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3 Dead, 7 Wounded In Shreveport Shooting; Today: Philly Mass Shooting Suspect To Appear In Court; Multiple Mass Shootings In U.S. During Holiday Weekend; Rockets Fired From Gaza As Israel Pulls Out Of Jenin; CNN On The Ground In Jenin After Israeli Raid; Zelenskyy: "Objects Resembling Explosives" On Nuclear Plant. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired July 05, 2023 - 09:00   ET

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

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[09:00:20]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, the suspect accused of shooting and killing five people in Philadelphia is set to appear in court. And we've now learned of yet another mass shooting overnight in Louisiana. A closer look at the gun violence that shattered July 4th's celebrations across the country.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A dangerous new round of violence in the Middle East. Israeli forces launching what they call retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza. This just hours after wrapping up a major military operation.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And Republican presidential candidates are on the road again, rallying support from voters in key primary states. We're live with the Pence campaign and we're following these major developing stories and much more.

I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman and Kate Bolduan. You're watching CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: It was a violent holiday weekend across the country. A Fourth of July block party in Louisiana is the latest target. Three people were killed, seven others were injured when gun fire rang out at Shreveport's annual July 4th celebration.

In Philadelphia today, the suspect accused of randomly shooting at victims while roaming through a neighborhood is expected to appear in court for the first time. Five people were killed in that rampage Monday night. The youngest victim was just 15 years old. A toddler and a 13-year-old were also hurt after being shot multiple times in their legs.

CNN's Brynn Gingras and Ryan Young have the very latest for us. Ryan, the details are still coming in about that terrifying scene in Shreveport. What are you learning?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate. We're still waiting for video to come in from that scene. But what we're told is this was just pure chaos. The shooting happened at a block party for the Fourth of July and people were running, separated from their children and their families. Dropping their keys, actually stopping some of the first responders from being able to get in because cars couldn't be moved.

What we're learning so far, three dead, seven injured. And the big update right now, Kate, is we're expecting a news conference around 11:00 a.m. Eastern to give us the information about this. Now, I can tell you, Shreveport has been dealing with crime and gun violence for quite some time.

And this increasing gun violence in that city has put a lot of pressure on the police department. I can tell you, neighbors in this area have told us before, have actually talked to CNN about the increasing gun violence in this city. But right now, at that block party, no one's sure what set this off, and how many shooters there were, or the motive of this crime right now.

We just know that people started running, shots were being fired. Again, seven injured, three dead. We know that there'll be that news conference at 11:00 a.m., so hopefully we'll get some more information on this. But another shocking amount of gun violence in this country. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. All right, Ryan is going to stay close to this. We'll have an update on that little later in the show.

And then, Brynn, let's talk about Philadelphia, because today the suspect in Philadelphia is going to be in court. What charges are they facing?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, Kate, there are a number of charges that this suspect is now facing, 34 counts in total. Five counts of murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, gun possession charges. The suspect identified this morning by Kimbrady Carriker.

Now, what authorities say happened was early, really in the evening on Monday night, about 8:30, this suspect just went down the streets of Philadelphia into this one particular neighborhood, firing an AR-15 weapon while also wearing a bulletproof vests, wearing a ski mask, carrying a scanner, just firing indiscriminately at different victims.

There doesn't -- they don't believe at this point there is any relation between the victims and this suspect. And we learned from the district attorney there that also, they believe this suspect was also carrying a ghost gun. In addition to that AR-15, the guns obtained illegally.

Now, we know there are five people that were killed, the youngest of which was just 15 years old, one mother telling a CNN affiliate that her son, her youngest child, a 20-year-old, was also killed. He was just going to a local store to buy a candy bar.

We also know that there were two-year-old twins that were killed just in the backseat of the car that they were driving in with their mother. One shot several times in the leg, and is in stable condition along with a 13-year-old as well.

I want you to hear from local officials there in Philadelphia about this shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JIM KENNEY (D), PHILADELPHIA: And frustrated and outraged that mass shootings like this continue to happen in communities across the United States. This country needs to re-examine its conscience and find out how to get guns out of dangerous people's hands. We are begging Congress to protect lives and do something about America's gun problem.

[09:05:05]

LARRY KRASNER, PHILADELPHIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY: It is disgusting the lack of proper gun legislation that we have in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Some of that legislation might have made a difference here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: 50 shell casings. AR-15 shell casings recovered at the scene there, Kate. And we know that that suspect is going to go before a judge sometime this morning. A news conference about 1:00 is scheduled with the district attorney and others following that -- likely following that arraignment. Kate?

BOLDUAN: All right. Much more to learn this morning on this one as well.

Brynn, thank you very much. Ryan, thank you from -- thank you on that as well. Thank you. John?

BERMAN: Look, Kate, in addition to these shootings, overnight, nine people were shot at a Fourth of July party outside a home in Washington, D.C. Police are reporting that the suspect may have known the victims, and this could have been a targeted shooting, they say.

There were a number of shootings across the country over the holiday, dozens of people killed and hurt. CNN Security Correspondent Josh Campbell joins us now. Josh, let's start with what happened in Washington, D.C. overnight. What are you learning about that?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're learning that as we've seen time and time again, where you have gun violence rocking these 4th of July type celebrations, where you have people that are gathered together, police say that overnight there was a mass shooting there. They're working to determine the specific motive, the connectivity between the shooter and, you know, obviously, the victims.

But we've seen time and again that even if a shooter is, you know, in some type of dispute or, you know, just trying to settle a dispute with a gun, oftentimes it's innocent bystanders who are there that are, you know, victimized. So we know, you know, nine injured, including two juveniles. Police say they describe this as some type of drive by shooting and the manhunt currently underway, John.

BERMAN: Josh, you have contacts with law enforcement all around the country. What types of things do you hear when people talk about solutions?

CAMPBELL: Well, you know, this is so important because we talk about these issues time and time again, but, you know, you talk to those who are on the front lines of responding to these shootings and they fall both Republicans and Democrats. And, you know, I'm not in the business of both sides seeing, you know, for -- without merit, but you look at Republicans.

I mean, law enforcement still is, you know, concerned about this attachment to guns, particularly these very deadly weapons that we've seen, these high powered assault style rifles used in some of the deadliest mass shootings across this country. We know that meaningful legislation on that doesn't move forward.

Obviously, there are people out there who are strong supporters of the second amendment. But you hear from police chiefs, especially across the country saying, look, it's our officers who are on the front lines who are on the receiving end of some of these bullets. And, you know, after these shootings, we hear Republicans talk a lot about mental health, saying that these are mental health issues, but we haven't seen, you know, meaningful legislation really addressing those kinds of issues.

And then on the left, I mean, there was criticism as well, particularly with progressive DAs. The Philadelphia district attorney was on CNN this morning talking with our colleagues Phil Mattingly and Poppy Harlow. And, you know, he said he was, you know, focusing on, well, I'm prosecuting shootings. I have, you know, resource issues I have to prioritize, but there's been criticism about what about prosecuting those who are illegally possessing weapons in the first place, trying to get ahead of potential crimes and potential violence.

And so that is certainly a concern that we've heard as well. The police don't want to just be waiting around to stand over, you know, dead bodies after the shootings happened, but they want to go after people in advance, even if they're so called lower-level crimes. A lot of times we've seen crimes escalate. And so, you know, certainly there are things to be done across the board, according to law enforcement officials for folks on both sides of political aisle.

BERMAN: Josh Campbell, thank you so much for being with us this morning. Appreciate it. Sara?

CAMPBELL: You bet.

SIDNER: Israeli military forces have launched more airstrikes this time in Gaza. The IDF says the strikes are in response to rocket fire from Palestinian militants there. The new round of violence erupting just hours after Israel said it completed the largest military operation in Jenin in more than 20 years.

Take a look at the video of troops leaving Jenin late last night in the Israeli occupied West Bank. The Palestinians say, the Israeli operation left at least 12 people dead and more than 100 others injured. And this morning, we have new images of the community preparing a single grave for all 12 of those killed in Jenin, among them a 16-year-old boy.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is live on the ground in Jenin, where the raid has, we understand, cut power, water and internet to the people that are living there. Salma, what are you seeing and hearing from your vantage point?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sara, I just want you to take a look at the utter devastation around me. And you are looking at me from an overhead shot because of exactly the reason you said. There is little infrastructure that is functioning right now in Jenin camp. My cameraman is perched on a balcony just to try to get you a signal while I'm here on ground level.

Just look at these piles of rubble. This is one of the main thoroughfares. And if you can look at it now, it is completely torn up. The street has been turned to mud.

[09:10:06]

You might see the flow of people. There's actually some U.N. workers just behind me here, all throughout, as we've been walking through. You can see United Nations workers, Red Crescent workers, NGOs trying to provide that help and support.

One, NGO worker told me that some 7,000 to 8,000 people have been made homeless by this raid. But it's not until today that many are coming home to find out what's left of their place. I want to point out this vehicle that's just here. You can see the sheer force, the sheer power of this raid. The strongest, the largest military raid by the Israeli army in 20 years.

It says, the Israeli military says it was here to take out terror infrastructure. It was here to neutralize weapons sites that this place was being used as a terrorist haven. But for many of the families and residents who live here, it is one of the most densely populated, one of the most impoverished corners. They feel that they're simply innocents caught in the crossfire. Sara?

SIDNER: Can you tell me, Salma, you know, what you're hearing from people? Because as you mentioned, Israel says, look, we were going after a terrorist targets that have attacked Israel, but there has been a call for retaliation from some of the Palestinian militant groups. What are you hearing in Jenin on that?

ABDELAZIZ: What's so extraordinary, Sara, especially when you look at this devastation across here, is there is so much resistance, so much anger, so much defiance coming from Jenin camp. Earlier today -- because remember, everyone just came back to the camp today -- earlier today, these streets were packed with a burial for those dead turn demonstration, if you will.

Thousands of people chanting in the streets that that blood will not be spilled in vain, that they will continue to fight, that they will continue to retaliate. What was even more extraordinary was to see that many of those armed Palestinian factions that the Israeli military says it was targeting. They were sweeping through these streets, armed shooting, celebratory gunfire, continuing to say that this is defiant.

I spoke to some residents who, again, believe it or not, looking at this here, were telling me, we won. This was victory. This was resistance. And that's the cycle of violence. That means families could be caught up in another round in another round -- in another raid.

Remember, the Israeli military said this raid is over, but it reserves the right to attack again. And with these Palestinian factions saying they are up for that fight, Sara, it's hard to imagine how life just doesn't get more difficult here.

SIDNER: Yes, and you mentioned the fact that I've been there to how densely populated this particular area is, Jenin, in the West Bank there.

Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much for your reporting and getting there for us to give us a look at what has happened since the raid by Israel ended. John?

BERMAN: That was really an extraordinary vantage point. Wonderful to have Salma there. Terrific reporting.

So are Russian explosives now strapped to Europe's largest nuclear plant? The urgent warning out of Ukraine. Mike Pence focused on Iowa, but the past, especially the 2020 election outcome trails him wherever he goes.

And just plain hectic. Airports expecting a heavy rush of travelers heading back from their holiday weekends. Which airports are seeing the greatest delays? We'll tell you.

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[09:17:43]

BOLDUAN: On our radar this hour, a sentencing hearing years in the making will soon get underway. The federal sentencing for the gunman who killed 23 people at the El Paso Walmart back in 2019. Patrick Crusius pleaded guilty in February to 90 charges, half of them federal hate crimes. Authorities say that he carried out the attack with the sole intent of killing immigrants and Mexicans.

As part of the plea deal, he will not face a possible death sentence but has agreed to accept 90 consecutive life sentences. He will face victims and their families today in court.

Former Smallville Actress Allison Mack has been released from prison. Mack was a high-ranking member of the cultlike group Nxivm. The group claimed to be a self-help organization. But prosecutors say that women in the organization were branded and coerced into having sex with the group's leader. The group's founder was sentenced to 120 years in prison.

Mack pleaded guilty in 2020 to racketeering and conspiracy charges. At the time, the judge called her an essential accomplice.

And a terrifying ending to a fun day at a festival. Just look at this. A mechanical glitch on a roller coaster left eight riders stuck upside down and stuck there for hours. This happened in Northeastern Wisconsin on Sunday. Authorities there say the fireball roller coaster, it stopped mid-loop.

And because of how high they were stuck, special equipment and specially trained teams had to be called in for the rescue, leaving the riders suspended upside down in their seats for three hours. They were all safely rescued. One person was taken to the hospital. Sara?

SIDNER: Yikes. Thank you, Kate.

This morning, an urgent warning from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy who says objects that look like explosives have been found on two nuclear reactors in Zaporizhzhia and he says Russia put them there. The Zaporizhzhia power plant is Europe's largest nuclear plant.

Russia has occupied the plant since the beginning of its war in Ukraine. Ever since there has been a grave global concern that Russian forces could carry out a catastrophic nuclear attack. Zelenskyy's direct message to Moscow right now, the world sees and the world is ready to respond.

CNN's Scott McLean is in London for us tracking this threat. Scott, we've heard from Zelenskyy on this, but Russia also has its own version of events. What are you hearing?

[09:20:10]

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so look, Zelenskyy says that the only threat to the plant right now is from Russia. The Russians say that they are no threat at all. In fact, they've previously said that the International Atomic Energy Agency, they have inspectors, they have employees who are working at the site right now.

And it was last week, actually, that the IAEA put out a statement saying that they have seen no evidence of any bombs or any mines located on that site, though, the caveat is they say that they still would need more fuller access to the site itself in order to say that with 100 percent certainty.

The Russians say that, look, the threat here is from Ukraine. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson said this, and I quote earlier today, "There is a great threat of sabotage by Kyiv which can have catastrophic consequences".

For the record, Sara, President Zelenskyy isn't putting out any specific evidence of his allegations here, of these explosives on site, but he's saying that this would essentially be a false flag operation, echoing what the Ukrainian military has said before, and that any explosion would make it look like this was the result of Ukrainian shelling, but wouldn't be powerful enough to actually damage the reactors themselves.

Still, the Ukrainians say that their emergency services have been preparing for this kind of possibility. Special Forces from Ukraine are on alert as well. And the Russians say that they are also prepared for this. So everyone here is on high alert.

I just want to show you a satellite image as well, just to kind of better illustrate this, Sara. So the reactors themselves, which you should be able to see on the top of this image, those red circles there, they're housed in these containment buildings, which are designed to be able to withstand the force of an accidental plane crash. How they would hold up against the weapons of war? We don't have a good answer to that.

But also keep in mind that at the bottom of your screen there, you see those rectangles there, those dark rectangles, those are cooling ponds which store the spent nuclear fuel rods. And they are right out there in the open. They have no protection at all. So there's not a whole lot of margin for error that we're talking about here.

The good news is that we are getting some reassuring signs from nuclear officials on both sides of the front line and the Ukrainians say that the situation is stable. The Russian backed officials and the occupied parts of Ukraine, where this plant is located, say that the background radiation levels are normal. They also call Zelenskyy's claims garbage.

One other thing to quickly mention, Sara, and that is that the Kremlin today is denying a report in the Financial Times that Chinese President Xi Jinping had warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the Kremlin calling that report, quote, fiction. Sara?

SIDNER: Yes, I think that's what you're hearing Zelenskyy say the world is watching. Thank you so much for all of that, Scott. John?

BERMAN: All right, let me give you a sense of where all this is taking place. If you can see the map right here, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is right here. That has been in Russian hands since the beginning of the invasion.

Zaporizhzhia, the city is still in Ukrainian hands and has been since the very beginning, and a great deal of the fighting in the counteroffensive has been happening along this salient right here. You can see -- I think you can see, well, you can't from where you are -- in yellow, these are some of the towns and cities that Ukraine has taken back in the counteroffensive. That is where they have made some progress.

Let's bring in Retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Steve Anderson. General, great to see you. I want to put up pictures again of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. How much of a disaster would it be from a strategic standpoint if Russia did sabotage this plant?

BRIG. GEN. STEVE ANDERSON, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, thank you, John. Well, this would be a huge disaster operationally and strategically. I mean, it's, there's -- some of the richest farmland in the world is within 50 to 100 miles of this facility, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. And that is incredibly impactful on the world food supply, potentially not to mention, of course, the threat, the loss of life and whatnot.

So this is why the International Atomic Energy Commission has got to absolutely step up, get inspectors on there and confirm or deny the state of the situation there. The other thing I think that's being pointed out by operations on the ground is that retaking Zaporizhzhia is a high priority for this Ukrainian counteroffensive. So they too need to step it up.

Vladimir Putin is desperate. We saw what he did, his reaction to the recent Wagner group defection. He's becoming increasingly vulnerable internally. And so, there's no limit to what this desperate man might very well do. He's already taken out the dam that has a potential to impact some of those six reservoirs that Scott just pointed out and the facility because this is -- Zaporizhzhia a pressurized water reactor.

[09:25:14]

Chernobyl was a graphite moderated reactor. What that means is they need water. They need water in cooling towers and containment facilities, and all those things are made out of concrete. And, you know, and weapons of war can take down those concrete structures. So, this is a grave threat and we need to step it up with the International Atomic Energy Commission and operationally on the ground.

BERMAN: So, in addition to the concerns over the nuclear power plant down here, we've seen a great deal of activity in the country's east. The Ukrainians are reporting that the Russians have deployed 120, 000 troops up here to Kupiansk, also an additional 50, 000 troops the Ukrainians say the Russians are putting around Bakhmut.

And then overnight, we saw images not far from Bakhmut, Makiivka, which is a city in Russian hands. There was an attack there with extraordinary video. The Ukrainians launching this attack on the Russian held area right there. When you look at this and you take a look again at the map, what's the importance of this region we're looking at here?

ANDERSON: Well, it's hugely important, John. Potentially, this could be a weak point in the line. We're talking a 600-mile front. We're talking an area that's been occupied by the Russians, now the size of the state of Pennsylvania. So they've got to conduct some kind of a penetration, you know, to get through the weakest point on the line and then hope that they can conduct some kind of an envelopment or flanking maneuvers.

But my problem with -- this could be very, very difficult fight. I mean, you got, as you say, a couple of 100,000 now troops that are dug in for over a year preparing, you know, tank mines, all kinds of minefields, all kinds of tank ditches. It's very, very difficult defensively.

They don't have air superiority. We would -- we, in the United States, would never conduct an offense without air superiority. They don't have the long range artillery. They don't have a lot of the equipment they need. They probably don't have the manpower they need.

So this is going to be, you know, a very, very difficult fight. What they've got to do is find a place like that in the line, a weak point, and then hope to conduct some sort of a penetration and successful envelopment, and then hope that the Russians surrender in mass because they cannot go toe to toe with these guys.

BERMAN: Brigadier General Steve Anderson, always great to have you. Thank you so much for your expertise. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Right now, former Vice President Mike Pence, he's about to hold a campaign event in the key primary state of Iowa. He's attempting to draw some sharp lines in this moment between him and his former running mate, Donald Trump. How successful is he doing that? We'll have a look.

And a Trump appointed judge just blocked the Biden administration from communicating with social media companies over certain content. But how far could that go? We'll be back.

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