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Multiple Dead In Shooting At Colorado Supermarket; Israeli Election. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired March 23, 2021 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello, everyone, I'm John Vause, live with breaking news from the CNN Center, it is 2 am here in Atlanta. Midnight in Boulder, Colorado, the scene of a second mass shooting in the United States in less than a week.

That is where we begin this hour with word from law enforcement that at least 10 people, including a police officer, have been killed at a grocery store by what appears to be a lone gunman with an AR-15 style weapon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Suspect in the building, this is the Boulder Police Department. The entire building is surrounded. You need to surrender now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: By some accounts, the shooter was precise, deliberate and silent. He never said a word during his killing spree. Just one person was treated for injuries, including to police, that was the gunman himself, suggesting, whoever he shot, he killed.

The dead police officer, 51-year-old Eric Talley, father of seven, one of the first on the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF MARIS HEROLD, BOULDER POLICE DEPARTMENT: He's been on the Boulder Police Department since 2010. He served in numerous roles supporting the Boulder Police Department and the community of Boulder.

And I have to tell you, the heroic action of this officer, when he responded to this scene, at 14:30 hours, the Boulder Police Department began receiving phone calls of shots fired in the area and a phone call about a possible person, with a patrol rifle.

Officer Talley responded to the scene, was the first on the scene. And he was fatally shot. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Police say they do not have a motive for the shooting, they don't know if the gunman knew any of the victims, at least publicly. Witnesses have described a chaotic scene with shoppers running for cover.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW HUMMEL, WITNESS: At first, I heard a loud bang and I thought a shelf fell over something like that. But then, immediately, when I heard multiple gunshots, I knew that it was something more than that. So I just made sure I got out of there safely and it was really, truly, a horrifying experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: More now of the shooting with CNN's Lucy Kafanov in Boulder, Colorado.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A tragic Monday here in Boulder, 10 people losing their lives in the shooting at the King Soopers supermarket. This is a supermarket that is part of a large shopping area. There are many folks going about their business and at about 2:30 pm local time, police said they started getting frantic 9-1-1 calls reporting an active shooter in the area.

One of the calls saying, there was someone with the patrol rifle in the area. Police responded to the scene, one of the first officers to respond was Boulder Police Department officer, Eric Talley. 51 years, old with the department since 2010, he was one of the victims, one of the 10 people to lose their lives.

We understand from the authorities, they described this as a complex investigation that will take no less than five days to complete. There is no information about the shooter.

The suspect is in custody. We understand from authorities that the suspect was injured, was taken to hospital for treatment of those injuries but that this investigation is just beginning.

We also know from officials that the death toll could have been higher. There were many agencies that responded to the scene, several local police departments, the ATF, the FBI. We actually saw FBI officers walking around, conducting their investigation, responding to the tragedy that took place here.

Now the district attorney describing this as a terrible and horrific mass shooting. He said that this is going to be a painstaking investigation. He confirmed that, indeed, because gunman is in custody.

We heard as well from the governor, who said, and I quote, "Today we saw the face of evil. I'm grieving with my community and all Coloradans" -- Lucy Kafanov, CNN, Boulder.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Earlier, CNN heard from one man whose members of his family were inside of that grocery store. He described how they managed to escape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVEN MCHUGH, FAMILY MEMBER OF MULTIPLE WITNESSES: They were right there, from the first shot, to the last. Paul was in line to go get a COVID shot. third person in line and that is when at least one shooter came in and killed the woman at the front of the line, in front of him.

I think, thankfully, the girls didn't see that. They were on the phone with their grandmother. Then, eight shots in a row.

[02:05:00]

MCHUGH: There may have been as many as 50 or 60 shots according to my son-in-law.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: So your son-in-law quickly scooped up the girls and ran upstairs to a closet. And they -- they hid.

MCHUGH: Thank God. It -- you know, it -- then, Paul would come out and try to silence phones. And didn't know who was coming up the stairs next. Lot -- lot of the action was right below them, at the pharmacy.

Extraordinarily terrifying. Of course, the -- the little ones saying, yes, you know, the coats weren't long enough to hide our feet as they were standing behind the coats in the closet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The moment Boulder Police arrived on scene, it seems the shooting began. The calls back and forth recorded by police radio capture some of the tense and dramatic moments, as they happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 136. We're in a gunfight, hold the radio. 136, still multiple shots being fired at us. I copy, we're taking multiple rounds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are taking rifle fire, too as soon as we, patrol, entered the building. If we can get the rolling shield up here ASAP, that'd be perfect. Start pushing slow but be advised we do not know where he is. He is armed with a rifle. Our officers shot back and returned fire. We do not know where he is in the store.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Joining me now is CNN law enforcement contributor and retired FBI special agent, Steve Moore. Steve, thank you for being with us.

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, John.

VAUSE: Just when do you think we will get word on a motive here?

And for all we know about the methodical nature about the shooting, itself?

He didn't spray it, he just went off one at a time. He was quiet, deliberate, some say.

Does that lead you anywhere?

MOORE: It doesn't. Law enforcement, it doesn't have a crystal ball. And so, I think, what's going on right now is, first, there's -- they're identifying him.

Secondarily, you know, the why -- the why is very important here because we are dealing with specific issues that -- that will help us determine, you know, how this happened, if anybody helped. It -- it's just tragic, at this point.

VAUSE: When you are looking for a motive, clearly, it's a big help when the gunman is alive, as -- as he is in this case, the alleged gunman. But it appears he is also quite possibly he is a lone shooter and that might it harder, in some respects, I guess as well.

MOORE: One of the things is -- yes, and you got that right. Almost always, it's going to be a lone shooter because you don't -- you don't find a way to confide in somebody that I'm going to go shoot people, indiscriminately, at a supermarket and hope this person agrees with you and says, come on.

They rarely tell anybody about this. But what they do -- what they do know is that they have, effectively, ended their own life as -- even if they don't die, they've ended their life as they knew it.

And so, they want to tell law enforcement why they did it. If it's important enough to ruin your life over it and -- and by the way, I know how heinous it is, not even considering the -- the lost lives on the other side of that gun.

But in their own mind, they want to tell you why they did it. They want to tell you their grievance. They want to explain to you what was so horrible that made them do this.

VAUSE: So you -- you -- you think -- he has something to say. Because unlike the Vegas shooter, who killed 50-something people a few years ago. He left no note. Took his own life. That is still a mystery, right now.

MOORE: It -- it is. And that one is really, really an outlier. That is not the average -- I almost hate to say this -- but that shooting does not jive with the other shootings we have seen thought this horrible, violent history. What we have seen is 90-plus -- 99-plus percent of the shooters that

live want to tell us about it. And the ones who die, frequently, leave behind manifestos or -- or some kind of note, saying, this is -- and -- and they are always trying to point at someone else -- this is not my fault. This is the problem. This -- you know, I killed the people, you know, who were causing this.

The shooter in Atlanta, the other day, it's because I had a sex addiction that they were causing. They want to point out that the people who were killed were usually the ones who were responsible for the killing.

VAUSE: I want to talk about how the police responded to -- to this shooting, very quickly, within minutes, we are told. And they surrounded the grocery store. The gunman was inside. We heard on the police radio, they weren't entirely sure where he was inside.

And they called for him to, you know, lay down his weapons and surrender over a loudspeaker. Here it is.

[02:10:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vacate the building. This is the Boulder Police Department. The entire building is surrounded. I need you to surrender now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Every police department does their own thing differently. But at school shootings, the new tactics are to engage with the shooter. Not wait for reinforcements and secure the scene. Just go in and engage.

Why not the same here?

MOORE: I don't know, John. First of all, I would think that, when you see one of your -- one of your friends lying on the ground, dead, it affects your ability to follow through on a tactic that requires you to go in and do the same thing he was doing.

And the tactic is and has always been, since the Columbine shooting, you go in and you eliminate the threat. You don't call somebody out of a building that is full of phone potential targets. You have to go in.

And I am not going to second guess them, at this point. This is too early. They've lost one of their own, who was heroic in going there and confronting the shooter immediately. And I have -- I wasn't there. I don't know what it felt like.

But I do know what the training is. And the training is, generally, to go in. But I wasn't there and I don't know their circumstances.

VAUSE: Yes. That's really important to point out. We obviously, are just looking at this from a distance. You know, and we should point that out, at this point. But, Steve, thank you. It's nice to see you. Take care.

Current and former lawmakers have reacted to the shooting. The representative from Colorado's 2nd District which includes Boulder, calls the loss of life almost unimaginable but he says the community will pull through.

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): From our perspective, our office is here to ensure that federal resources are available to them. We have been in touch with the district attorney, with the mayor, with the police chief and really, helping our community grieve.

This is -- it's -- it's a terrible, terrible tragedy. And I mean, you think about the loss of life. It's just unimaginable to think that 10 Coloradans, 10 folks in our community, lost their lives today.

So a lot of healing over the coming days and weeks and -- and months, ahead. And we'll certainly be there, here, to help our victims and -- and help our constituents. Colorado is a strong state. Boulder is a strong community. It's a resilient community.

We'll get through this together and I know we're going to lift each other up as we -- as we grieve together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Former Arizona congress woman and shooting survivor, Gabrielle Gifford, says this tragedy could have been prevented.

Quote, "They had hopes, dreams, people who loved them. They are no longer with us because of preventable tragedies. This is an especially personal tragedy for me. I survived a shooting at a grocery store in a tragedy that devastated my beloved community of Tucson.

"It's been 10 years and countless American communities have had to face something similar. This is not normal. It doesn't have to be this way. It's beyond time for our leaders to take action."

We will take a short break. When we come back, the very latest developments from Boulder, including how police are now paying tribute to the officer killed in the line of duty.

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[02:15:00]

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VAUSE: Welcome back to our breaking news, this hour. Ten people, including a police officer, killed when a gunman opened fire at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. Police say the suspect was injured but is now in custody. They do not know a motive for the shooting, at least not yet. The police officer killed was 51-year-old Eric Talley. He had been

with the Boulder Police Department since 2010. Multiple law enforcement agencies participated in a rolling vigil through the streets of Boulder to pay tribute to Talley. The city's police chief described his actions as heroic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEROLD: The heroic action of this officer, when he responded to the scene, at 14:30 hours, the Boulder Police Department began receiving phone calls of shots fired in the area and a phone call about a possible person with a patrol rifle.

Officer Talley responded to the scene, was the first on the scene and he was fatally shot.

I, also, want to commend the heroic actions of the officers responding not only from Boulder PD but from across the county and other parts of this region.

Police officers' actions fell nothing short of being heroic. I also want to thank the men and women who responded, including state, local and federal authorities.

Obviously, this is a very complex investigation, that will take no less than five days to complete. And again, my heart goes out to the victims of this incident. And I'm grateful for the police officers that responded.

And I am so sorry about the loss of Officer Talley. And again, we will be here, working night and day. We have one suspect in custody. I want to reassure the community that they are safe and that we will try to do our best, over the next few hours, to identify the victims.

And we'll be working with the coroner's office to do that as promptly as possible because I know there are people out there, waiting for an answer. And I am very sympathetic to that. And we will work around the clock to get this accomplished.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Cedric Alexander joins us now from Pensacola, Florida. He is the former president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

[02:20:00]

VAUSE: Cedric, thank you for taking the time to be with us. We appreciate it.

CEDRIC ALEXANDER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF BLACK LAW ENFORCEMENT EXECUTIVES: Thank you.

VAUSE: Can you explain these actions by Officer Talley, to put himself, sort of, in the line of fire, do what is instinctively not a natural thick thing to do. To run towards the fire, where bullets are coming from?

ALEXANDER: Well, that's what police officers are trained to do, to respond, to take all necessary precaution but, in this particular case, he lost his life in an attempt to try to help others, try to save others.

And that's what's so heroic -- heroic and courageous about his actions tonight. We're all deeply saddened across this country to his loss. But that's what police officers are trained to do in this country and that is, to respond, to meet that threat.

He met that threat. He lost his life. He's going to be mourned for all of us but his heroism will not be forgotten.

VAUSE: He is a father of seven. I think, we should not forget that.

In terms of the investigation, where does it start?

What will be the main focus of the next few days?

ALEXANDER: Well, they are going to continue to, of course, work that scene, where you had a lot of loss of life. They will interview witnesses, tonight. Some, tomorrow, the next day, when they may feel better.

They're going to, of course, take all the video footage from the buildings and surrounding areas and begin to piece things together, along with witness statements and looking for consistency in -- in those statements.

So it's going to be quite a busy next few days for them, in terms of pulling this investigation together to help the community. But in addition, what really is interesting and important here is to determine what was the motive behind this shooting, that caused 10 people their life and the lives -- life of a police officer.

VAUSE: What about the weapon that was used here, an AR-15-style rifle?

What will that eventually say about the shooter, once we find out, you know, how he got it, where he got it from, that kind of stuff?

ALEXANDER: Well, it's not unusual. And we've seen this in so many cases, where we see long rifles. Oftentimes, an AR-15, which is a large-capacity, high-velocity long rifle. Very powerful, on the streets and particularly in the hands of those who misuse it.

So we are going to determine -- it's going to be a determination made, in terms of where he purchased that weapon, how long he's been in possession of it, if it's been used in other incidents that we may not be aware of.

So all the ballistics testing and background of that weapon and that subject, who was taken into custody, will clearly become a part of this investigation in terms of putting the puzzle together to determine what was the motive behind this shooting. VAUSE: This -- this style of -- of long rifle, it could be used in,

what, a semiautomatic mode or a single-shot mode, if I'm not mistaken. And it seems, the shooter here, at least from what the witnesses were talking about, it was on that sort of single-shot mode because there was just one or two shots, at a time, that were heard.

He didn't open fire, spray, randomly, everywhere. And he was pretty precise. No -- he was the only person wounded. Everyone else was killed. Whoever he shot, he killed. And (INAUDIBLE) through all of this.

Does that tell you anything special or in particular about this type of gunman?

ALEXANDER: Well, it tells me, number one, he certainly was someone who was very dangerous, someone, who was in whatever state of mind he had been in. Certainly, he killed people. He was using a long rifle, a powerful weapon. He was in close range of people.

And that created the kind of -- of death that was left behind. And it's unfortunate. It's sad. But, yes, he was in possession of a very dangerous weapon, that appear to have been single shot.

If we listen to the audio footage, from some of the earlier footage of -- of shots being fired in the store, there appear to be single bursts, as opposed to multiple bursts.

But regardless, whether it was single or multiple, that was a very dangerous weapon and particularly used against people, who, in no kind of way, were able to protect themselves and unknowing, just going to a store, that they would lose their lives so violently.

VAUSE: How much planning would have gone into something like this?

ALEXANDER: Oftentimes, it may not take very much planning at all. For whatever reason people like him get a notion or an idea about something, it could be sporadic. It could have been planned. That will be determined.

But at the end of the day, he ended up killing a lot of people and creating a lot of sadness in that community and across this country and around the globe.

[02:25:00]

ALEXANDER: So I don't know how much planning he may have put in. It may not have been much planning at all. We don't know his mental condition and other variables that may have played into this. And it could have been planned. I think, we're going to learn more about this over the next few days.

VAUSE: Cedric Alexander, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.

ALEXANDER: Thank you. We'll take a short break. When we come back, I will speak with an FBI

expert about the Colorado massacre. We will also hear from those who witnessed this horrifying event.

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[02:30:00]

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

VAUSE: Welcome back to our breaking news coverage. The mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. At least 10 people have been killed. That includes a police officer, who was the first to respond to reports of shots fired.

Eric Talley's father says his son was a prankster. A father of seven, who loved his family more than anything. And he was working to become a drone operator because he thought it would be safer. The Boulder community, now, paying their respects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL DOUGHERTY, BOULDER COUNTY DEFENSE ATTORNEY: My heart goes out to Eric Talley's family, his loved ones and his colleagues. He was, by all accounts, one of the outstanding officers of the Boulder Police Department.

And his life was cut far too short, as he responded to the shooting that was taking place at King Soopers.

I, also, want to stress how incredibly sorry I am for all the victims who were killed at King Soopers. These were people going about their day, doing their food shopping. And their lives were cut abruptly and tragically short by the shooter, who is now in custody.

I promise the victims and the people of the state of Colorado that we will secure justice and do everything we must do to get justice in this case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Authorities are yet to release any more information about the shooter. We have not been told a motive. But we do know that an AR-15- style rifle was used and that the shooter is in custody.

The victim's names have not been released. The next police news conference on all this, about eight hours from now. There is still much we do not know about how this day unfolded. We know from the witnesses about what happened inside that grocery store when the shots first rang out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NEVEN SLOAN, WITNESS: I just heard a big bang. And I was like, that's kind of weird. Like I didn't know if it was a gunshot or whatever. But I was just -- it was like, probably three seconds before we heard another just like, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. And I immediately sprinted over to her, like, hey we got to get out of here.

And pushed open that emergency door. And I like told her to run. And I ended up leaving her, which she really hated. But I went back and just was by the exit, just making sure that people were getting out because I remember seeing like an older woman that was there. And I was like, come here. I don't even know if she like heard the gunfire.

But she was like in shock. She was just in crazy shock.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Former FBI special agent Peter Licata is with us, in Somalia. Long way away but it's good to have you with us, Peter.

PETER LICATA, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Thank you, John.

VAUSE: As is often the case, this -- the scene of the shooting and the timing. It was in the afternoon. It was at a suburban grocery store. Customers stockpiling because there was a forecast of snow that evening.

And like I said, often the case, this is a soft target.

Beyond that, does anything stand out, as to why this would be where he -- this killing spree would happen?

LICATA: No, it doesn't. And that's -- that's what makes these incidents of mass shootings just so puzzling.

It's why?

Why there?

What triggered this?

What triggered this individual to do that at a grocery store, in the middle of the day?

You can go back to the same thing with the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012.

Why did Adam Lanza go to an elementary school?

You know, the Aurora, Colorado, shooting, also in 2012. That was a little bit more deliberate. That individual had a specific target in mind with the theater. Also, as you alluded to, a soft target. But we won't know until the days to come what this individual's motivation was.

VAUSE: You know, I want to talk police tactics for a moment because there has been this change in tactics over the years that, when there is shooter, it being at a school or wherever, the tactics have been to engage or try and neutralize the gunman. It seems, in this case, the police sort of secured the area outside.

And they called on him to surrender over the loudspeaker. That just seems to be a strange, sort of, play here, if you like.

I mean, can you explain why they did that as opposed to going into the grocery store?

LICATA: There's numerous reasons. I won't put myself in -- in that commander's head. You don't know what they are dealing with. Every situation is different. They are trained to assess these situations. Law enforcement is. Assess the situations and decide whether to conduct an immediate assault or perform what we call active shooter response drills,

Basically, in this day and age, every law enforcement officer is trained on. On how to clear a mall, a soft target. Whether it's with one person, one officer, two or three. Receive training. Or kind of just do a -- a -- a standoff negotiation is kind of seemed what -- what happened.

I'm not going to put myself in that -- in the on-scene commander's decision. It, obviously, was the right decision because no more bloodshed was had, after that incident and after Officer Talley was shot and the other nine individuals were shot and killed as well. You just can't make that decision.

[02:35:00]

LICATA: So you can't -- I can't decide for them. They made that decision and it -- it seemed to be the right call. So we'll -- we'll just leave it there.

VAUSE: Oh, absolutely. But the other thing, too, is that they were on scene within a matter of minutes. And that -- that's being credited with saving, you know, a number of lives. They weren't there so quickly, more people would be dead.

But still, 10 people were killed. I mean, this guy was armed with a, you know, an AR-15-style assault weapon. I mean, those things, even if you are on single rounds, can get off a lot of shots, as he did.

LICATA: He did. And that just shows, again, his -- his deliberate approach to this. He wasn't firing it in semiautomatic fire of three bursts at a time. He was obviously trying to take aim, deliberate, precise shots.

And, you know, when you are on that scene as a -- and I have worked numerous crime scenes, post-blast explosion crime scenes. I -- I was a responder to the hotel attack in Nairobi, Kenya, a couple years ago. January, 2019. Which was an active shooter with explosions, it was a terrorist attack.

It's -- you have to assess each situation, differently, on whether or not you -- you storm in, in a tactical approach or you kind of hold back and take deliberate shots. As much as law enforcement was on the scene quickly, it still takes time to understand the situation and to build that intelligence exactly and assess the situation on what is going on.

VAUSE: Hindsight is 20-20. We should say that. There are a lot of customers inside this store, at the time. And they have talked about almost a stampede when the -- when the shots began. And so, everyone ran to the back of the store. They could hear the pop, pop, pop.

Is -- what is the advice?

Essentially, if you are -- and this is not a silly question because, you know, there are a lot of people in this country who have been involved in shootings.

So if there is something like this that takes place, what is the best thing to do?

LICATA: You know, there are plenty of videos out there, in corporate America, Department of Homeland Security has made a video on how to deal with active shooters. This is, unfortunately, the world we live in, that we have to make videos on how to train the public on how to react.

So I know, I have seen the video. I know many people at work and -- and in America have access to that video. So it's kind of that, you know, flee, hide or fight. And obviously, the last thing you want to do is fight somebody with a semiautomatic weapon.

So it's self-preservation. It's preservation of those around you. The best thing to do is, well, if you can hide, hide. If you can't hide, then it's flee. Get to an area of safety, which these people were doing. They were trying to run out the back of the store.

You are always going to get a stampede-type mentality. You are talking a lot of people going through single -- you know, single doors, double doors, maybe at max. But that's the natural reaction is to run away from the fire. Run away from the threat.

If you can hide, you're supposed to hide. If you can't, if you don't feel it's safe, to flee, then the last thing we ever encourage anyone to do is fight. Attack the attacker, if you will. You are really putting yourself in harm's way.

But again, it's scaled. And that's what people have to think about, as unfortunately they encounter these horrible situations. Not an easy decision for anyone to make.

VAUSE: It is the reality of the world we live in. Peter, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.

LICATA: Yes, sir. My pleasure. Thank you.

VAUSE: Continue our coverage of the Boulder shooting, after the break. We also head to Israel. Voting about to get under way in the fourth general election in two years. (MUSIC PLAYING)

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[02:40:00]

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VAUSE: Israelis are voting, again, in their fourth general election in two years. Polling suggests a similar outcome as the last three. In other words, no end to the political gridlock.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's campaign has focused on taking credit for a successful COVID vaccination rollout, as well as normalization agreements with Arab states. He does, however, face opposition not just from centrists but also from the right wing.

Elliott Gotkine is outside a polling place in Jerusalem, not exactly a hive of activity right now, is there?

And there is a lot of uncertainty because the record number of absentee ballots.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So there are a few things going on. So first of all, voting started in Israel, as a whole, just under two hours ago.

But this is one of the drive-through voting stations that have been set up for the around about 15,000 Israelis that are suffering from COVID-19. They can just pull up in their cars. They bring the ballot box to you. And then, you stick your vote in the ballot box, that way.

There are also about 65,000 people in quarantine. They are, also, voting at special stations around the country. And those votes will be so-called double-envelope votes, which means that they will be counted last along with the votes for the absentee ballots from diplomats, from soldiers and from prisoners and the like.

And indeed, reportedly, there could be as much of a 10th of all votes cast in this way and that could delay the overall result. So that's one of the kind of wild cards, if you like, to watch out for this time around.

VAUSE: It's a bit of a mixed bag this time for Netanyahu. He's got the successful vaccine rollout, on the one hand.

[02:45:00]

VAUSE: But he can't claim to have a U.S. president in his back pocket, rewriting foreign policy for everything Israel ever wanted.

And then, there is also the rise of this other right-wing party, called New Hope, like something out of "Star Wars." And that could take some support if not from Netanyahu's Likud Party but other coalition partners.

What are his chances this time around?

Because there are corruption charges, as well.

GOTKINE: Yes, look, Netanyahu's corruption trial resumes in a few weeks' time. Netanyahu denies all the charges and he also denies that he wants to have that trial cancelled, either.

And so, what we are seeing is that, rather than just kind of one enemy, if you like, for Netanyahu, one big, strong, centrist bloc in the form of Blue and White, this time around, he is facing, Yair Lapid who's the leader of the opposition. Opinion polls suggest that he will come in second. He is kind of flying the centrist flag.

But Netanyahu has also been kind of outflanked or being attacked from the right of his Likud base. You mentioned, New Hope led by Gideon Saar, who split from Netanyahu's Likud Party and has vowed not to sit in any coalition government led by prime minister Netanyahu, whom he accuses of only governing in order to further his own personal interests.

There is another right-wing party, led by former defense minister Naftali Bennett, who has also served with Netanyahu in the past. He's been more circumspect about whether he would serve in a coalition led by Netanyahu.

But after being pushed into a corner by the prime minister, he's actually come out and said that he wouldn't sit in a coalition led by a prime minister Yair Lapid. So everyone's kind of trying to force people to show their cards and say they would or wouldn't sit with this particular party.

At the end of the day, of course, we have seen, from the opinion polls, that we could be in for more deadlock, as you mentioned and that neither a right-wing bloc led by prime minister Netanyahu, nor a centrist or slightly-less right-wing bloc, led perhaps by Yair Lapid, would -- would have much -- would have it easy in forming a coalition.

So we could be in for more deadlock. But one final wild card, John, is the 3.25 percent of the vote each party needs to get to get into the Knesset. If they come below that -- and there are about half a dozen parties hovering around that level -- then, those votes would go down the drain and that could have a big impact on the overall result. John.

VAUSE: I like your description of Lapid, less than right wing coalition. That's pretty accurate, Elliot. We should also note if they do get this gridlock, they'll be probably back for a fifth election at some time in the near future.

And please join us as polls close Tuesday night. CNN International will host an special hour-long program just as exit polls are released. That's 10:00 pm in Israel, 8:00 pm in London.

The latest on the breaking news from Boulder, Colorado. One witness recounts his terrifying ordeal trying to escape while the gunman was in the supermarket. (MUSIC PLAYING)

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[02:50:00]

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. More now on our breaking news.

The mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. Here's what we know right now. At least 10 people have died. That includes a police officer. Authorities have a suspect in custody who is being treated for injuries.

The investigation is still at its early stages. The officer who died was confirmed as 51-year-old Eric Talley, first on the scene. He'd been with the Boulder Police since 2010, father of seven.

Police received the initial 9-1-1 calls about the shooting before 3:00 in the afternoon local time. Ryan Borowski was inside King Soopers supermarket when it all happened and he spoke to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN BOROWSKI, WITNESS: After the first two shots, I saw somebody running towards me with a terrified look on their face. I turned and ran and made sure everybody else was running in the same direction with me, went through the back doors.

The employees who were working there didn't know what was going on, yet.

So we had to tell them, "Gun, gun, gun. Run, run, run."

And they made sure that we didn't go down any dead ends. And we all got out the back exit, together. And, yes. Absolutely insane.

LEMON: How many people?

BOROWSKI: With me?

I think there was, maybe, a dozen people. You know, we were all running, single file, finding our way through the maze at the back of the house there. And I had, you know, my hand on somebody else's back. And somebody had their hand on my back. So nobody was tripping or falling.

But everybody was moving as fast as we could. It was the fastest fire drill I have ever been in. And, yes, it was all a blur. I -- I -- I hit the -- the emergency button on my iPhone three times as soon as I got out into the parking lot and looked around.

And like I said, it might have been a dozen people. It might have been two dozen people who escaped with me.

LEMON: So you just ran out of the back door, out of the supermarket, right?

BOROWSKI: Yes. It was surreal, in the fact that I was a bit of on obstacle course. Literally, people were starting to go into, you know, a storage room. And employees, who we just told to run for their lives, were, you know, cognizant enough to tell us which way to run.

LEMON: So as you were running out -- hang on. Stand by.

So as you are running out, you are encountering store workers and other shoppers as you are running?

[02:55:00]

BOROWSKI: Yes. You know, I had a -- other customer, behind me. And we busted through the back doors to the employee area. The employees looked at us with shock. And we just told them to run.

A couple customers ran into what was probably, you know, dry storage. And the employees were like, no, this way, this way is the exit. And we dove out the -- the receiving door in the back and ducked underneath the truck trailer and up a little hill, just to get as far away as we could.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause. Please stay with CNN with our breaking coverage news of the shooting in Boulder, Colorado, with my colleague, Rosemary Church, at the top of the hour.