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One Dead and Two Wounded in Seattle Campus Shooting; U.S. Marine Speaks Out from Mexican Jail; Bank of America Faces $12B Settlement

Aired June 06, 2014 - 10:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for being with me.

A Seattle college campus becomes the scene of the latest school shooting in America. A gunman opens fire killing one student and wounding two others. But when the gunman reloads, another student tackles him and brings him down. That student is a hero. Reporter Kristen Drew of KOMO has more.

KRISTEN DREW, REPORTER, KOMO: Student Jon Meis breathes a sigh of relief after coming face to face with the shooter on Seattle Pacific's campus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think it's that far outside of his character.

DREW: Meis, a senior electrical engineering student is a volunteer at the security desk in Otto Miller Hall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He saw the guy and got his pepper spray and sprayed him and tackled him.

DREW: Fellow classmate and friend, Patrick Maguire said he's not surprised Meis put his own life in danger to save others.

PATRICK MAGUIRE, STUDENT: I could have been one of these people that was injured or, you know, in critical condition. A lot of us were in that building. And he, you know, stopped him in the lobby. He didn't get any farther than that. I'm grateful for him -- yes.

DREW: During the shooting, other students also risked their lives to protect fellow classmates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought it was like an experiment at first. And then we heard screaming.

DREW: Student, Blake Oliveira found a pipe in his physics class and stood next to the door with another classmate fearing the suspect might try to come inside. BLAKE OLIVEIRA, STUDENT: Eventually the cops came in through another

door from another classroom because they're connected. And they escorted us out.

DREW: As students left, a crime scene was scattered across the first floor of the Science Building.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were a lot of shotgun shells on the ground. I think some of them were expired. Some of them were not fired yet. It looked like he was, you know, looked like he was planning to go the distance and Jon stopped him.

DREW: Jon Meis was taken away from the scene on a stretcher and then brought to Harborview. His friends are relieved he's OK and proud of his heroic actions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had a lot to live for and he just acted quick. I owe him a beer. A lot more people would be not here if he hadn't done that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: I think he owes him more than one beer -- right. That report from KOMO's Kristen Drew.

CNN's Dan Simon is in Seattle. Dan, tell us more about this hero. That's an incredible story.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it really is. I mean everybody is just so thankful that he had the presence of mind to grab that pepper spray and basically put down the alleged shooter here. What we know according to "Seattle Times" is that he is somebody who's very quiet. He's an outdoorsy kind of person but also comes very prepared and usually has that pepper spray with him. And of course, he's being hailed a hero today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable. Do we know anything more about this gunman and why he decided to open fire on this college campus?

SIMON: You know, that's the real question. At this point police have not been able to establish any connection between the suspect and the university. Apparently, you know, he didn't go here. He's 26 years old and didn't know any of his victims. So why he chose this university and specifically why he chose this building behind me is still very much a mystery and is part of the investigation.

COSTELLO: Dan Simon reporting live this morning. Thank you.

A decorated U.S. Marine suffering from PTSD is still behind bars in Mexico after more than two months. Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi's ordeal began after he drove across the border with guns in his truck. He and his family say it was just an accident. That he didn't leave the United States intentionally. He just happened to accidentally was in Mexico.

Tahmooressi spoke by phone to CNN's Chris Cuomo, detailing of abuse that he says drove him to attempt suicide with a shattered light bulb.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. ANDREW TAHMOORESSI, IN MEXICAN JAIL: I had one hand above my head. Not both, just one. I was laying on the bed. One leg was on one opposite wall and the other on the other wall above my head -- maybe a foot and a half, two feet. And yes I did when I got the opportunity, I decided to stab myself in the neck with a light bulb.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: Why?

TAHMOORESSI: I was paranoid. I had been abused. I was thinking they were going to come and abuse me more and torture me and get information about my family from me and so I said I'm not going to allow them to do that.

CUOMO: I want to ask you about something else, Sergeant. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm prying. You're dealing with PTS and you're trying to get treatment for it. We know that's one of the reasons you went out to the West Coast. Are you supposed to take medications now and do you have them? Are you treating yourself.

TAHMOORESSI: I'm treating myself. I don't believe I need medication to treat myself right now. I think I'm doing just fine.

CUOMO: It is your claim that the only reason you wound up in Mexico this time was because of a couple of wrong left turns, yes?

TAHMOORESSI: Yes, that is correct.

CUOMO: A Tijuana-based newspaper has put out reporting that -- they say they have proof that you actually had crossed the border internationally and intentionally several times and that you stayed at a hotel earlier during the day in question. Is any of that true?

TAHMOORESSI: I did stay in the hotel earlier in the day. Earlier in the day I parked my truck at a parking lot on the American side across from Mexico. I walked into Mexico with a backpack with extra clothes and hygiene supplies and passport and wallet and I decide to go hang out in Mexico for some good Mexican food, inexpensive place to stay and hang out. I was in Mexico four times previous to the time that I got arrested. I went with my friend a couple of times to Mexico just to hang out.

CUOMO: You know what authorities are going to say, Sergeant. They're going to say that these frequent, short duration stays in Mexico are proof not only that you knew where you were and where you should have been going, but that you may have been there trafficking weapons as opposed to just visiting. How do you respond?

TAHMOORESSI: I know what they're going to say. They're going to say a bunch of lies. They are already saying a bunch of lies. I just know that the truth will set me free and that -- I'm not worried about the officials. They have already been caught in lies. They've already been caught in their lies.

CUOMO: Let's just correct the record then from your perspective. Were you in Mexico trafficking weapons?

TAHMOORESSI: No. Absolutely not. Absolutely not.

CUOMO: Had you been making trips there that weren't just visits but were for some other specific business purpose?

TAHMOORESSI: Negative. Not at all.

CUOMO: Did you know where you were going when you were caught in Mexico this time, were you there on purpose?

TAHMOORESSI: No. Absolutely not.

I would like everyone to know I'm an innocent man and that it was just a big mistake. I had no intention of bringing weapons into Mexico or committing any crime at all. Unfortunately I wasn't treated right at the border and my rights were violated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Sergeant Tahmooressi has been in Mexican custody since his March 31st arrest.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a major bank facing a massive settlement over allegations it defrauded its own investors. We'll tell you which one and how many billions they may have to pay next.

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COSTELLO: Bank of America could be facing a $12 billion settlement with the Justice Department over allegations it defrauded some investors misleading them about the quality of loans being sold by the bank in the lead-up to the financial collapse. You know, mortgages.

Alison Kosik is following the story. Good morning.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Carol.

So the recession ended five years ago but now it looks like Bank of America is going to have to go ahead and pay the piper for decisions that it made during the financial crisis. In the coming weeks, it's expected to reach this multibillion dollar settlement with the Justice Department related to mortgage practices during the financial crisis.

Bank of America is accused of bundling together home loans according to their risk and then selling them to places like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. There were labeled as safe. Turns out though, they were high risk and when the housing market collapsed, so did these securities and so did many of the firms holding them.

No it is important to mention this though. Many of those loans that we're talking about actually belong to another company -- The Countrywide Financial. That's the crumbling company that the government pushed B of A to buy some say in order to keep it from complete failure. We saw the similar thing happen to JPMorgan Chase had to scoop up Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual which were responsible for many of JPMorgan problems. But I think it's safe to say there is plenty of blame to go around -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, you got that right. What exactly does this deal mean for consumers? You know, those people who have lost their homes and have not gotten them back.

KOSIK: Right. So there is a good chunk of money that B of A is expected to put toward consumers. The "Wall Street Journal" is reporting that about $5 billion of that $12 billion is expected to go to what's known as consumer relief. So things like reducing homeowners' principal amounts and monthly payments and helping, you know, to spruce up neighborhoods where the crisis left abandoned buildings and other eyesores.

That $5 billion figure though interestingly enough is more than JPMorgan had to pay in its settlement last year so it looks like B of A is becoming poster child especially since the government still wants B of A to pony up even more than that. That's some of the reason why you're going to see this really take a while to get all ironed out. Probably won't be official for several weeks in talking about this deal.

And here's the thing, if the two sides can't reach a deal, the Justice Department may consider file a civil lawsuit against Bank of America -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Absolutely. Alison Kosik thanks so much.

This bit of news just in to CNN. A team from the San Antonio Military Medical Center in Germany is standing by to transport Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl back to the -- actually, that was very confusing. Let me just short-hand this for you. We know Bowe Bergdahl is being treated in Germany right now -- that military hospital. Eventually he's going to be brought back to San Antonio. We just got an update about his condition. CNN's Martin Savidge is on the phone to tell us more.

Good morning Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Every day the medical team up there in Landstuhl, Germany that has been caring for Sergeant Bergdahl meets in the morning to assess where things stand, how he's doing physically, how he's doing mentally. And each day they make a determination as to whether or not they believe that he's ready to travel and head back to the United States. That would be phase three of his reintegration process.

But the big thing about it, of course, would be his reunion with the family. Again today they say he's not ready for that particular transition. He remains in Landstuhl, Germany. But the team that's standing by to transport him here to San Antonio, and that would be the San Antonio Medical Center here, they are ready. They're in place. They had been there for some time because the idea here is that they do not want Sergeant Bergdahl to suddenly see a new team of strange faces. So they actually have been working with the sergeant there and they are standing by to transport him to the United States. This doesn't mean that he's leaving or that he's leaving from Germany is imminent. It just means that everything is in place. Everything is ready in this well rehearsed, well-trained force scenario to bring him back home when doctors say he's ready.

COSTELLO: When you say team, there are many team members, aren't there?

SAVIDGE: Oh, yes. Huge. I mean I was surprised to learn that it now encompasses hundreds of people in ways that you would, of course, expect. I mean the doctors and psychiatrists-- that's a given. But the other team members though you might not consider not so much in Germany but standing by here to lend support they would includes attorneys, attorneys that could help them in a number of ways. And also financial experts to begin talking about money.

Then you have other people that are here to talk about dietary concerns or people needed for security, people needed for public affairs, people needed for and transportation. I mean on and on and on. And every member of that team whether it be the pilots that fly them to the United States, the ambulance driver that takes him to the medical center, they have rehearsed every six months for a week at a time since he was taken captive. That means over five years they have rehearsed his arrival here and treatment ten times.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable. That's amazing. That's unbelievable. Martin Savidge, thanks so much.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, we're going to talk sports and LeBron James, I think. At least I hope so. I'll be right back.

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COSTELLO: Disturbing news it is. You're looking at the Forsyth County Courthouse that's in Cumming, Georgia which is north of Atlanta. Apparently a deputy has been shot. I'm not sure what that was. Get that off the air. I'm not sure what that was.

We understand the deputy was shot several times. We don't know his condition right now. Alan Neal was a witness to this event. He joins us now by phone. Alan, what can you tell us? What did you see?

ALAN NEAL, WITNESS TO THE SOOTING: I was at an intersection right next to where the courthouse was. I was just driving through town and happened to hear two or three pops and saw the police cars come up. Saw several people running. The people that were just getting down on the ground. It took me a second to register what was going on. There were probably at least ten deputies that started running up around the sides of the building and police cars coming up behind me.

And within just a few moments, there were several officers firing at something right in front of the courthouse. I didn't see what that was because there are some trees up there. After that I saw someone -- after all of the shots were fired, there was someone laying in the road and someone that deputies had brought over to the side of the building and they were tending to him. And around that time is when police directed me to pull away from the intersection all together.

COSTELLO: We understand from authorities that a suspect is in custody. But Cumming, Georgia, is not exactly a dangerous community.

NEAL: No. It definitely caught me off guard. It took me a few seconds to register that those pops were potentially gunfire. Really just looking around at other people's reaction is what clued me in to what was going on.

COSTELLO: Well Alan Neal, Thanks so much for sharing your story. We really appreciate. Again, there's been a shooting at the Forsyth County courthouse in Cumming, Georgia. That's north of Atlanta. We understand a deputy was shot several times. A suspect is in custody. I don't know many more details than that. Bit of course, we'll keep you posted.

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COSTELLO: Were you Lebroning last night? I bet you were. In the first game of last night's NBA title series between the Spurs and the Heat, the air conditioning broke in San Antonio arena. And LeBron James had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with severe cramps. Of course, then the Spurs went on to win the game.

Andy Scholes is with me now. Some people were kind of mean on Twitter calling LeBron a wimp. Others were having fund with it.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: Yes. There is also some conspiracy theories saying the Spurs planned this. They turned off the air conditioning because they knew LeBron would get cramps and come out of the game.

You know Shane Battier, the Heat forward, you know Greg Popovich his first coach. He's innovated but he's not that innovative. How can anyone know LeBron would be the only play to get cramps and have to leave the game? But I'll just say Carol --

COSTELLO: Because he's wimpy --

SCHOLES: Twitter had a field day with this -- right. The new Internet craze is Lebroning. People kept posting pictures of him carrying friends in different places. Here are some of the cool ones we pulled off Twitter. Of course, a lot of Spurs fans were doing this. Heat fans were not laughing at this because I'm sure they were not having a good night. As you can see they're pretty funny pictures of what is now called Lebroning. They even have the big sad face right there. That's pretty cool. Lebroning -- the new Internet craze now; I'm sure LeBron is not laughing at this. I'm sure he'll be more hydrated come game two on Sunday night.

COSTELLO: That's what started his cramping. He was a little dehydrated he needs a drink more. SCHOLES: Yes, there was also Twitter war between some of the hydrating beverages that are out there. Won't name any names.

COSTELLO: Free advertising and all -- right Andy Scholes, many thanks.

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

"@ THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND MICHAELA" starts now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: A CNN exclusive. She's been at the center of the controversy since her statement that Bowe Bergdahl served with honor and distinction.