentary Airs Tonight; Votes Being Counted In Scotland

Aired September 18, 2014 - 20:00   ET

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

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: There's a lot happening in the hour ahead. More NFL domestic violence headlines. A mass shooting reported in Florida. Millions in Scotland voting on whether to break away from the United Kingdom or not.

But we begin, though, with breaking news here at home and the manhunt for this man, Eric Frein, is his name. He's wanted in the ambush killing of one Pennsylvania State Trooper and the wounding of another.

Today, the FBI put Frein on its 10 most wanted list. Right now there is significant new activity in the search area.

Our Jason Carroll is there. He joins us now.

So, Jason, what have you been seeing?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, just a great deal of police activity. Just let me just sort of set the scene from where we are.

We are here in Canadensis, Pennsylvania. This is the town where Eric Frein lived. In fact he lived up that road there, just about a mile or so up that road. And what we've been seeing and hearing about this evening, armored cars now all of a sudden showing up in the area. A very heavy police presence, state police walking door-to-door in the area as well. Helicopters overhead.

Also we can tell you that the area surrounding his home has been blocked off. Residents in fact, Anderson, who actually live in the area being told they're not allowed to go home at this time. Being told they have to stay away. There were some thoughts, Anderson, that perhaps authorities actually had Frein perhaps even cornered or captured a little earlier.

But that is not the case because when we were out here we actually made our way up the road just a little bit over in this area. And we saw state police actively still searching for this man. They have their search lights out, we had gotten to one point and then an officer told us, he said it's just not safe for you to be here right now. We need you to turn and head back in the other direction. So clearly a lot of developments happening out here for the search for Eric Frein. COOPER: And Jason, just explain for those who have not been

following. I mean, this all started last Friday really with the shooting of the two police officers. The killing of one of the troopers.

What do we know about this guy and what do we know about his skills as a marksman and what kind of weapons he has?

CARROLL: Well, Anderson, you know, we've been doing a lot of reports for your show about this. This is a man who is highly skilled at using weapons and in fact has been training ever since he was a young boy. He was a member of the Rifle Club when he was in high school. His father, an army vet, basically telling authorities who came to investigate about his son, basically telling him that when his son shoots he never misses. So this is a man who is also being described as a survivalist.

This is a very heavily wooded area. And Frein knows these woods, he knows this area. He knows how to survive in this area. And so this is someone that police -- state police know that he is competent with a rifle. And in fact missing from the house an AK-47 and a rifle. So they know that he is heavily armed. They know that he is dangerous. They know that he is familiar with this wooded area.

So that is why you can see that there's now this massive manhunt that's under way. But up until now we've never seen any activity like this before. There have been false reports out there. Anderson, but we have not seen anything like we're seeing out here tonight so far.

COOPER: And Jason, in terms of the incidents on Friday, can you just describe a little bit exactly what happened. Did he -- did he kill this officer up close? Was it with that rifle which has the capabilities of killing from a pretty far distance?

CARROLL: Absolutely, state police called it a cowardly act. You had these two states troopers who were out of the police barracks, you know, working their shift basically and the way police describe it, allegedly Frein was hiding in the woods. Used his rifle, shot one, and then shot another. And in fact, when a receptionist came out to try took help one of the -- officers took a shot at her, as well, killed Byron Dickson. And in fact, the funeral for Byron Dickson was held today.

Very emotional as you can imagine for this community, for his family. This was a father of two, a veteran. Someone who -- you know, when you lose an officer in a very small community like this one everyone feels it, Anderson. And so during the funeral today the roads were lined with people who came out with cards and balloons to show their respect for this officer. And as you can imagine there is a great deal of hope in this community, in this town, that Eric Frein will be caught and caught soon.

COOPER: And Jason, stay with me because I also want to bring in former FBI director -- deputy director Tom Fuentes.

Tom, as we said, the FBI put this guy on the 10 most wanted list just today. A, what do you make of the activity going on? And you talked a little bit last night about the weapons that he has, in particular this rifle. Really, it was pretty chilling stuff. I mean, you were talking about last night how somebody who was shot by this rifle, they wouldn't have even heard -- they would have been hit before they even heard the rifle go off?

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: That's right, Anderson. The .308 caliber rifle is the sniper rifle of choice by the military and by law enforcement, by SWAT team snipers. The bullet is supersonic so it travels faster than the speed of sound and would actually hit its target before the sound of the bullet reached the target. Someone that's proficient with it, and it sounds like it he's very proficient from what his father has said, and of course by the fact that he already killed an officer, he can shoot people from a couple hundred yards away, where with a little bit of camouflage they would never be able to see him, have no idea.

So the police officers searching for him right now are in extreme danger and have been of being ambushed without even having a clue where he's at.

COOPER: And that's the thing, Tom, I mean, for days now -- this occurred on Friday. For day they even had no idea where he is. And you often think well, they're -- you know, maybe they're hundreds of miles away. And I suppose that is a possibility. But his car was found ditched in a pond nearby not too far from the shooting incident. And just like with Dorner back in California who shot the -- who shot the police officers and had that grudge against the LAPD, it's very possible this guy has done a home invasion or is staying in some house that was empty.

FUENTES: That is right. That's exactly what Dorner did. And after being loose for a week it ended up he was never more than a few 100 yards away from the place where he abandoned his vehicle. So just like in that case -- we don't know about him is whether or not he planned this to the endth degree, that he planned on killing these officers, and have a second car near where he abandoned the first car with phony drivers license and cash, and ability to travel out of the region and nobody really be able to track him down right away.

I doubt that scenario. It's clear that he ambushed the officer. It wasn't a spontaneous act to kill him. But I think that probably he's very close at hand somewhere in that wooded area or as you have said he may have invaded a home and could be holding a family hostage. He could have killed a family and just stayed in the house for food and shelter all this time. We don't know.

COOPER: We should point out neighbors said he was often seen in military gear and a lot of the photographs we had he was actually a Cold War reenactor. I think it was Warsaw Path forces that he used to dress up as, or Polish forces, resistance forces, that's him there doing that. So clearly somebody who spent a lot of time in the woods.

We're going to continue to check in with Tom Fuentes, Jason Carroll, as events warrant over the next hour. If there are any new developments in the apprehension of this guy or the manhunt There's also breaking news tonight out of Florida. A mass shooting in

a rural town of Bell, which is about 40 minutes from Gainesville. We're waiting for word from authorities who are expected to speak to the media shortly.

Joining us now on the phone is WCJB reporter, Stephanie Bechara.

Stephanie, explain what happened here. What do you know about what went on?

STEPHANIE BECHARA, WCJB TV-20 REPORTER: Yes, as of now we're all waiting for press conference. That is going to start about 8:15 tonight. What we do as of now -- you know, a man by the name of Don Spirit who happens to be the father of Sarah Spirit, shot at his own daughter and six children, which are his grandkids. Now, you know, a lot of different sources have been telling us that. We're waiting to confirm that information tonight.

I spoke to a lot of neighbors who were alarmed about the situation and very shocked and surprised about how this tragedy came about.

COOPER: So, Stephanie, is it your understanding that this occurred inside a home?

BECHARA: That's right. I just got out of the scene, you know, it was closed off. It all happened in a trailer home. And we don't know the details as to how the actual shooting went about but we're hoping to get that information during that press conference.

COOPER: OK, and do you know, and if you don't know that's fine but do you know -- are the people OK who were shot? Has there been loss of life?

BECHARA: We don't know that for sure. But a lot of -- different sources and neighbors tell us that, you know, we've had some deaths. But, you know, I don't feel comfortable --

COOPER: Sure.

BECHARA: -- discussing that now since we don't have it completely confirmed.

COOPER: Absolutely. Stephanie, we'll check back in with you once this press conference has taken place.

Quick reminder, make sure you set your DVR so you can watch 360 whenever you want.

Coming up next, more breaking news, President Obama weighing in on ISIS tonight. Military planners finalizing target list and ISIS makes a move as well. We'll tell you about all that ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, there is breaking news in the fight against ISIS, the Senate tonight giving final legislative approval to a measure for training and equipping Syrian rebels. President Obama within the hour thanking lawmakers for the vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The strong bipartisan support in Congress for this new training effort shows the world that Americans are united in confronting the threat from ISIL which has slaughtered so many innocent civilians. With their barbaric murder of two Americans, these terrorists thought they could fight us and intimidate us or cause us to shrink from the world. But today they're learning the same hard lesson of petty tyrants and terrorists who've gone before.

As Americans we do not give into fear. And when you harm our citizens, when you threaten the United States, when you threaten our allies it doesn't divide us, it united us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, Mr. Obama reiterated that the fight against ISIS will not include American combat forces on the ground. Earlier today, the Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told Congress that top commanders have developed a targeting plan which the president will sign off on shortly. Meanwhile, it appears that ISIS is adjusting its own plans.

With that, chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto joins us.

So what's the latest on that -- Jim.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, I'm told by senior military officials that as this air campaign, particularly inside Syria has ramped up, that ISIS has changed its behavior, its communication, its concealment in response moving around in effect. And there has been concern that they would move around particularly in the cities where there are more difficult target, but military officials tell me they remain confident that they have the intelligence, they have the targets to make this air campaign a success.

COOPER: So they have the target list. What's the next step for that?

SCIUTTO: Well, the next step is to show it to the president one more time. The Pentagon believes it has the target list prepared. The president now has to approve it and then move forward.

This is something, Anderson, that the Pentagon has been working around the clock on. They feel confident in that list. They just need the presidential sign-off now.

COOPER: You know, I mean, this is such a world away from what the White House was pushing for with Syria just a year ago.

SCIUTTO: And a world away from the response. You remember the president felt when he was thinking of striking President Bashar al- Assad's forces after the use of chemical weapons, he felt he needed congressional approval and then when he was going to go to Congress, he realized he did not have congressional support to do it. Now just a year later, almost to the day, he goes back and he gets pretty overwhelming votes in both the House and the Senate supporting military action in Syria, although on a different side.

And in fact, arming the Syrian rebels. A remarkable turn of events. And I think it shows you, Anderson, just how the country has turned. You know, Congress following public opinion here where the public where a year ago clearly had no appetite for military action in Syria. Now with the threat from ISIS, it does.

COOPER: And really (INAUDIBLE) for those beheading videos.

Jim, appreciate the update. Let's go now to Dana Bash on Capitol Hill for more on the Senate vote tonight.

How did the vote break down?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was overwhelming. There was bipartisan support, 78 senators voted for it, only 22 against it. And the no votes were pretty split. There were Democrats who did not like this idea and were very vocal about it. And same goes for Republicans. So it was not that different from what we saw in the House with regard to parties crossing for and against.

COOPER: This is obviously very limited vote on just -- on any aiding rebels in Syria. Is there absolutely no appetite on Capitol Hill for a vote on the larger military action?

BASH: There is an appetite for it. That's what's so ironic. But there seems to be more of an appetite for getting out of town, as Congress just did, Anderson, maybe half an hour ago to go home from now through the election to campaign to keep their jobs. I mean, that's just the bottom line.

A lot of members of Congress I talked to as they were leaving said that they did wish that they could. They did wish that they could stay and have a debate on this. But that was not an option for them, which is why you did see this vote tonight on, as Jim was saying, a much, much more limited, very narrow authority for the president to train and arm the Syrian rebels.

But even that, they had to go through some sort of legislative kabuki theater to get that done. You and I talked last night about the fact that the House had a separate vote but then tucked it into a must-pass spending bill to keep the government running. That was -- and that's what the Senate voted on tonight.

That was a carefully coordinated strategy, I'm told, by the Republican House speaker and the Democratic Senate majority leader Harry Reid because both felt the need to get this done and they knew that because their rank-and-file -- I'm not sure how -- was going to go, they decided to do this. As I said, legislative kabuki theater.

COOPER: I just wanted to go about to something you said because folks are checking their calendar or maybe they're shaking their heads. They have a right to. Lawmakers just came back from recess two weeks ago. They're now leaving town for another recess until the election in November?

BASH: That's right, and when it comes to the house they're actually leaving a week earlier than they were scheduled to. The House was originally scheduled to be here in town until about the end of September to have about a month again back home to campaign. But they skipped town today. So a week earlier. And you're right, they were all back home with their constituents for about five weeks in -- in August and the first week of September.

Came back only for two weeks to go right back and campaign. It should be maybe not that surprising. It is tradition. But when things are as they are in the world, there were a lot of lawmakers who don't make the decisions about what to do here, not very happy about the fact that they were --

COOPER: That's like a European work schedule.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: You know? It's like --

BASH: Except in Europe, they don't campaign. They actually vacation.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: Yes. Well. All right, Dana, thanks very much.

As always you can find out more on the story and others on CNN.com.

Just ahead, the out-of-control Ebola crisis in West Africa sparking unprecedented action at the United Nations today. We're going to talk to U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Powers. She's going to join me ahead on that.

And also coalition building for -- action against ISIS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Today at the United Nations, something pretty extraordinary happened. For the first time in the history of the U.N., an emergency meeting was held on a public health crisis, Ebola.

The Security Council voted to designate the outbreak that's raging uncontrolled in West Africa, a, quote, "threat to international peace and security." This is as the World Health Organization released new numbers showing the toll more than 2600 people have died from Ebola, more than 5,000 have been infected with the virus.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon announced plans to create a special mission headed by a special envoy to try to combat Ebola.

Earlier today I spoke to Samantha Powers, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Ambassador Powers, the U.S. is sending 3,000 troops to Liberia to deal with the Ebola crisis. Obviously that's a huge deployment for public health crisis. What happens, though, in Guinea, in Sierra Leone? Is focusing on Liberia enough? Will they be dealing with people from Guinea and Sierra Leone, training people from there in Liberia?

SAMANTHA POWERS, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Well, first let me say it's a regional join task force so it is meant in fact to support U.N. and country efforts across the region when it is stood up. But I've also just come from a Security Council session where we had a doctor from Liberia begging the rest of the international community to step up, whether with troops or with beds or with doctors or even soap and buckets, as he put it at one point, to help people.

So there has been a call to action today of a kind we've never seen before in the history of the United Nations and we're hopeful that it won't just be these 3,000 U.S. troops but then on the civilian side and even on the military and logistic side that we'll see much more substantial contributions from others.

COOPER: It is incredibly frustrating, obviously, for the people in those countries and for anybody who's concerned about this that, you know, a doctor is at the U.N. today begging for soap and buckets from these countries. I know you would have said that resources previously being put into the epidemic are woefully inadequate. That was your term.

When you talk with ambassadors at the U.N. why aren't their countries doing more? What kind of pushback are getting? What kind of response do you get?

POWERS: Well, I don't think the penny drops for quite a while. And that's true really of all countries across the U.N. system. I think traditionally Ebola outbreaks have been dealt with, you know, in the countries in question with a little bit of international support. And this epidemic -- this virus has spread and become an epidemic partly because of where it landed, West Africa had never seen Ebola before, didn't have any of the capabilities.

And it hit in the first instance right at that border between Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia so it spread immediately into the three countries, and then into the cities, particularly into Monrovia. So it has spread more quickly, I think, than people fully ingested.

Today's session, though, I want to stress, Anderson, I do think, is very significant. This is the first emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on a health issue in the history of the United Nations. We had 134 co-sponsors of a resolution calling on countries to do far more, calling on countries to lift the travel restrictions, and the other forms of isolation that they've imposed on these three countries that have been struck by this epidemic.

So we saw today something we've never seen in the history -- nearly 70-year history of the United Nations. Words are meaningless unless the words today translate into concrete commitments that fill the gap again between kind of moral support which I think these countries have and tangible resources of all kinds which is what they need.

COOPER: I also want to ask you about the expanded U.S.-led effort against ISIS. In Iraq, it obviously relies on Iraqi military, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in the north.

What about the Shia militias that have mobilized? They are now enmeshed with Iraqi military units actually in the field.

Is the United States now going to be in a position of advising Shia militia groups that are enmeshed with these Iraqi military units?

POWERS: Well, we are focused again on our national security imperatives here which is dealing with an ISIL threat that is grave to the region, to any American citizen that crosses its path. And of course to the homeland over time, given their stated intentions toward us.

A vast coalition of countries has come together. Secretary Kerry will be chairing a meeting here at the Security Council tomorrow where I think as many as 50 countries will speak, half at the ministerial level. So there's a broad coalition of countries. It's no secret that the Iraqi government in recent took a more sectarian tone and that's one of the reasons that Sunni didn't really see the central government as representing its interests.

And that ISIL in some quarters found sympathy, more sympathy given its brutality than it ever should have. We've heard from those Sunni tribes, many of them anyway, a great eagerness to break away but lacking the means to do so. The government in Iraq has relied on Shia militia and they are active fighting ISIL as well. But we are not coordinating or in any way viewing Shia militia as a long-term viable means of actually dealing with ISIL.

COOPER: And just finally, you know, I've gotten a lot of tweets from viewers. They said why does the U.S. have to be the one who's stepped in and once again are leading the way in Iraq? I mean, you said what if the U.S. didn't do that. There are plenty other countries who have perhaps an even greater security concerns right now that face from ISIS. Regional player, Jordan, you know, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, plenty of other countries in the region, even Western Europe who probably have greater security concerns and a greater -- face a greater threat from ISIS right now in the short-term than the United States does.

Why does the U.S. have to lead the way?

POWERS: Well, we certainly agree with the overwhelming opinion of the American people, which is that this burden has to be shared and that ISIL is a threat not only to the United States but to the region. And if the countries in the region that want to see ISIL destroyed over time need to be part of this coalition and need to put skin in the game. Whether it's humanitarian airdrops or military support to the Iraqis or the Kurds or airstrikes.

So we -- I agree with the general premise but I would ask again who would you expect in the 193 countries of the United Nations to lead if not the United States? And I would also again recall what ISIL has done to two Americans who did nothing more than travel to Syria just to tell the story of what was happening to people there, to try to bring home the suffering of the Syrian people and the monstrosity and the horror of what ISIL inflicts on Americans who cross their paths.

This is a terrorist group that the United States has a clear national security imperative of dealing with and we have mobilized or ready a coalition that I think is going to expand in breathe and depth overtime as this mission continues.

COOPER: Samantha Powers, we do appreciate you being on, thank you.

Up next tonight, we now know details of the domestic violence charges against Arizona Cardinals runningback, Jonathan Dwyer, they are in a word, sickening. That is not the only NFL domestic violence development tonight.

Plus, new clues tonight in the search for missing UVA student, Hannah Graham. What a newly released surveillance video shows. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, later tonight there is going to be a candlelight vigil at the University of Virginia in Charlottes Ville, where the FBI has joined the search for a missing sophomore, Hannah Graham.

She vanished five days ago in the early hours of the weekend. Investigators are trying to piece together her movements that night using images from a surveillance camera like this one and text messages that she sent to friends.

Today, police said they want to question a man they described as African-American male in his late 20s or early 30s with a close shaved head, a goatee and a slight beer belly. They also released new surveillance video from that night. Randi Kaye has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New video of University of Virginia student, Hannah Graham, caught on camera while out for a long night of drinking with friends. At times, she appears confused and disoriented.

At 1:06 a.m., these surveillance cameras show Hannah on the mall in downtown Charlottes Ville. See the man in the light-colored shorts, he ducks into a doorway, when Hannah passes by he follows her.

CHIEF TIMOTHY LONGO, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA POLICE: She was vulnerable and may not have been in a position to protect herself or defend herself.

KAYE: The man seen in the video tailing Hannah told police she appeared distressed and he wanted to make sure she was safe. Also that he stopped following her after he saw a black man approach Hannah and put his arm around her. Police have not commented on whether or not they believe the first man's story. As for the second man, he is not seen anywhere in the surveillance video, though, late today, police did say they want to speak with him.

About 20 minutes after Hannah was seen on that mall surveillance camera, at 1:20 a.m., police say she texted friends about a party, but never showed up. The text was the last anyone heard from her.

LONGO: There was a particular text that would lead us to believe that she was lost.

KAYE: Lost in an area police say she was familiar with. And there is more, surveillance video from earlier in the night, at 9:30 p.m., Friday night, that is when Hannah Graham left her apartment. She grabbed dinner with friends and then went to a party.

After leaving that party around 12:15 a.m. Saturday, she headed towards an Irish pub. Forty five minutes later, about 1:00 a.m., police say cameras caught Hannah running toward the downtown mall.

Strangely, nobody appeared to be chasing her, which brings us back to this video, a jewelry store on the mall at 1:08 a.m. The last time, Hannah Graham was seen on camera alive.

LONGO: Pick up the phone and tell us something regardless of how insignificant you think it might be.

KAYE: Her parents released this statement. Hannah is beyond precious to us. We are truly devastated by her disappearance. It is totally out of character for us not to have heard from her and we fear foul play.

And they may have good reason to. At least three other young women have disappeared here in the last five years including Virginia Tech student, Morgan Harrington. She went missing in 2009 after a rock concert at UVA. No arrests were ever made.

Police have reportedly checked the area where Harrington's remains were found for clues in this latest case. That had some raising concerns about a possible serial killer. But police remain laser focused on finding Hannah Graham. Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Troubling, we are getting new information on that Florida mass shooting happening in Belle, Florida, just northwest of Gainesville. Authorities right now are briefing reporters saying a local grandfather shot and killed his daughter and six grandchildren ages 3 months to about 10 years old.

Police were called and they confronted him. They say he shot himself. We'll continue to monitor that. We'll bring you new developments. There is a lot more happening tonight. Susan Hendricks has a 360 Bulletin -- Susan. SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, more developments sadly from the intersection of domestic violence from the National Football League. The Arizona Cardinals today cutting ties with runningback, Chris Rainey.

He pleaded no contest back in 2013 to disorderly conduct in connection to allegations he slapped his girlfriend. He was playing for the Steelers back then who cut him.

Rainey was also kicked off his college team, the University of Florida after an arrest and a charge of aggravated stalking. He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor of stalking.

So this is the third team that has booted him essentially. Get this, though, the cardinals had just picked him up signing him to the practice squad just nine days ago.

Knowing his background and evidently OK with it. Now they have apparently decided otherwise. It happened on the same day that details emerged on teammate, Jonathan Dwyer's aggravated assault charges.

Police today saying he head-butted his wife, breaking her nose after she refused his sexual advances. Then a day later, they say he punched her in the face.

Also following this, tonight, a 37-year-old man is facing arson charges in connection with the largest wildfire burning out of control in California. He is being held on a $10 million bond.

And the king fire which he allegedly set is for more than 70,000 acres, more than 6,000 firefighters are battling ten wildfires across the state of California.

How about this? Now is your chance to own a skull cap worn by Pope Francis, it's being auctioned on eBay by a comedy show that got hold of it when the pontiff did an interview. He apparently made a trade with an actor. Bidding has already topped $200,000 -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right, Susan, thanks very much. Late developments tonight in the Joan Rivers' death investigation. Susan Candiotti has been following the story. She joins us now with the latest. So what have you learned, Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Anderson. Tonight, through surrogates, Dr. Gwen Korovin is pushing back denying she took a selfie of Joan Rivers, her long-time patient. A source close to the investigation tells CNN that staffers told authorities she did.

CNN getting this statement from a source close to the doctor. Dr. Korovin categorically denies that the doctor took a selfie with Joan Rivers. The source also categorically denies the allegation that the doctor performed an unauthorized procedure on Rivers.

Well, we now have new details from our source about what investigators have been told happened in the room. One witness says when the doctor took a selfie, she made a comment, paraphrasing here, that Joan would, "get a kick out of this or love it."

And there was more from the source about the official medical procedures that day. Staffers tell authorities that it went like this. Dr. Korovin begins with a laryngoscopy, a procedure that involves looking down the throat.

It can involve a biopsy taking a tissue sample. Next, Dr. Cohen does an endoscopy, inserting a camera down your throat and into your stomach. He sees something. Then Dr. Korovin attempts to do another laryngoscopy presumably to investigate.

At that point, Rivers' vocal chords begin to swell. She goes into cardiac arrest. The source says Korovin was not certified to perform any procedure in the clinic.

In a statement, the doctor source does not address that. Her lawyers now sending CNN a statement. It reads in part, "Dr. Korovin is highly experienced, board certified, respected and admired by her peers, and revered by her patients."

It goes on to say because of her personal and professional policy she, quote, "does publicly discuss her patients." Now at this time, the doctors and clinic are not accused of wrongdoing.

Three agencies are investigating the medical examiner, the State Health Department and the federal agency regulating Medicare payments to clinics. Now, our source says investigators have not been able to talk with Dr. Korovin nor had access to her phone. Anderson, and of course, it is not clear when all the investigations will be done.

COOPER: All right, Susan, thanks very much.

Coming up, what you never know about Whitey Bulger, the notorious Boston gang leader and convicted murderer. Tonight, CNN is airing a documentary about his complicated relationship with the FBI. Complicated to say the least. We'll have a preview of that next.

Also ahead the latest from Scotland where voters today decide whether they will break away from the United Kingdom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, tonight, right after this program, CNN is going to air a really fascinating documentary about the complicated legacy of James "Whitey" Bulger, the infamous Boston gang leader, who eluded authorities for more than 16 years before he was finally arrested in 2011.

Here is a preview of the film, "Whitey, United States of America, James J. Bulger."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Prosecutors describe James "Whitey" Bulger as the center of mayhem and murder in Boston for 30 years, the boss of Boston's notorious Winter Hill gang. A man so dangerous that he joined Osama Bin Laden at the top of the FBI's most wanted list.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the gang that ran amok, you have people being exported, talk to having shotgun barrels stocked in their mouths, of machine guns pointed at their groin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Body bags showing, before Bulger shakes them down. It was absolute terror. Back then, '70s, '80s, people are missing every day. Didn't come home. He is a dead man. They're never going to find him.

Brian Howard, dead, bodies were being taken left and right. And they were involved in this circle of -- in South Boston.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have a fascination with Whitey Bulger as a Robin Hood figure, this elusive Houdini-like crime boss. His younger brother, Bill Bulger, was Senate president, the most powerful politician in Massachusetts. All of this stuff that was sort of magical about him that made him seem beyond reach of law enforcement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were over 25 years where James Bulger ruled the organized crime world. He was never charge of even a misdemeanor. The Department of Justice did nothing to prosecute him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitey was the guy that got away. Whitey was the guy out in the wind thumbing his nose, I won, for years. So today it is huge. You know, I think that -- there are so many people who never thought that day this would ever happen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: You heard it right there from Shelly Murphy, who has covered the Bulger case and organized crime in Boston since 1985. She is a "Boston Globe" reporter and co-author of "Whitey Bulger, America's Most Wanted Gangster and The Manhunt That Brought Him to Justice."

Shelley Murphy joins me now from Boston. It's great to have you on the program. I mean, I don't think for people who didn't fully follow this story. It is hard to understand sort of the mythology around this guy. I mean, there were a lot of people who thought he was like a ghost. That he would never be apprehended.

SHELLEY MURPHY, CO-AUTHOR, "WHITEY BULGER: AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Well, that is absolutely true. I mean, Whitey is the most notorious gangster certainly in the Boston area and became infamous across the country when he was one of the FBI's ten most wanted for decades.

He was right there on the list next to Osama Bin Laden. And he is a man who was larger than life here. He ran one of the most sprawling criminal organizations in Boston for years and was greatly feared. And while he was on the run they were digging up secret graves in Boston that carried the bodies of his victims.

COOPER: And in the film you hear him talking to his attorney from jail insisting that he never ratted other gangsters in Boston. And for him that was a big point of contention. He didn't mind it seems like being a called a brutal murderer, all these things, but he didn't want to be called a rat.

MURPHY: That is absolutely right. There is nothing more important than not being an informer, but it is OK to be a rat. Whitey spent a lifetime trying to convince people that he was a gangster with Skruples, and that they don't rat on their friends. So that was the most important thing for him at his trial last year to convince the public, "I was not a rat."

COOPER: But was he?

MURPHY: Was he -- I believe there is overwhelming evidence that he was. Whitey would have you believe that this was one corrupt FBI agent who created this informant file, filled it with information about information about the cover-ups.

In fact, Whitey met with many FBI agents including the head of the FBI office in Boston, who assessed you know, whether they should keep him on as an informant. And I think you know the key here is that Whitey was not a very good informant.

And I think he used the FBI more than they used him. And that is how he justified the relationship. And he got more out of it than they did.

COOPER: And I understand he apparently has a grudge against you personally. He sent someone an article that you wrote and added his own message to it. What was that?

MURPHY: Yes, he recently included an article I wrote in a letter to someone and he circled by bio line and said, "One enemy of the Bulger family."

COOPER: When you heard that, what did you think?

MURPHY: I was very happy he was convicted and behind bars, not still out on the run.

COOPER: It is amazing, I mean, how it all came to an end. He was this guy living in a kind of, you know, kind of low level apartment in California.

MURPHY: You know, it has so many bizarre twists and turns that it is greater than any story that you could -- you know, any fiction story. I mean, in the end not only is he living in a rent-controlled apartment in Santa Monica, but he is captured becausee1 of tip from a former Ms. Iceland, who became friendly with Whitey's girlfriend.

COOPER: You got to watch out for those former Ms. Icelands, they will turn on you on a dime apparently.

MURPHY: By the way, I might add that Ms. Iceland, Ashleigh watched the CNN broadcast about a new campaign to try to find Whitey and recognize this photo, and that was the tip. You guys can take credit for that.

COOPER: That's incredible. Good for Ms. Iceland, that is a brave thing to have dropped a dime on Whitey Bulger.

MURPHY: Absolutely.

COOPER: Shelly, it is a fascinating story, I appreciate you being on. Shelly Murphy, thank you so much. "Whitey, United States of America v. James J. Bulger" airs in just a few minutes at 9 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Just ahead, there is breaking news, a live report from Scotland where voters yesterday were asked an historic yes or no question, should Scotland be an independent country. The early returns are showing next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Welcome back, more now on the breaking news, the manhunt for this man, Eric Frein, who is wanted for the ambush killing of one Pennsylvania state trooper and the wounding of another. Jason Carroll joins us once again. Jason, anymore activity.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Still, activity out here in the area where Eric Frein grew up. And I can also tell you that this activity, Anderson, is due to a tip that law enforcemente1 received earlier this evening.

That tip coming from someone who recognized Eric Frein, said he knew what he looked like. Said that he saw him here in the area near his home where he had lived with his parents.

So that is why you saw the flurry of activity that we still continue to see out here in the area. The area is still blocked off near Frein's home. Residents not allowed into the area. They're being kept away.

Still a very heavy police presence in that area, as well. We're hoping to get some more information about that. But as you know earlier today, authorities did come out and say that they believe that Eric Frein was still in the area.

COOPER: All right, very dangerous situation. Jason, appreciate it.

Breaking news now from Scotland where it is all over, but the counting voters today presented with a ballot with this question, should Scotland be an independent country?

The answer is yes in one single moment, which could come at any moment tonight as the votes are tallied. History will be undone. CNN international correspondent, Max Foster joins us now from just outside Edinburgh, in Scotland, the wee, wee hours. So what do we know about the polls? What's the early votes?

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the wee, wee islands are starting to report. And they just reported and it's a no as far as they're concerned. But only marginally, it was quite close, just over 50 percent that went for a no to independence. The first result we've had, but there was only 35,000 voters there and there are millions of votes in this. So you can probably tell much from that. We'll have smaller votes coming through. It is only in our time we're getting the biggest sense, where we can really make the big judgment --

COOPER: But huge turnout?

FOSTER: Yes, absolutely massive turnout. So on average, eight or nine out of ten voters turning out today. So really, it is a democracy in action. So whatever the results is, yes, it will really represent the Scottish view.

COOPER: And even if Scotland does win its independence, the actual independence doesn't go into effect for another year and a half, right?

FOSTER: That is right. If it is a no, we'll have a statement from David Cameron in the morning describing how it's going to a lot more devolved power for Scotland. So it will be a huge change in the system here in the U.K. Anyway, I think it's going to move towards the U.S. system as a result of this whatever happens with the final result.

COOPER: So it's interesting, if they vote not to become an independent country there will be big changes in the way Scotland governs and governs itself, taking much more power from England over to Scotland. It will have a major impact on the way things happen there.

We'll continue to follow it through the evening, obviously on CNN and CNN International. Max, appreciate the update. That does for us on 360. CNN Films "Whitey, United States Of America v. James J. Bulger" starts now.