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Maine Governor: 18 People Killed, 13 Injured In Mass Shootings; Chief Medical Officer Speaks After 18 Killed In Maine Shootings. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 26, 2023 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: I get the impression that things might not be as coordinated as they could be. I hope that's not the case. But we'll have to see.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: On that, let me -- let's -- Daniel Brunner, you're a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent. What do you hear about that? Because we have heard from the governor, there's three towns that are still in a shelter in place -- under shelter-in-place advisory, but there's no search area, there's no area of focus or concern that is out -- that was announced at this press conference. So, what is the tug and pull if you will of needing to keep you -- keep it -- keep your -- some of your cards close to the vest, but also, you have a town's -- this whole state terrified and paralyzed now because there's a dangerous man on the loose and people need information?

DANIEL BRUNNER, PRESIDENT & CO-FOUNDER, BRUNNER SIERRA GROUP: Absolutely. What strikes to me is, in comparison to the Pennsylvania manhunt from a few months ago was that a lot of law enforcement resources were brought into the area to conduct a manhunt. At this point, we're hours into this investigation, not only are they investigating -- the ICS is investigating the manhunt and they're trying to determine where -- what his motive is, where he could be going, but additionally, there's the problem of where he -- the vehicle was recovered. The vehicle, was it recovered at a trailhead, a boat launch, or a parking lot? So, there's --

BOLDUAN: I'm going to jump in. I'm so sorry, Daniel. We got to jump back. This is the Chief Medical Officer for the Central Maine Medical Center where a lot of these victims were taken. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's going to be speaking to you today about what he can. He's not going to be able to answer all your questions. But with that, Dr. Alexander.

DR. JOHN ALEXANDER, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, MAINE CENTRAL HEALTH CARE: All right. Thanks, Jim. So, again, my name is John Alexander. I'm the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Central Maine Health Care. Central Maine Medical Center is our flagship hospital in Central Maine Health Care. First, I want to extend our thoughts and prayers to the families who have been impacted by this tragedy. I also wanted to say it has been a very challenging 16 hours as I'm sure you've heard from the law enforcement officials who have been very supportive over the past half a day. We had some heroic efforts by our team members last night, continuing it today. They provided expert and compassionate care. One of the challenges with identifying patients early on was the speed with which our teams needed to act.

We had the first patient arrive at 7:24 p.m. And over the next 45 minutes, we received a total of 14 patients. Eight of those patients were admitted to our hospital, three of those patients are deceased, two were discharged home, and one was transferred to Maine Medical Center. We also had one patient that was taken to St. Mary's Hospital.

For the eight patients who are currently admitted, five of those are in stable condition. Three are in critical condition. We're not going to comment at this time on the gender or the ages of those patients, nor are we going to comment on the nature of those injuries.

I'd like to thank also all the hospitals, health care providers, EMS agencies, and air service from Augusta to Portland. We had incredible support throughout the night and into today. We've had an outpouring of support and offers of assistance, and again, very much appreciate all of those efforts.

Once again, I want to extend our thoughts and prayers to the families, to their loved ones, and to the victims who have been impacted by this tragedy. Thank you very much for your respect for our caregivers and for those families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Alexander -- (INAUDIBLE)

ALEXANDER: Again, I'm not going to -- we're not going to comment on the nature of the injuries at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) transport children under the age of 18?

ALEXANDER: Again, not going to comment on the ages or the gender of any of the patients at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you tell us what the preparation the Maine staff -- (INAUDIBLE)

ALEXANDER: Sure. You know, so our team, we're a level three trauma center. That means that we have in-house at all times, trained trauma surgeons, trained anesthesiologists, and an expert emergency department staff. As I mentioned, when the first patient arrived at 7:24, we had approximately 25 team members, physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists who were already available to take care of that patient.

By the time the 14th patient came in, approximately 45 minutes later, that number had ballooned to about 50 or 60 care providers. They've gone through extensive training to be prepared for those injuries. And we're very thankful that they were there, and they're prepared to help take care of the patients that we've received.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doctor, do all of the patients come tonight, ambulance or -- (INAUDIBLE) or private vehicle or -- (INAUDIBLE)

[11:35:01]

ALEXANDER: All the patients were brought in either by ambulance or by first responders.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doctor, I know hospitals train all the time for mass casualty events. How did that training prepare you, and did it match the reality?

ALEXANDER: Again, I think our team did an amazing job. They provided a high level of expertise. We're very thankful that they were able to get as many patients into our trauma bays and into our operating rooms as we were able to. They train -- they train regularly. And again, I think it showed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Who coordinated where are the patients are going? Is it you or is it St. Mary or ended up -- I think with this one -- (INAUDIBLE)

ALEXANDER: As I mentioned, and as you can tell by the timeframe, that situation unfolded very, very quickly. So, I would suggest that they just -- they came to us based on the experience of the ambulance drivers and in the proximity to our facility.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who was the -- (INAUDIBLE)

ALEXANDER: We received the patients as they came to us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was the number of people on duty at the hospital last night have had responded? How are they going to correspond in normal -- (INAUDIBLE)

ALEXANDER: We've had our normal staffing available last night. And as I mentioned, when I referenced the ballooning, we had team members -- we had approximately a hundred team members who are off-duty come into the hospital to help ensure that we were able to care for not only the patients that we receive from this horrible scene but also take care of the patients that we had there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doctor, from a law enforcement perspective, we're seeing sheriff's deputies and police officers from other jurisdictions come here to help out. Is it similar when it comes to healthcare? Are you seeing doctors and nurses from other towns and areas on Monday? And if so, if that's something that is helpful, and that you'd like to see have them?

ALEXANDER: You know, in -- certainly, in the short term, there is an outpouring of assistance that's being offered. And you don't know what resources you need or don't need. So, it -- so it is helpful. We were able to organize those resources and use them effectively.

As an example, we had ambulance services from other counties coming on-site. At one point, we had approximately 10 ambulance crews standing by outside of our trauma center to ensure that if we had patients who needed to be transferred, they could be transferred. We received nurses and physicians from some of our area hospitals.

We had helicopter support, not only from our own Lifeflight of Maine, but also from Boston MedFlight, and from Dartmouth. So, to answer it short. The long answer to that -- or the short answer is yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, Doctor, what about the lockdown? Obviously, there was a large police presence outside of the hospital this morning. How long do you anticipate that to be in effect, and why exactly do you need a lot of personnel outside the hospital?

ALEXANDER: So, we're taking the lead from law enforcement. And they're the ones who are telling us what we need to do and how we need to do it. As long as the city is in -- you know, what's the term that they use? Shelter in place. As long as we're in a shelter-in-place, then we will continue to remain in our current status.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, as this kind of event happens a lot in America and a lot of hospitals like yours have to deal with situations like this, do you have a professional opinion about the fact that this is part of what the American medical community regularly has to respond to?

ALEXANDER: It's a good question. I don't know that I have a professional opinion about having to respond to this. You know, I would just say that it's a tragedy. And, you know, I think we should do our best to respect the families -- those people who have been impacted, the caregivers.

I'll just add one thing. I'm just talking about that. We do have an incredible amount of support for people who are going through a difficult time right now, mental health issues, any kind of you know stress or anxiety from not only the events that have happened but having to witness some of it. And so, we're continuing to provide those resources. And much to the question asked earlier about other areas and other neighboring towns or communities, we've received a lot of support from neighboring towns, communities, and agencies from around the state in order to offer support not only to the patients and families that we have but also to our team members.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there a call to action at all for a blood drive? I know people want to know if they can help out.

ALEXANDER: We -- for right now, we and I believe the other trauma centers in the state are very adequately supplied with blood and other supplies. I think the one thing that I would ask for people who are at home right now is if you are in an area where you're being asked to shelter in place, please do so and stay safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do have actually one point early. Can you see the amount of time that elapsed from when you first got notified, the first patient right, until the last one? And obviously, some admitted, some did not.

[11:40:04]

ALEXANDER: Sure. Yes, the timeframe was approximately 45 minutes. And we received 14 patients -- critically ill patients at that time, over 45 minutes. So, that happened very quickly, and our teams responded exceptionally well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you all. We'll keep you posted.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: All right, that is an update from Dr. John Alexander. He is with Maine Central Health Care, one of the trauma centers there in Maine who received some of the patients from this mass shooting. He -- they -- he's -- and they still have patients in their care right now.

Three people are still in critical care. And they received a flood of people when you consider it, for over a 45-minute period, 14 critically ill patients. Obviously, not giving more details on the patients or the nature of their injuries right now. But we do -- he did say three are still critically injured.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: He also told us that a hundred team members came in last night after this event to try to meet the need of these two mass shootings happening in their community. It just really gives you a sense of the overwhelm that perhaps the medical community had after these two mass shootings. We're going to take a really quick break, and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:52]

BOLDUAN: Welcome back, everyone. 18 people dead, 13 people injured and at least three people still in critical condition now. Multiple communities terrorized and everyone holding their breath in Maine because there is a manhunt underway still for that man.

His name is Robert Card. He is now a murder suspect after two mass shootings that played out yesterday evening. And he is still on the run and considered armed and dangerous.

SOLOMON: We've been following this story all morning. And we want to continue the conversation now and bring in our panel. Emergency Physician Doctor, Megan Ranney. She is here. As well as CNN contributor and gun safety instructor, Stephen Gutowski.

Dr. Ranney, I want to start with you. We just got this press conference from the medical officials there in Maine. We heard from Dr. John Alexander. And I'm curious, just some of what you heard.

We learned that were these victims -- where these patients were brought. It's a level-three Trauma Center. He told us that in the hours following these mass shootings, a hundred -- OK, I'm just hearing from the control room that we actually lost the doctor. So, we'll see if we can get her back up.

But Stephen, as I have you, I want to bring you back into this because you were just sharing with me and Kate another story about a previous gunman who had been on the loose, thinking of Pennsylvania, for example. And just sort of walk me through the civilian side of this, if you might, the communities, the towns, the families who are still in for more than 16 hours waiting for this man to be arrested.

STEPHEN GUTOWSKI, FIREARMS REPORTER, THERELOAD.COM: Yes, absolutely. It's incredibly stressful. It's a -- it's a horrible experience to go through as I unfortunately had to deal with last month in my mom's farm which was inside that search area for that escaped murderer who was also armed with a rifle, I think. And that -- this situation is even worse, though because of the background of this particular shooter. And he has a more capable firearm with him.

BOLDUAN: I think that control, do we have Dr. Ranney back? Dr. Ranney, thank you -- Stephen, stick with us. Dr. Ranney, bringing you back in. Hopefully, the connection sticks.

Talk to me about what you heard in that press conference. We just heard from one of the chief medical officers of one of the main healthcare systems in Maine. And he's talking about just they got 14 critically ill patients at 45 minutes, and all that they were up against them what they're looking at when you know that you're talking about gunshot wounds, with the -- with at least some of them. Talk about what's happened in that trauma center.

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, DEAN. YALE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yes. My heart goes out to the entire community, but particularly to those first responders, the EMS folks, emergency physicians, OR tech surgeons who were present at the hospital at that moment. We prep for this constantly in emergency medicine and in surgery in America at this moment. We all know that we are only a little bit of luck away from having a similar mass casualty event. But no matter how much you prepare, you can never be fully ready for this type of influx of critically ill patients.

You are basically working in almost battlefield conditions and using triage criteria often that are applied by medics on the battlefield in order to decide who you go to first, who you are most likely to save, and how to manage limited resources in those early minutes to hours when every moment makes a difference as just saving a life or not. I know that folks there did their utmost last night. I am grateful for there being a level three trauma center.

I think of how difficult this was for colleagues in Las Vegas where they were bringing mass shooting victims to a level one trauma center. But the ripple effects of this are going to be felt by that medical community for weeks and years to come.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Dr. Ranney, it's good to see you. I'm sorry. We're talking about this today. And Stephen, thank you for bringing your expertise on. Really appreciate you -- really appreciate you guys. SOLOMON: And coming up next for us. A father who is still, still waiting to hear whether his son survived is speaking out.

[11:50:05]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLOMON: Welcome back. And back to our breaking news out of Lewiston, Maine. That's where the search for the suspect continues, the suspect accused of killing at least 18 people last night at two separate locations, a restaurant and a bowling alley. There is now a large- scale manhunt across the state involving local police and also federal agents. Police are telling people in Lewiston and also nearby towns to shelter in place, to do not go outside while they continue to scour the area for 40-year-old suspect Robert Card.

BOLDUAN: Communities there are not only shattered by this horrible tragedy, so many people injured, two locations, two mass shootings last night. It's also still not over, as Rahel said.

[11:55:05]

I mean people -- police said very clearly this morning, they do not know where Robert Card is, and they're asking for help and for tips. And so many families are now still in shock for what happened and what they don't know. We're hearing from one father whose son was working at the restaurant, one of the sites of the mass shootings last night. He says he's been waiting hours to hear from his son and still nothing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEROY WALKER SR., SON MISSING AFTER SHOOTING: When you get anything that happens like this, you hope -- you go empty. And it's just nothing, nothing you can do. You got ghosts like a monster inside of you and cause -- it feels like it's going to blow off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: We also heard from a man who was actually inside of the bowling alley at the time and said that he actually had to hide inside one of the machines until the shooting was over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRANDON, WITNESSED BOWLING ALLEY SHOOTING: Well, we were inside, just a normal night of bowling, and out of nowhere, he just came in and there was a loud pop. I thought it was a balloon. I had my back turned to the door and as soon as I turned and saw that it was not a balloon, he was holding a weapon, I just booked it down the lane and I slid basically into where the pins are and climbed up on the machine and was on top of the machines for about 10 days until the cops got there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Two people, their stories, that entire communities now on lockdown sheltering in place, and with no real end in sight as this manhunt continues. Thank you all so much for joining us. A lot of breaking news today. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is next.

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