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At This Hour

Manhunt In Canada For 2 Men Accused Of Killing 10 In Stabbing Spree; More Than 900 Delays Reported For Air Travelers; Memphis Police Searching For Teacher Abducted While Jogging; 2 Killed In Mill Fire As CA Wildfires Grow. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired September 05, 2022 - 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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[11:00:18]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Buenos dias. Good morning. Hello, everyone. We hope you're having a Happy Labor Day. Right now, a manhunt is underway for two suspects after a mass stabbing leaves 10 people dead and more than a dozen injured, with the latest on that search.

Plus, President Biden taking his midterm message to two battleground states. What we'll hear from the President as he makes his case to voters. And extreme weather from coast to coast, Georgia coping with historic one in a 1,000-year flooding, while California faces a record busting heatwave amid deadly wildfires. That's what we're watching for at this hour.

Thank you so much for sharing part of your Labor Day with us. I'm Boris Sanchez in for Kate Bolduan. At this hour, a manhunt is underway in Canada for two suspects in a stabbing spree that left 10 people dead and 15 others injured. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police say the attacks were spread out across 13 different locations. They centered around an indigenous community and a nearby village in Saskatchewan.

Right now, police say the motive is not known, but they believe some of the victims were specifically targeted, while others were random. Police have named the two suspects. Here they are, 31-year-old Damien Sanderson, and 30-year-old Myles Sanderson. They're believed to be traveling in a black Nissan Road, but it's possible they may have changed vehicles since.

Let's get straight to CNN's Paula Newton. She's live for us in Ottawa, Canada, for the very latest developments. Paula, what are you hearing?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris, you know, the news in the last couple of hours from police, again, is that these two suspects incredibly dangerous remain at large. And that's quite concerning at this point because the last known citing police believe was in Regina, Saskatchewan. It's about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from these communities. And they believe they were last seen around midday yesterday.

I want you to listen now though to the police chief from Regina talking about how so many more tips from the public are needed if they're to catch these suspects. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF EVAN BRAY, REGINA POLICE SERVICE: We know, we are confident that someone out there knows the whereabouts of these two and has information that will be valuable to the police. And I urge you to get in touch with your local police service to let us know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: You know, what's disturbing about this Boris is despite the fact that law enforcement has basically swarmed to the area and they're getting help from all levels of government, still, they have not found the subjects. Now the communities themselves as you said, 13 separate crime scene so far, 10 dead, more than a dozen injured. People wondering now if there are still other victims out there, Boris, that may have sought out medical help in their local communities. They also want them to go come forward.

It goes without saying that the Prime Minister here Justin Trudeau, putting out a statement late last night saying, "I am shocked and devastated by the horrific attacks today in James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, Saskatchewan, that claimed the lives of 10 people and injured many more. As Canadians, we mourn with everyone affected by the tragic violence, and with the people of Saskatchewan."

And Boris, I have to tell you already, I've been trying to communicate with some people in the local community. Everyone has declined comment. You can really feel the gravity of these events, the violence of it and the fact that it may have affected some people from the same families and the same communities. We'll continue to watch this. We are expecting hopefully another update from police within the next few hours. Boris?

SANCHEZ: We know you'll keep watching the story closely for us. Paula Newton from Ottawa, thank you so much.

Joining us now to discuss the latest in the case, CNN National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem. She's a former Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. And also with us, CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Charles Ramsey. He's the former Philadelphia Police Commissioner and a former Police Chief of Washington, D.C.

Juliette, first to you, no motive yet --

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes.

SANCHEZ: -- but --

KAYYEM: No.

SANCHEZ: -- the indications are that some of these victims were targeted, while others were random. What do you make of that?

KAYYEM: It's a horrific and strange combination of potential mode as we know that the indigenous nation that James Smith Cree Nation went under lockdown. We don't know if that's because there is a strong evidence that a certain community was targeted. But then if you just look at the at the breadth of killings, over such a sort of long stretch of geography, one has to assume that there were -- there might be just also random violence involved. So it starts as targeted and then becomes a spree.

So we just don't know yet. I think the other thing I'm sort of surprised at is, is that they are still in pursuit. I would have assumed just given the number of resources as Paula was saying that are just sort of, you know, headed towards that area.

[11:05:10]

They know who they are, they know who their family is, they have at least some identification of a car until they find them. The community is not going to be at ease. And I understand why they're not speaking to the media right now, actually.

SANCHEZ: And Chief Ramsey, Juliette brings up a good point, the area that police are canvassing is enormous.

KAYYEM: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Talk to us about some of the challenges that that brings up.

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I mean, it's an enormous area, it's a remote area, at least that's my understanding, which makes it very difficult. You have to assume that they know the landscape, so there probably are a lot of places where they could hide. And again, you know, they're asking for the public's help. There are people who know them that perhaps know areas that they tend to, you know, hang out in and so forth. And that's what the police are doing now, is they're actually searching everything.

They had a search overnight, they probably were using thermal imaging devices, anything they possibly can use to try to find these individuals who are in hiding right now. But hopefully, they can get them before anyone else is injured.

SANCHEZ: And Chief Ramsey, there's also a challenge in processing 13 different crime scenes, what's that like?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, 13 different crime scenes, each one requires protection, you have to protect the crime scene, you have to process the scene. That is unusual. The other part of this is very unusual for us in America. It's the fact we're talking about mass stabbings here. Usually --

KAYYEM: Yes.

RAMSEY: -- we're talking about mass shootings. So this is quite different in terms of what's being used to commit these particular crimes. But again, it's a challenge all the way around. At the same time, they're trying to find these folks. There are other officers that are there, actually processing scenes. They're also interviewing witnesses, interviewing family, probably executing search warrants. There are a lot of things going on right now.

SANCHEZ: Juliette, the fact that it was a mass stabbing, that's --

KAYYEM: Yes.

SANCHEZ: -- an uncommon crime. What does that tell you about the nature perhaps of the motive, if you could speculate on that?

KAYYEM: So it -- I think, it has more to do with access, and in some ways that each country -- this is horrible to say -- but each country sort of has their mass murder weaponry, and in cases where it's not easy in countries where it's not very easy to get guns, we've seen stabbings before is that we've seen them in Europe and in other areas. So that may be one explanation.

The other is, of course, their desire that they actually wanted this kind of killing, for whatever reason, and that's where the motive comes into play. Are they people who are experts in guns or knifings or stabbing someone people who have sort of obsession with guns and swords, we don't know what kind of knives they are. And this is the challenge.

So in sudden crises, like a mass shooting that Chuck and I are on -- you know, Chief Ramsey and I are on all the time about, you know, you sort of know what your pool of victims is, because it's a limited area, and it's happened so fast. This is something that was sort of a slow roll killing. And I think what's important, and as Paula was saying is, we actually -- it's very likely that there might be others who were victims who go to local areas, they're not identified as part of the pool because it because the pool is so big, or the geographic area is so big.

And this often happens where we may find over the next 24 or 48 hours, other instances or attempts. And that may be helpful, actually, in terms of identifying and that -- or in terms of capturing these guys eventually. But look, until they're captured, this is a really stressful situation for people in the area. And certainly, if they got into a car, people who might engage or encounter them.

SANCHEZ: Yes, this is obviously a story we're following very closely.

KAYYEM: Yes.

SANCHEZ: So Juliette Kayyem, Charles Ramsey, we hope you don't go too far in case there are updates and we need your expertise.

KAYYEM: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much.

So obviously, Labor Day marks the end of a busy summer travel season. Hopefully the start to an easier time for travelers. More than 12 million are expected to travel through the skies this Labor Day weekend.

Let's take you now to Reagan National Airport and the mayor of DCA. CNN's Pete Muntean who's live there for us. Pete, this summer has been marred by delays and cancelations. How does it look today?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: So far so good today, Boris. I just checked FlightAware. We just crossed the 900-delay mark, but only 65 flights have been canceled, which is pretty miniscule when you consider the 45,000 flights that have been canceled in the U.S. since June 1st. Also notable, there are no FAA imposed ground delays or ground stops right now.

So there should be a pretty easy day for travel, although that day is still pretty young, take into consideration that there's been so much pressure on the airlines that have been struggling with the staffing shortages not only from passengers but also from the federal government, also from their workers.

[11:10:12]

Members of the Airline Pilots Association protested at major hubs across the country just past Thursday, to say that most of the staffing issues that airlines are experiencing are primarily self- inflicted. Overall, this weekend has been relatively low cancelation wise. The worst that we saw was yesterday, 210 cancelations, which is about a quarter of the worst day of last week. We saw 800 mostly because of weather last Tuesday.

Things are getting a little better. And passengers remain pretty undaunted. 2.3 million people pass through security at America's airports on Thursday. That's number is significant. Because it's 200,000 people more than the same day back in 2019 before the pandemic. You know, airlines need a really big win here, especially because they've been under this pressure from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. He has pushed them to rewrite that fine print attached to your ticket in more clear language.

And what's so interesting is that a lot of airlines did so and they're all stacked up in a DOT, Department of Transportation dashboard, which is now online. You can more easily see what you're entitled to in the case of a delay or cancelation, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Good bit of advice therapy, especially with the winter holiday season quickly approaching. Pete Muntean from DCA, thank you so much.

So coming up, President Biden is hitting the campaign trail trying to sway voters in some key battleground states. How those visits could impact tight races for the U.S. Senate? And police now have a suspect in custody in the abduction of a teacher in Memphis. The latest on the search for Eliza Fletcher straight ahead.

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[11:16:08]

SANCHEZ: President Biden is not taking this Labor Day off. He's hitting the road speaking and not one but two key battleground states. He's going to be in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, two states that feature Senate races that could determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.

Let's take you now to Milwaukee and CNN's Omar Jimenez, who is live where Biden is delivering remarks this afternoon. Omar, recent polling in Wisconsin shows a much tighter than expected Senate race.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris. Wisconsin is one of those places heading into these midterms that is going to be tightly contested. It's a race between Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes and the incumbent Senator Ron Johnson. Now, when we look ahead to today on this Labor Day, President Biden obviously expected to come here to Milwaukee to speak in the White House says his message on this Labor Day is going to celebrate the dignity of American workers.

President Biden left D.C. not too long ago this morning. He's on his way here to Wisconsin and expected to make those remarks in the next hour. But, of course, when you look at that Senate race, no word on whether Lieutenant Governor Barnes will be meeting with President Biden on this. His campaign says Barnes will be just generally out and about. But we do expect to see Governor Tony Evers here who's locked in his own gubernatorial race for reelection as part of these midterms.

Now, this is a state obviously, that President Biden took by just a little more than 20,000 votes. So every vote here is going to be critical, not just here, but in Pennsylvania, where he'll had next after this event, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Always fascinating to see who campaigns with the incumbent and who's out and about maybe somewhere else. Omar Jimenez live from Milwaukee, thank you so much.

We want to pivot now to a developing story out of Tennessee where police are searching for a Memphis teacher who they believe was abducted while she was out for a jog on Friday morning. Prosecutors have now charged a man in her disappearance. CNN's Gary Tuchman is live in Memphis with the very latest. And Gary, a pair of sandals are apparently a key part of evidence now in this investigation.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Evidence that was found right near where I'm standing that they believe are the suspect sandals. And they did a DNA investigation that determined that, that is one of the things they're looking at right now. I can tell you, Boris, that Eliza Fletcher is a wife, a mother of two small boys, a beloved school teacher, and she remains missing. And the man who's been charged with kidnapping her is not talking. And that's why there is grave concern over the situation.

On Friday, she was jogging right here. We are next to the University of Memphis, east of downtown Memphis. She was talking very early Friday morning before dawn around 4:00 a.m. It was dark outside. We just saw a couple of joggers come by a short time ago. This is a popular jogging path. But this horrifying incident happened right when she got to this intersection.

And we know that it happened at this intersection because of a surveillance camera that's on a building over there. And that camera caught a man getting out of a black SUV, attacking a woman who was jogging by, grabbing her, forcing her into his vehicle. They struggle. He then drove off into the parking lot right next to where we're standing, stayed in the parking lot for about four minutes and then drove off and disappeared.

Police, obviously, of information they're not giving us and we know that specifically because of an affidavit that's been released by authorities. I want to read it to you, it's chilling. "It is believed and supported by the facts and physical evidence that she suffered serious injury. Further, it is probable and apparent from witness statements that these injuries left evidence, for example, blood, in the vehicle the defendant cleaned."

Authorities did interview a woman who says she saw the suspect looking at the vehicle, cleaning the vehicle, saying that he was cleaning it with floor cleaner and acting strangely. U.S. Marshals to do have the vehicle. They say they believe it's the same vehicle that was here and they found it at his house. Boris?

[11:20:12]

SANCHEZ: Gary Tuchman reporting from Memphis, Tennessee. We hope that family gets some resolution on her whereabouts soon. Thank you, Gary.

Some eye-opening video to share with you from New York. A frightening car chase, a crash and then subsequent robbery, all of it caught on camera by innocent bystanders. That's a black Mercedes slamming into that silver Toyota SUV. Police say the SUV was being driven by a 56- year-old man who tries to get away. At one point, they get on the sidewalk. The Mercedes though slams into his car again. You see it's not letting it go anywhere.

A man jumps out of the Mercedes. You can hear bystanders shouting, he's got a gun. There it is. Police say the victim initially reported $20,000 was stolen. You see the guy eventually run back into the car. It appears that he's holding a bag. Police say though there are inconsistencies in the amount of money that was reported stolen. A scary moment there and the investigation we're told is ongoing.

Still to come, wildfires and heat alerts on one coast flooding on the other extreme weather impacting tens of millions of Americans this Labor Day. We'll take you to the west coast for a live report after a quick break.

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[11:26:20]

SANCHEZ: This Labor Day weekend, extreme weather is impacting Americans from coast to coast. More than 80 million people are now under flood watches across 15 states. This video from Northwestern Georgia, it was slammed with catastrophic flash flooding from a one in 1,000-year rainfall event and more rain is expected through tomorrow.

Meantime, on the West Coast, nearly 50 million people are under heat alerts facing extremely dangerous fire conditions. Officials in California confirmed two people were killed in a wildfire that doubled in size over the weekend.

Let's go to Los Angeles now with CNN's Natasha Chen. She joins us with the details. Natasha, multiple wildfires burning across the state of California.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris. The one that we are eyeing right now in the mill fire that you just mentioned is in the northern part of the state. It's burning near the Oregon State Line. And the two people found dead were two women, unfortunately found on Friday, one age 66, one age 73, found within the city limits of Weed, California. That fire has burned more than 4,200 acres.

And currently, within the past hour, Cal Fire updated us that there are about 560 people still evacuated because of that fire. Just imagine the conditions right now for dangerous explosive fire behavior. We're talking about record temperatures, some that haven't been seen in decades. If we look at the heat map there on Sunday, already 45 places broke record temperatures. Look at how many are along the coasts that typically avoid excessive heat looking into the next week, more than 170 places expected to potentially break records.

If you look at the temperatures on Sunday that were broken, a lot of triple digits, including a couple places on that list there that haven't seen such temperatures since the 1960s. Back out here to Santa Monica. We're seeing a lot of people taking morning jogs, doing their exercise now before it really gets hot. We talked to one woman who is visiting from New York. She comes here several times a year and she knows what to expect from usually temperate beach weather. But here's what she said about how this week surprised her.

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CHEN: How would you describe it for a New Yorker?

MARILYN ABRAMS, VISITING FROM NEW YORK: I would say just go out early in the morning and then stay home. That's how I would describe it. It is hot. Really too hot to walk. And instead of walking on the beach yesterday, which was all sun, I walked on the streets in the shade but it was hot them too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: Usually the average highs here in Santa Monica and early September mid-70s. Yesterday, at sunset, still 80 degrees, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Some good advice there from Marilyn with the snazzy shades. Natasha Chen from Santa Monica, thank you so much.

CHEN: Yes.

SANCHEZ: We want to dig deeper on this now with Los Angeles Chief Heat Officer Marta Segura. Marta, thanks so much for sharing part of your Labor Day with us. Chief Heat Officer, you have a difficult task. You're trying to improve your city's response to heat waves. Last year, the L.A. Times said that California had largely failed to provide adequate resources to some of the communities that are most at risk. How is the city doing now compared to last year?

MARTA SEGURA, LOS ANGELES CHIEF HEAT OFFICER: Right. Well, I want to remind everyone that I was just acquitted maybe 812 weeks ago but I think the city is faring much better, also because we are opening up our facilities this year. We have 12 additional cooling centers. We have over 200 cool spots that we've invested in hydration stations, shade structures, et cetera.