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GBI: High School Shooter In Custody, Believed To Be 14-Year-Old Male; Biden Calls For Assault Weapons Ban, Universal Background Checks After Mass Shooting At Georgia High School. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired September 04, 2024 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:33:50]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: More on our breaking news. A significant update from law enforcement officials out of Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.

CNN is learning that the suspect in the shooting in which four people were killed and at least nine we're rushed to area hospitals is a 14- year-old male.

The source said it is not yet known whether that teen actually attended the high school. But given what we've heard from other students at the school and what they witnessed and what they heard, this coincides with that new information that we're getting.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes. let's bring in John Miller on this news.

A 14-year-old male, that is obviously a young individual who is the suspect in custody for this, John.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: So that would track, a 14-year-old male in high school would likely be in the ninth grade, so a freshman.

That is shocking in that it's an extraordinarily young person to be involved allegedly in such a heinous act. But we are told he is in custody. The reporting about his age, and that he's in custody, comes from CNN's Mark Morales.

And you know we were just talking to Ed Davis a moment ago about, you know, when you have a suspect in custody, the shooting, there is a way to question them. With a 14-year-old boy, there are other considerations there.

[14:35:12]

Now first, let's just get to Georgia state procedures. In Georgia, there is no legal requirement that the parents have to be present for that questioning.

There is no legal requirement that really separates law enforcement questioning of a juvenile from that of an adult, which means that individual, 14 or not, will have to be read their Miranda rights.

They'll have to give what authorities to be a conscious waiver, meaning that they understand that if they talk to law enforcement, it is voluntarily and that it can be used against them.

On the other hand, whether it's the sheriff's office that does the questioning or experienced homicide investigators from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who do the questioning, this is a tactical decision they'll make about whether or not they want to have the parents present, if they think that actually may get the individual to open up or be more honest.

So these are things that are likely unfolding right now as we speak.

SANCHEZ: John, I'm also curious about one of the key factors that undoubtedly will be part of this investigation. That is how this 14- year-old obtained a weapon.

Because, as you noted a moment ago, that the message was put out to the community about parents keeping guns safe and away from where they shouldn't be.

And I'm also thinking about the shooting in Oxford, Michigan, and that high school shooting, and how that shooters parents ultimately became entangled in the legal system.

And we're found guilty essentially of negligence, of allowing something like that to transpire in which, I believe, eight people or four people we're killed, rather, in Michigan.

So, John, I'm wondering, from that perspective, how important is it in this investigation to not only get information from the 14-year-old, but then moving forward to getting information from his parents or his legal guardian.

MILLER: Well, Boris, as you point out, this is a tragically well-worn pathway. The Oxford, Michigan, case led to the prosecution of both parents, the Crumbleys, after the prosecution of their son as the shooter.

But if you look back at one of the most tragic school shootings that you can think of, which is the first -- the first graders and kindergarten children of Newtown, Connecticut.

Here was a case where the mother had purchased a weapon. The weapon what's secured at home. But her son knew how to get at that weapon, even where it was secured.

Very much why the school system in Georgia, which is a place that has liberal gun laws in terms of ownership of handguns and rifles, you know, underscored the idea that if there are guns in the house, they should be secured and in such a way that kids can't get to them.

So we're going to look at more and more of these cases where the parents and the storage of those weapons may come under scrutiny.

KEILAR: Yes, certainly.

John Miller, stay with us, if you will.

We are going to take a quick break and we'll be back with more on this shooting at this Georgia high school, not far from Atlanta. Four killed at Apalachee High School, nine people taken to hospitals.

We'll have much more ahead.

And we've been hearing as well from some students who have been coming out and talking about what transpired there also.

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UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: I was asleep when we were just catching up on work and that's when I wake up. I don't know if it was like during the gunshots or like a student woke me up, but that's when I heard like gunshots.

I froze for a minute because I was like this can't be real. And then that's when I got up and I was like, OK, this is like a drill. And then we have a little light that had -- basically, it was just flashing red and that's when we turn off all the lights and I was just hiding in the corner.

I was crying. Other people were kind of like this can't be real, texting their parents. The student next to me was on the phone with their mom and they we're just like, yes, they're shooting up the school, they're shooting up the school.

And then that's when we started getting live updates or like basically rumors, I guess, where like the student was so and so, or like the student had like this type of gun or whatever.

[14:39:37]

And I was just sitting there crying and texting my parents because I was like, I don't -- I don't know what's going on. And I was terrified.

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SANCHEZ: Back now, as we're following breaking news, a deadly school shooting in Georgia. Four people killed, at least nine hospitalized. We just learned moments ago that the shooter is believed to be a 14- year-old male.

And we're getting new reaction from the White House and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is actually set to speak in just moments.

I want to bring in CNN's M.J. Lee and Priscilla Alvarez.

M.J. first to you at the White House.

President Joe Biden, saying that this issue of gun violence is personal for him.

M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris, it has been another all-too-familiar day here at the White House. Hours ago, White House officials here learning about this news.

I'm really just watching these images coming in, like all of us, and at least in the initial moments, bracing for and scrambling to find out how bad the situation was.

[14:45:07]

But the president himself is here at the White House today. He has been briefed on the situation. White House officials, of course, as is the protocol, have been in touch with local and federal authorities, are closely monitoring the situation.

And we did, just moments ago, get the first statement from the president, which I think really does capture how tragic all of this is, particularly coming on a week when a lot of families we're eager to celebrate the start of a new school year for their kids.

The president's statement begins by saying that he and the first lady are mourning what he called "the senseless violence and the deaths."

And he said, "What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal."

And, Boris, as you said, he went on to say in the statement that, for him, the issue of gun safety is personal. He said Washington has to take more action.

And called on Republicans, in particular, to say enough is enough and pass additional gun safety legislation, particularly on an assault weapons ban and a ban on high-capacity magazines.

But as he has before, he touted that under his watch, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have shown that it is possible to pass some bipartisan gun safety measures. But again, is saying that this isn't enough.

Again, I think we just have to stress how familiar all of this feels. Another mass shooting, another day where the White House is scrambling with these kinds of statements.

And the president again calling for additional actions, when I think most in Washington would agree that that is unlikely to happen, at least out of Capitol Hill during this lame-duck session.

KEILAR: Yes, very important reality check there, M.J.

And, Priscilla, Vice President Harris is set to speak at a rally in New Hampshire any minute. We're expecting that she'll address this.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna, that's right. The vice president was briefed on the shooting before arriving here to New Hampshire.

According to a White House official, she is receiving regular updates from her staff as well as saying that the administration is in touch with federal, state and local officials.

But of course, the vice president is here in New Hampshire because she was going to unveil for economic proposals. She is still expected to do that. But she's going to top her remarks to also address this shooting.

And these school shootings are something that the vice president is familiar with and very involved with. In fact, President Biden had tapped her to lead the White House Office of Gun Violence. That is an office that was set up to review executive actions and additional measures that they could do outside of Congress to try to clamp down on gun violence.

Now, I should say, previously, I've talked to senior administration officials about this effort and some of what had been discussed and voted was how the administration can help these communities not only in the moments, right after a school shooting, but also help immunity in the weeks and months to follow.

Because the reality is, for many senior administration officials, is that they basically don't have that much that they could do without Congress.

Now on the campaign trail, both the president and the vice president have touted that bipartisan Safer Communities Act and put the onus on Congress to do more on this very issue.

The vice president has raised this reality that Americans grapple with every day at rallies as well. But today, in only minutes, we'll be hearing from her directly and her response to another tragedy.

SANCHEZ: Priscilla Alvarez, live for us at that Harris event, thank you so much.

Significant, and it has to be pointed out that Georgia is a battleground state. So perhaps we will hear from both of these candidates in detail on how they would address what has become an epidemic across this country.

Again, the latest news from Winder, Georgia and Apalachee High School, at least four people killed, nine transferred to area hospitals. The shooter alive and in custody, believed to be a 14-year-old male.

[14:49:12]

The latest details on this in just moments.

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SANCHEZ: We're continuing to track breaking news, a school shooting in Georgia. Four dead, nine hospitalized, the shooter believed to be a 14-year-old male. And we just got new reaction from the White House and Vice President

Kamala Harris moments ago. She is expected to speak in just moments.

But we are also learning more about some the victims, Brianna?

KEILAR: Yes, that's right.

Let's go to CNN's Nick Valencia. He is in Atlanta outside of Grady Memorial Hospital.

And you're learning more, Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brianna and Boris. At least one of the victims from today's shooting at Apalachee High School was brought here to Grady Hospital.

And for those of you in the Atlanta area, you're well familiar that this is a trauma-one level center hospital where many gunshot victims come. And one of those gunshot victims arrived here earlier this morning after the shooting took place.

We've seen a lot of activity here in the last few hours. A lot of medical helicopters landing on the roof here. But the director of communications here for the health system tells me that none of that activity has to do today shooting. It's just sort of an average day here for a trauma-one center.

And meanwhile, though, I do have new reporting from a source at a separate hospital. Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital is telling us that they've received at least two victims from today's shooting.

One of them is an adult with a gunshot wound to the stomach. As of about 30 minutes ago, that adult was in surgery.

The source who's had knowledge of the situation, but it's not allowed to -- is not authorized to speak to the media tells me, the second victim is a younger -- described as a child, in their words. but a younger victim who was also shot.

[14:55:10]

It's unclear where that victim was shot, but they are also being treated at that hospital.

This is clearly still very much, though, a fluid situation for those victims involved, and a tragedy, no doubt, that happened here today, about 45 minutes northeast to where we're standing -- Boris, Brianna?

SANCHEZ: Yes, a tragedy, no doubt.

Nick Valencia, thank you so much for that information.

Obviously, we'll continue to monitor the latest details out of Winder, Georgia. A shooting at a high school in which four we're killed, at least nine had to be transferred to area hospitals. You heard the latest there from Nick. The shooter, believed to be a 14-year-old boy. Unclear though, if they

were a student at the school.

We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back with the latest.

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