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Virginia Tech On Lockdown After Shooting; Five-Alarm Fire In St. Louis; Suspect in Georgia Child-Killing In Court; Fired Syracuse Coach Faces Lawsuit; Sandusky Posts Bail; Holder In Hot Seat; Obama Blasts GOP On Economy; New Warning On Euro Debt Crisis; Morning-After Pill By Prescription Only; Troops' Remains Dumped In Landfill
Aired December 08, 2011 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Suzanne, what I can tell you as we pick it up from here, is that -- as you know, that campus is on lockdown. They are suggesting that anyone on campus or near campus seek shelter, stay in place, stay right where you are. You're looking there at Virginia Tech Web site. They're saying on that Web site that transit service has been suspended until further notice.
And as we were saying, they are trying to do a better job of communicating to people when something like this is happening following that tragedy -- that shooting that took place on April 16th of 2007. Virginia Tech posting on their Web site the campus is because there were shots fired on campus. We don't know by whom but we do know by the Web site the suspect is described as a white male wearing gray sweat pants, a gray hat with a neon brim and some type of maroon hoodie and also carrying a pack back. Apparently the suspect is on foot. That's all we can tell you. We don't know how many shots were fired. But as you know, Virginia Tech certainly on high alert in the years following the 2007 incident.
There were no classes -- there are no classes today. The finals are supposed to take place tomorrow. We'll see what happens today, but this was basically a study day, reading day for the students there. So maybe that is a good thing, maybe they were all in their rooms or in the library studying at this point, many of them may not be out on the campus walking around.
As you probably recall, back in 2007, in two separate attacks, about two hours apart, the shooter in that case, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people and wounded 25 others before committing suicide on that campus. That massacre goes down as the deadliest shooting by a single gunman in U.S. history which is why we are paying such close attention to what's happening on that Virginia Tech campus. The attacks, as you also may recall, received international media coverage, widespread criticism of U.S. laws, it really sparked an intense debate about the culture, about gun violence, about gun laws and even possibly gaps in the U.S. system for treating mental health issues given the perpetrator's state of mind in that case.
But once again, if you're just joining us we do want to let you know that the Virginia Tech campus has posted on their Web site that the campus is shut down after -- it's on lockdown after shots were fired, reports of shots fired there. A suspect once again described as a white male, gray sweat pants, gray hat with a neon brim and a maroon hoodie and a backpack. So, they're telling everybody there to seek shelter and stay where you are. We will continue to watch this as soon as we get a little bit more information or we can get to someone on the ground there, we will bring that interview to you.
The man charged with killing a seven-year-old Georgia girl is set to make his first court appearance this hour. Authorities arrested 20- year-old Ryan Brunn yesterday. Brunn was a maintenance worker at the complex where the body of Jorelys Rivera was discovered. Police say the girl was abducted near the complexes playground, she was then beaten, stabbed and sexually assaulted, her body thrown in a dumpster. Authorities say tips from the public led investigators to Brunn. He had working at the complex where the victim lived since November.
New developments today in the child abuse scandal that's rock Syracuse University. Just a short time ago, lawyers for 23-year-old Zachary Tomaselli filed a lawsuit against former assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine. Tomaselli claims Fine molested him back in 2002 during a road trip in Pittsburgh. Many have questioned Tomaselli's credibility, though two other men have also come forward. Yesterday, Syracuse's district attorney said he can't bring a case against Fine because the statute of limitations has expired.
Former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky is out of jail today after posting $250,000 bail. Sandusky was arrested at his home yesterday on new charges of child sex abuse. The charges involve two more allege victims bringing the total now to 10. It is believed the victims came in contact with Sandusky at his Second Mile charity. Sandusky will be placed under house arrest and will have to wear an electronic monitoring device.
Attorney general Eric Holder says GOP critics calling for his resignation are just trying to score political points. Holder is in the hot seat today testifying before the House Judiciary Committee. They are investigating possible wrongdoing in a gun sting operation called "Fast and Furious." It allowed illegally purchased firearms to be taken from Arizona to drug cartels in Mexico. Holder calls the operation inexcusable and says the Justice Department is working to provide all relevant information to investigators.
President Obama again putting the blame of the country's economic mess squarely on the shoulders of Republicans on Capitol Hill. Just a short while ago he minced no words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have a Congress right now, Republicans in Congress right now, who seem to have entirely forgotten how we got into this mess and part of the reason was because we did not empower our regulators to make sure that they were ensuring fair play.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The president also blasted Republicans for holding up his judicial appointment, especially his nominee, to fill a seat on the U.S. court of appeals in D.C.
A new warning today on the economic crisis in Europe. French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, says a failure to reach an agreement to save the Euro at a summit starting today is, quote, "a luxury we cannot afford." European union leaders are meeting in Brussels in yet another attempt to resolve the region's debt crisis that threatens to trigger a new recession. The national debts of the Euro members have pushed the common currency to the brink of collapse.
A setback for those calling for the morning-after pill to be available over the counter for girls younger than 17. Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, has overruled an FDA recommendation that the plan B pill be available without prescription to all girls and women. Sebelius says not enough data was presented to support the application so for now, plan B will remain ready available only to those 17 and older.
The FDA is also focusing on two other birth control pills, Yaz and Yasmin. It's holding hearings today about safety concerns of both especially whether there is an increased risk for blood clots compared to other birth control pills.
They served our country with dignity and courage, but instead of being honored with a respectful burial, their ashes were dumped at a landfill. Congressman Rush Holt joins us next to tell us how many fallen troops' remains were tossed away.
And we want to remind you we're watching this breaking news. Reports on the Virginia Tech campus of shots fired, the campus is in lockdown. That's a shot there of the Virginia Tech Web site describing that there is a lockdown there, saying that anyone on campus should seek shelter. We also have this picture from our tower cam there. Meanwhile, the suspect on campus possibly involved in this shooting is described as a white male wearing gray sweat pants, a gray hat with a neon brim and a maroon hoodie. Also carrying a back peak.
We can tell you the transit service is suspended there. Campus is obviously trying to do a better job in communicating what's happening there in the wake of the shootings on that campus, that mass shooting back on April 16th, 2007 where 32 people were killed, 25 others wounded before committing suicide in the case of Seung-Hui Cho, the suspect in that case.
So, we will continue to follow what's happening there. In case you know anyone who have any loved ones there on that campus or in that area, keep it here on CNN. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. We want to remind you we are following breaking news here in the CNN NEWSROOM. right now, the campus of Virginia Tech is on lockdown. On its Web site, they are saying that the campus is on lockdown. You are looking there right now at a shot of Eggleston Hall. But again, getting back to the Web site, they are saying there are reports for shots fired. The suspect in this case described as a white male wearing gray sweat pants, a gray hat with a neon brim, and a maroon hoodie and a backpack. He was on foot. Telling everyone there to seek shelter. Transit service is suspended. This, of course, goes back to the Virginia Tech massacre which many of us recall from April 16, 2007, the deadliest shooting incident by a single gunman in U.S. history. We'll continue to follow this and keep you updated on what's happening on that Virginia Tech campus.
Moving on, it is a practice the Air Force kept secret for years, a practice the military considered dignified and respectful. But frankly, what the Air Force did with the cremated remains of some of our nation's war dead is anything but. Newly obtained records reveal that during the years of 2004 to 2008, the remains of at least 274 American troops cremated at Dover Airbase were subsequently dumped -- dumped in a landfill.
This landfill, the King George County Landfill in Virginia. The practice was unearthed by "The Washington Post" last month. Now, we told you about it here on this program but the sheer numbers we are finding out about now, 274, is far more than the military previously reported. Now one Democratic Congressman is pushing for answers as to why it ever happened in the first place. Congressman Rush Holt of New Jersey joining me now.
Congressman, thank you for your time today. First off, your reaction to these newly uncovered mortuary records.
REP. RUSH HOLT (D-NJ): I don't think we've heard the end of it. The Pentagon has been very slow to come forward with the information. I think it is partly because they've been reluctant to face up to the problem. It is not just cover-up, I think it is an unwillingness to face the extent of the dishonor here.
And you know, for months I've been trying to get information. This coming to light we owe to some courageous family members and to some whistle blowers who brought this forward. A constituent of mind whose husband was killed five years ago suspected there were some of her husband's body parts that were not treated with respect and solemnity. The more she pushed, the more concerned she became. She brought it to me, I've tried to get information. I asked them about numbers and they said, well, that would just require a massive effort.
KAYE: Right.
HOLT: Well, that's not a good enough answer.
KAYE: Let me get back to the families in this case, because the Air Force is defending the practice, basically saying that the families signed some type of authorization form saying -- authorizing the military to make, quote, "appropriate disposition" of any remains. I mean, you've spoken to this constituent and probably others. What was the family's understanding of how this was going to work?
HOLT: I don't think any family thinks that human remains in a garbage dump is appropriate disposition. Now, it's true, the Pentagon -- the Air Force is correct, different families deal with their grief in different ways. Some people want to know everything about how their loved one died and what has happened. Some not so much. But that shouldn't be taken to mean that this kind of desecration is satisfactory. It is totally unsatisfactory. It goes way beyond insensitive. It dishonors the families and everyone in uniform.
KAYE: And we're learning that not only were these remains dumped but they were dumped and packaged in some of the same boxes with medical waste. Now, the disposal company said that they had no idea that was the case, but what do you make of that?
HOLT: Well, I think some people who didn't know didn't want to know. That's my -- the point I began with is I think some of this is not just cover-up. It is a willful blindness. They didn't want to know and we've got to get to the bottom of it. I don't think we have yet gotten to the bottom of it. It's not sufficient as the Pentagon told me that this will require a mass -- would require a massive effort, and therefore we can't get to the bottom of it.
You know, this country spends tens of millions of dollars every year to recover the remains of those missing in action, including in southeast Asia from many decades ago. And it makes you proud to be an American to know that we would do that. But this sends shoulders through Americans, it disrespects the families, it's -- it goes way beyond insensitive. It dishonors the families and everyone in uniform.
KAYE: And we're also learning that not only were these remains dumped, but they were dumped and packaged in some of the same boxes with medical waste. Now the disposal company says that it had no idea that that was the case. But what do you make of that?
HOLT: Well, I think some people who didn't know didn't want to know. That's my -- the point I began with is I think some of this is not just cover-up, it's a willful blindness. They didn't want to know. And, you know, we've got to get to the bottom of it. I don't think we have yet gotten to the bottom of it. It's not sufficient, as the Pentagon told me that this will require a massive -- would require a massive effort and therefore we can't get to the bottom of it.
You know, this country spends tens of millions of dollars every year to recover the remains of those missing in action, including in southeast Asia from many decades ago, and it makes you proud to be an American to know that we would do that. But this sends shudders through Americans. It disrespects the families. It goes way beyond insensitive. And the Air Force, to this day, as of right now, refuses to have a family advisory committee for the mortuary and the funeral and burial practices. Of course they should have a family advisory committee.
KAYE: Congressman, well, we will continue to check in with you. We appreciate your time today. And please do keep us up to date on what your constituents are finding out. Thank you very much.
HOLT: Thank you.
KAYE: We want to update you now. We're getting some new information on the breaking news we're following on the Virginia Tech campus, where shots have reported by been fired. Just checking the campus Twitter site, which is their official campus site, we're getting some tweets here that I can share with you as we look at some scenes from cameras there on the campus, saying that -- one tweet says a police officer has been shot.
A potential second victim is reported at the cage lot. Stay indoors. Secure in place. Another tweet saying that the suspect is described as a white male wearing gray sweatpants, gray hat with a neon green brim, which we've been telling you, also wearing a maroon hoodie and carrying a backpack on foot towards McComas. Call 911.
These are tweets that are coming out from the Virginia Tech campus. You can feel the urgency and the concern just reading these tweets. One more here to share with you. Gunshots reported, coliseum parking lot. Stay inside. Secure doors. Emergency personnel responding. Call 911 for help.
That is the information coming from the Twitter account there on the Virginia Tech campus. The campus is on lockdown. Finals are supposed to take place tomorrow. This was a study day for the students there. But on the Web site, the campus is saying, giving information describing the suspect, as we just told you, but also advising anyone on that campus or in the area to seek shelter. Also alerting them that transit service is shut down.
But there are reports of shots fired on the Virginia Tech campus. We'll keep an eye on this and let you know as soon as we find out more information. So keep it here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Breaking news here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We want to update you on what's happening in Blacksburg, Virginia, on the campus of Virginia Tech. That campus is on lockdown. You're looking there at one of the tower cams set up on that campus.
We can tell you some of the new information coming from the university communications on the Virginia Tech Web site. Tweets are being released through that Web site as you take a look there at the make-up of the campus. But telling us that a police officer has been shot. This is, again, coming through university communications. A police officer shot. A potential second victim is reported at the cage lot. Telling everyone to stay indoors, secure in place.
Another tweet from university communications saying the suspect described as a white male, gray sweatpants, gray hat with a neon green brim, also wearing a maroon hoodie and a backpack, heading on foot towards McComas. Call 911. And one more tweet. Gunshots reported at the coliseum parking lot. Stay inside. Secure doors. Emergency personnel responding. Call 911 for help. This is from the tweets being released by the university communications office.
And, of course, this brings back the horrible day of April 16th back in 2007 where the Virginia Tech massacre took place. You probably remember the 23-year-old college student, Seung-Hui Cho, a Korean national, went on that shooting spree there.
Other news that we're following now. We want to get to our Jason Carroll, who is on the phone with us. He has some news out of Penn State and Jerry Sandusky.
Oh, Jason, you're not on the phone, you're actually live there on campus. What can you tell us?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Just a few moments ago we saw Jerry Sandusky in the back seat of the car as he was released here from the Centre County Correctional Facility. Again, this happening just a few moments ago. Jerry Sandusky now released on $250,000 bail.
Before he was allowed to leave the facility here, Randi, he had to -- first, a probation officer had to come in, attach an electronic monitoring device to him. That's one of the conditions of his bail. In addition to that, he will now be under house arrest. If he does, in fact, choose to go home at this point to be under house arrest, that's located just about 20 minutes from where we are now.
Some of the other conditions of his bail include no contact with victims or possible witnesses in the ongoing case that's happening. Also, no unsupervised visits with minors. These are some of the conditions of his bail. The next legal hurdle will be next week, that is Tuesday. That's the preliminary hearing.
Randi.
KAYE: And, Jason, just for -- to catch our viewers up to what's happening here. I know you've been covering this since it first started. But this is all surrounding these two other witnesses, right, that have come forward and testified before the grand jury?
CARROLL: That's correct. Identified as victims number nine and victim number 10 in a new grand jury presentment. This happened yesterday, as you know. Jerry Sandusky arrested on new charges of abusing these two alleged victims.
What we saw previously was eight victims outlined in a previous grand jury report. So now what we have are now 10 alleged victims, 10 people who are claiming that Jerry Sandusky molested them, sexually assaulted them when they were boys. Many of those boys he came to know through his foundation, Second Mile. Many more details, I'm assuming, will be coming out during the preliminary hearing which will be on Tuesday.
But, once again, Jerry Sandusky arrested yesterday. These are two new victims, new allegations that he is now facing in connection with this case.
Randi.
KAYE: All right, Jason Carroll following the developments there at Penn State.
Jason, our thanks to you. Now let's check in with Brianna Keilar, as we've been following this -- reports of shooting on the Virginia Tech campus. Brianna joins us from Washington with some more information.
Hi there, Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Randi.
And I was at Virginia Tech, of course, during the shootings in 2007. So I've touched base with some of the contacts that I made during that very unfortunate story.
I got a message from Larry Hincker. He is the vice president of university relations. He's very much the public figure of Virginia Tech who dealt with the shootings in 2007. And he basically just told me that all of the details he has are the ones that are on the Web site at this point. He was actually here Washington, D.C., and he's now in the process of heading back to Blacksburg.
I was also able to touch base with a pastor at a church there on campus who told me that he's spoken with a lot of students who were going through this process of the lockdown. He said that there's kind of a sense of not really knowing what's going on, although people, obviously, are taking precautions. And he said that particularly noticeable was for the students who were there in 2007 during the shooting, Randi, that they have a very different response to the younger students, obviously, he said, don't quite know what to make of this.
But the students who were there back in 2007, he said there's, you know, there's a degree of fear because the way the details of this shooting have been reported, which is that there appears to be a police officer shot and perhaps another victim, that this is something that kind of hearkens back to what happened in 2007.
Because you'll remember, that shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, first killed two students earlier in the morning and then some time passed and then you saw really the more significant part of that tragedy unfold, which was the 30 students who were killed at Norris Hall. So there's certainly a lot of precaution an students are very concerned to differing degrees depending on whether they were there that day.
Randi.
KAYE: Let me ask you this, Brianna, as we're getting this information coming in to us from the Web site there at Virginia Tech. They say that this alleged gunman, who is being described as a white male wearing gray sweatpants, a gray hat with a neon brim, a maroon hoodie and a backpack, they're saying he was on foot heading towards McComas. Give that you've spent some time on that campus, can you shed some light on -- is McComas a hall there? Is it a dorm area? What do you know about that?
KEILAR: Yes. And you know what, I can't -- I just got the map in my hand from my producer a moment ago because I was trying to kind of figure out what happened. But there's a sense that that perhaps the gunman was moving away from campus, at least that's what this pastor that I talked to said, or was sort of on the move and that was really the concern. But in terms of very specific details, I don't have those and I really would have to study the map to let you know exactly where that was, Randi.
KAYE: What about how Virginia Tech is getting the communication out, having covered this story when it happened back in 2007, in that massacre on campus, in terms of using the Web site to get the word out and communicate with students via Twitter, via the Web site. I mean in this age of technology, do you think they're doing a better job than what happened back in 2007?
KEILAR: There's no doubt they're doing a better job. In 2007, Virginia Tech came under a lot of fire, Randi, and that was because I believe it was in the 7:00 a.m. hour where it was the shooting at the dormitory that you saw two students killed by Seung-Hui Cho. And the problem was that you didn't actually have any sort of alert really go out until the 9:00 a.m. hour. And I believe it was by e-mail. And now there's a new system in place where they do text messages, people have their cell phones registered. The problem with that alert having gone out during the 9:00 a.m. hour was that a lot of students were already in class and you saw the next shooting at Norris Hall at 9:40 a.m.
KAYE: Yes.
KEILAR: You had a lot of students who said they had no idea that there was a shooting going on until it was basically happening in their classroom. So you've seen very much of an accelerated response by the university to getting word out to students through their web -- not just through their Web site, but they also have visual on-campus alert systems, the text messaging, the e-mails. There's many different ways they do it now.
KAYE: All right, Brianna Keilar, thank you for the update. We'll continue to check in with you on this.
We'll have much more coverage right after this very quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: We're just getting more information as we follow this breaking news, reports of shots fired in Blacksburg, Virginia, on the campus of Virginia Tech.
We have on the line with us Brian Walls. He's a full-time employee at Virginia Tech, a video producer in the Athletic Department.
Brian, can you tell us what you are seeing there on campus, any sign of injuries or shooting victims?
BRIAN WALLS, VIDEO PRODUCER, ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT, VIRGINIA TECH (voice-over): No, I'm not really seeing anything right now. We're on lockdown so I'm in my office in the department here.
KAYE: Have -- did you go outside at all? Were you able to see anything before the lockdown? WALLS: I did. I was in the studio and heard probably between 10 and 15 different sirens go by and, just out of curiosity, I walk outside and saw big -- large group of officers gathered and some other people from the department here in the parking lot just looking to see what was going on. I wasn't sure if it was a traffic accident or something of that nature. Then it ended up seeing an individual on the ground being attempted -- rescue workers attempting resuscitation. Then the alarm, the campus alarm, the alert alarm went off and I just got back to the building as quickly as I could.
KAYE: We are getting some reports via Twitter, through the official university web site, saying a police officer has been shot. Did you get a chance to look at the person who was on the ground being resuscitated? Were you able to see or able to notice at all if that might have been someone in authority there, possibly a police officer?
WALLS: No, I honestly doesn't tell. At first glance, I thought it was a student and I just saw a bag laying there to the side of the person. Yes. There was nothing that told me that it was a police officer, so.
KAYE: We know -- we're just learning that the FBI has been sent to the campus, which is standard procedure. Can you give me an idea of where you are and what it feels like right now on that campus?
WALLS: I'm actually -- I'm in a building right next to the football stadium, in between the football stadium and the basketball arena, in the parking lot directly across -- probably 200, 300 yards away from where the shooting occurred.
I would say it's very tense. You know, after what happened on campus here several years ago, you never really know what to expect. Any time an alarm goes off, you know, you're just on pins and needles.
KAYE: And what time did you notice or hear the warning alarm going off there on campus?
WALLS: I really -- I couldn't tell you. I wasn't really paying attention to what time it was.
KAYE: About how long ago was it?
WALLS: I would say it was anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour ago. That's a rough estimate.
KAYE: And are you still hearing sirens or any activity on campus as you remain there in lockdown?
WALLS: No, I can't hear anything here in the building. I've gotten e-mail alerts every five to 10 minutes from campus.
KAYE: Are you in touch with any of the students there? Any idea where some of the students are and what they're feeling?
WALLS: I actually have a student intern that was working in one of the offices across the hall, and I pulled her in to this office and just asked her to come in here so that we could lock the doors, and made sure she was secure. Other than that, no, I haven't had any contact with any other students here in the office or anywhere in the building.
KAYE: One of the tweets, Brian, that was released through the university communications on the Virginia Tech web site says that gunshots were reported at the coliseum parking lot. Can you give us an idea where that is on campus?
WALLS: Yes. It is -- everything on Virginia Tech's campus is not very large. Right in the middle of the athletic complex essentially. There is a couple of dorms right across from that lot. There's the health center. And then like I said, the football stadium and the basketball arena are directly across the street from that lot.
KAYE: All right. Well, Brian, as we look at some pictures here from our affiliate there in Blacksburg, WDBJ, we'll let you go. Please stay safe there and keep your cell phone close in case we want to check back in with you again.
WALLS: OK.
KAYE: But please stay safe.
We'll continue to follow reports of the shooting on the Virginia Tech campus.
We'll take a quick break. Be right back on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. We are continuing to follow this breaking news, reports of shots fired in Blacksburg, Virginia, on the campus of Virginia Tech.
We just spoke with an employee there at Virginia Tech, telling us that he heard about 10 or 15 sirens, went outside, he saw a gathering of police vehicles, and them trying to resuscitate one victim on the ground.
Through tweets being released by the university communications office, there are reports of a police officer being shot and shots also being fired at the coliseum parking lot there on campus. Blacksburg transit has been shut down.
The description of the suspect in this case is a white male, gray sweat pants, a gray hat with neon green brims, being released on the university web site, wearing a maroon hoodie and carrying a backpack.
We will continue to keep an eye on this as we gather more information.
Meanwhile, just minutes from now, the man arrested and charged with killing a 7-year-old in Canton, Georgia, is set to face a judge for the very first time. 20-year-old maintenance worker, Ryan Brunn, will appear in court on charges he sexually assaulted, stabbed and beat Jorelys Rivera to death. She was snatched on Friday between her apartment and a playground just 50 feet away. Monday her body was pulled from a dumpster.
Investigators say they are confident Brunn is the killer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VERNON KEENAN, DIRECTOR, GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: This investigation will continue on for several months. This is a mammoth case. We believe that this horrendous crime was planned and calculated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The suspect's brother insists Brunn is innocent, calling him a kind-hearted person.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONNOR BRUNN, BROTHER OF RYAN: BRUNN: This is just a big mistake. They just got him on a big mistake, just because he works there. I just honestly think this is a big set-up on his part.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: CNN is inside the Cherokee County courthouse where Brunn is about to face the judge. That's a live picture outside the courthouse. We'll get the very latest on that appearance as it happens.
This country has the world's longest reigning monarch. It is rich in archaeology and has been inhabited for more than half a million years. Its economy is heavily dependent on exports. But tourists flock here in big numbers. Where in the world are we? We'll tell you next in "Globe Trekking."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. We want to update you now on some new information that we're getting in on that breaking news on the campus of Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Reports of shots fired. Take a look at the campus set-up there. We can tell you that the suspect in this case apparently moving on foot, either away from or toward McComas Hall. The Virginia Tech web site is putting out information warning the students there to stay in their rooms, stay where they are, get some cover there. They have locked down the campus. Apparently, the campus -- there were no classes today. The finals are tomorrow so the students may have been inside studying.
The university communications office releasing some tweets actually coming out from the campus. One saying, "A police officer has been shot. A potential second victim is reported at the cage lot. Stay indoors, secure in place."
Again, describing the suspect, another tweet, "White male, gray sweat pants, gray hat with a neon green brim, maroon hoodie and backpack." As we said, "Possibly on foot towards McComas Hall. Call 911."
One more, "Gunshots reported at the coliseum parking lot."
So we will continue to follow that, continue to get some people on the phone there with some new information.
We are also following another story. More breaking news coming out of downtown St. Louis. Take a look at this video coming to us from our affiliate there, KTVI/KPLR. This is a five-alarm fire, we understand, in an apartment building. We're also being told by our affiliate that this may have been started by some sort of explosion. You can see this all happening right now, unfolding at this hour in downtown St. Louis. You see the fire crews there working that fire, trying to make sure -- some really dramatic pictures there -- working those hoses, trying to make sure that that fire doesn't spark up even more so, through the roof of that apartment building. But once again, reports that this may have been started by an explosion. A five-alarm fire there.
We'll continue to watch that and we'll continue to watch what's happening on the Virginia Tech campus as well.
Meanwhile, sleeping in a silent bedroom, driving down the street, normal things to you and me, but not to a veteran of war. I'll be joined by one right after the break to explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Breaking news now. We want to show you this video coming to us out of downtown St. Louis. Take a look here. You see it there. This is a five-alarm fire that has broken out apparently at an apartment building in downtown St. Louis. Pictures coming to us from KTVI/KPLR, our affiliate. You can see it there. Certainly, plenty of smoke. Hard to see the flames. Not sure what's going on inside of that building but that's some pretty dramatic footage. You see all that heavy smoke. We've been following these pictures. Moments ago, there wasn't even this much smoke. Certainly, a battle for these firefighters to try and get this under control. You see the hoses there. We'll continue to keep an eye on this.
Let us also now take you to more breaking news out of Blacksburg, Virginia, and the campus of Virginia Tech. You see it there. We are following breaking news from that campus. The campus web site saying that they are on lockdown there because of reports of shots fired. Describing the suspect as a white male, gray sweatpants, a gray hat with a neon green brim, wearing a maroon hoodie and a backpack. We can tell you that transportation, all transport in Blacksburg has been shut down.
There are some reports that we're getting through the university web site via Twitter. These are tweets that have been approved by the university and released to us, saying that a police officer has been shot. A potential second victim is also reported at the cage. Telling everybody to "stay indoors and secure in place."
This is, of course, something that brings a lot of these folks back to April 16th, 2007 when Seung-Hui Cho had committed that mass shooting on campus before committing suicide. 33 people dead, including Seung- Hui Cho himself, and 25 others wounded.
So certainly they are on alert. They've made some changes on campus in terms of their alert system since it didn't go so well back in 2007. They were only able to e-mail out an alert. This time, they have this much better alert system.
We talked to one of the employees there on campus who is in lockdown, who told us that warning alarms have gone off and he is staying in place.
So we'll continue to follow that and that fire in downtown St. Louis.
For American troops in Iraq, the war is almost over. Many have already returned home. By the end of this month, just about all will be gone. And many will face a difficult battle. The difficult, at times, deadly process to reintegration to what Vietnam vets called "the world." A sudden loud noise can trigger a combat flash back. There's drug use, spousal abuse, sleepless nights, the fear of large crowds. The first thing many returning vets do is buy a gun. And there is the apparent link between combat and suicides among returning vets.
The Defense Department says more than 2,000 servicemen and women have killed themselves in the past decade. That includes 437 confirmed potential and attempted suicides this year.
Tom Tarantino is with the advocacy group, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and joins us now.
Tom, you're a combat veteran of the Iraq war. Tell us what it was like. Tell us about this re-integration and your experience coming back from the war.
TOM TARANTINO, IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA: Coming back from combat, it is a process for everybody. For the vast majority of veterans, the vast majority, they come back, go through a normal re- adjustment period, and they go on to continue to serve their country or serve society in other ways.
But you're talking about a completely different environment. In combat, things we do every day here, things like driving down the road, things like reacting to noises or things that you see in your environment can be very dangerous. So it takes a little time to re- adjust. It is important to note pits not just the service member that has to re-adjust. It is their family as well.
KAYE: Yes.
TARANTINO: When you come back, the whole family has to re-adjust to all these things and it takes a little time.
KAYE: I know that I've spoken with several veterans but one woman really stands out in my memory. She said that when she came back, even just driving down the street, if there was a coke can or a garbage bag or a piece of litter, she worried, in her head, it was an IED. She worried about going to the mall and being with large crowds. I think that's probably what a lot of veterans deal with.
TARANTINO: It is. Coming back is difficult. I personally found it difficult to drive. It is a normal re-adjustment period. I think that's something we really need to emphasize. You just went from a very extreme situation, where you've had to use all your senses 110 percent of the time. Now you're back in a safe environment and you have to dial it back. And it doesn't just turn off. It takes little while.
I myself had trouble driving. Sudden movement and noises in crowds were a little bit problematic. But the success story in that is that the vast majority of veterans come back and, after a few weeks, re- adjust. One of the more critical pieces is the help of their friends and family easing back into society.
IAVA (ph) just released a report, called "Unsung Heroes," that outlines some of the things that military families go through when they do -- during this long period of war.
KAYE: What about the suicide rates on the returning vets? Does that really tell the whole story?
TARANTINO: Actually, we don't even know what the story is for veterans. We know the suicide rate in the military is incredibly high, higher than it has ever been. Unfortunately, we don't know how many veterans commit suicide in this country. The only number we have are for those the veterans use the Department of Veterans Affairs. And that's a vast minority. Only half of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have ever set foot in the V.A. This is something that we're going to be looking at next year, which is finding a way to get our hands around this problem and figure out how many veterans are actually committing suicide and why, so we can better direct resources and get people the help that they need.
KAYE: How are those resources, in terms of availability? I mean, how would you say the V.A. is doing in getting them help?
TARANTINO: Right. The V.A. needs to do a lot more. It is important to understand that suicide isn't in and of itself a problem. It is a tragic end to a whole string of failures and problems. It has to do with the lack of adequate mental health care services at the V.A. You can't tell someone who is struggling they have to come back in four weeks for an appointment. That's just not acceptable. But it also means reaching out to veterans that are out there and telling them there are other alternatives. There are vet centers, which is a great program out there run by the V.A., but not part of the V.A. health care system. There are community based nonprofits and city and state level resources out there that can get people the crisis intervention and help they need.
If you really want to solve the problem of suicide, you have to look at things like employment, education, family services. Because it is when these fail that they ultimately lead to this tragic conclusion.
KAYE: Your group is also reaching out to veterans and trying to help? TARANTINO: Absolutely. We've been a leader in trying to figure out not just how policy-wise we can fix this but how we can link other service members up. We have our web site, community of veterans, a closed network, social network of core Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. And we sponsor hundreds of events nationwide, mostly through our partnership with Miller-Coors, to bring vets together. Quite often, you don't know if there are any other veterans in your community because there are so few of us and we're very spread out. By bringing them together and bringing their families together, they can rebuild that sense of community that they lost when they left the military.
KAYE: Tom Tarantino, appreciate that very much. Thank you for all you're doing to help the veterans.
We want to take you back now to downtown St. Louis, this breaking news that we're following of a five-alarm fire there. You see these incredible pictures, incredible video coming to us from KTVI/KPLR.
What we can tell you is the St. Louis firefighters are fighting this blaze down. It is not an apartment building. It is just building as far as we can tell you. The fire started out as a three-alarm fire, following an explosion in downtown St. Louis. It has moved to a five- alarm fire. In terms of where it is, in case you have any loved ones in that area or live in that area, it's in the 70 block of South Sixth Street. An official with the mayor's office apparently saying, at this point, no injuries have been reported.
So once again, the St. Louis hazardous materials team is on the scene. The firefighters are working to evacuate the building. and this smoke, as you see it there, is apparently being seen for miles as they try to get this five-alarm fire under control in St. Louis.
We also want to update you on some information out of Blacksburg, Virginia. We've been following reports of a shooting there on campus. We can tell you -- just getting some new information in my ear. We can report sadly that two people are dead in this Virginia Tech shooting. One is a Virginia Tech police officer. One other person dead.
We're getting some information from the university, official university communications department releasing some tweets that had been sent out. One of them earlier did say that a police officer had been shot.
We had also been talking to a man by the name of Brian Walls on the line with us earlier and he told us that he had seen -- he had heard 10 or 15 sirens so he went outside -- he is an employee there, a video producer in the Athletic Department. He went outside and saw police vehicles gathering. And he did see them, he told us, trying and working hard to resuscitate a victim on the ground. I asked him if that possibly might have been a victim who was dressed as a police officer. He said he looked very quickly and went inside because the alarms went off and the warnings went off and the campus went on lockdown.
Once again, we're learning that a police officer is among the dead there, including one other person.
And we continue to get these tweets from the university communications office that the suspect is at large. A police officer had been shot, to stay indoors, secure in place. Another tweet that the suspect, more importantly here, is described as a white male wearing gray sweatpants, a gray hat with a neon green brim, a maroon hoodie and a backpack. There person was on foot. We're not getting any information on whether or not that suspect has been picked up. Also, of course, the gun shots reported.
Let's get to our affiliate, WDBJ. We'll let you listen to what's happening in the area there in just a moment.
UNIDENTIFIED WDBJ ANCHOR: From the massacre from 2007, that was just four and half years ago. It's like, here we go again, the same school. Hopefully, not at that level, that catastrophic level of victims.
UNIDENTIFIED WDBJ ANCHOR: Absolutely. And talking about that police presence, Holly mentioned folks from all different jurisdictions were coming. I remember, in 2007, I was covering the aftermath of a wind storm in Franklin County. I remember being on 220, heading back to Roanoke, and seeing just tons of sheriff's deputies, cars from Martinsville, Franklin County, state police fly past me. They were going from, I guess, from the Franklin County direction to Roanoke and just heading straight to Blacksburg. And, I mean, it was just so chaotic with these officers on the highway trying to get past folks safely and get to campus. So it gives you an idea of what was happening today, because as both Holly and Karen (ph) had named all of those jurisdictions that are arriving there, that are already there, officers called in, and you just kind of get a sense of what's going on.
That banner right there, "Shooting at Virginia Tech."
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Just a little bit there from the local coverage from our affiliate, WDBJ.
