Return to Transcripts main page

The Lead with Jake Tapper

Coverage of Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood Shooting; Police Spokesman Speaks to Press. Aired 4:30-5p ET

Aired November 27, 2015 - 16:30   ET

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

RON HOSKO: The callers, Denise and Qan(ph), really define this difficulty. Right now, we don't know if we have a barricaded subject so that the police have to negotiate the safe release of someone. Or -- or do we have a true hostage situation. And that -- that determination is gonna determine what kind of tactics they need to apply.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN: Encountering gun fire at this point, if they're encountering gun fire? What does that tell em? I mean, we spoke right before to -- uh to a -- to Chris Vauss who is a hostage negotiator that that indicates to him that this person whoever it is wants to get out?

HOSKO: Absolutely, we are assuming we are talking about one actor and not multiple, that there's not some uh -- assistant uh -- or coconspirator somewhere off in a tree line, or in the n-next neighbor trying to create confusion, or help in an escape attempt so it in a way is a positive, because the police ought to be able to narrow that down based on the geography. They ought to be able to narrow that down pretty quickly and then set a perimeter from which this person cannot escape and start to collect intelligence, certainly they have already and account for people in those businesses to determine with a head count, is everybody accounted for? Is this person just bunkered down somewhere and then they can consider you know using gas in some way bringing to a different sort of conclusion.

BERMAN: Uh, they are a-lot of businesses near by we spoken to two separate salons nearby people have been told to stay inside, to basically hid in the back of the stores and so many of the people in these businesses have seen police encountering gunfire. How hard is it to control? This looks like a big area right here, we're just looking at a map. How hard is it for law enforcement to control and area like this?

HOSKO: Well, well I think from what I saw it shouldn't be to -- to hard certainly Colorado Springs with the assistance of the County and the State and the Federal resources that are -- that are there should be having perimeter certainly set up by now particularly if there's gunfire coming from one general area. Set up a perimeter and start to close that perimeter in and evacuate people that need to be evacuated and better start to define the problem. And is that problem that we have multiple down, injured? We have people who need to be evacuated and whose left then? Uh, you know looking at cars in the parking lot, did this person come on foot? And a lot of this is interviewing people. Who saw what, trying to match up information, and determine did he come on foot, did he come in a car, was he dropped off? What does -- what does the video look like? Who can remake contact with that can help us understand what we have here.

BERMAN: All right, Ron Hosko thank you so much, stand by because we could be getting a police presser, not to long for now, more information. At this point, what we do know police tell us they are still encountering gunfire. We've heard from two local hospitals that six people have been transported to the hospital. The police tell us that three of theirs, three officers, have been injured. I'm joined here in New York by Harry Houck, CNN Law Enforcement Analyst, former NYPD Dectective, also by Jonathan Gilliam, CNN Law Enforcement Analyst, former Navy Seal and former FBI Special Agent.

BERMAN: Jonathan, still encountering gunfire.

JONATHAN GILLIAM: Right.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: What does that tell you?

GILLIAM: Well, it tells me that uh -- they probably are getting a better idea if not -- if not knowing for sure, where this shooter is at um and it -- all everything that we're hearing all the information is pointing back towards Planned Parenthood. Ah, the issue I have with this whole area though is that it's surrounded by um -- areas where another shooter could be hiding, if somebody was going in...

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: They did tell us th-that um -- the police spokesperson told us about half an hour ago that they did not know if there was a second shooter. They're training teaches them that they have to always be on the look out.

GILLIAM: Right.

BERMAN: We do know from some experience, in these types of situations, often times they say they don't know it does just turn out to be just one person.

GILLIAM: I think, we can probably assume though, that they do have a long gun because the reports from the individual that was at the beauty salon. That is a considerate distance -- considerable distance away for somebody to use a pistol or shotgun even um -- to where the officer was shot in the parking lot of that Chase bank. That's gonna tell me that somebody is shooting from a distance obviously with a long gun.

BERMAN: And Harry it's interesting and I want to be specific here because we spoke to a witness inside a hair salon who said she had heard 10 shoots fired and she had seen an officer go down. She seen an officer get shot, she did not tell us she saw the officers firing back. Essentially, what she said she saw was officers getting shot at repeatedly. HARRY HOUCK: Yeah, well it looks to be that -- that they knew the area

where the gunfire was coming from -- from for -- uh a police officer to return fire from where that officer was shot. Basically, you're not doing any good because it's too far away with the pistol. Now, I just read on the Fraternal Order of Police of Colorado uh -- twitter here that they uh -- about two hours ago that the active shooter is barricaded in the Planned Parenthood building with multiple victims. And now that would make sense what John was talking about (CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: Again, it -- it -- it we don't know for sure.

(CROSSTALK)

HOUCK: Also, but we're not we don't know for sure. Right.

BERMAN: We don't know this is something that needs to be confirmed at this point. All with know is that the initial call came from an address associated with Planned Parenthood. We do know obviously that a lot of shots have been fired. And we did hear from a witness again, at a nail salon, who told us one of the things police first told him was that there was a shooter inside Planned Parenthood firing out the window. That's it at this point.

HOUCK: So, that's pretty good information. You're hearing that from the word of a police officer, if this guy got the story right from the police officer.

GILLIAM: One thing, I would if people are watching this though in the surrounding areas, now there's an initial area where it's kind of a dead zone, there's no houses but right past that there are lots of homes. If people are watching this you need to be aware that this is going on and keep your wits about you because, this person if they have a long-gun and the ability to keep police at bay can maneuver themselves there's enough of a --

BERMAN: All right, hang on now one-second, we're hearing now again from a police spokesperson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: "The four officers were shot or were injured were all shot?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Yes."

QUESTION: "And have they been taken to the hospital, everyone who was injured?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "We have not-not transported everyone to the hospital at this point we're still working through the situation."

QUESTION: "Still, some people presumably stuck inside that building?"

(CROSSTALK)

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Don't know. Don't know until we get officers in there and get an assessment of the entire situation."

QUESTION: "Okay, the officers injured have they at least been transported?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Yes, some of the officers some of the officers that have been injured have been transported."

QUESTION: "Some but not all?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Some."

(INAUDIBLE)

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "I can't say for sure at this point but I know that we've had four that are injured."

QUESTION: "Do you know how many people -- how many shooters or?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "How many shooters?"

QUESTION: "Yeah, is there one? More then one?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Uh, at this point, we've encountered one shooter. But we always train for the possibility of additional people."

Unknown: I apologize my arm (INAUDIBLE) (CROSSTALK)

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "That's okay."

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) "Four officers injured?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Yes"

QUESTION: "Plus civilians?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Plus civilians."

QUESTION: "One active known shooter."

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Yes."

QUESTION: "There in uh -- in the (INAUDIBLE)"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "There in the Planned Parenthood building, which is in the 3400 block of St. (INAUDIBLE)

QUESTION: "The scanners have said they have him cornered. Can you confirm that?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "The officers inside the building have encountered the individual and they're working (CROSSTALK) (INAUDIBLE) at this time."

QUESTION: "And they are activily exchanging gunfire now?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Um, as of about a minute ago when I first came up for the briefing they were exchanging gunfire with him."

QUESTION: "Was this-this fourth officer they were they injured in this latest exchange of gunfire?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Yes, they were."

QUESTION: "Okay. The three were earlier."

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Yes."

QUESTION: "Um, so we have now any idea of how many total have been transported?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Do not have totals on transported yet."

QUESTION: "Okay so four-four individuals injured."

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Four officers injured."

QUESTION: "Four officers injured?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Yes and um -- "

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: "And how many more individuals -- and -- "

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "I don't know how many civilians at this time."

QUESTION: "No guess?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "I don't -- that would be unwise of me to make a guess."

QUESTION: "It was, they were reporting four earlier that's why -- "

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Yeah.That would be unwise of me to make a guess."

QUESTION: "Are you guys calling in folks from agencies outside the area now as well or is this still just all still kind of local."

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "So far it has been resources from El Paso County but we have also um -- called back additional resources within our own department."

(INAUDIBLE) (POOR AUDIO QUALITY)

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Yes, ma'am. There are civilians that are injured."

QUESTION: "Is there anything I missed at the beginning that maybe go over?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "No, just the -- this all started at 11:38 am this morning with the call for service." QUESTION: "11:38 am"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "Yes."

QUESTION: "Was you say was that a shots fired called?"

POLICE SPOKESPERSON: "It was a shots fired called. Okay."

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, a significant piece of information right there from that spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department. She just told us that officers inside that Planned Parenthood building there are exchanging gunfire right now with the gunmen, or gun-person I should say. Four officers have been injured, we just heard that an unknown number of civilians have been injured. But there are been injuries to civilians but the key piece of information now is we do have a geographic location. This is happening inside the Planned Parenthood building. And it is happening right now and it is on going according, to that police spokesperson. Hopefully, we are gonna re- rack that sound and listen to it again because there was a lot of new information in there. Again, an active shooter situation going on right now in Colorado Springs inside that Planned Parenthood building. Four officers injured, other civilians injured as well, and it's happening right now. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, John Berman here the breaking news out of Colorado Springs. Just a few minutes ago police told us there was an active shooter situation on going inside that Planned Parenthood building. You're looking at photo right there on the right, on the left your looking at live pictures of law enforcement and also medical personnel staging outside. Active shooter situation inside the Planned Parenthood, police exchanging fire we are told over just the last few minutes with the shooter who is inside that building. Four officers have been injured we have been told. We were also told that civilians have been injured, we do not know how many.

It is unclear if there have been any fatalities at this point but again the key here in ongoing active shooter situation inside the Planned Parenthood with an exchange of firing happening up until just a few minutes ago. On the phone with us right now is a man named Vince who was outside that area not long ago he heard shoots. All right sorry, hang on we are just at live pictures right now, I just saw a body or a stretcher, someone being transported for medical care. You can see it on the left hand side of your screen right there obviously there are trying to get medical care for some of the people inside. We have been told four officers have been injured. They have been transported already to medical facilities, an unknown number of civilians are hurt.

All right on the phone with us now, is a man name Vince, doesn't want to give us his last name, understandable. Vince was outside uh an-and heard shoots fired, was in the midst of the shoots fired. Vince, what happened? (BEGIN AUDIO PHONE CALL)

VINCE: Well, I was just walking into King's Supers to grab some groceries and um we were told to go back to our cars and um -- that's when a bullet cracked over my head and hit the stop sign on my left side. And I just kind of flipped the switch and tried to do crowd control and uh tried to get people back to their cars as fast as they could. And uh --

BERMAN: So you --

VINCE: And it was about a half an hour before I could actually get inside my truck and go away and during that time I was still trying to get the um -- civilians away safely so that they weren't in the middle of everything.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: So, you had been told to go to safety, to go to your cars, and it was when you were are the way to your car it was that the bullet sailed over your head and hit that stop sign.

VINCE: It was when I was talking to a lady at the King's Super's grocery store when the bullet fly over my head.

BERMAN: How many gunshots did you hear?

VINCE: Um, by the time I got to my truck and waited there I heard about 20.

BERMAN: 20 gunshots? Was there an exchange or was all the gunfire coming from one place?

VINCE: Yeah, it all sounded like it was coming from King's Super -- or not from King's Supers but uh Planned Parenthood.

BERMAN: So someone shooting from out of Planned Parenthood.

VINCE: Yeah.

BERMAN: It -- could you see law enforcement firing back? Or did you just see acitivity?

VINCE: Uh, no I couldn't see any law enforcement firing back but I did see a few police officers traveling to the parking lot towards Planned Parenthood.

BERMAN: Did you see anyone injured or hurt?

VINCE: Uh, no I didn't -- I didn't see any of that.

BERMAN: And at the point that this all happened were you able to get in your car and leave the scene?

VINCE: Uh, it was about half hour before I could actually get into my car and then I pulled around the corner to the gas station at King's Supers and stuck out and started turning people around their because I didn't want them going into the line of gunfire.

BERMAN: When was the last time you heard a gunshot?

VINCE: Um, about 12:40.

BERMAN: 12:40? How many, long ago was that about two hours ago?

VINCE: Yeah, about two hours ago.

BERMAN: All right, Vince, thank very much for being with us right now. We are glad that you are okay. The information we just got from Vince on the phone right now, he was outside he heard about 20 gunshots they all seemed to be coming from the Planned Parenthood he did not see officer fire back. We just heard from the Colorado Springs Police Department that there is an active shooter situation inside the Planned Parenthood.

BERMAN: Police exchanging, encountering, and exchanging fire with a- someone with a gun, a long gun we are told, inside that Planned Parenthood. Four officers injured, unknown number of civilians injured as well, we just saw someone being moved on a stretcher just a short time ago. We'll have much more after our break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: John Berman here in New York, the breaking news out of Colorado Springs an active shooter situation inside the Planned Parenthood there. Police telling us just a few minutes ago, that police are exchanging fire with somebody inside that Planned Parenthood. We now know that 8 people have been transported to local hospitals injured their conditions unknown, 4 officers have been injured, so 8 total 4 of them officers. Those numbers could very well change. We want to go to CNN's Tom Foreman, right now to give us a much better sense of the area where this is all happening because the layout here, Tom, very important.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN: Yeah, and we've been hearing an awful lot of locations in the middle of all of this John. If you think about we're all focused right now on the Planned Parenthood which is right up in this area, but you've heard people talk about the Chase bank. This distance is only say a quarter mile maybe less between the two so a person on foot could actually run that in a minute and a half if they were a little bit agitated. You hear people talk about the King's Supers and these small shops that's down here. King's Super is a grocery store chain in Colorado, so it's right down in now here this is another little restaurant area over here.

So when you talk about people saying that they saw the initial action around Chase Bank or thought it was coming from here, if you were in this area and police were being shot at here or there was some response here it would be easy especially with a high power rifle to think it was the bank but it could have been from this far away because that's a short distance. But that gives you a little lay of the land John, and some of the confusion surrounding all of this.

BERMAN: All right, Tom Foreman thanks so much. The geography, the layout, there is very important we are just seeing people being lead to cars. We just saw a woman in a blanket uh -- perhaps being lead out from inside that Planned Parenthood building. We don't know how many people were inside the building. We do not know how many people injured total so far at this point what we do know is that 8 people have been transported to local hospitals and we were told that 4 people injured. I'm joined here on set New York by-by Jonathan Gilliam, CNN Law Enforcement Analyst and Harry Houck, Law Enforcement Analyst as well. Guys, a lot of new information as people are being moved here, hopefully uh -- to be taken care of hopefully, these people are doing okay. Jonathan, active shooter situation going on, police exchanging inside the Planned Parenthood.

GILLIAM: Right, and we don't know in these pictures right here where exactly that is because, as Harry and I was just talking a moment ago, when you start to see ambulances move in your gonna know that the threat has been eliminated until then those ambulances will not move in. And with this if this is a -- a long-gun, such as an AR-15 or AK- 47, 600 yards is not a far distance.

BERMAN: And Harry, one thing another thing we do know is that there are shots being exchanged inside the Planned Parenthood, officers engaging, we also know that whoever was in there was shooting out because we know that officers were injured on the street.

(CROSSTALK) (INAUDIBLE)

HOUCK: The targets inside the-uh the location weren't enough for him and he started to shoot at some people shopping in that area. It shows you how dangerous this person is. And we are starting to see a lot of movement here and I'm -- I'm hoping that with all this movement we are seeing here that maybe this situation is over.

BERMAN: Let's hope. And we have about 45 seconds left, so let's keep our eye on the clock here Jonathan. But, this has been going on a long time!

GILLIAM: This is long time for an active shooter uh-scenario to be going on and I just think that they most likely could not get close to this building because this individual had some type of perch or was able to get eyes on law enforcement as they, as they came up.

BERMAN: All right, uh -- Jonathan Gilliam, Harry Houck thanks so much for being with us. Again, just to recap here an active shooter situation going on inside the Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs. Police saying they have been exchanging gunfire with that person inside, we heard that just a few minutes ago. We hear that just a few minutes ago that 8 people have been transported to local hospitals with injuries. We've seen people for the first time really we've seen people being lead out uh -- here so we do not know if this situation, if there's been a development in the last few minutes. Certainly for their sake we hope it's over soon. Again, active shooter situation going on inside the Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs. Eight people injured we are gonna have much more after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)