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Interview With New York City Mayor Eric Adams; New York City Subway Shooting. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired April 12, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Dana Bash in Washington. Ana Cabrera is off today.

We begin with breaking news from New York. A manhunt is under way after 10 people were shot in a New York subway station. Another six were hurt. Officials say none of those injuries is life-threatening. Officials also say that they're looking for a black man, 5'5'', who was wearing a gas masks -- gas mask, rather, and fled the scene.

The shooting happened around 8:30 this morning at a subway station in Brooklyn. An eyewitness said the subway car filled with smoke and then shots rang out. We are getting images, as you see there from, the shooting.

And we just want to warn you, they are graphic. These are photos from inside the subway station. Blood is pooled and smeared all over the floor. The air looks smoky. And people are laying and sitting on the floor. It's a really horrific scene.

The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, spoke to reporters about the shooting last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): The people of the entire state of New York stand with the people of this city, this community, and we say no more, no more mass shootings, no more disrupting lives, no more creating heartbreak for people just trying to live their lives as normal New Yorkers.

It has to end, and it ends now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: In just moments, New York City Mayor Eric Adams will join me live.

But, first, I want to go to the scene.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is there. Brynn, President Biden has been briefed on the situation. Officials

just gave an update. Can you give a synopsis of what the officials said at this time?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, they came out right out the bat, Dana, and essentially said that they don't believe this is an act of terrorism at the moment, hopefully calming people's fears.

But they did say, of course, that is something that's still being investigated. We know that the JTTF, Joint Terrorism Task Force, is here on the scene helping with this investigation with both New York City, NYPD and federal law enforcement officials.

But as far as what happened this morning during the morning commute, you reiterated it. You said it to your viewers, but let me reiterate it. A person described as a black man five 5'5'' with a heavy build wearing a gray hoodie and a green construction vest boarded a train here in Brooklyn, put on a gas mask, opened a canister filled with smoke, and then opened fire on that train.

Of course, we're trying to learn exactly where that person fled. That's something that I asked law -- I asked the police commissioner during that news conference, but they would not give any details. So it's unclear if they were able to get off the train. Did they flee through the subway tracks? That's all still very much unclear.

Sixteen people are being treated in relation to this incident, 10 shot, experiencing some sort of gunshot wound, with five of them in critical condition, but stable. The police commissioner did say she doesn't expect this to be life-threatening injuries.

But we did get an update by the FDNY, who they essentially said there are injuries from the gunshots. There are injuries from shrapnel. It's unclear exactly what they meant by shrapnel. There's people who were just hurt in the chaos and also smoke inhalation from whatever device that was set off prior to the shooting.

So, again, a lot of information given in that news conference. But the biggest part of that is the fact that this suspect has not been apprehended. Of course, this is something that they're going to be working on. We know New York City is filled with cameras. They are getting not only amateur video from people who experienced this, but also from surveillance all around this area, hoping to find that suspect, identify them first, and then go find them -- Dana.

BASH: Brynn, thank you so much for that report.

I want to bring in the mayor of New York City, Eric Adams.

Mr. Mayor, thank you so much for joining me.

I know you were not at that press conference because you are in isolation because you currently have COVID. I'm glad to see that you were well enough to come on. And I know that you are in touch with officials. What more can you

tell us about, first and foremost, the manhunt under way to get the suspect?

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D-NEW YORK CITY, NY): We have a professional team of law enforcement experts here in New York City.

And I spoke with the governor and the White House this morning. And there's going to be a collaboration of efforts and information- sharing, so we can apprehend the person who's responsible.

This was a senseless act of violence that was inflicted on our passengers in our subway system. And details are still unfolding. And we're going to release the details as they come forward.

[13:05:06]

BASH: So, there is a sense, in just listening to our law enforcement experts, in the way that your colleagues spoke, that perhaps that you have a sense of who this is.

Is that true? Is it -- is that accurate? Do you have a sense of who the suspect is?

ADAMS: No. No, we do not.

This is still preliminarily -- and is a preliminary investigation taking place. And we don't want to give out any misinformation. We want to be extremely thorough and thoughtful on the information we give out. We do not have a positive idea at this time.

BASH: Can you give us an update on the victims? So, we understand that it seems miraculous that none -- at this point, none of the victims is facing life-threatening wounds.

But can you give us an update on their status?

ADAMS: Yes.

And, as you mentioned earlier, a total of 16 people; 10 of them, we believe, were inflicted with gunshot wounds. And I think that, when you look at how miraculous this is, you have to point to the passengers and the transit authority officials.

They responded with a level of just care for their fellow New Yorkers. And our first responders at the neighboring hospitals immediately kicked into gear and just provided the necessary care. I believe lives were saved based on the actions of that we witnessed.

On some of the amateur video that was released, you saw passengers coming to the aid of each other. And I just cannot thank New Yorkers enough for how we responded.

BASH: We were told that this is not considered an act of terrorism at this point. How can you be so sure?

ADAMS: I think it's still a preliminary -- it's a preliminary investigation.

This is terror of someone attempted to terrorize our system. They brought in what appears to be some form of smoke device. They discharged a weapon. And so I don't want to be premature in identifying that this was or was not.

I think, at this time, the investigators are going to do their due diligence to properly identify what happened here. And so I think, at this time, it's premature to state exactly what happened here. It's still new. We're still unfolding the investigation. But we will come to the source of what happened. And we will apprehend the person that's responsible.

BASH: So, as not only a mayor, but as a 20-plus-year veteran of the NYPD, what is your message to New Yorkers as they are -- particularly in that area, but maybe even more broadly, as they are going about their day and there is an active shooter and a manhunt under way?

What should they be looking for? How should they be conducting their day today?

ADAMS: And there's another layer to that.

I was a former transit police officer. I know what it is to go through an emergency situation in the transit system, to experience the actual removal of passengers. I know how much you need the coordination of everyday New Yorkers. And I saw that on some of the amateur video.

I would say to New Yorkers, we're going to have -- we're going to hold the day tour of the transit police officers to double the number of officers that are traditionally patrolling the system. We're going to make sure that we actively and aggressively identify the person and go after the person who was responsible.

And then we are asking New Yorkers, if they see something, please say something and also do something by calling your local officials. Together, we're going to navigate this crisis that hit our subway system. And we're going to find the person that's responsible.

BASH: Mr. Mayor, as you know, this is, unfortunately, not an isolated incident. This is an extreme example, and it is a very active situation.

You were inaugurated at the end of really -- New Year's Eve, you were inaugurated. So you have been in office since the beginning of 2022. Since the beginning of 2022, Mr. Mayor, there have been 375 transit crimes. That's a jump of nearly 73 percent in that area since 2021.

And that is -- the city recorded 41 percent -- a 41 percent increase in overall major crime through the first few months of 2022. And those stats are really up until March. They may be even higher now. Why is this still happening, particularly given, as you well know and our viewers know, you campaigned as somebody who was going to stop this?

ADAMS: The goal is, we have put in place major initiatives to deal with some of the systemic and historical problems we have had around feeding the crimes, not only in New York City, but you're -- we're witnessing this level of violence throughout our entire country.

[13:10:08]

And we're laying the foundation, everything from our transit initiatives, to our anti-gun units, to really informing the public how to use the system in a safe way.

We know that there's a real challenge. Many of the people who are on our streets that are participating in dangerous acts, they have had a bottlenecking in our court system. They are not serving their time in prison, like they should be.

We witnessed what I call a revolving door criminal justice system, where too many people who have known to participate in criminal actions are still on our streets. And so it's a combined effort. And we're going to continue to do our part.

The New York City Police Department has removed over 1,800 guns off the streets of the city of New York; 10 percent of them were ghost guns. This is a real Herculean task that our police department is responding to every day.

As I stated over and over again, there are many rivers that feed the sea of violence in our city and in our country. We have to damage one of them. And some of that damage is going to come from assistance from the lawmakers throughout our state and country.

BASH: No question, it is systemic. And you just named just some of the problems that lead to violence.

And you are only, what, a little more than four months into your tenure, so that's understandable. But I'm sure there are people in New York who say, wait a minute. I voted for a former cop to try to stop this, and it seems to be getting worse. What's your message to them?

ADAMS: Well, New Yorkers know, every day, I wake up to protect the city. And they have trust in me as their mayor. And I have trust in the professionals that are carrying out the job of ensuring that our city is safe.

And they're doing that every day. They're putting their lives on the line to remove dangerous people off our streets and dangerous weapons off our streets. And we know we're going to get crime under control. And the problem we're facing is a problem that's hitting our entire nation right now.

And that's why this is a national response. We need a national response to this issue. We're going to do our job every day. As I indicated, 1,800 guns, think about that, in New York City. That's -- when you think about only 3.5 months, removing 1,800 guns. We're going to continue to do your job, but there's some assistance that's going to be needed in our city, such as empowering ATF, bring in the ATF leader, as the president announced yesterday, making ghost guns illegal.

There's so many things that we can do to assist the cities across America, particularly New York City, to make sure that we're a safe place for our residents.

BASH: OK, and last question before I let you go.

For New Yorkers out there, thinking, I need to get on the subway to get home, I need to get on the subway to do my job, to pick up my kids, is it a safe place for them right now?

ADAMS: Yes, it is.

And I ride the subway often to send that message. I'm in the subway same 3:00, 4:00 a.m. in the morning to make sure our officers and those who are responsible for keeping us safe, they're doing their job.

I'm going to lead this battle from the front. And I say to New Yorkers, we're going to find every person that's responsible. And we cannot allow terror to terrorize us, that we don't continue to function as a city.

New York has gone through a lot, from the 9/11 attacks, second time attack on the Trade Center, to those who wanted to commit terrorism in our city, and to those who do things that want to terrorize us.

We don't know what is the source of this incident yet, but I call on New Yorkers to continue to be...

(COUGHING)

ADAMS: ... as resilient as we have often been.

BASH: Mayor Eric Adams, I heard that cough at the end there. I understand, obviously, you have COVID. As we speak, you are in isolation.

I really appreciate you joining us, and I obviously hope that you are doing well physically and that you recover soon.

ADAMS: Thank you very much.

BASH: Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

And I want to go to the phone.

Georgia Brenner is a student who was on the subway at the time of the shooting.

Georgia, tell us what you saw.

GEORGIA BRENNER, EYEWITNESS: So, this morning, when I went to check into the subway station, as soon as my metro card was declined, I looked at the people next to me and their cards were also declined.

So, at that moment, I knew it wasn't just a broken system. I was told to walk to the nearest station. And I didn't see anything suspicious on the Q train, but some people informed me as I was walking to the station that they saw smoke in the -- our train station. BASH: And you were on your way to school, right?

BRENNER: Yes. Yes.

BASH: So this is a regular five-days-a-week commute for you?

[13:15:03]

BRENNER: Yes, I take the train every single day. I take the same train. I take the R train to school and the Q train home.

And, yes, I mean, I definitely do not feel comfortable taking it for the rest of this week and maybe indefinitely. I don't know. It was really scary.

BASH: And when you got to school -- you are a high school student -- were other students who you are talking to, your friends, in and around the subway system?

BRENNER: Our vice principal addressed all of the classrooms individually and told everyone that we were not allowed to go out to at lunch today.

So we're not in a lockdown necessarily, but they just don't want students walking around the area.

BASH: And, Georgia, I know I...

(CROSSTALK)

BRENNER: ... protocol.

BASH: Yes.

And I know -- I have to say, I was -- I have known your mom for a long time. We actually went to college together, which is why I knew that you were in and around the subway.

BRENNER: Yes.

BASH: And I know that you are a tried-and-true New York City kid...

BRENNER: Oh, yes.

BASH: ... who feels very comfortable in the New York City subway.

You said you don't want to take it maybe for the rest of this week. But talk about your feeling right now of being in New York City. Do you feel safe at this point even more broadly?

BRENNER: I honestly don't.

And you're right. New York has always been my home. I have lived here my entire life. And it's kind of like it's a special place to me. Like, I feel like there's, honestly, a sense of magic to New York. And it just hasn't been that way for a long time. It just hasn't felt right. Like, something in the air has been off. And it's disappointing. It really is, because it has not been my home for a while. And I feel like a lot of people feel this way too. So...

BASH: Well, Georgia, the most important thing is that you are safe, and you are sound, and you are at school, where every high schooler is supposed to be.

BRENNER: Yes.

BASH: And really -- thank you. And I really appreciate you joining us.

BRENNER: Thank you so much. Thank you.

BASH: Thank you.

And much more on this breaking news after a quick commercial break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:21:25]

BASH: And an update on the breaking news, 10 people shot. Five of them in critical condition following a brazen attack on a subway station in Brooklyn, New York.

We have just learned that a gun was recovered at the station. Authorities say the suspect put on a gas mask and deployed a gas canister and opened fire on passengers. The NYPD says the shooting is not being investigated as an act of terror at this point. A manhunt for the suspect is ongoing.

I want to go straight to CNN crime and justice correspondent Shimon Prokupecz, who is joining us live from the scene.

So, Shimon, update us on what you're hearing from your sources about the investigation and, more urgently, the manhunt under way right now.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right.

So investigators have a lot of key pieces of evidence that they have been able to recover from the shooting scene. They have that gas canister, the smoke canister that the suspect used. They also have recovered what they believe is the weapon that was used in this shooting.

Obviously, they need to do some work to try to firm that up. But they have some key pieces of information. And, obviously, they have all these witnesses who have suffered just horrific injuries and trauma, running for their lives from this moving subway car where this suspect used this smoke canister, pulled it out of his bag, threw it into the subway car, and then started firing.

I was talking to a law enforcement official here on the ground. He said that the subway car -- and those of us who ride the subway are familiar with this -- that, before it entered this subway stop on 36th Street, it actually stopped for a few moments because there was a train ahead. And so it needed to stop to move into the stop.

So think about how frightening that must have been for these folks that are on this subway car. It stops. He's pulled out this gas canister and then starts firing at them, with them nowhere to run. And it wasn't until the subway pulled into the station that folks were able to run out and run for safety.

Luckily, emergency authorities were able to respond fairly quickly and render help. And that is the thing here. Luckily, so many of these people will now survive. But, nonetheless, this traumatic effect this is going to have on these folks is just unspeakable.

The other thing, Dana, one quick point, is, subway stations have a lot of surveillance cameras. Every subway station, there are cameras. So authorities are looking through those. They think they may have some video. It's unclear yet, but they're looking through some of that, and they think they can get some clues out of that as well, Dana.

BASH: Such an important point.

Thank you so much, Shimon, for that reporting.

I want to go -- excuse me -- to our senior law enforcement analyst and former FBI Deputy Director, Andrew McCabe, and CNN law enforcement analyst and former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer.

Thank you for joining me.

Andy, I want to start with you on the idea that we're now told that the FBI is working with the NYPD on this, probably not a surprise, but what does that look like?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: So, that cooperation is very well-established, Dana.

It is -- this is the unit that has worked together longer than any other Joint Terrorism Task Force in the country. The first one was in New York City. And it was predominantly a partnership between the FBI and the NYPD. It, of course, now includes many other agencies as well.

[13:25:00]

But you're talking about hundreds of investigators who work together shoulder to shoulder every day and investigate all of these incidents and attacks in New York, some of which turn out to be terrorist- related, some of which do not.

But the important thing is that the JTTF deploys immediately. So those folks are on scene, working with the broader NYPD investigative team, working with the crime scene technicians to collect all that evidence to determine if, by some chance, there is a connection to terrorism and if we need to worry about a follow-on or coordinated attack. BASH: And, Andy, I want to talk about the notion of terror, because

we heard at the press conference last hour them initially saying, we are not investigating any terrorism at this point, and then said, well, we're always going to be open to it.

But then you just heard that the mayor of New York City, Eric Adams say, well, we are being terrorized.

So, can you kind of square that circle? Is it -- there obviously is a definitional reason for using the term terror, but the mayor use it in a way that is maybe more colloquial.

MCCABE: Sure.

Sorting through law enforcement semantics is never easy, but I will try.

(LAUGHTER)

MCCABE: So, in the FBI, we declare an incident or an attack to be an act of terrorism once we have information, evidence that clearly links the perpetrator to a terrorist group, maybe as a member or an operative, or maybe just as somebody who's inspired by a terrorist group and is acting independently, but in accordance with what they think the directions of that group are.

It's clear that we're in the very early stages of this investigation. They probably don't have any information that indicates a clear connection to terrorism, which is why you heard the police commissioner say, at this point, they're not investigating it as an act of terrorism. They simply don't have enough to establish that yet.

However, it's clear that this act, committed for whatever reason, was horrific and terrifying to the people involved. And for that and many other reasons, you want to have the terrorism investigators and specialists from the JTTF investigating from the very beginning.

I think the mayor's comments reflect his desire to really connect with New Yorkers and acknowledge that what the city and specifically these people went through this morning was horrific and terrifying, and we're not going to let anyone terrorists or criminals do that in New York City.

BASH: And, Chief Gainer, let me bring you in here.

You heard Shimon talking about the fact that there are cameras everywhere in the New York City subway system. As somebody who has investigated many a crime, how -- obviously, that will help you because you will see the images. But talk about using that as a way to investigate and perhaps even find, more importantly, in the short term, find the suspect at large?

TERRANCE GAINER, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Dana, I think that's why all this ties together and why you have so many different agencies with expertise involved. So, that digital evidence, the video would be going on by a whole

group of people while the physical evidence is being managed. So, if they have the canister, there's a potential for fingerprints. There's a potential for DNA. If they have fired cartridge cases, if it's correct and they have recovered a weapon, that also gives a lot of information.

So these different cylinders of excellence are working together, sharing that information into a command center, where decisions can be made. And I think it's grouping of that different evidence, the physical evidence, the digital evidence, the eyewitness testimony, that leads one to believe that maybe they know a little bit more about this individual than is being told publicly, and while they're able to classify this as something other than pure terrorism at this point.

BASH: And we're almost out of time.

But, Chief Gainer, I just want to ask a follow-up to that, because I don't know if you heard. I asked that question of Mayor Adams. And he denied it, which is understandable before they have a lot of information.

But if you are an investigator, and you were on the ground there, what is the number one thing that you are looking for right now?

GAINER: I'd want the cooperation of all different people working on that evidence, in that there is not any devices down there, which they have indicated there are not.

And I'd want to be pretty sure that they have an idea about this person, but, also, I'd want to communicate to the public. Just like when you interviewed that young high school student, there is trauma from that.

And if she's nervous about getting on the subway system, somehow, we have to regain the trust that we have the power to limit the amount of damage that can be done to people and these shootings that can happen any place at any time.

BASH: OK.