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New Details in Texas Shooting; New Details on the Victims of the Texas Shooting; YJ Jimenez is Interviewed about the Texas Shooting; Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) is Interviewed about Effort to Pass Gun Control. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired May 26, 2022 - 09:00   ET

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

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ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Erica Hill.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Sciutto.

Today, once again, the nation is mourning. Parents with young children, who are lost, are mourning, as we learn more about the youngest victims killed -- and there are their faces there -- at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Most of them, nine and 10-year-old children, some being hailed as heroes.

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ANGEL GARZA, FATHER OF SHOOTING VICTIM AMERIE JOE GARZA: I just want people to know that she just died trying to save her classmates. She just wanted to save everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: This morning, there are now hard questions for authorities about the timeline of events and the police response, specifically why did they wait so long to go into the school? Officials say the gunman was on school grounds for up to an hour before police were able to breach the classroom, stop the killing and neutralize, kill, the gunman.

HILL: According to "The Washington Post," parents who rushed to the scene heard gunfire inside the school. They begged officers to charge into the building.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERNEST "CHIP" KING, FIREFIGHTER AND FIRST RESPONDER: There was families trying to get in here. They were getting in here. They were getting into the school. There was fathers breaking out windows, pulling kids out of the windows.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: This morning, we have new video that shows the gunman entering a door at the school. Authorities say the suspect was confronted by an officer as he made his way into the building. They say he dropped a bag full of ammunition before he got inside.

Also, CNN has exclusively obtained a series of chilling text messages from the gunman, appearing to detail his plans just moments before the assault.

Let's begin now with the very latest on this investigation, what we do and perhaps, even more importantly, what we don't know this morning.

CNN crime and justice correspondent Shimon Prokupecz is live in Uvalde, Texas.

So, you do have some of these new details, Shimon. What are we learning and what is still a question at this point?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: So, significant information that we learned this morning from the lieutenant -- DPS lieutenant who spoke to John Berman on "NEW DAY" this morning. One -- a key thing here is now we are learning that the door -- the door in which the gunman entered, that door was unlocked. We've been asking how this gunman entered the school. The lieutenant this morning saying that door was unlocked, allowing him inside the school.

The lieutenant also revealing that the gunman entered the school essentially, he's using words describing it as unimpeded. He was able to get inside the school despite the confrontation that he had with that resource officer.

All indications right now is that there was no gunfire outside of the school. Meaning that the gunman and that officer did not exchange gunfire.

The lieutenant also describing more of what was going on in those tense moments.

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LT. CHRIS OLIVAREZ, SPOKESMAN, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Right now we do not have an accurate or a concrete timeline to provide to, say, the gunman was in the school for this period. So, we want to provide that factual information once we're able to obtain that.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": I do understand, but there was a period of time when the gunman was in the school and there were law enforcement officers on scene. And those law enforcement officers that were here during that period were not going in, correct?

OLIVAREZ: Well, as I mentioned, there was two officers that did make entry when that shooter was making entry into that school. So, there was an immediate response. And right after that we had a special response team that arrived, as I mentioned earlier, that was comprised of federal law enforcement officers, local police officers, and county deputy. They all made entry into the school.

Then you had other officers there trying to evacuate children and teachers by breaking windows around the school, trying to pull children and teachers from those windows, trying to evacuate them to preserve any further loss of life. So there was immediate response. But, again, trying to establish exactly a timeline, we're still working on that right now. That's all part of the investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PROKUPECZ: And so, Erica and Jim, obviously there are still questions as to that timeline, why it's taking officials so long to put this timeline together. The lieutenant saying they only first interviewed this resource officer last night. Also a big question of why it took those tactical officers so long to enter the school and breach that door and shoot the gunman.

[09:05:02]

SCIUTTO: Yes, deliberately, it seemed, unclear answers there, right? Because we do know some things already about the timeline. And I know you're asking hard questions there.

Shimon Prokupecz, thanks so much.

Well, as investigators work to pin down more details about that wait to go into the classroom, we're learning more about the final moments inside those classrooms.

HILL: We know one of the students, 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza, was trying to do everything she could to save her classmates. Her father, Angel, recounted his daughter's bravery in her final moments. And he shared that with Anderson Cooper last night.

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ANGEL GARZA, FATHER OF SHOOTING VICTIM AMERIE JO GARZA: She was just trying to do the right thing. She was just trying to call the cops. That's what -- she -- she was so scared of just strangers and things like this. Like, she would lock the door when I would step out to put gas in the car. Like, she -- this is literally, like, her worst fear. And she was just trying to help everyone.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, "AC 360": She talked about -- of something like this?

GARZA: So I -- I'm a med aid. So when I arrived on the scene, they still had kids inside. They started bringing the kids out. And I was aiding assistance. One little girl was just -- just covered in blood, head to toe, like, I thought she was injured. I asked her what was wrong. And she said she was OK. She was hysterical saying that they shot her best friend. That they killed her best friend and she's not breathing and she was trying to call the cops. And I asked the little girl the name, and she -- and she told me -- she said Amerie.

COOPER: Oh, my God. That's how you learned?

GARZA: She was so sweet, Mr. Cooper. She was the sweetest little girl who did nothing wrong. She listened to her mommy and dad. She always brushed her teeth. She did -- she was creative. She made things for us. She never got in trouble in school. Like, I just want to know what she did to be a victim.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: She didn't do anything, right, to be a victim?

HILL: No.

SCIUTTO: She did nothing. And there's no answers for that poor father.

HILL: It is -- it is heartbreaking, and that is putting it mildly.

Today we know the bodies of several victims are set to be released to funeral homes. Overnight, members of the community came together for a vigil to remember the lives taken.

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SCIUTTO: I cannot imagine how parents recover from something like this.

CNN correspondent Adrienne Broaddus, she's outside the school.

Adrienne, tell us what more we know about these children.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're learning so much about them this morning, Jim. And just listening to those strings play, that violinist from that vigil last night, it's a reminder sometimes when we don't have the words, when the words escape us, and music fills the silence, it's soothing. And that's something folks in this community desperately needed.

We're learning at least nine of the deceased have been returned to their families. That means their bodies are now at the funeral home. The remaining bodies will be returned to the families today.

At least four people are still in the hospital, including the 66-year- old grandmother of the 18-year-old shooter. For those of you who may not know or don't remember, investigators say that teen shot his grandmother in the face before she was able to escape to a neighbor's home and call 911.

We're also learning about the surviving victims, some of them who were treated at the hospital and released on the same day endured what was referred to as shrapnel wounds. Meanwhile, earlier this morning, we spoke with the university health medical director. She's over at the pediatric trauma unit. She described what she and her team have seen over these last few days.

Listen in.

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DR. LILLIAN LIAO, PEDIATRIC TRAUMA MEDICAL DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY HEALTH: You know, I think it was a difficult day for all of America. From our standpoint, we had the experience of Sutherland Springs at our level one pediatric trauma center.

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And from that experience we learned and we prepared for this mass casualty event, and gathered teams of surgeons, anesthesiologists, pediatricians very quickly, and we waited. And also from the last experience we realized that when we're dealing with high velocity firearm injuries we may not get a whole lot of patients. And I think in that -- I think that's what's hit us the most, not of the patients that we did receive and we are honored to treat them, but the patients that we did not receive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROADDUS: And sometimes experience is the best teacher. Many on staff have seen this type of trauma before. During her conversation she also talked about a previous shooting that happened here in Texas in this small -- not far from this small town that rocked that community.

At the end of the day, members who work in the medical field see death on a daily basis. But, Erica and John, that doesn't mean it gets any easier.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HILL: Certainly doesn't.

Adrienne Broaddus, appreciate it. Thank you.

Joining us now is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Burkeville, Texas, Reverend YJ Jimenez.

It's good to have you with us this morning.

You raced there in the moments after hearing about this massacre because two of your parishioners were directly impacted. They lost their 10-year-old grandson. I can only imagine the comfort that must have brought them in the moment. Two days in now, as the reality is setting in, can you tell us, how is the family holding up?

REV. YJ JIMENEZ, PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH: We visited yesterday. And thank you for having us.

We visited in the home yesterday. They have a tremendous family support. They were still grieving, of course. And the mother was doing better. The reason I was sent to the hospital because she went into trauma after the news of losing her child. And they -- the community is coming together in supportive food and prayer, expressions of love. And so, yes, it's continuing on very slowly.

HILL: I read recently you said you've never had to deal with such grief in your 30 years of ministry. You're there to help other people, to walk with them, to hold their hand, to pray with them. But this is also, as you point out, this is difficult for you.

How are you getting through that and who, in addition to your faith, who are you leaning on in these moments?

JIMENEZ: Well, you know, their personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it helps me to be able to have my time in the morning through the scriptures, and it's a time of encouraging, laying my stress, my anxieties before the Lord. And so in order to kind of enable me, just taking instruction from what Christ did, he would withdraw from people and spend a little time in the mountain. So my mountain is sometimes my quiet time in the little office here. And --

HILL: You talked about how -- I'm sorry.

JIMENEZ: Go ahead. Go ahead.

HILL: I was going to say, you also mentioned how you've seen the community coming together. It is so important in these difficult moments when there are no real answers for these tragedies, to see those moments. You mentioned the love you've seen in the community.

JIMENEZ: Yes.

HILL: Do you worry about what happens when this is no longer in the headlines and whether that community can sustain this lasting trauma?

JIMENEZ: You know, that's a good question. We're intertwined with the Uvalde community. We're 40 miles away in Burkeville. But, in spite of that, we -- because of agriculture, because of employment, because of family, we're all connected in this part of Texas. And so last night we had a prayer vigil and -- here in Burkeville, a candlelight, and, you know, the community came together, the churches came together.

Yes, that is a -- the follow-up of each of these families is going to be very vital and very important in the steps ahead.

[09:15:05]

Ahead, we'll -- you know, the -- as a person who walks through this -- the loss of a loved one is difficult. But then, as a tragedy as big as this, this is enormous.

But I believe that Uvalde is a place of faith. They're going to keep looking up. They're strong individuals. This part of Texas, we're -- they're raised to be strong, but they -- their strength comes from the Lord. And I believe that as we come together, there will be a time that Uvalde will have moments that will continually keep these children in the forefront.

HILL: Reverend YJ Jimenez, appreciate you taking the time to join us this morning. Thank you.

JIMENEZ: Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: We have this news just in to CNN. The Donna Independent School District in Donna, Texas, that is east of McAllen, near the Mexican border, has canceled classes throughout the district after receiving a, quote, credible threat of violence that is currently under investigation. In a letter officials say, in light of recent events and in an abundance of caution, we will be canceling school district-wide and staff will work from home. The safety and security of our students and staff is our first priority. They say classes are expected to resume Tuesday morning. But certainly, an alarming warning there given what we saw earlier this week in Uvalde.

Still to come this hour, in the wake of deadly shootings, like this one at Robb Elementary, mental illness often takes the blame. Why this is often misleading and inaccurate. We have the facts, coming up.

HILL: Plus, pushing for change. Will there be any reforms, any changes to the gun laws in this country? We'll speak with the chair of the House Gun Violence Task Force.

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SCIUTTO: Lawmakers opposed to enacting gun control measures often blame mental health as the cause of deadly shootings, like the one in Uvalde. But experts say attributing shootings to mental illness is not only inaccurate but also stigmatizing. Here are the facts.

Mental illness affects millions. About one in five adults in the U.S. or 46.6 million people experience mental illness in a given year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is estimated that less than 5 percent of shootings are committed by people with a diagnosable mental illness. Representatives from the American Psychological Association have called it, quote, unfounded to blame mass shootings on mental illness, saying, quote, research has shown that only a very small percentage of violent acts are committed by people who are diagnosed with or in treatment for mental illness, end quote.

Mental health does, however, play a role in shootings, just not mass shootings. CDC numbers show that within the total number of deaths, 53 percent of all suicides in the year 2020 involved firearms.

Joining me now to discuss the gun issue, what Congress may do, Congressman Mike Thompson, a Democrat from California. And he's also the chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.

Congressman, thank you for taking the time this morning.

REP. MIKE THOMPSON (D-CA): Good morning, Jim. It's good to be with you.

SCIUTTO: My first question to you is one I know you're familiar with and that folks at home might be asking themselves right now, and that is, we have seen shootings like this before, sadly all too often, often involving children. Will this time be different? Is there any evidence that there will be action on Capitol Hill in a way that there has not been following similar shootings?

THOMPSON: Jim, I wish I could tell you and your viewers yes, but I can't. We've been through this so many times. We've had school shootings after school shootings, mass shootings after mass shootings. Every day 30 people are killed by someone using a gun. If you factor in accidental deaths and suicides, the number goes up to 100. There's action on Capitol Hill. It's just not enough. We passed out of the House an important bill that would require background checks before anyone can buy a gun. That's a way to check to make sure people who are dangerous -- a danger to themselves or others can't get a gun. But, sadly, that bipartisan piece of legislation, supported by over 90 percent of the American people, languishes over an incentive because they don't have, not the 51 votes to pass it, they don't have the 60 votes necessary to bring it up for a vote. So, a critical problem over in the Senate. And those 50 Republican senators can't ratchet up enough courage to pass a bill that will help protect kids in our communities.

SCIUTTO: We understand that the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, is giving some time to Senator Chris Murphy to speak with Republicans. And we learned this morning that Murphy will speak with Texas Senator John Cornyn on this topic. They've attempted this before, months ago, specifically on finding some common ground on background checks. And there are some Republicans who support some form of something, that Romney among them. I know, of course, that's the other side of Capitol Hill. But are you aware of any potential middle ground this time, specifically on background checks legislation?

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THOMPSON: Jim, I work closely with Senator Chris Murphy. He is the Senate author of my legislation on background checks. We have sent that bill to the Senate twice now. The first time it got no traction. There was a big effort on Chris' part to build a bipartisan effort to move it forward. It went nowhere. I'm hopeful that he will be successful this time.

But, remember, he's up against an almost immoveable force. The Republicans in the Senate have refused, even on this wildly popular one step towards a safer community bill to help. I wish him the best of luck. I'll do all that I can. In the meantime, in the House, we're going to take up an extreme risk bill, known as the Red Flag Bill, on the week of June the 6th.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

THOMPSON: And we're going to pass that over the Senate as well. So hopefully we'll get some momentum over in the Senate. But the Senate Republicans -- and this isn't a partisan issue anywhere except the -- in the United States Senate. But they are holding this up and they should be held accountable for doing that.

SCIUTTO: Do you ever have private conversations with Republican lawmakers who will tell you in private, listen, I hear you, I want to do something, but I can't politically. We often hear of those conversations regarding, for instance, public criticism of Donald Trump or dismissal of questions about the 2020 election. Privately, they might say something that they wouldn't say publicly. Do you hear that on gun control?

THOMPSON: Jim, as you know, I first wrote the background check bill after the tragedy of Sandy Hook, and I did that in conjunction with a group of Republican members in the House. I've heard all the stories about how hard it is. I've heard from some Democratic members how hard it is. It has -- this has been made such a partisan issue that it's hard for a lot of folks.

But, you know, we're beyond what's hard for us. If it's too hard for members of Congress to do their job, to help make our kids and our communities safer, get another job. This is -- this is far more important than our political careers. Any one of us. We need to come together. We need to find out what it is that we can do that will help prevent gun violence prevention and we need to enact it and we need to enact it quickly.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Mike Thompson, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

HILL: Just ahead here, tough questions about the timeline of the shooting. And not many answers. Why did it take so long to stop the gunman? What we're learning, next.

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