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Two People Critically Injured After Shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C; Florida Sting Nabs Child Porn Suspects; Reform Called for with Iranian Election; Tapes Reveal Security Lapse at Bombed Hotel; Drug Violence Spills into Mexico Tourist Spots; Bill Offers Cash to Trade in Gas Guzzlers
Aired June 10, 2009 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Tony, thanks so much.
It spreads like mold on the Internet, but its victims aren't virtual, they're real and they're kids. We're pushing forward on child pornography and a cyber sting that's webbed the lowest of the low.
The drug war in Mexico spreads to a vacation paradise. Our Ed Lavandera reports from Mexico live this hour.
This woman is down in the dumps. I mean really down in the dumps over a mattress she could have retired on. We're live in Israel.
Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Operation Orange Tree is what it's called. Remember the name. It pushes forward the fight against child porn. It's the name of a cyber sting in Florida and your state might be next. Here's the Orange Tree in a nutshell. Seventy-seven people arrested. Charges range from having child porn to sexual battery. The youngest suspect, 17. The oldest, 83. More than a dozen suspects said to have a step- by-step video that shows how to molest children and avoid getting caught. Five young alleged sex victims rescued. Thousands of child porn photos and videos seized. The sting took place over a span of 10 weeks. Nearly two dozen agencies from the FBI to local sheriff's offices, to the U.S. marshals helped arrest all these thugs.
KYRA PHILLIPS: Operation Orange Tree is what it's called. Remember the name that pushes forward the fight against child porn. It's the name of a cyber sting in Florida, and your state might be next.
Here's the Orange Tree in a nutshell. Seventy-seven people arrested. Charges range from having child porn to sexual battery. The youngest suspects: 17. The oldest: 83. More than a dozen suspects said to have a step-by-step video that shows how to molest children and avoid getting caught. Five young alleged sex victims rescued.
Thousands of child porn photos and videos seized. The sting took place over a span of ten weeks. Nearly two-dozen agencies, from the FBI to local sheriff's offices to the U.S. marshals helped arrest all these thugs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERALD BAILEY, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT: They're not just videos. And there are no actors in these images. They're each of reach children. Their victimization, the criminal act itself, has been captured in digital format and memorialized.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the star of the sting could be the cutting-edge technology that made it possible. John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted" says that he plans to make sure that your state has it, too.
John Turchin reported the story for "America's Most Wanted." He's on the phone with us now.
John, I can't even imagine how authorities even were able to look at that tutorial on videotape on how to molest a child.
JOHN TURCHIN, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED" (via phone): I guess, you know, when you take a broader look at everything, they can do that, only because they know that the results are going to be good in the end.
And real quickly, what's really amazing about what has happened here is that this new technology, a new piece of software that was developed, has allowed people like the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Marshals, who headed up this operation, allowed them to basically take all the guesswork out of trying to lure someone.
In the past, you know, you see all these things that we do on TV, where you know, you see police officers basically get online, try to act as though they're children, you know, teenagers, and they lure someone to a site. They make an arrest. Well, this takes the guesswork out.
This software basically allows them to go on to Web sites that they have targeted for child pornography. If you signed onto it, they can locate not only the state you're in, the city you're in, but right down to the house you're in, and then go straight there within minutes, and they can actually pull the computer. They bring their van up, the techno van that they have. It's basically an evidence collection technical operations van, is what they call it. They bring it there. They put the computer in there. They open the hard drive up, and they're actually able to identify whether or not that computer was the one that actually had the downloading of child pornography in it.
Basically, you know, hard drives don't lie. So it tells the whole story there.
PHILLIPS: And John, stay with me a minute. I want to show our viewers this map that we got from the Florida attorney general's office. It actually shows the places, statewide, where child porn was distributed. You can actually see -- and we're going to bring it up here. Can we bring up that map, guys, of Florida? And it actually -- you can see, right here. It goes from the tip of the keys, all the way up to the northwest corner of the panhandle. And you see all these orange dots.
John, you know, I guess one of the conversations that we had this morning, why does this continue to grow? Is it because of the Internet, or is there something going on within all these, you know, disgusting human beings that find a market for this?
TURCHIN: I think you hit it on both sides. I think the Internet certainly has opened up everything. And I think that people are pigs, as John Walsh would say. You know, they're just disgusting. And people, you know, they're going to be like this in our society. We're never going to get rid of them, so we might as well battle them. This software allows them to do it.
And you mentioned some of the specifics earlier, and if you really think about it, they -- they targeted 126 men. They arrested 77. They recovered five kids who were in danger, and they identified four sex offenders they didn't know about. And this is just in a ten- week span, and went from one side of the state to the other. And you know, if they keep doing this in every state, they're going to eventually make a dent somewhere.
PHILLIPS: Well, we can only hope so. And I know you're going to stay all over this story. So are we. John Turchin, appreciate your reporting so much.
And we're also going to talk with the attorney general in just a few minute and find out more about how the law actually connected all those dots, and ask how your state could be getting an Orange Tree of its own.
Well, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has all kinds of advice on how to keep your kids safe on the Internet. Common sense tips like actually talking to your kids about their Internet use, filtering and blocking software for the computer, making sure they pick out nicknames or screen names that don't give potential predators any ideas, and also teaching them to never post their cell- phone number online. A lot of kids do that.
You can read more at the Center's NetSmartz.org site.
And you can read more about the sting, see the map and put your own two cents on our own blog. That's CNN.com/newsroom.
Now the other big story that we're pushing forward today, the sounds of change in Iran.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (CHANTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (CHANTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (CHANTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: On Friday, Iranian elect a new president. At least, that's the hope of the vocal supporters of reform candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. CNN's Christiane Amanpour is in Tehran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I asked these young people holding a sidewalk debate what makes this election different.
"This is like a revolution," says Padak (ph). "People are excited about rescuing our country from the calamity it's in."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And we'll have extensive coverage of the race, the stakes, the issues, the past and future, next hour right here on the CNN NEWSROOM.
Now we want to follow up on two breaking news stories that we were all over yesterday. Search teams have found a third body in the ruins of a Conagra plant near Raleigh, North Carolina. No other workers were unaccounted for, by the way. The cause of that explosion still a mystery.
And in Northwest Pakistan, the ruins of a luxury hotel are being searched for evidence. At least 70 -- 17 people were killed when gunmen stormed a guard post and set off a truck bomb at the Pearl Continental in Peshawar.
Well, no one has claimed responsibility, but you don't have to look far for suspects. Topping the list is the Taliban, at war with Pakistan soldiers in the nearby Swat Valley.
From the Pakistan capital, CNN's Reza Sayah has a closer look at the brazen attack as it happens.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pick-up trucks packed with explosives are not supposed to penetrate the outside gate of the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar, but that's exactly what happened last night in this attack. And based on what we've seen in the surveillance video the local Pakistani television had been airing over the past few hours, this was a breakdown of the security system of the Pearl Continental.
This upscale hotel is set back from the main road in Peshawar, and it's protected by two gates and a security check post. It's the exact type of security system that's supposed to prevent these types of attacks, but it broke apart last night. The surveillance video shows a four-door white car approaching the first gate. A security guard checks under the hood. It lets the car through to the second gate. That's when things kick into high gear. There appears to be gunfire. That car penetrates the second gate.
Right behind that car is a pick-up truck, presumably with what police call five hundred kilograms of explosives. These two vehicles, back to back, race down the driveway, which curves left into an adjacent parking lot right next to the hotel. And that's where police officials say the 500 kilograms of explosives detonated.
This was one of the most powerful blasts we've seen in Pakistan over the past year, powerful enough that a number of floors of this hotel completely collapsed. We spoke to the media coordinator of this hotel, and he defended the security system, saying if anyone's determined to kill themselves, if anyone's determined to get in a car packed with explosives, there's very little you can do.
But again, looking at this video, this looks like a security breakdown. Expect a lot of questions to be asked from the security management of this hotel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Once again, that was our Reza Sayah. And you won't find these pictures in a tourist brochure. That's for sure. But these are scenes from the tourist Mecca at Acapulco, now a target in Mexico's drug war. We're going to take you to Mexico live.
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(WEATHER REPORT)
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PHILLIPS: It's a major tourist playground. Now Acapulco is a new target in Mexico's deadly drug war. In the latest battle, thousands of rounds fired, dozens of grenades exploded, 17 people killed.
CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us now from Mexico City.
Ed, give us a sense of just how bad it is right now.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this one was rather alarming because of its location. And we've been talking a lot about the violence because of the drug cartel warfare here in Mexico. But really, we focused a lot on what's been going on along the border, in towns like Juarez and in Tijuana.
So this happening in Acapulco, far to the southern part of the country. That is what's causing great alarm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Bursts of gunfire echo through the darkness of Mexico streets. It's the sound of a drug war, but this time it's different.
RUSTY FLEMING, AUTHOR, "DRUG WAR": You are seeing a new level of the war on drugs in Mexico. And now, of course, you've got an administration that is taking the war directly to these guys. We're going to start seeing them in places that we never thought they existed.
LAVANDERA: But it seems no place is immune. This gun battle took place in the tourist Mecca of Acapulco, a place largely untouched by drug violence until now.
The battle started over the weekend, when Mexican troops raided a suspected safe house of the Beltran-Levy drug cartel. When the smoke cleared, more than 3,000 shots had been fired, 50 grenades exploded, and 17 people killed, including two soldiers and two innocent bystanders.
Terrified tourists fled from the area.
Inside the gated house where the gunmen were holed up, soldiers found four handcuffed shirtless men, who claimed to be kidnapped state police officers.
And then yesterday, another rampage of gunfire and explosions. Two police stations were riddled with bullets and pounded with grenades in a coordinated, near simultaneous attack. Three policemen were killed and one wounded.
Reports say state officials were investigating whether it was a retaliatory attack, while Mexican soldiers in trucks and in helicopters kept watch over a nervous resort town.
Some 2,300 people have been killed just this year in Mexico's drug violence, the latest of nearly 11,000 victims since the nation's president unleashed military forces against drug traffickers in December of 2006.
The U.S. State Department has a travel alert warning Americans of the increased levels of violence. The Mexican government says its resort towns are safe, but Fleming disagrees and says open warfare in places like Acapulco is only just beginning.
FLEMING: All of those drugs have to come in, in shipping lanes. And those are shipping ports. So of course, they've got a presence there. And of course, you're going to see as, you know, these guys, their operations become uncovered by the military and the military gets to pursue them, you're going to see more of this kind of violence.
LAVANDERA: A new front in the war on drugs, another town gripped with fear.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: Kyra, what's also very concerning for Mexican officials is that tourism, obviously, is a huge part of the economy here in this country. They're just now recovering from the swine flu outbreak and the damage that that did to tourism here, so they're really hoping that this doesn't cause more people to stay away -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We'll definitely follow-up. Ed Lavandera, thank you very much.
We have to get to some breaking news right now. A shooting we're hearing about near or at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. We still cannot confirm the location. But we have learned that a D.C. cop has been shot.
We're actually looking at a traffic cam right now of 14th Street. That's near the Mall. We've been seeing a lot of police activity there. We're also hearing that there's one shooting suspect. The park police spokesperson saying he thinks that that person has been contained. Breaking news we're following for you this hour.
Hey, Uncle Sam's got a deal for you. He's going to take the old gas guzzler off your hands and put money in your pocket to help you buy a car that gets better mileage. However, you need to read the fine print, as always.
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PHILLIPS: We're continuing to follow that breaking news story out of Washington, D.C., right -- D.C. right now. It's a shooting either at or near the Holocaust Museum there in D.C. We have learned that a D.C. cop has been shot, possibly by a suspect with a shotgun.
This is actually the traffic cam of 14th Street near the Mall. We've been seeing a lot of police activity there. You can actually see that they're kind of toward the back of the screen.
We've also heard that there is one suspect, one shooting suspect, and that suspect in custody. The park police spokesperson saying he thinks that that person has been contained.
We do have White House correspondent, Ed Henry, on the way. He'll be working that story for us. We'll try and bring you more information.
Well, the on-again, off-again Chrysler/Fiat deal is finally official. They put ink to paper today. It actually saves Chrysler from liquidation and puts the new company in the hands of the CEO of the Italian automaker. It also clears the way for Chrysler to emerge from bankruptcy protection, minus billions of dollars in debt.
All of this comes on the heels of the Supreme Court's refusal to hear an appeal of lower court rulings actually approving that sale.
While Chrysler's marriage to Fiat begins, its divorce from nearly 800 dealerships appears to be final without legal intervention. That includes a relationship that's lasted 95 years. You might remember the owner of Bollinger's talked with us here in the NEWSROOM after he got his "dear John" letter from the company. Well, the dealership has been a mainstay on Main Street in Lakeview, Michigan, as long as anyone can remember.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL BESSEMER, DEALERSHIP OWNER: I'm going to miss it a great deal, yes. This has been my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: ... used cars. The owner plans to review the books and decide if the dealership can keep going without new car sales and warranty work for Chrysler.
Well, Uncle Sam wants to put you in a new car, a so-called "cash for clunkers" bill passed by the House. It provides money to trade in that gas guzzler for a new, more fuel-efficient car.
Personal finance editor Gerri Willis live in New York.
Gerri, how does it work?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey there, Kyra.
Yes, it's not a done deal yet. But here's how it would work. The program would offer vouchers that would allow consumers, you and me, to save up to 4,500 bucks on a new car purchase.
Now, here are the details, and the details are important. Your old car that you're trading in, it must get 18 miles per gallon or less. City and highway combined here. That's an important detail.
The new car must get at least 22 miles per gallon and, again, that's city and highway combined.
Now, you can't go just buy a junkyard dog somewhere. The vehicle must be registered. It has to be insured under your name and then used for at least one year. And the car you purchased must cost 45,000 bucks or less -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, so what are some of the biggest criticisms of the bill?
WILLIS: All right, well, let's start first with the idea that it's not all that green. You know, 22 miles per gallon just isn't that impressive when it comes to conserving gas. Also, there are not too many cars that will actually qualify for the trade-in. Let's take a look at some of the examples of cars that would be eligible. The Cadillac Deville, the Dodge Grand Caravan, the Dodge Ram Charger, the Chevy Tahoe.
The reality here is that, Kyra, a lot of folks will have difficulty taking advantage of this. New car on average in our country costs about $28,000. Let's say you get that $4,500 credit. You're still financing over $24,000 as a practical matter.
People who drive clunkers, they drive them not necessarily because they love them. In some cases they can't afford a monthly payment. So, this is going to be difficult for some people to take advantage of.
PHILLIPS: All right, Gerri. Appreciate it.
We've got to get back to our breaking news real quickly here. We're now confirming that that shooting we've been telling you about inside the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. It was a security guard inside that museum that was shot dead. We're also being told two people wounded inside that museum, as well.
This is actually a traffic cam of 14th Street near the Mall where we've been seeing all that police activity. And I don't know if you can see sort of at the end of the traffic cam shot. The museum is actually that round-ish building on the right-hand side with the large, dark entrance and the red sidewalk in front of it. It's kind of hard to see. But if your eyes are -- are kind of glued to the back of the camera there, you can see, actually, where that has happened.
So, we are told that there is a suspect in custody. Don't know the motive behind this shooting.
OK. Now we are being told we are not sure if that security guard inside has been shot dead or not. We're just getting these pictures in. But I can tell you there has been a shooting inside the Holocaust Museum there in Washington, D.C.
Now upping the numbers of those wounded. We are told three wounded inside that museum. Possibly that third, the security guard. Still trying to confirm whether he was shot dead or not.
Initial reports were saying it was a D.C. cop that was shot. Then we were getting word it was a security guard inside that museum. But it seems to -- we haven't been able to confirm that that shooting took place inside the U.S. Holocaust Museum based in Washington, D.C., there.
If you're not sure exactly where it is, it's right across from the United States Department of Agriculture on 14th Street just before Independence Avenue and about two blocks from the Washington Monument.
Here's a look at Google Earth right now, zooming in to show you exactly where that is. Not far from the Washington Monument, about two blocks, directly across from the United States Department of Agriculture. And then, as you can see from the traffic cam, a lot of police activity right now as we are now confirming that that shooting in D.C. has, indeed, taken place inside the U.S. Holocaust Museum.
And you know, this comes just days after the president took that trip overseas on the anniversary of D-Day and toured the Buchenwald concentration camp and talked about the violence and the atrocities against Jews, those millions of Jews that died during the Holocaust. The president there for a couple of days. You saw the live coverage. Now, just a few days later, we're seeing this shooting inside the U.S. Holocaust Museum there in Washington, D.C.
Ed Henry, I am told, is on the way to the scene. He'll be working that story for us, kind of stepping away from his White House beat, working the breaking news. We'll bring you -- OK, and I'm told we're able -- we have connected with Ed Henry. He's on the phone.
Ed, have you been able to make it to the scene yet?
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Yes, Kyra, we're on the corner of 14th and Independence, right outside the Holocaust Museum, as well as the Department of Agriculture. It's sort of a crazy scene right now. The police coming from every direction from U.S. Park police, metropolitan police here in the city. You can probably hear some of the sirens coming behind me.
Ambulances (UNINTELLIGIBLE) just come in. There's also police forces. The whole -- all sorts of law enforcement agencies.
We've just spoken to two people, tourists. One from (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Arizona, who were in the Holocaust Museum when they heard gunshots. These two tourists tell me that they believe there were five gunshots and that they were in -- the gunshots were coming from inside the Holocaust Museum.
These two people were on the first floor of the Holocaust Museum. They said all of a sudden, they heard five booming sounds. They initially thought that something had fallen over inside the museum. But when they saw security personnel from the museum running around and sort of interviewed these people to find out where they were, when the gunshots came out, the tourists ascertained that the gunshots sounded like they were coming from the second floor of the museum. They said it sounded like a booming sound right above them.
So they believe that the gunshots were inside the building. They started talking to somebody in the gift shop who said they had seen some glass shatter inside the building. After security personnel interviewed them, the tourists were told to streak (ph) out of the building, to get out of the scene. That's why we are now on the corner of -- outside the museum. And they're saying that they believe that the gunshots were inside the museum on the second floor, because they were on the first floor, and they could hear maybe booming sounds above them, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So have you been able to confirm whether this security guard inside the museum was shot? We were getting word, possibly, that he was shot. Then we heard that he was shot and killed. There seems to be some confusion on the radios. Have you been able to confirm that?
HENRY: We have not been able to confirm that. We are standing at the corner of 14th and Independence. We're told that the police -- I don't know if it's metropolitan police or the park police -- someone is going to give us a briefing shortly. I just -- we just -- my photojournalist, Jacob (ph), has gotten another eyewitness to -- or someone who heard some of the gunshots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heard what happened.
HENRY: He heard what happened. So if you give me one moment, Kyra, I can -- hold on one second. Let me go -- what did you hear, ma'am?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were helping people come down the elevator on wheelchairs, and one of the people said that a gunman tried to get into where we first come in to the protectors (ph). That's where he pulled out a gun and started shooting. They don't know if other people got hurt at all or anything. But they thought maybe somebody got hurt, one of the security persons got hurt. But they weren't sure.
HENRY: So these gunshots were inside the museum, you believe, near where the commoners (ph) are, when you first walk into the museum? Is that what you're saying?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We did see yellow tape down the hall on the right when we were being rushed out.
HENRY: You were -- you were inside the building when this was going on?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. Watching the video, and they came in and said we had to leave right away. And they got us out.
HENRY: And you were not able to confirm whether or not someone was actually shot?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. They had us move down the hallway really fast. And this is what people were saying when we came out.
HENRY: So we have now a third person we've spoken to, saying that they heard the gunshots were inside the building. The first two eyewitnesses, this is someone who was inside the building but was not actually on the actual scene, was inside the building. But believe this happened inside, as well.
But you heard the gunshots? OK.
So we're still searching for more eyewitnesses, Kyra. But that's the best we can determine right now. We've not confirmed whether anyone here on the scene -- we've not been able to confirm that or that anyone was actually shot. But we have heard from police officials while we were in route that at least one person was shot, and we're still trying to get more information, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So Ed, do you know what those security guards inside the Holocaust Museum there in D.C. are armed? Do they carry guns?
HENRY: I have to be honest with you that I'm not certain. I just saw some of them ringing the building, and I took some still photos that I'll try to get into you to see whether or not they have guns on them, but I did not notice whether or not they did.
There are some security at some of the museums around (INAUDIBLE). There are so many that do carry weapons. And I just cannot tell, because there is so much going on, whether or not people there actually did have guns, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You know, I'm going to take advantage of the fact that you're the White House correspondent. You know, it's just been a number of days since the president was overseas, walking the grounds of the Buchenwald concentration camp, you know, with Elie Wiesel by his side, and Angela Merkel on the other side, talking about atrocities against Jews.
And now we're seeing -- you know, of course, we don't know anything about this shooter or the motive and if it was targeted toward the memorial there. But sort of interesting the timing, Ed.
HENRY: Certainly. Coming some quickly after the president visiting a former concentration camp (INAUDIBLE). But obviously, as you said, we don't know motives yet. We don't know if there is any connection, whether it was just a random shooting, it could have been outside any museum. That's what we're trying to determine.
But we have another eyewitness who's here with a (INAUDIBLE) of (INAUDUIBLE).
Sir, were you inside the museum at the time of the shots?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we were inside the museum. My name is Jay Spearson (ph). I'm an educator with the Potomac Lighthouse public charter school, which is located near Washington, D.C. As we were on a field --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hang on just a second. Kyra, I'm just going to move. Because the helicopters are moving over us.
PHILLIPS: Please, that's great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And also, the police are trying to move us further from the scene. Let me try to go somewhere where we can hear him better.
PHILLIPS: OK. And we can actually hear him well, Ed. It's OK.
HENRY: We just need to move because the police are urging us to move -- they are trying to move the crime scene a little further back. So, we just want to cooperate and still get the information. Thank you for your patience, sir.
PHILLIPS: Our Ed --
HENRY: OK. Here we go.
Sir, you were inside the building. Tell us what you heard, what you saw.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the time -- again, my name is James Pearson (ph). We're from Potomac Lighthouse public charter school. I'm an educator, I teach sixth and -- sixth grade social studies.
So, at the time we were visiting to visit -- and all of a sudden there's like a boom and all of a sudden they told us to stop. They told us to stop where we were at. And wanted to make sure that everything else got evacuated. So, that was about it.
HENRY: So you heard -- did you hear a boom? Did you hear gunshots?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only thing we heard was like a boom and that was it.
HENRY: OK. Just one or two -- not five as others heard?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just heard like a boom and that was it.
HENRY: And then at that point what did the security tell you to do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop where we're at. Nobody move. That's what we did.
HENRY: And what floor were you on, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was on -- we were on the fourth floor.
HENRY: You were on the fourth floor. OK. So, this gentleman was on the fourth floor. Again, we heard from earlier eyewitnesses suggested to us that they thought it happened on the second floor. That may have been why he didn't hear all five, as others heard -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Right. There would have been a reverberation, obviously, the higher up that he was.
All right. So, Ed, I'm going to recap for the viewers here. Holler at me if you're able to talk with somebody else, otherwise I'm going to bring you back in. If you see anybody that you can talk to, possibly cops on the scene or eyewitnesses.
Our Ed Henry is actually there at the scene right now. Just to bring you up to date, breaking news out of Washington, D.C. Apparently there has been a shooting inside the Holocaust museum in D.C. If you don't know exactly where that is, we're actually -- we have the luxury here of trafficland.com that is able to show us an ongoing live picture from the scene. You can see all the police officers there outside the museum. And obviously the yellow tape. Kind of cordoning off the crime scene there. Not quite sure if this security guard -- we're getting word that a security guard inside that museum was shot. There's been conflicting reports, whether that security guard has been shot or killed.
OK. So now we are confirming -- the numbers are changing. But I'm hearing that two people shot. OK, two people shot, according to D.C. police. One believed to be the alleged shooter. OK. So, just to back up on the numbers right now -- and this is coming straight from D.C. police.
We are told that two people have been shot. We cannot confirm if either one has been killed, but apparently one alleged shooter, as well. So, one alleged shooter, two people have been shot. We're getting that straight from the D.C. police department right now.
We got word about this about 25 minutes ago now. Our Ed Henry there on the scene, actually talked to some eyewitnesses inside that museum. We believe that that alleged shooter could be in custody at this time. Still do not know a motive. Still working that information right now.
Go ahead and tell me that again. OK. Alan Etter on the phone with us from D.C. fire department.
Alan, what can you tell us?
VOICE OF ALAN ETTER, WASHINGTON FIRE DEPT.: Well, I want to tell you that I'm probably not going to be able to release a whole lot of information to you right now.
Obviously there's a very intensive police investigation going on right now. I will tell you that from the scene we were presented with three patients -- three adult males. We have transferred two of those patients, one person was injured apparently lacerated by some glass apparently. That person was treated and not transported. The other two were transported with what appear to be gunshot wounds. I cannot at this point characterize the severity of their wounds. They've been treated at local hospitals that are appropriate for their injuries. But we are standing by assisting the police department at this time.
PHILLIPS: All right, so, let me just confirm with you, Alan. Talking to Alan Etter with the D. C. fire department. You are saying there were three males that were shot. Two have been transported. One was treated and released or treated and contained there at the scene?
ETTER: What I said was is that there are two victims who were suffering from gunshot wounds being treated, being transported. A third victim apparently was injured as ancillary to a gunshot being fired by broken glass or something like that. We're not quite sure how this person was injured. But it was a minor injury and that person did not go to the hospital.
PHILLIPS: I got it.
Can you tell me if any of those three males is the alleged shooter?
ETTER: I couldn't characterize the relationship to this incident. Again, that would be a matter for the police.
PHILLIPS: OK. Because -- all right. So we're just trying to nail down the numbers.
So, Alan, do you know if the museum has been evacuated? Has anybody else been injured?
ETTER: We don't have reports of anybody else being hurt at this time. I mean, obviously, the museum is closed and 14th street up to Independence Avenue is closed as this police investigation ensues.
PHILLIPS: OK.
And, Alan, can you confirm for us if it was a security guard inside that was shot? Is that one of the individuals transported?
ETTER: You know -- you know -- you know, I couldn't -- we know that there are security guards here on the scene. But I could not at this time confirm whether or not one of the victims was a security guard. That will be a matter for the police department.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Alan Etter there with the D.C. fire department.
Alan, thanks so much. I know you've got your hands full.
Ed Henry, are you still with me?
OK. Ed Henry is actually there on the scene, as well, working this breaking news story for us.
What you're looking at is trafficland.com, which is giving us a birds-eye view here of this scene in Washington, D.C. right there at the Holocaust museum.
We can tell you that a shooting took place inside that museum. According to the D.C. fire department, three males were hurt in this incident. We're being told two of them transported with gunshot wounds to the hospital. One additional male injured, possibly by broken glass. Some other -- something related to the gunshots that were fired.
We haven't been able to confirm whether or not one of the males being transported to the hospital with gunshot wounds is that security guard or not. We are still working that information for you right now.
Former D. C. police officer, one of our security analysts, Mike Brooks, on the phone with me now.
Mike, have you been able to work your sources? I know you were on the S.W.A.T. team there in D.C. Do you know what has happened by chance? Any more details? VOICE OF MIKE BROOKS, FORMER D.C. POLICE DETECTIVE: Well, apparently, Kyra, the shooting -- I'm hearing from law enforcement and fire department sources there on the scene that the shooting took place not too far -- right near the magnetometers.
When you come into the Holocaust museum -- I was involved in the dedication of this when it happened and know it very well. When you come into there, there's magnetometers. And they have their own armed police force, if you will -- a guard force -- there at the museum.
And apparently the shooting took place right there, near the magnetometer. A male with what is being described as a shotgun. Two people have been transported to George Washington University, where they call Priority One, which is serious. And one was treated there at the scene as Alan was saying, apparently from maybe some flying glass. But treated and (AUDIO GAP) transported to the hospital.
The initial reports were, it was a D.C. police officer. D.C. police (AUDIO GAP). But, we are hearing -- I am hearing from a source that it was a security guard. But don't know the condition of the security guard or of the gunman. And they did refer, as I said, what's believed to be a shotgun there at the scene.
PHILLIPS: OK. So, is it -- do you believe -- I mean, were you sources able to tell you if indeed it was the security guard that was shot and the alleged shooter? Are those the two men that were taken to the hospital?
BROOKS: That's what I'm hearing, but I'm trying to confirm that with one other source before I say specifically, you know, yes, it was, for sure.
And what -- you know, what we're seeing here on the traffic cams is looking -- on the one at the upper left, you're looking up 14th Street, looking north on 14th Street. The other one on the lower right is just right there around coming off -- as you're approaching the Department of Treasury on the right-hand side, and then further up on the scan as you follow the road around, it is the Holocaust museum right there at the corner of 14th and Independence Avenue southwest.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Mike Brooks is a former D.C. police officer, was actually on the S.W.A.T. team, and he's one of our law enforcement analysts. He's working his sources, bringing us more information.
Mike, stay with us. Thank you so much. Continue to work the phones for us.
Ed Henry also on the scene. He's our White House correspondent. But attending to breaking news for us. Ed, you've been able to talk to eyewitnesses. You're right there outside of the museum.
Can you tell me, have you learned any additional information?
HENRY: Yes, we have another young woman, her name is Maria. She's 19 years old, she's here with her dad. They were inside the Holocaust museum and she actually saw some of the shooting unfold, in terms of the reaction from the security guard. She saw a security guard down.
Tell us -- please describe to us here by phone what you saw, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I saw -- I heard the first shooting from the Remember the Children. I ran towards the glass doors. And there I saw the security guard take off his gun, run towards the shooter. And then I saw a man go down and several people on the floor. Then I went back inside. They kept us in there until we were safe to go out and we ran.
HENRY: When you say you saw a man down, did you see the man who appeared to be the shooter down? Did you see the security (AUDIO GAP) or what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was definitely a security guard. He was down, bleeding on the floor. And I think he (AUDIO GAP).
HENRY: So, it looked very difficult and he was bleeding a lot?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he was. I think -- he was face down. His back I think was shot, blood was coming out.
HENRY: OK. And when you say you saw the actual weapon-- the gun that the shooter was using against the security guard, or no?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no. All I saw -- all I saw is the gun the security guard was using and him towards the --
HENRY: Did you see any fire -- any shots fired by security personnel at the actual shooter?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. When he took off his gun, he opened fire immediately. Down from the desk towards the shooter.
HENRY: And did it appear that they hit the shooter?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not that I saw.
HENRY: OK.
And how many shots total do you think you heard?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like five total. Two from the security guard definitely and they ran towards the shooter.
HENRY: Five shots?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, five shots total.
HENRY: You heard them as well?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I did.
HENRY: OK. I have a couple other eyewitnesses that can jump in, those five shots square with what the first few eyewitnesses we talked to earlier, Kyra, were hearing. And it sounds like they were five shots, perhaps total, when you combine the initial shooter, as well as the return fire from the security personnel.
Is there anything else you want to add about what you saw?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just that everybody was freaking out. Everybody was really scared. Thank God we made it out safely.
HENRY: Great. I really appreciate you sharing your story.
Now, we have another eyewitness here -- a gentleman.
Where are you from, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Orlando, Florida.
HENRY: What did you see?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't see a whole lot. I heard the shots were probably about 10-15 feet away. I heard about five shots. We didn't know what was going on, so we just kept looking. We were told it was part of the exhibit -- we were told it was part of the exhibit. So we just kind of stayed cool. Then a while later the guard said -- they took us out of the building.
HENRY: OK. So, you can hear, it sounds like. Did you hear about five shots?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About five shots.
HENRY: OK. So, most of the eyewitnesses are saying they heard five shots. You heard the one dramatic account from Maria. She's only 19 years old and she said that it appeared that the security guard had been hit pretty badly and that he was face down on the ground -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Wow. And we wanted to let folks know, too, we're getting video in from all our affiliates, WUSA, also WJLA. Both of our affiliates there in the D.C. area bringing us pictures of the scene, Ed.
I think that's probably the best information we've been able to get so far, Ed, is that 19-year-old gal that you talked to who said she saw that security guard face down, actually bleeding on the floor of the Holocaust museum.
Ed, stay with me. Just real quickly I want to recap for our viewers. If you're just tuning in, we're following breaking news right now. You're looking at pictures coming in, new video from our affiliate WUSA, who's also there on the scene.
A shooting has taken place inside the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. We are able to confirm that two men were transported with gunshots to the hospital. One person was injured, but they were treated and released. We are trying to confirm if those two men that were transported to the hospital with gunshot wounds were indeed the security guard that was shot and also the alleged gunman. We are trying to confirm that, if indeed, there was a shootout with that alleged gunman and the security guard.
We're working that information for you right now. If you don't know where the museum is, it is directly -- about two blocks from the Washington Monument.
Let's go ahead and listen to our affiliate WJLA as they are reporting this live on their newscast, as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- And we were in line for a 1:00 entrance into the museum. And we heard a report, sounded like maybe something had dropped on the hard floor, or something. It was loud. Wasn't sure what it was. But then it was followed by four or five other reports that I thought was probably gunshot and at that time people started yelling "hit the floor, hit the floor."
So my wife and two grandsons and I hit the floor in a little kind of cut-out in the hallway there along with another young family. I don't know who they were. And we were scared to death. We got as low as we could get. We didn't know exactly what had happened except someone was shooting guns and everyone was screaming and excited.
We huddled there for probably -- it seemed like a long time. It was probably a couple, three minutes and then some of the museum staff started yelling "get up and run, get up and run." So we got up and ran as fast as we could out the back door along with everyone else. And it was extremely -- it was scary. We were frightened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I mean, so, you just broke out of there and ran -- a lot of people, I guess, in the museum.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we were -- we were on the main floor, so we got out pretty rapidly. And I think they evacuated the rest of the floors, because people kept streaming out for the next 10 minutes. You know, it's a big building, a lot of people. And so those folks on the upper floors, they -- I'm sure they evacuated them, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many shots did you hear?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd say at least five and maybe six. I frankly don't remember exactly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And how far away was that from where you were standing with your family?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were probably just -- I don't know exactly, maybe 30 feet from the entrance. The incident happened right by the entrance and the gift shop area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then you started shots. Did you think it was shots right away or what --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First shot, I -- you know, you don't expect that. You're in a secure place, a place of reverence and respect. You don't expect gunshots. So, but then after -- they repeated. It's like, that's gunfire. And then they said "hit the floor" and we did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very frightening experience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, very frightened. I mean, I think I'm pretty calm but I was very frightened and my wife and grandkids were pretty frightened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. OK. That's Mr. David Unrue (ph) from Wichita, Kansas, who, again, Dave was inside the museum when all of this took place. And obviously a frightening situation for him and his family.
And, again, as we're looking here, there are a number of city officials including the police chief. We saw the mayor down there, a number of the assistant chiefs as they're waiting here to find out what the situation -- what the situation is.
Dave, back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right. We're watching actually a live newscast via our affiliate WJLA, the reporter there on the scene talking back to its anchor.
We're going to take it from here as you're looking at a Google Earth map of exactly where the Holocaust Museum is in Washington, D.C. It's about two blocks from the Washington Monument, and directly across the street from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Let me bring you up to date, as you heard from that eyewitness there at the scene. Gunshots broke out inside the museum, about close to an hour ago. There was a bit of confusion about if that shooting had taken place inside the museum or outside of the museum. We've now been able to confirm that that happened indeed inside the museum with a security guard, inside the Holocaust museum.
Our Mike Brooks telling us that they do have armed guards, an armed force, inside that museum. Then our Ed Henry, who's there on the scene, was able to talk to a 19-year-old witness and she was telling Ed how she did see that security guard down on the floor, bleeding there on the floor of the museum, as she was being whisked out of that museum.
Members of the staff there telling everybody, first to hit the floor when those gunshots were heard, and then when they realized there was an opening to get everybody out of the museum, they told everybody to run quickly outside of that museum.
Now we're going to go to some video just in, once again, from one of our -- or sound, rather, that we were able to get in and put together for you from two witnesses.
Are these the witnesses that Ed Henry -- OK -- they were inside the museum. Let's go ahead and take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: So, you were inside the museum? You heard gunshots?
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: Yes.
HENRY: Describe what you heard.
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: We heard five gunshots -- we on the first floor of the museum in the special collections, Propaganda Exhibit. They were above us.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: Just one of the temporary exhibits and then right above our head, basically we heard five booming sounds. And I'd say -- no one around us really even assumed they were gunshots. Everybody kind of thought it was stuff falling over. And then we saw a security guard come running over.
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: The security guard held us in the exhibit for about 15, 20 minutes.
HENRY: Really?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE. Yes. We were in the exhibit for about 20 minutes.
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: They wouldn't let us leave.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: And then they held basically had us like sprinting out of the building so --
HENRY: Did they tell you that anybody had been shot?
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: They haven't given us any information, really. We heard five gunshots so we were told there were five gunshots. They were trying to separate us on what side of the building we were on. And then they just told us to get out of here.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: We did talk to a guy who was in the gift shop who said he saw some glass breaking and stuff like that.
HENRY: Glass on the museum or --
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: I don't know.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: Like inside -- like heard glass breaking and stuff.
HENRY: So, did it sound like the gunshots were inside the museum?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: Oh, it definitely was. It was above our head, it was on the floor just above where we were on the second floor.
HENRY: You were on the first floor?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: We were on the first floor, yes.
HENRY: So the shots were definitely on the second floor.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: I mean -- unless (INAUDIBLE) it was on the third floor or something --
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: But they were definitely in the museum.
HENRY: Wow. OK. And so you didn't see anybody fall or --
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: They were not on the floor we were on. We were just held -- we were held and then evacuated.
HENRY: Can you give us your name?
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: I'm Jessica Goley.
HENRY: Goley, how do you spell that?
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: G-O-L-E-Y.
HENRY: And you're from?
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: St. Louis.
HENRY: And you're from?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: And I'm from Arizona.
HENRY: And your name?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: Trevor Ezell.
HENRY: Will you spell your last name?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: E-Z-E-L-L.
HENRY: Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And that's our Ed Henry that was just able to get some interviews with two of the visitors inside the Holocaust museum there in Washington, D.C.
Five gunshots, glass being shattered. Told to run like hell. Those two eyewitnesses inside the museum when those shots rang out.
This is what we can tell you right now. Not sure of the motive. Not sure what exactly the confrontation was about. But we can tell you that two males have been transported to George W. University Hospital with gunshot wounds. One is believed to be the -- we're actually going to go straight to WGLA (sic), our affiliate, that just interviewed a police officer on tape.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
SGT. DAVID SCHLOSSER, U.S. PARK POLICE: And they're doing a secondary sweep just to make certain that we have absolutely everything covered. We don't believe we have any other gunmen there. We just want to make certain of it. It's just routine thing to double-check on the security of these two facilities.
QUESTION: Could you run through what happened, sir, again, for those of us who just got here?
SCHLOSSER: Absolutely. We can go back essentially to the beginning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, appreciate it.
SCHLOSSER: At about 10 minutes to 1:00 this afternoon, a man entered the Holocaust museum and he was armed with a long gun. I don't know whether that long gun was a rifle or a shotgun. It's only described as a long gun.
At some point when he entered the museum -- and I don't know whether it was before or after the metal detectors, the gunman that walked in and one of the armed security officers assigned to the Holocaust museum exchanged gunfire. Or, I'm sorry, let me correct that. The man that initially entered the museum fired upon one of the security officers.
So, both that security officer and the gunman have received gunshot wounds. My understanding is that two other security officers at the museum returned gunfire at the man that had entered the museum. Both the security guard that was initially shot and that gunman have been transported to George Washington University Hospital. And I don't know the condition of them.
QUESTION: Did the gunman say anything?
QUESTION: Did the gunman say anything, Sergeant?
SCHLOSSER: I don't know any statements made by the gunman nor do I know (INAUDIBLE) of the gunman.
QUESTION: What about a suspicious package?
SCHLOSSER: Some people have mentioned a suspicious package and I'm not certain of the suspicious package. But I'm sure if it's in the area that's being addressed also.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDNEITIFED MALE: I don't know. I'll try and get that information.
QUESTION: A lot of people here are saying that he fell out outside of the museum.
UNIDNTIFIED MALE: I don't know where the initial shooting took place. My understanding it was just inside the entryway. Where the gunman ended up after that, I don't know, but I'll try to get that for you.
QUESTION: Was this gunman by any chance a special police officer as well, as the shooter?
SCHLOSSER: That I don't know. I don't know.
QUESTION: We understand that somebody was in CPR in transit to the hospital, is that true? Do you know if you have a critical?
SCHLOSSER: I don't know but I'll try to find that out.
QUESTION: Can you tell us what he was dressed like?
SCHLOSSER: I don't know.
QUESTION: Are you looking for anyone else?
QUESTION: Two people shot, that's it?
SCHLOSSER: My understanding is that it's going to be a total of two victims -- one being the security guard and one being the person that had initially gone into the museum.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
SCHLOSSER: Absolutely. We want to make absolutely certain that the scene is completely secure.
QUESTION: Were there people hiding in there?
SCHLOSSER: Wait, wait one second.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
SCHLOSSER: Wait for that helicopter to clear.
OK, all right. Going back to the number of shooters involved. I do know that obviously we had the gunman that had walked in there and that one or more security officers returned fire. The number, I don't know yet. I'm going to try to get that, so it could be, you know, one or more.
QUESTION: Sergeant, are people --
SCHLOSSER: There was two that I hear returned fire but I want to confirm that.
QUESTION: Are there people hiding inside the building right now?
SCHLOSSER: Not to my knowledge, no. I believe the museum has been completely secured and evacuated.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
SCHLOSSER: No, I have no age on him.
QUESTION: His condition, Sergeant?
SCHLOSSER: I don't know. Apparently pretty serious but that's all I know and I'll try get back to you.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
SCHLOSSER: I think the same for that.
QUESTION: Is it safe to say that this is one of the most secure of the institutions in Washington?
SCHLOSSER: All the institutions in Washington, do a threat analysis of their particular facility. And I think the majority of the public gathering areas have done a good job as far as putting metal detectors and any other detection equipment necessary that's appropriate for this type of (INAUDIBLE).
(CROSSTALK) As a matter of housekeeping, my name is David Schlosser. That's S-C-H-L-O-S-S-E-R. I'm a sergeant with the U.S. Park Police, Public Information Office.
And let me -- if y'all can hang tight for a minute and I'm going to get some updates and we'll take it from there. So, just stay put and we'll --
(END OF COVERAGE)
PHILLIPS: OK. Here's what I can tell you so far, as we're continuing to follow the breaking news out of Washington, D.C. Live pictures now, via our affiliate, WUSA. You can see police officers airborne and on the ground to what appears to be secured at this time. We're talking about the Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C.
Here's what we know according to Sergeant David Schlosser, from the U.S. Park Police. We finally were able sort of a minute by minute of what exactly happened.
He said that a man entered the Holocaust museum, either with a rifle or a shotgun. It was described as a long gun. He made it into the entryway of that museum, wasn't sure if he had made it through the metal detectors or not, but that the gunman took a shot at the security guard -- the armed security guard inside the museum and then either one or more additional security guards returned fire on that gunman.
We are told the gunman and also that security guard that was shot are the two men that were transported to George Washington University Hospital. Their condition is unknown. But, we can tell you Ed Henry did talk to a 19-year-old eyewitness that said she saw that security guard down on the ground and bleeding.
Ed Henry joining us live now there in front of the museum. That was probably the most powerful interview yet to be heard, was that description of what that 19-year-old saw -- Ed. HENRY: Very powerful. Her name is Maria and she's not far from me so in a moment I'm going to try and go over and talk to her so we can get her live and actually see her and get it out on the air.
I just want to set the scene of where we are. You can see over here my photo journalist Jaco Riggs (ph) is pointing us towards -- we're at 14th and Jefferson, northwest in downtown D.C. on the National Mall. That's the Department of Agriculture. Now, if he pulls over towards me here to the right, you'll see the yellow police tape. Just now over there, that's 14th and Independence Avenue. You can hear the helicopters still coming over.
Over where you see all that police action and over to the right, there's a little bit of all the trees and whatnot. Behind that is the Holocaust museum. That's where the shooting took place. From the eyewitnesses, we understand that it happened just -- it appears just inside the museum where the security officers were.
To give you a more idea of exactly where we are, to my left, I'm looking right at the Washington Monument. The White House is not very far from here. That's why we raced over here. As you can see, the monument (AUDIO GAP).
All kinds of people are coming out and giving us essentially the same account, Kyra, which is that they heard about five gunshots combined between the original shooter and then the return fire from the security personnel.
Maria, who as you mentioned, 19 years old. She's here with her dad and some other relatives. We'll go get her a moment. She was describing a scene in which the original security guard who had been hit was face down on the ground bleeding profusely. And in her estimation, it didn't appear that he was in very good shape -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Ed, and stay -- I'm just getting some information here. Apparently, there were supposed to be a large event tonight where the Attorney General Eric Holder and members of Congress were supposed to attend there at the museum.
And Ed, you heard about this play by Janet Langhart Cohen, "Ann and Emmitt." And it's the debut of a play of this conversation between Emmitt Till, you remember the young boy that really sparked the Civil Rights movement that was brutally beaten and lynched for allegedly whistling at a white woman.
And then Anne Frank, which of course we know, has become such a symbol of the atrocities of the Holocaust. Apparently, the debut of this fictional dialogue between the two, this play by Janet Cohen , was supposed to take plays at the museum with Attorney General Eric Holder and other members of Congress attending.
Don't know if there's any connection to the gunman and what was going to happen tonight. Maybe, possibly, you could work your sources to find out if, indeed, there was some motive there.
HENRY: I knew the play was premiering. I had heard about that. But obviously, it's unclear whether there was any connection at all.
What people have been describing though, was a very panicked scene once they heard the gunfire, obviously. Some of the initial eyewitnesses we spoke to thought that perhaps it was just -- the gunshots were something falling down in one of the many exhibits here at the museum. Other eyewitnesses we spoke to thought that maybe the gunshots had something to do with one of the videos, one of the exhibits again, at the actual museum.
But then several others, including Maria, are telling us that it sounded very clearly like gunfire and then panic sort of ensued. Security guards were running around. And after initially sort of sorting the scene out, some eyewitnesses say that the security personnel were telling them to essentially run from the scene because they were trying to clear the scene and make it secure -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And that 19-year-old gal Maria, who you had a chance to talk to -- we just cued that up again when you got her by phone.
Let's listen to her detailed account of what she saw with regard to that security guard lying on the ground inside the museum. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: So, you were inside the museum? You heard gunshots?
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: Yes.
HENRY: Describe what you heard.
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: We heard five gunshots -- we on the first floor of the museum in the special collections, Propaganda Exhibit. They were above us.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: Just one of the temporary exhibits and then right above our head, basically we heard five booming sounds. And I'd say -- no one around us really even assumed they were gunshots. Everybody kind of thought it was stuff falling over. And then we saw a security guard come running over.
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: The security guard held us in the exhibit for about 15, 20 minutes.
HENRY: Really?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE. Yes. We were in the exhibit for about 20 minutes.
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: They wouldn't let us leave.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: And then they held basically had us like sprinting out of the building so --
HENRY: Did they tell you that anybody had been shot? UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: They haven't given us any information, really. We heard five gunshots so we were told there were five gunshots. They were trying to separate us on what side of the building we were on. And then they just told us to get out of here.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: We did talk to a guy who was in the gift shop who said he saw some glass breaking and stuff like that.
HENRY: Glass on the museum or --
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: I don't know.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: Like inside -- like heard glass breaking and stuff.
HENRY: So, did it sound like the gunshots were inside the museum?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: Oh, it definitely was. It was above our head, it was on the floor just above where we were on the second floor.
HENRY: You were on the first floor?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: We were on the first floor, yes.
HENRY: So the shots were definitely on the second floor.
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: I mean -- unless (INAUDIBLE) it was on the third floor or something --
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: But they were definitely in the museum.
HENRY: Wow. OK. And so you didn't see anybody fall or --
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: They were not on the floor we were on. We were just held -- we were held and then evacuated.
HENRY: Can you give us your name?
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: I'm Jessica Goley.
HENRY: Goley, how do you spell that?
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: G-O-L-E-Y.
HENRY: And you're from?
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: St. Louis.
HENRY: And you're from?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: And I'm from Arizona.
HENRY: And your name?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: Trevor Ezell.
HENRY: Will you spell your last name?
UNIDENTIFEID MALE: E-Z-E-L-L.
HENRY: Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
