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No Casualties in Mall Shooting Spree; Gov. Christie on His Way to Re-Election; High Profile Races, Ballot Initiatives on Election Day 2013; Montreal Caught in Fire?Flames on Tarmac Force Emergency Exit; Investigators Piece Together LAX Attack; Reports: Slurs, Threats on Voicemail

Aired November 05, 2013 - 09:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I love that about you, Kate Bolduan. Thanks so much. Have a great day. "NEWSROOM" starts right now.

Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

While you were sleeping, a dramatic and grim end to a shooting spree at a New Jersey mall. It began with an explosion of gunfire late last night as the Westfield Garden State Plaza Mall was closing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNNY JIMINEZ, WITNESS: There were booms, and then another boom and then another last boom right after the second one. And then glass -- glass everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Glass but no casualties despite a thick crowd of shoppers and mall employees. So police now say there's a bizarre possibility the shooter may not have wanted to hurt anyone. Instead, he may have wanted someone to kill him. With the discovery of his body, it appears he failed.

CNN's Poppy Harlow has worked the story overnight. She joins us now from Paramus, New Jersey.

Good morning.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.

An absolutely horrific scene unfolded behind me last night at about 9:20 p.m. That is when 20-year-old Richard Shoop, who comes from just a few miles away from this mall in New Jersey, entered the mall, carrying a rifle that police say was altered to look like an AK-47. He shot six rounds. Ultimately, though, only killing himself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW (voice-over): Chaos at a shopping center in New Jersey overnight. JOEL CISTANEDA, WITNESS: We heard four gunshots and everybody was scared. Everybody was panicked. So we took everybody -- we went in the back of the story, we locked ourselves in with 14 -- 13 people in total, including me.

HARLOW: Hundreds of police, SWAT, and emergency teams swarmed the West Field Garden State Plaza Mall in search of a gunman who authorities say fired six rounds just before closing time.

The gunman, 20-year-old Richard Shoop, was discovered dead just after 3:00 a.m. His body found lying in a remote area of the mall. Authorities say he had a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

JOHN MOLINELLI, BERGEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR: Originally from Washington Township, New Jersey, now living in Teaneck, New Jersey. He is 20 years old and his body was discovered at 3:20 a.m. this morning, just about an hour ago, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head area. He, himself, went to the area where he did this. It was at a very difficult area of the mall, behind some construction.

HARLOW: No one else was injured in the shooting. State police say a gunman apparently fired shots at security cameras.

LEO ACEVEDO, WITNESS: He was actually wearing a red and black motorcycle helmet. The visor was actually lifted up. So I was actually able to see his face. He was a white male, he was wearing a full leather suit. He wasn't really aiming at anything. And kind of just had the gun in his hand aimlessly, and he walking a little bit past the Apple store. He wasn't yelling, he wasn't -- he didn't seem angered. He was kind of just walking.

HARLOW: Authorities say Shoop was carrying a rifle modified to look like an AK-47, stolen from his brother.

MOLINELLI: It looked like an AK-47 but it is not an AK-47. It's where you take the handgun and you modify it to make it look like something that it's not. But it is a lawful gun, owned by the brother.

HARLOW: Authorities say Shoop has no history of mental illness, but says he abused drugs.

MOLINELLI: We do believe that the main motive for what he did tonight was suicide, whether self inflicted or, god forbid, suicide by cop, which no one ever wants to see, and it looked like that was his motive. At this time, based upon what we know, it did not appear that he entered the mall to actually shoot anyone. And I say that only because it appears that he did have ample opportunity to do that and chose not to.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Which is just a fascinating and complex twist to all of this. Witnesses told authorities, Carol, that they could have been shot and killed by the gunman, but he chose not to do that. Instead, taking his own life. You'll recall in our piece we noted that the gun, police say, was stolen from the shooter's brother. Well, we also now have just learned in the last hour that it was the shooter's brother that actually heard about this on the radio, on the news last night just after 10:00 p.m. eastern and called authorities and said, I think that person in that mall might be my brother. And that led them to connect the dots.

I can also tell you there are still teams in the mall behind me doing a second sweep. That is routine, just to make sure everything is clear before anyone is allowed back inside.

COSTELLO: Poppy Harlow, reporting live from Paramus, New Jersey, this morning.

From a political powerhouse in New Jersey to a Colorado proposal that would allow 11 counties to leave the state, Election Day 2013, is shaping up to be an intriguing one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I need you tomorrow night. I need you badly. We've got to deliver tomorrow. Because the whole country is watching, everybody. The whole country is watching. They're dispirited about the way government works and look at the mess in Washington, D.C. And they say to themselves, nobody works for us anymore. Nobody cares about the regular folks anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But Chris Christie, as a Republican, does.

Joining me now is CNN's senior political analyst, Mark Preston.

Good morning. Thanks for joining us.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning. Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So let's concentrate on the race in New Jersey for just a second because Chris Christie is running a race. On his campaign signs you don't see the word "Republican" anywhere. It almost seems as if he's saying, I'm a new kind of politician, look at me, a Republican in New Jersey, and I'm running the state just fine, working with Democrats.

PRESTON: In many ways, he is that, Carol. You know, I have to tell you back in 2009 when Chris Christie was first running, he was very much a long shot. People didn't think he had much of a chance. I will tell you the Republican establishment didn't really care much for Chris Christie. They thought he was running a terrible campaign. Look where we are now. 2013, he is walking to re-election at this point. In many ways.

We're not talking about what he does tonight because he is expected to win in a landslide. The question is, what is he going to do tomorrow? And does he have his eyes on the White House?

Chris Christie is one of these Republicans, Carol, that doesn't walk that traditional path. He is conservative in many of his views but he also is able to talk about, you know, issues and work with Democrats in some ways that other Republicans haven't been able to do so. If Chris Christie is to run for president, as many of us do think he will, look for him to try to cut through that middle path to try to attract Reagan Democrats, independents and really not play the social conservative card -- Carol.

COSTELLO: One concern about Christie has, of course, been his weight. We all know he had lap band surgery back in February. This year -- and he said he had that lap band surgery for personal reasons. And I want to show a before and after because it appears he really has lost weight. There you see it. The before is on the left-hand side of your screen. The current is on the right.

What about the political impact of this?

PRESTON: So there's two ways to look at it. One, you know, just as a human being you can look at him and say he is just like me. He is just like you. He is an everyday person. He has struggles like we all do. And of course, you know, being overweight, obesity is something that many people struggle with.

So in many ways I think that is endearing to people and I think that is lost very much in discussion about Chris Christie.

Having said that, though, people do look at him and say why has he reached this weight? Why does he have to have lap band surgery? You know, there is something to be said, though. He is taking care of it or at least trying to take care of it. I don't think that his weight will become a major issue or will become a much-discussed issue. But with the voters in the very end I don't think they're going to look at his weight and make a decision based upon that -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Mark Preston, reporting live from Washington, thank you.

CNN is taking a look at the choices before many Americans today and how those decisions could impact the nation. Our team is spread out across the country, beginning with Erin McPike, she's in Mendon, New Jersey.

Erin, good morning.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. We're expecting Chris Christie to come vote here at this fire station in Mendon, New Jersey, sometime in the next hour or so.

Now of course, it may not be the last time that Chris Christie gets a chance to vote for himself because he's been very open about the fact that he is looking at his political future and may very well use this re-election race as a launching pad for a national campaign in 2016.

And, Carol, I've got to tell you that just yesterday he was campaigning with Susanna Martinez, who is the governor of New Mexico. And I asked Chris Christie if there is anyone else in the Republican Party who can carry his message of bipartisanship. And the one name he gave me was Susanna Martinez. And of course some people were saying, this could be the ticket that Republicans want to see in 2016.

Well now, for more on a very different governor's race, we're going to go to Peter Hamby who's in Virginia -- Peter.

PETER HAMBY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Erin, yes, I'm Peter Hamby in McLean, Virginia, where Terry McAuliffe, the Democrat running for governor, voted here just a few hours ago. Most people here in Virginia expect McAuliffe, the long-time party fundraiser and longtime Bill Clinton confidante, to win tonight. That is -- he's running against Republican Ken Cuccinelli, the state attorney general here.

Democrats have tagged Cuccinelli as an out-of-the-mainstream social conservative. He's been absolutely swamped in TV ads and outspent by McAuliffe and his Democratic allies here.

Most political observers in Virginia expect McAuliffe to pull out a win in the mid to high single digits here in Virginia. And that's unusual. It's become a modern tradition in Virginia that the party out of power picks up the governorship. So we could see that streak end tonight.

And now to Deb Feyerick.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Peter. Thanks so much.

I am Deborah Feyerick in New York City where Democrat Bill de Blasio is polling nearly 40 points ahead of his Republican challenger. Now de Blasio is the former staffer for both Bill and Hillary Clinton. He's a proud progressive who is vowing to close the gap between rich and poor, something that he plans to do by raising taxes on the rich to help educate low-income children. Well, de Blasio's biracial family has resonated with voters.

Meantime, the underdog, Republican candidate and businessman Joe Lhota, he once served under tough-on-crime mayor, Rudy Giuliani. He's much more closely aligned with the policies of billionaire Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

De Blasio would be the first Democratic mayor in more than two decades. Surprising, given that the majority of voters here in New York identify as Democrats.

And now we go to my colleague, Ana Cabrera -- Ana.

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Deb. We're here in -- in Colorado where residents are voting on everything from marijuana taxes to education funding. There's also a state cessation movement we're watching. That's right, 11 Colorado counties up in the northern part of the state, rural communities, are voting on whether or not they want to secede from the state and form their own state. They say they are fed up with what they're considering an urban based, Denver-centric legislature passing laws that they believe are not only threatening their lifestyle but also hurting their livelihood. And while today's vote likely isn't to become a reality in terms of secession the voters and the supporters of this initiative say they hope today's vote sends a strong message -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll see what happens. Ana Cabrera, thank you.

And thanks to all of you.

Coming up in the NEWSROOM, the latest on that deadly shooting spree at the Los Angeles International airport -- Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, we're going to hear more about what the FBI has found so far and what could have driven this 23-year-old man to shoot to kill at LAX on Friday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Fire on the tarmac in Montreal, hundreds of passengers were forced to make an emergency exit after a baggage truck caught fire sending smoke and flames into the plane's cabin. You can see there, people jumping from the emergency doors and simply running for their lives.

Paula Newton is live in Ottawa, Canada. She has more for you.

Good morning.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: And good morning, Carol. This is a terrifying scene. People at Montreal Airport did confirm that this happened around 5:00 Eastern yesterday. It was the call of the team on board to evacuate the aircraft. But you could tell with all of those flames, you don't know what could possibly happen. I mean, in fact, they were quite lucky that the incident wasn't worse.

Several people were treated in hospital. I'm trying to get an indication of how severe their injuries were and how many were released overnight.

Right now, the transportation safety board here is on the ground investigating what kind of training the crew had, in terms of who made that decision to evacuate. Were they ordered by officials on the ground to evacuate? What is possibly most unsettling besides the obvious fire there is that it does seem as if the evacuation happened in quite a harried way, and that could be the way that many people incurred those injuries.

But can you imagine, Carol, just looking out your window and seeing flames down there as the flight was getting ready to depart?

COSTELLO: No, I'd be jumping from the exits myself.

Paula Newton, thank you very much. Reporting live from Ottawa, Canada, this morning.

Also this morning, investigators believe they have a better idea of what was going on in Paul Ciancia's mind before Friday's deadly shooting rampage at the Los Angeles International Airport. Friends say the suspect was consumed with a hatred of TSA officers and had been planning the trip to the airport for days.

One officer was killed, two other wounded and for the first time we're hearing from one of those victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY GRIGSBY, WOUNDED TSA OFFICER: I was injured while helping an elder man trying to get to a safe area. I turned around and there was a gunman and shot me twice. I got to the area where the planes were at and people were coming towards me and asking me, were you shot? What's going on? I was like -- and I couldn't -- all I could think about was, you know, helping them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Stephanie Elam is live at LAX with more.

Good morning.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. We also are learning today that the FBI did issue a search warrant and did recover the phone that they believe belonged to the alleged shooter, Paul Ciancia.

They said they found a battery near him or on his person in the airport after the incident, and then they recover the rest of the phone in the car belonging to the roommate that gave him the ride. They'll be able to collect more data from this phone and get an idea of why he was so angry with the TSA. In that note he we just heard about apparently said he wanted to instill fear in TSA agents and that they did not treat Americans the way they needed to be treated.

So, we're learning a little bit more about this shooter and why he would have wanted to do this in the first place, Carol.

COSTELLO: Stephanie Elam, reporting from LAX this morning.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM: a voicemail message full of threats and racial slurs now part of an investigation involving two Miami Dolphin football players. One of them has been suspended. But will he ever wear the Dolphins uniform again?

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The bullying scandal swirling around the Miami Dolphins begs the question, how did a guy with a history of trouble, a guy with a reputation for bullying, get hired by the team? And how long would Richie Incognito have continued if teammate Jonathan Martin hadn't walkway, saying he couldn't take it anymore?

An example for you, of a voice Incognito left for Martin. This is according to ESPN and NFL.com.

Quote, "Hey, wassup, you half blank piece of blank? I'm going to slap your real mother across the face. Laughter. Blank you. You're still a rookie. I'll kill you."

The team and NFL are now investigating. But let's just say it won't be an arduous investigation because according to "USA Today", Incognito already has a reputation dating back to his college days. Still, incredibly, Dolphins had him star in a PR video about being a good fan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHIE INCOGNITO MIAM DOLPHINS LINEMAN: Hi. I'm Richie Incognito. On the field, players have called me overly aggressive. We greatly appreciate you guys being loud and proud of the Dolphins, but please be respectful and civilized and be sure to follow the fan code of conduct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Code of conduct? Really, from him?

CNN columnist and ESPN senior writer, L.Z. Granderson, live in Chicago this morning.

Good morning.

L.Z. GRANDERSON, ESPN SENIOR WRITER: Good morning, Carol. How are you?

COSTELLO: I don't even know what to say, because the NFL knew this guy had problems. Teams kept hiring. He kept playing. He kept getting these big paychecks.

And you have to stop and ask yourself why.

GRANDERSON: Well, we all know the reason why. It's because the rules for professional athletes and the rules for everyone else is not necessarily -- they're not necessarily the same. In fact, they're not the same.

I can remember being in college and one of the top college football players at the time was a guy by the name of Lawrence Phillips, and Lawrence Phillips was suspended for the team briefly because he attacked his girlfriend on campus, his ex-girlfriend on campus, physically assaulted her. Lawrence still ended playing in the bowl game that year and was drafted six overall in the following year's draft.

Once I saw that, I realized that whatever rules I was living by was not the rule that is professional athletes live by.

COSTELLO: So, maybe the NFL should be investigating itself.

GRANDERSON: Well, let's put it this way. If we really got rid of every single player that's done something wrong, we would not have 32 fielded teams. There never would be draft that quite a bit. That's not to say that every player who plays football does something wrong. But it is to say that every team has a few bad apples and Richie Incognito is one of those bad apples.

COSTELLO: So, what's the answer? You know, some players have come forward and said, look, this thing just happens. It's what you go through as a rookie. Rookies accept it.

And if you really wanted to do some housecleaning, you wouldn't be able to field, you know, enough players for the teams.

GRANDERSON: Well, one thing to remember is that, you know, Jonathan Martin is not a rookie. This has been going on for him for a season and a half. At least as far as the reports are concerned.

We don't know, really, all the details surrounding what happened, you know, what triggered all this investigation, all these media reports is that Jonathan got up and walked away from a lunch room table and slammed his plate and walked away after a bunch of players got up and left him alone.

That's more than just Richie Incognito. We don't know what to degree he may have been feeling isolated or to what degree he may be feeling pressure from more than just one particular player. Again, he is not a rookie. This has been going on for at least a season and a half now.

COSTELLO: OK, I'm going to throw this out at you. This was a tweet from Chris Carter, the Hall of Famer. He tweeted this morning. "It is feasible that martin was being bullied by black players for not being black enough."

So, I know Incognito is white. Other players allegedly participated, too. And those players, we assume, were African-American. And Chris Carter is saying, hey, he's being bullied because he wasn't black enough. It's feasible, anyway.

GRANDERSON: Well, it certainly is feasible. Chris happens to be a friend of mine. So, you know, we've talked about things like this, the locker room environment, for a number of years.

As I said before, we don't know exactly why Jonathan felt isolated or felt that his only recourse was to get up and walkway. We're still digging for that. So, I don't think it would be wise for us to discount anything or to automatically assume that Richie Incognito was the only person involved in what he perceived as bullying.

All we can do now is continue to press the Miami Dolphins for more questions and more answers and more importantly, we also need to be evaluating the NFL's conduct in terms of how much is being allowed in terms of regular rookie hazing. Dez Bryant was under trouble a couple of seasons ago because he refused to carry the pads of veterans during his rookie season. Carrying pads has been a long-time part of the hazing initiation for rookies and Dez Bryant caused a big fuss because he didn't do that.

Could they make him do it? Well, no. But, you know, some things are just kind of accepted as part of the culture and some things are probably going a little bit beyond where they need to go and the NFL needs to decide where that line is.

COSTELLO: I'm kind of liking Dez Bryant at the moment.

L.Z. Granderson, thank you so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM: voters head to the polls in several states for some high profile election, including a New York City mayoral race could break a 24-year drought for Democrats. More on that after a break.

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