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At Least 200 Dead in Brazil Plane Crash; Michael Vick Indicted in Dogfighting Probe

Aired July 18, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: The Falcon and the pit bulls. NFL star Michael Vick faces scandal, ruin, maybe prison if the feds can prove he ran a dogfighting business on the side.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And if you don't know where to watch, stage or bet on an organized dogfight, well, it's a good bet that some of your friends and neighbors do. It's a whole lot bigger than you think.

Hello, everybody. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano, in today for Don Lemon. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

But first this hour, happening now, we want to get straight to the newsroom, where Fredricka Whitfield is covering the details on a developing story -- Fredricka.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More on the mess on I- 95. Southbound lanes closed between Washington, D.C., and Richmond in Stafford County. Why?

Here are some of the pictures that we got in from our affiliate WJLA. You can see it is gridlocked on at least one side because they have had to close three southbound lanes because of a leak, a hazardous material leak of a truck, not because the truck was actually in an accident -- we're zooming in now on the investigation scene -- but simply because somehow it was spotted that this sulphuric acid was leaking from this truck.

And so as a precaution, they decided to close these lanes of traffic and they have diverted a number of these travelers off the exit on to U.S.-1. And for those who were close enough to the truck where they were unable to take an alternate exit, they were asked to cross the median and on to the northbound lanes, where they have been diverted that way.

So, it's a real mess, because this is a very busy thoroughfare between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia. It's a real nightmare right now. Stafford County also kind of the home to the Marine base Quantico. So, that to give you an idea of the geography that where we're talking about in these new pictures now coming in from WJLA.

You can see the gridlock on the northbound lanes. And on the southbound lanes, you're seeing the point of investigation where they have blocked traffic, a real mess -- Rob and Kyra.

MARCIANO: Fred, I have no idea what it takes to clean up sulphuric acid, but I would imagine it may take quite some time.

WHITFIELD: I have a feeling, too. But we will keep you posted.

MARCIANO: All right. See you in a bit.

Well, he's one of the biggest names in sports and one of the highest-paid, but NFL star Michael Vick's next major public appearance will be in a Richard, Virginia, federal courtroom a week from tomorrow. That's his arraignment on dogfighting charges. Vick acknowledges operating a kennel at this Virginia property, but the indictment alleges the site was home to a major dogfighting ring.

The indictment also includes gruesome details of animal fights, executions of dogs that couldn't win or just couldn't perform. And apart from his legal problems, including the prospect of prison, if convicted, Vick also faces career difficulties.

In a statement, the NFL says: "The activities alleged are cruel, degrading and illegal. Michael Vick's guilt has not been proven and we believe that all concerned should allow the legal process to determine the facts."

Now, recent dogfighting arrests in Texas yielded some graphic videotaped evidence.

Our Houston affiliate, KHOU, got hold of some of those clips and shared them with us. But, before we show you those clips, we want to give you a bit of a warning. It may make you a bit sick.

Brad Woodard has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRAD WOODARD, KHOU REPORTER (voice over): Barely a stone's throw from the Qudi (ph) homes housing project, just a few miles from the heart of downtown Houston, thick brush gives way to a clearing which, until now, has harbored something you have probably heard about but have never seen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one.

WOODARD: Something, which in all likelihood, you will hope to never see again.

BELINDA SMITH, HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS, PROSECUTOR: It just is so disturbing to me that young people think that this kind of activity is entertaining.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one.

SMITH: They have no regard for life.

WOODARD: This videotape, seized by the Harris County Sheriff's Department, investigated by the Precinct Six Constables Office, and now being prosecuted by the district attorneys office.

SMITH: Truly, the first time I tried to look at it, I left after about a minute. It was so disturbing.

WOODARD: Some of the dogs had no desire to fight.

SMITH: There are instances in the videotape where the dogs are licking each other. They don't -- they release them and they lick each other. They don't want to fight. Yet, the handlers bring them back and get them pumped up to fight. It's not natural.

WOODARD: Unnatural but quite common.

(on camera): In the last month alone, the Harris County DA's office has filed charges in four dogfighting cases. Three years ago, it wasn't filing any. Authorities say street level dog fighting, like the fighting we're showing you in this report, has reached epidemic levels in some neighborhoods.

(voice-over): And it has as much to do with the quality of life in those neighborhoods as animal cruelty.

LT. MARK TIMMERS, ANIMAL CRUELTY INVESTIGATOR: We go out and interview neighbors and stuff, they want to talk to us but they're scared. They're fearful because they see the violence is going on, they see the dogfighting and they tell them, you know, we will hurt you if you tell people about this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: We will have more on this story, including an interview with the Humane Society, who is directly involved in that case.

Now, though, back to Fredricka Whitfield, who's covering not one, but two breaking stories from the CNN newsroom.

Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: HI, Rob, this one out West.

This is a possible stand-off, a possible hostage-taking, taking place out of Vancouver, Washington, when police went to a resident to pursue a suspect in a controlled substance and stolen firearm set of charges. And when they got there, one of the police officers was shot and injured. And then another woman -- we don't know the circumstances -- was released from the home.

And then we understand according to authorities another man is being held against his will inside that place of residence where police originally showed up to pursue this man suspected of controlled substance and firearms charges.

We don't know all of the circumstances surrounding what has now become a stand-off and a possible hostage situation, but a number of authorities from various jurisdictions are there, including the Vancouver bomb squad, the FBI, as well as hostage negotiators there out of the Vancouver, Washington, area.

When we get any more, we will be able to bring that to you -- Rob.

MARCIANO: All right, Fred, thank you very much for that update -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Chaos and despair after a Brazilian jetliner crashes while trying to land at the country's busiest airport. At least 200 people are believed to be dead. And that figure could go higher.

CNN's Harris Whitbeck is in Sao Paulo.

Harris, what you hearing now?

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, a press conference just ended, and in that, Brazilian aeronautical officials say that they have found one of the two black boxes flight data and voice records on this plane, and that at least one of them has already been sent to the National Transportation Safety Board offices in the United States.

The NTSB also said that it is sending one of its senior investigators, also sending some representatives from the FAA and from an engine manufacturing company in the States to Brazil to assist Brazilian investigators in the investigation of the crash of the Tam Airbus A-320.

The scene at the crash site is still one of intense activity. Throughout the day we have seen smoke continuing to pour out of the building that was impacted by that Airbus when it apparently aborted a takeoff and failed to do so and crashed into that building.

Relatives of the -- all the people on the plane are gathered at a hotel. They are being tended to by representatives of the airline. Brazilian government officials have confirmed that everybody on that plane was killed -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Harris, any word to how long this airport could get shut down, if it could be demolished completely or rebuilt or expanded?

WHITBECK: Well, it's still too early to -- to tell.

The airport actually began operating about -- at 6:00 a.m. this morning, just a little over 12 hours after the crash. The airport has two runways, and the secondary alternate runway was operational this morning. This is the busiest airport in Brazil. It's built to handle about 12 million passengers per year. And so far up until July of this year, 17 million passengers have already passed through it. So that just shows how important it is to the Brazilian air transport system.

Of course, there a lot of calls for revisions as -- revisions as to the future of the airport. Some risk management consultants are already saying that the airport is -- that the runways -- the airport's runways are too short to handle the large aircraft that are in use today -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Harris Whitbeck in Sao Paulo.

Live pictures there of the airport where Harris obviously has said planes still landing and taking off from that second runway. We will follow the conditions from these live pictures and our Harris Whitbeck on the investigation, also as the NTSB flies out to Brazil to work on that investigation.

MARCIANO: American citizens of Iranian descent locked up in Iran since May. The Tehran government says the two are troublemakers bent on a revolution and claims to have confessions from both Americans that the world will see today on television.

Let's get details from CNN's Zain Verjee in Washington.

Zain, what is going on?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, we were just looking at the pictures broadcast on Iranian state TV. They broadcast interviews and images with two Iranian-American captives.

Now, they already aired a promotion of the program a couple of days ago called "In the Name of Democracy." And this was the whole show. They showed Haleh Esfandiari. She's a U.S.-based scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center here in Washington. And Kian Tajbakhsh, she's an urban planning consultant.

They're shown actually separately in the video. They're wearing civilian clothes, as you Esfandiari here. Now, Iran has been claiming -- and they say that this is what they prove in the video -- that both of them have confessed that they were involved in plans to undermine the Iranian government.

Now, Iranian experts that we have talked have said, already, just by looking at some of the previous images from two days ago, that this is extremely heavily edited and that the confession here appears forced. Also, interestingly, in that video, there were a lot of sound bites that were spliced with images of revolutions that ended communism -- communist rule in Europe.

And Iran is alleging that the U.S. is using these two intellectuals to bring about a Velvet Revolution in Iran. So, they say this proves that U.S. is using them as operatives to undermine Iran -- Rob.

MARCIANO: So, are they doing any more to just have a -- set up a pawn against the U.S. with this?

VERJEE: Well, it's really hard to know, really. I mean, we have talked to a lot of people. One view is what they're trying to do is show that the -- show the Iranian people that the U.S. is working inside Iran to try and destabilize the country in the name of democracy.

You know, there are a lot of elements, Rob, in Iran that don't want to see dialogue between the U.S. and Iran. So, they may be using this and putting images out like this to poison the atmosphere between the two countries.

Another view, a pretty prominent one, too, is that Iran's target audience is actually not the U.S.; it's the Iranian public, because what the regime is trying to do is to intimidate the Iranians themselves, reformers and dissidents, try and intimidate them from cooperating with foreign institutions and NGOs.

Also, by showing images like this on TV, another message being sent is, look, you may have protections as an American citizen, but, when you're in Iran, it's a different story. You don't.

MARCIANO: Sounds a scary place to live.

All right. Thanks, Zain Verjee, for us live in Washington.

PHILLIPS: Daniel Pearl's widow is suing a Pakistani bank. Pearl was the "Wall Street Journal" reporter you may remember that was murdered in Pakistan in 2002, a crime recounted in the movie "A Mighty Heart."

Mariane Pearl filed suit yesterday against several defendants, including Pakistan's largest bank. She claims the bank knowingly did business with charities linked to the murderers. The suit does not seek any specific sum. So far, no comment from that bank.

MARCIANO: And it's no job for the squeamish, a tough task for anyone who loves animals. Up next, we will talk with a man who's working to end all kinds of sports fights, including the use of dogs.

And a father's fury. Mark Lunsford finally gets a chance to face down the man who brutally murdered his 9-year-old daughter. What would you have to say if you saw your daughter's murderer?

Stay tuned. CNN NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Three sixteen Eastern time. Here are three of the stories that we're working on the CNN this hour.

Off the field and in the court -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick faces a federal court appearance next week after being indicted in a dogfighting probe. The indictment says that Vick even took part in killing dogs that didn't show enough fight.

A police stand-off unfolding right now in Vancouver, Washington. Police say a man has barricaded himself inside a home and is believed to be holding another person hostage. One officer has been shot and wounded.

Major gridlock right now on a major highway. A truck leaking nitric acid has shut down the southbound lanes of I-95 in Stafford, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. MARCIANO: Well, while his teammates are heading for training camp, one of the biggest names in sports will be heading to a federal court in Virginia. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has been indicted on charges he took part in a major dogfighting operation in his home state of Virginia.

Vick's indictment has drawn attention to something police have known for a while. Dogfighting is a big problem, and it's getting worse.

With me now from Washington is John Goodwin. He's the manager of animal fighting issues for the Humane Society here in the United States.

John, thank you very much for joining us.

First off, your organization was involved in the investigation. Tell us how that went.

JOHN GOODWIN, HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE U.S.: Well, we have been hearing rumors about Michael Vick's involvement in dogfighting going back to 2004.

And, after this initial search warrant was executed on April 25 on his property in Surry County, Virginia, we began providing information to federal authorities that we thought would be useful. Also, we're working out an agreement with the federal government to supervise the housing and the care of the dogs that have been seized while they stay in custody.

MARCIANO: How many dogs were seized? I just read this number; 66 dogs have been seized? I can't believe that. Is that true?

(CROSSTALK)

GOODWIN: That is true. That is true. Most of them were pit bulls. A few were other breeds. And, of course, a lot of them had scars indicating they had been fought.

What we had here was a full-on professional dogfighting operation. And this place appeared to have been the hub of an interstate network of dogfighters that went up and down the East Coast.

MARCIANO: So, you're saying this is more than just a weekend recreational affair -- I hate to call it that -- but a professional ring, a racket of sorts?

GOODWIN: Absolutely. They had multiple buildings on this property that had painted solid black or kind of hidden in the wooded area.

And, in these buildings, they found multiple pieces of five treadmills they used to condition the dogs on, veterinary drugs that are given to dogs before and after fights, even a room that had blood splattered on the wall and blood on the carpet where the dogs were being fought. This was a major dogfighting operation.

MARCIANO: Other than the scars, what kind of -- were some of these dogs still injured? And in your line of work at the Humane Society, what are the typical kind of injuries that these fighting dogs come in with?

GOODWIN: These fighting dogs come in with a range of injuries, of course, scars around their faces, damage to their muzzles. One of the dogs here had a leg that bent at an unnatural ankle. It probably had been broken and healed wrong.

On other dogfighting raids, I have seen some of the most brutal and graphic injuries you can possibly imagine. These are dogs that are very strong, and they're bred and conditioned to just tear each other to pieces.

MARCIANO: This story is becoming more disturbing as we get more information throughout the day today. I'm scared to ask this question, but just how common is this?

GOODWIN: Unfortunately, dogfighting is quite pervasive, particularly in our cities nowadays. I would say that several hundred thousand dogs die in dogfighting pits every year.

And there are a lot of other dogs that are killed before they would get to the dogfighting pit because they didn't demonstrate enough aggression, enough ability. And that's some of the most gory detail in this indictment, was how Michael Vick and some of his co- defendants were said to have executed some of the dogs that didn't have the ability that they wanted before they matched them in professional dogfights.

MARCIANO: We are getting a lot of response from our viewers. And you don't even have to be an animal lover to be disturbed by this story. Folks seeing this video may want to put their heart out, open their homes to these dogs.

Can you even adopt them, or are they past being domesticated again?

GOODWIN: Unfortunately, dogs that are raised in condition and bred for fighting are very, very aggressive towards other dogs. And that can pose a great liability problem for other people with dogs in a neighborhood.

We do not recommend adopting out fighting dogs. And fighting dogs are almost always euthanized. And the blame for that lies squarely on the shoulder of people that breed dogs for illicit and criminal purpose.

MARCIANO: Are pit bulls OK if they're not trained, if they're just born and raised in a fun-loving home?

GOODWIN: Yes, absolutely.

MARCIANO: Or are they dangerous? GOODWIN: No. There are a lot of pit bulls that are several generations away from this fighting stock that are just fine animals, that will interact with other animals, that are very, very people- friendly. So, it's not really a pit bull problem. It's a dogfighting problem.

MARCIANO: I'm just curious. What would you say to a kid who -- without convicting him, what would you say to a kid who idolizes Michael Vick?

GOODWIN: Well, that's one of the tough things about this. This is a respected athlete that has a lot of followers and a lot of people that look up to him. And he set a very, very bad example.

He's gone out there and gotten himself intertwined in this dogfighting ring. Now he's got felony indictments. He's going to be going through the federal court process. And it's a major shame. And one of the worst things about this is that this guy was a role model for a lot of young people.

MARCIANO: John Goodwin from the Humane Society, you guys do great work. Thanks for spending a little time with us today.

GOODWIN: Thank you very much.

PHILLIPS: Lawmen close in and a gun is fired -- an update on the Wyoming sniper case straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.

GOODWIN: Shot by police in the chaos following Hurricane Katrina.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT JENKINS, BRUMFIELD FAMILY ATTORNEY: It almost means like he was just standing right behind him when he fired. How could he be in the car and shoot somebody in the back?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: CNN's Drew Griffin investigates -- straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: So many Republican candidates for president, yet so little apparent interest by Republican voters.

Still, CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider looks at the latest polls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): What's happening in the Republican presidential race? The Associated Press and Ipsos Republicans just polled Republicans nationwide. The leading Republican contender? None of the above. New Hampshire voters have front-row seats for this campaign. They have seen the candidates up close and more often voters anywhere else.

In the CNN/WMUR poll, only 15 percent of New Hampshire Republicans say they're very satisfied with their presidential field, compared with 32 percent of New Hampshire Democrats. Among Granite State Republicans, John McCain's support has dropped from 20 to 12 percent. Mitt Romney, who is well known in New Hampshire because he was the governor of neighboring Massachusetts, is now the front- runner.

McCain won New Hampshire in 2000, and he's relying on New Hampshire to save him in 2008.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will win the same way we almost won in 2000.

SCHNEIDER: But he's slipping in New Hampshire.

LORENZO MORRIS, POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT CHAIR, HOWARD UNIVERSITY: The ideological positions, his support for the war, the support for immigration reform, as well as the failure to have new finance initiatives, leaves him stuck in 2000 history.

SCHNEIDER: McCain hopes the immigration controversy is also history. "I think the immigration issue is off the front burner," he told "The Politico." "I lost. The other side won. It's over."

What's happening with New Hampshire Democrats? Hillary Clinton is still ahead, but Barack Obama is a strong second, followed by Bill Richardson and John Edwards.

Talk about the party of change. The top three Democrats in New Hampshire are a woman, an African-American, and a Latino. Clinton has a big lead over Obama among registered Democrats in New Hampshire. Obama's support is coming from independents, where he and Clinton are nearly tied.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

MARCIANO: Well, he knew when to hold them. He knew when to fold them. He ain't Kenny Rogers, but he's a pretty darn good gambler. A relative rookie comes up aces in Vegas at the World Series of Poker.

His story is straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone.

I'm Kyra Phillips in Atlanta. ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rob Marciano in for Don Lemon.

Well, he works undercover in a disturbing underground world and says it can be as sickening as child pornography.

PHILLIPS: Sergeant David Hunt takes you inside the world of dog fighting.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

MARCIANO: But first, another top story we're following this hour -- anguish and anger in Brazil. Bodies are still being recovered from the smoldering wreckage of a jet liner. It crashed into a building just outside the airport in Sao Paulo moments after trying to land in a driving rain. It's feared at least 200 people are dead. Searchers have found one of the so-called black boxes and that may help investigators figure out just what happened. And a team from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is on its way to help.

The runway involved had recently been resurfaced and has been criticized in the past for being too short.

PHILLIPS: John Couey raped and murdered Jessica Lunsford more than two years ago. She was nine years old. And this week, Jessie's father has finally gotten a chance to confront her killer. Couey's pre-sentencing hearing in Florida is in its second day, after some heart-rendering testimony yesterday from Mark Lunsford.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA LUNSFORD'S FATHER: I hope you hear her cries as you try to sleep at night. I hope you see the tears run down her face when she asked you to go home. I hope you spend the rest of your life in fear of death. You will never hurt another child again.

Judge Howard, speaking for myself, for my community and the nation, I plead with you to accept the recommendation of the jury for death as presented to you by the jury 10-2 and a vote of 12 for four guilty verdicts. And to remember the words of a wise old black man in Teravise (ph): "It's just too heavy, your honor. It's too heavy for mercy."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Couey's lawyer says his client is mentally disabled and should be spared. The judge plans to sentence him next month.

As for Mark Lunsford, this was the testimony he'd been waiting to give every day for more than two grueling years. He told our Larry King just how difficult it was to take that stand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LARRY KING LIVE")

LUNSFORD: It's always hard, Larry. I mean, you know, I have a great concern not just for the verdict and the death penalty for my daughter, but for the other children that survived and the prosecution of those sex offenders. Every day we hear about women and -- grown women and children being raped and murdered by sex offenders.

When are we going to put a stop to it?

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Wasn't it hard to look at the man who did it?

LUNSFORD: It was very hard, Larry. It's hard because as a father, I mean, your most normal reaction is to reach out there and kill them. But you have to let the system do its thing, you know? Justice will prevail in this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, in other testimony, a court-appointed psychologist said that John Couey may have been faking mental disability in earlier tests.

MARCIANO: One last shot ends the search for a man suspected of killing his wife as she sang on stage with a band. A Wyoming sheriff says a tip led his officers to the hideout of a former Army sniper named David Munis. He shot himself in the chest as the sheriff's department closed in. Munis is believed to have killed his estranged wife, Robin, on Saturday with a single shot fired from outside a restaurant.

On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," the sheriff told our John Roberts how his officers found the suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING")

SHERIFF JIM POND, ALBANY COUNTY, WYOMING: A ranch hand had discovered him in a real small trailer house on a remote area of a ranch at North Laramie, called the sheriff's office. As officers were responding to meet with him and arrest him, to get to him, before they could get to him, he had shot himself.

JOHN ROBERTS, "AMERICAN MORNING," CO-ANCHOR: Right.

And he was in a -- he was in a camper somewhere?

POND: That's correct. He was about eight miles from where his vehicle was last located, within our search area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: David and Robin Munis had recently been separated. Robin Munis had called police on the day she was shot to complain about harassing phone calls.

PHILLIPS: He's one of the biggest names in sports and one of the highest paid. But NFL star Michael Vick's next major public appearance will be in a Richmond, Virginia federal courtroom a week from tomorrow. That's his arraignment on dog fighting charges. Vick acknowledges operating a kennel at this Virginia property. But the indictment alleges the site was home to a major dog fighting ring. The indictment includes gruesome details of animal fights and executions of dogs that lost or couldn't perform.

Apart from his legal problems, including the prospect of prison if convicted, Vick also faces career difficulties. In a statement, the NHL says: "The activities alleged are cruel, degrading and illegal. Michael Vick's guilt has not yet been proven and we believe that all concerned should allow the legal process to determine the facts."

We got amazing insight into the world of dog fighting from an investigator who's been on dozens and dozens of raids.

Earlier in THE NEWSROOM, I spoke with David Hunt with the Franklin County, Ohio sheriff's department.

We're hiding his face since he works undercover.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SGT. DAVID HUNT, FRANKLIN COUNTY, OHIO SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: One of the -- the very unique aspects about this is their professed love of their dogs. You threaten them with going to prison, you threaten them with seizing their property, their assets, you know, possibly getting children's services involved, and none of that matters to them. What does matter is the fact that you're taking their dogs from them. They become very agitated, very violent. And, as I mentioned, they profess to love these animals, but yet they treat them in this manner.

PHILLIPS: And you have actually compared this to being just as bad, if not worse, to child pornography. Explain to me why you say that. It's a strong statement.

HUNT: Well, as an undercover investigator, obviously child pornography is a very serious issue. And to view those images, especially if you're a parent, it's very hard to do. But you have to work through that to pursue the investigation.

And dog fighting is really no different. If you have any kind of affection for animals whatsoever, you see this type of barbaric activity going on, it takes a while to kind of get through that. I don't want to say get numb to it, but you have to do the job. You have to keep going on. And I really like the analogy of child pornography. It's really no different.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

PHILLIPS: Once again, that was David Hunt with the Franklin County, Ohio Sheriff's Department. I talked to him earlier today.

Now, in May, President Bush enacted tougher federal penalties for animal cruelty like that alleged in the Vick case. Dog fighting, cock fighting and similar crimes that cross state lines can now result in up to three years in prison and as much as a $250,000 in fines for each violation.

Vick is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Richmond, Virginia, July 26th. MARCIANO: Shot by police in the chaos following Hurricane Katrina.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT JENKINS, BRUMFIELD FAMILY LAWYER: It almost seemed like he was standing right behind him when he fired.

How could he be in the car and shoot somebody in the back?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: CNN's Drew Griffin investigates, straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: We want to get straight to THE NEWSROOM now.

Fredericka Whitfield has developing details on this story we told you about earlier -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Rob, new videotape we're getting in right now out of Vancouver, Washington. And this is in the case of either an alleged hostage being released or -- and/or the pursuit of an alleged suspect, as well.

Police came to the residence earlier this morning to make an arrest, or at least pursue a suspect in a controlled substance and stolen firearm set of charges. And when they got there, one of the police officers was shot. You're looking -- if you look closely now at this video, you're seeing what appear to be officers that are approaching the interior of that residence. We don't know the outcome of it yet. But earlier when they were pursuing this home, apparently one of the police officers got shot.

A woman was released and authorities said the suspect was holed up, as well as another alleged hostage who was inside.

So as soon as we find out what has resulted from this videotape showing the officers entering that home, we'll bring that to you -- Rob.

MARCIANO: OK.

We hope the -- we hope this ends safely.

Thank you, Fredericka.

Well, in the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans police shot and killed a man outside the city's convention center. The officers say they were defending themselves. But the autopsy report on the victim, a report CNN had to file suit to obtain, raises questions.

CNN's Drew Griffin reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): Two years ago, Danny Brumfield's body was left lying in the street outside the New Orleans Convention Center, shot to death by police in the confusion and chaos after Hurricane Katrina. Police called it a justifiable shooting in self-defense.

But was it?

That week, Danny Brumfield had chopped a hole in his roof so his family could escape the rising floodwaters. On a highway overpass, he kept trying to stop patrol cars for help. He wound up at the convention center --

UNIDENTIFIED NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: We want help! We want help!

GRIFFIN: -- where thousands worried about food, water and their safety.

AFRICA BRUMFIELD, NIECE: We were listening to a lot of women yell for help. There was rumors of rapes taking place. And from the way the women were screaming, it sounded like those rumors were true.

GRIFFIN: Late at night, his family says, Brumfield stepped into the street to try to flag down a police car. But their version of what happened is different from the official version.

(on camera): According to the police report, a black man came out of nowhere from the convention center. He had something shiny in his right hand and was waving at the police as they approached in the patrol car. When they came up, the man actually jumped on the windshield and was trying to swing what turned out to be a pair of scissors in his right hand at the officer in this seat. That officer pulled out a shotgun and shot Danny Brumfield, killing him.

For two years now, that has been the only story we have gotten from the police.

CNN sued for the autopsy results of Danny Brumfield. And it turns out Danny Brumfield did die of a single gunshot wound -- to his back.

(voice-over): This is the autopsy report released under court order.

We showed it to the attorney for Brumfield's family.

JENKINS: This is absolutely amazing.

GRIFFIN: He had never seen it before.

JENKINS: It says the single shotgun wound to the left back.

GRIFFIN: (on camera): He was shot in the back.

JENKINS: Yes. Yes. It doesn't fit. GRIFFIN: (voice-over): There is no dispute Brumfield had a pair of scissors. He had been cutting up cardboard boxes as makeshift beds for his family to sleep on outside. His daughter woke up at the final moment.

SHAUNTAN BRUMFIELD, DAUGHTER: Then I heard the screech of some tires. When I raised my head up, it was my dad on the car and then the gunshot and him laying on the ground.

GRIFFIN: Yet the autopsy report shows almost no downward trajectory when the police officer fired the fatal shot. And that troubles the Brumfield lawyer.

JENKINS: It almost seemed like he was right standing right behind him when he fired.

How could he be in the car and shoot somebody in the back?

GRIFFIN: We wanted to ask the officer, who since has been fired from the police force for unrelated reasons. He now works at this strip club, where we tried to contact him. He did not respond.

Keeping them honest, we did ask the district attorney, Eddie Jordan. He investigated this shooting and cleared the officer.

EDDIE JORDAN, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We believe that in this instance that the police officers were truthful and credible and therefore this was a justifiable homicide.

GRIFFIN: Jordan said, in his view, there was no question Brumfield acted aggressively toward the two officers in the patrol car.

(on camera): But that doesn't seem to match, no matter how we could figure it out, a man laying on the hood of a car swinging with either hand and then being shot in the back.

JORDAN: I suspect that he was moving around as the car continued forward and he was shot in connection with the movement of the vehicle and his movement as he tried to get into the right hand side of the vehicle.

GRIFFIN: (voice-over): Brumfield was the first of two people shot in the back and killed by police that weekend after Hurricane Katrina. A grand jury has indicted seven policemen on murder and other charges after an apparent shootout at another location, the Danziger Bridge the next day.

Among the dead, Ronald Madison, an unarmed retarded man, who also was killed by a shotgun blast to the back, as shown in the first autopsy report uncovered by CNN in its lawsuit a year ago.

In Danny Brumfield's case at the convention center, the two police officers are the only known eyewitnesses to the actual shooting. District Attorney Jordan said he lacks the evidence to go further. JORDAN: The only question that is raised here is -- is how Mr. Brumfield was shot in his back. And I don't believe that that autopsy alone is sufficient to create a situation where we would -- where we would be able to carry our burden of proof.

GRIFFIN: Unless some new witness is found, the death of Danny Brumfield, shot in the back, will remain a justifiable homicide. Drew Griffin, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, storm watches in the Midwest. Jacqui Jeras is tracking it all for us straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Rain, wind and possibly a tornado or two in unusual spots in the Northeast.

Jacqui Jeras in the Severe Weather Center with the latest -- hi, Jacki.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

PHILLIPS: That's right. He's standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour -- hi, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Hi, guys.

Thanks very much.

Coming up, it shows Navy recruits how to respond to disasters and terrorist attacks. It's a more than $82 million Navy simulator. But it's not in the water and it's partly designed by the entertainment industry. Some question the value of its training and if young recruits might see it as simply a video game. You're going to see the simulator and what the recruits go through.

Also, one day after an airplane in Brazil crashes into a building and explodes into frames, officials are wondering if a recently repaired runway played a role. Experts say short runways are a major problem. We're going to show about some that are causing concern right here in the United States.

And Hillary Clinton gets an endorsement from an important member of Congress. You're going to find out who that person is.

All of that coming up, guys, right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM".

PHILLIPS: Sounds great, Wolf.

Thanks.

MARCIANO: Thanks, Wolf. PHILLIPS: Well, he knew when to hold them and he knew when to fold them and, apparently, when to bluff. A relative rookie comes up aces in Vegas at the world series of poker.

His story straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.

MARCIANO: Plus, the closing bell -- a wrap of the action on Wall Street. That's coming up straight ahead. The Dow is down, but we've had a good string of rallies in recent days.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, this guy has only played poker for two years, and now he's the game's new world champion. Thirty-nine-year-old Jerry Yang won the world series of poker early this morning. And here's the best part of the story -- he outplayed eight opponents during a 16- hour poker marathon in Vegas. He grew up in poverty in Laos and, get this, he's a psychologist by profession. So it works out perfectly. He psyched out all his opponents and he managed to win $8.25 million.

MARCIANO: A money clip is not going to fit that pile of money. You need a dump truck, my friend.

Congratulations.

PHILLIPS: The closing bell about to ring on Wall Street.

MARCIANO: Here's Susan Lisovicz standing by with a final look at the day of trading -- hi, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra and Rob.

Well, this is a story follow-up to something we were talking about earlier today. Hundreds of people standing online in the pouring rain in New York to get a bag that can be reused, recycled so they don't have to waste all of those billions of plastic bags that end up in our landfills. Well, as it turns out, it's not just altruism that was guiding them. It's capitalism.

There are hundreds of these bags now on eBay. Some bids are as high as $800. Ironically, one person who was drenched in the rain said that she got the bag and had to put it in a plastic bag from Whole Foods to take it home.

So there's capitalism.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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