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Police Held Back Parents Due to Volatile Situation; Police Face Growing Questions About Timeline, Response; Uvalde Mourns 19 Students, 2 Teachers Killed in Attack; Ukraine: Russian Forces Made Modest Gains in Donbas; Report: Russian Actions Pose Serious Risk of Genocide. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired May 27, 2022 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and right around the world. I'm Isa Soares, in London. We're going to go straight to our top story this hour.

Texas authorities are facing tough questions, and growing criticism over their response to the mass shooting that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers. The latest timeline indicates no one confronted the gunman outside the school. He entered through an unlocked backdoor and barricaded himself inside a adjoining classrooms for nearly an hour before he was shot and killed.

Video posted on Facebook shows 18-year-old Salvatore Ramirez entering the building. A source tells CNN a teacher confirmed in a text that the school was not lockdown, even though Ramos fired shots at two people outside 12 minutes before he went inside.

We also have extremely emotional video of parents gathered outside Robb Elementary School, while the shooting was happening. Some were screaming, as you can hear that, for police just stormed the building and save their children.

More vigils and memories are giving families and the communities a chance to grieve and begin healing. But nothing will bring back the 21 people they have lost. And we are hearing now for the first time, from the mother of the gunman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADRIANA MARTINEZ, MOTHER OF SALVADOR RAMOS (through translator): I have no words, I have no words to say. I don't know what he was thinking. He had his reasons for doing what he did. And please don't judge him. I only want the innocent children who died to forgive me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): What do you tell their families?

MARTINEZ (through translator): Forgive me, forgive my son, I know he had his reasons. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): What reasons could he have

had?

MARTINEZ (through translator): To get closer to those children, instead of paying attention to the other bad things. I have no words. I don't know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: CNN's Jason Carroll has more now on the investigation and the timeline of the Tuesdays massacre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): 11:21 a.m., Tuesday, "I just shot my grandma in her head." The gunman wrote to a girl he met online. It was the start of a shooting spree that would leave 19 students and two teachers dead.

Seconds later he wrote, "Ima go shoot up in an elementary school right now."

The gunman took off in his 66-year-old grandmother's truck, leaving her fighting for her life.

STEVEN MCCRAW, DIRECTOR, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: She was able to run across the street to a neighbor and get help.

CARROLL (voice over): The shooter drove less than a mile crashing into a ditch at 11:28 a.m. Two minutes later, investigators say a 9-1-1 call reported the wreck and the gunman walking toward Robb Elementary School with a long rifle. His weapons legally purchased just days before.

May 17, he bought a rifle at a sporting goods store. The next day, 375 rounds of ammunition, and on May 20th, another rifle from the same store. It was those guns he had with him on Tuesday.

VICTOR ESCALON, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: He jumps out the passenger side of the truck makes these two witnesses at the funeral home across the street from where he was at. He engages and fires towards them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When he was like he came to --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, he was like --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hitting the dirt on the floor and just --

CARROLL: The bullets were hitting close -- bullets from where?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess he was -- I guess he was coming from the school this way.

CARROLL (voice over): The gunman climbed that fence at the school and started shooting at the building according to Texas investigators. They now say earlier information, a school resource officer engaged the shooter outside is wrong.

At 11:40 a.m., the gunman walked in an unlocked door firing.

ESCALON: He walked an approximate 20 feet, 30 feet. He makes a right, he walks into the hallway. He makes a right, walks another 20 feet, turns left into a school room, into a classroom that has doors open in the middle.

CARROLL (voice over): There in those connected classrooms, authorities say the gunman barricaded himself and killed the students and the teachers and wounded 17 people. One of the victims, 10-year- old, Amerie Jo Garza tried to call police on her cell phone, a birthday present two weeks ago.

ANGEL GARZA, FATHER OF AMERIE JO GARZA: I got confirmation from two of the students in her classroom that she was just trying to call the authorities. And I guess, he just shot her.

CARROLL (voice over): As the gunman sporadically shot through the wall, police wait for reinforcements and evacuate other students.

ESCALON: Officers were there, the initial officers, they received gunfire.

[04:05:00]

They don't make entry initially because of the gunfire they were receiving.

CARROLL (voice over): Parents outside the school are distraught, demanding police immediately storm the building or let them.

VICTOR LUNA, FATHER AND GRANDFATHER: I told one of the officers myself, if they didn't want to go in there, then let me borrow a gun and a vest and I'll go in there myself to handle it up, and they told me no.

CARROLL (voice over): Around 1:00 p.m., one hour and 20 minutes after the gunman went inside, law enforcement forced their way into the classroom and a Customs and Border Protection agent killed the gunman.

CHIEF RAUL ORTIZ, U.S. BORDER PATROL: They came up with a plan. They entered that classroom and they took care of the situation as quickly as they possibly could.

CARROLL (voice over): But it was still too late for so many.

CARROLL: And those that we've spoken to whether it be the two people that were there at the funeral home, or Victor Luna, who was arguing with authorities about trying to move into the school sooner. This was before that press conference when they were trying to clarify that misinformation that they had given out, so people were angry even before that. Now this just compounds the anger, the frustration, the grief that so many people out here are now having to deal with.

Jason Carroll, CNN, Uvalde, Texas. (END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, the families of those who were shot and killed at Robb Elementary have already endured days of course of pain, as well as grief. The bodies of 19 of the 21 victims have been released to funeral homes. You are looking at them -- their faces now. So instead of celebrating the end of school, and the start of a summer vacation, families are now planning funerals, and memorial services for their loved ones. For a Boris Sanchez has more on the lives lost in Uvalde.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the families of those killed at Robb Elementary School plan their final goodbyes --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our hearts are broken. We are devastated.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): CNN is learning more about the 21 victims lost in Tuesday's massacre. Eliana Ellie Garcia was in fourth grade, just nine years old. Her grandparents telling the "L.A. Times" she loved the movie "Encanto," cheerleading and basketball. She dreamed of one day becoming a teacher.

Ten-year-old Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez was also killed. Her family telling affiliate KHOU the fourth grader shared a classroom with her cousin, Jacklyn Cazares, who was also murdered. Jacky's father says she touched a lot of people's lives and recently had her first communion.

JACINTO CAZARES, FATHER OF JACKLYN CAZARES: She's full of love and full of life and she would do anything for anybody. And to me she is a firecracker, man. She's comforts me a little bit to think that she would be the one to help her friend in need.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Another ten-year-old, Tess Marie Mata, the fourth grader loved TikTok and Ariana Grande. Her older sister, Faith, says she was saving money to take the whole family to Disney World. She posted on Twitter, quote my precious angel, you are loved so deeply. In my eyes, you are not a victim but a survivor. I love you always and past forever, baby sister. May your wings soar higher than you could dream.

Ten-year-old Nevaeh Elisa Bravo, her family telling "The Washington Post," she could put a smile on all of their faces. They say they are devastated by her passing.

Ten-year-old Jailah Nicole Silguero, her mother telling Univision, Jailah enjoyed dancing and making TikTok videos.

And Eliahana Cruz Torres, a ten-year-old who went by Elijah. Her Aunt Leandra Vera telling CNN, quote, our baby gained her wings.

DR. LILLIAN LIAO, PEDIATRIC TRAUMA MEDICAL DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY HEALTH: It was a difficult day for all of America.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): The medical experts working tirelessly to ensure that the 21 lost won't become more now grappling with the trauma of those they could not help.

LIAO: I think that's what hit us the most, not of the patients that we did receive, but we are honored to treat them, but the patients that we did not receive.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Victims lost in another horrific shooting at an American school.

ANGEL GARZA, FAMILY OF AMERIE JO GARZA: There's one little girl, who was just covered in blood head to toe, like I thought she was injured. I asked her what was wrong and she says she is OK. She was hysterical of saying that they shot her best friend. That they killed her best friend, and she's not breathing, and then she was trying to call the cops. And I asked the little girl the name and she told me, she said Amerie.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: That's how you learned?

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Daughters, sons, mothers, wives, names and faces this community will never forget -- Amerie Jo Garza, Uziyah Garcia, Xavier Lopez, Jose Flores Jr., Lexi Rubio and two teachers hailed as heroes dying as they shielded their students from danger, Eva Mireles, Irma Garcia.

[04:10:00]

GARZA: You look at this girl and -- oh, my baby. She's my baby.

SANCHEZ: And we confirmed the tragic news on Thursday that the husband of one of the teachers who perished on Tuesday suffered a medical emergency. Joe Garcia, married to Irma Garcia for more than 25 years, having to be rushed to the hospital, ultimately, passing away. His family saying that they believe he died of a broken heart.

Boris Sanchez, CNN, Uvalde, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: So much pain and so much heartbreak. Well, despite the shooting and the tragic loss of life, the National Rifle Association says it plans to move ahead with the schedules convention that's happening this weekend. The powerful gun lobby meets today in the same state as the Uvalde school shooting in Texas.

According to the lobbying research group, Open Secrets, the NRA spent -- get this -- $29 million in the 2020 election cycle. Former President Donald Trump is among those scheduled to speak. Texas Governor Greg Abbott will send a prerecorded video. He canceled his in-person appearance so he could attend a news conference in Uvalde. But not everyone thinks the timing of the event is a good idea. At least four high-profile musicians include Lee Greenwood -- pictured here -- have canceled their performances following Tuesday's deadly shooting.

And the latest on the war in Ukraine just ahead, with Russia slowly gaining ground, the U.S. is considering sending one of its most formidable weapons.

Plus, a damning new report condemns Russia's aggression in Ukraine from its flagrant violations of the genocide convention. We'll speak with two of the experts behind that report after a very short break. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Ukraine's military claims it continues to block a Russian advance into Donbas from the north. Still Russian forces have made some modest gains in recent days that appear to be pushing towards -- as you can see there -- Kramatorsk as well Sloviansk.

On Thursday Ukrainian officials reported at least nine people including an infant were killed by dense shelling of residential areas of Kharkiv.

Multiple sources says the Biden administration is now considering Ukraine's request for advance rockets. Those have a much more -- a greater range really than the recently deployed howitzers.

A new video from Mariupol shows one of the Russian so-called filtration center set up in a supermarket. It's believed hundreds of thousands of people in eastern Ukraine have been processed through such screening facilities and forcibly sent to Russia.

And on Thursday, Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin became the latest European leader to travel to Ukraine -- as you can see there. She visited the heavily damaged village of Bucha and Irpin near Kyiv and pledged additional weapons for Ukraine.

Let's get more on all of this. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux joins me now from Lviv, Ukraine. And Suzanne let start with that major offensive that we've seen in the Donbas region. With Ukrainian officials I believe now admitting that they are outmanned and outgunned. Talk to us about this Russian advance.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isa, it's really a rare admission to from the Ukrainian military to acknowledge any type of loss of territory, but they have in fact done so. This was just yesterday where they said that this was in the Donetsk region, and it is just ten miles -- it's a district that is just ten miles from a critical point of resupplying the Ukrainian military used that area to resupply the troops. It's also a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians safe passage as well as to bring food and supplies in for the Ukrainian people, and the Ukrainian military.

Now Russian forces just ten miles away from that resupply center there. And so, this is definitely a blow. This is not necessarily surprising because Ukrainian military has been saying that the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have been hard hit, and definitely outmanned here. They are talking about, they said, the Russians have the advantage 8 to 1 when it comes to personnel and twice the as much when it comes to the supplies and the equipment here. And one of the things that they have been dealing with is that the

Russian forces continue to pummel the civilian areas, targeting civilians, Severodonetsk was a place where they had more than 100,000 residents who used to live there. Now down to about 15,000 who are hiding in basements, and bomb shelters at this time.

And again, an acknowledgment here of just how important this area is to the Russian forces, to move forward to the west. And getting dangerously close, the Ukrainian military acknowledging here, to that area that they depend on so much for those supplies and for their food.

SOARES: And that's very much been a critical area, but we have also seen Kharkiv being targeted, and targeting of residential areas in this area. How confident, Suzanne, are Ukraine forces that they can hold on to Kharkiv?

MALVEAUX: Well, they do say that they believe that the city is not threatened, that it's not in danger, that they can actually hold that city. But they say that the residents, it is the civilians that are really facing these punishing attacks. And as you had mentioned, it was just yesterday,

I mean, just so, so sad, there were nine civilians who were killed, including they say, a family that was simply walking in the street, a man who was holding their five month old baby, and they were bombs, they were hit, and that the father died with the child, the baby, in his arms. The mother taken to a hospital severely wounded. 19 others were also wounded as well. But this is something that they feel the Russians are simply demoralizing and terrorizing the residents.

[04:20:00]

Just outside of the city, they feel they can hold the city, but those around the city are just facing a brutal punishing attacks from Russian forces now -- Isa.

SOARES: Absolutely terrifying, Suzanne Malveaux for us there in Lviv. Thanks very much Suzanne.

Well, President Zelenskyy claims of genocide by Russia is not backed up by a damning new report by more than 30 international experts. They concluded that Kremlin propaganda, mass graves, destruction of cultural sites, force relocations and other atrocities are all part of a pattern to destroy Ukraine's national identity. The Genocide Convention of the United Nations -- we're reminded -- defines genocide as this.

Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy in whole or in part, a national ethnical, racial or religious group, as such by various means.

Now the study was compiled by the Washington think tank, New Lines Institute, in collaboration with the Wallenberg Center for Human Rights in Canada. Emily Prey of New Lines Institute joins me now from Washington. And Yonah Diamond of Raoul Wallenberg Center is in Montreal. And thank you to you both for staying with us and staying waking up early to be with. Emory let me start with you really, and really the main conclusion from your report. That Russia's actions in Ukraine pose a serious risk of genocide. From what your team has seen, has genocide been committed in Ukraine? Has that legal threshold been crossed here?

EMILY PREY, SENIOR ANALYST, NEW LINES INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGY AND POLICY: What we've seen in our research from this report is that there exists a serious risk of genocide in Ukraine. As you said, Russia's is -- their state responsibility for breaches of the Genocide Convention, for incitement to genocide, and all of this ties together to trigger the duty to prevent under international law.

SOARES: And Emily, let me ask you this, I was in Ukraine, our teams have been in Ukraine for months now. We're into the third month of this war. You know, teams on the ground in Bucha. I've spoken to, you know, represent from the U.N., from Ukraine, those investigating the ground there. Going as far as calling it genocide. Why do you say serious risk of genocide while others call it genocide?

PREY: Well genocide is a very -- it's a legal term with a very strict definition. And so, this report, which over as you said, over 30 of the top legal and genocide experts in the world collaborated on, came to the conclusion that there is a serious risk of genocide. But that does not lessen what is has happened in any way. Because on the Genocide Convention that still triggers the duty to prevent, and that still puts pressure on states to act in accordance to international law.

SOARES: And thanks for clarifying that, Emily. And so, gives us a sense of how you and your team reached this conclusion. Talk about the research, the investigation, because obviously the point here is proving that it was Russia's intent to destroy Ukraine, or Ukrainians as a group.

PREY: Absolutely, we have a team of legal experts open source intelligence analysts, and regional experts, linguist and translators, who used everything was open source intelligence. And so, states really cannot stand back and say that they didn't know what was happening.

And I especially want to highlight, the sexual and gender-based crimes that are taking place in Ukraine. Because these types of gender based crimes are often recorded or brush to the side. But in this report, we dedicated a whole section to rape and sexual violence which looks at how rape can be indicative of genocidal intent.

So, for example, Ukraine's women with Iryna Venediktova (ph) reported last month, that Russian soldiers held a group of Ukrainian women and girls in a basement, and raped them repeatedly, telling them that we will rape you until you no longer want sexual contact with any man, to prevent you from having Ukrainian children. So, this is a pretty clear cut example of how rape can be indicative of genocidal intent.

SOARES: That's horrifying to hear you really lay out and the stories that I've heard on the ground, and our team continues to here. And Yonah, as I was, I was looking for the report on this report point this out. The main purpose of course of the Genocide Convention, is prevention. And that includes a responsibility of all 152 countries I believe, who are signature to this -- including Russia -- to intervene. So, what legal actions can be taken here, given Russia's veto power at the Security Council?

YONAH DIAMOND, LEGAL COUNSEL, RAOUL WALLENBERG CENTER: Yes, that's a good question. So, our assessment is looking at all the evidence with our team from like you said, around the world independent experts. And we reviewed all the evidence and we came to the conclusion that Russia is breaching the Genocide Convention in multiple ways.

[04:25:00]

Now what this means for states is there's a legal obligation to prevent and to act and do everything reasonably in their power, and capacity to influence the situation in order to both, protect the targeted group of Ukrainians, that are subject to a genocidal campaign. As well as to respond to Russia with various measures and that's really more of a political decision. Because what we've done is we've assess the facts in an impartial and objective and independent way. And now, the burden is on states and governments to determine how they will respond considering the security situation.

SOARES: Right. And so, Emily, I really want to give you our viewers a sense of your findings. And I looked -- I think it was on page 20 -- it says, national and international investigators and analysts have documented rapidly expanding mass graves and a pattern of Ukrainian civilian corpses found with hands tied, tortured, and shot at close range.

And you argued in large part, of that report that there is considerable evidence that this demonstrates that Russian soldiers have been internalize state propaganda to carry out atrocities. Tell us what you found here?

PREY: Yes, there is a widespread campaign in Russia being led by the Kremlin and state propaganda, to incite genocide. And so, that's, you know, the whole denazification of Ukraine falls under that. The fact that Russian soldiers have to read Putin's article that he wrote about, you know, one Russia, one Ukraine. All of this ties together to create that there's -- Russia had been inciting genocide and this is serious genocide.

SOARES: And so, Yonah, and look, correct me if I'm wrong, but it normally takes years for any case of this magnitude to be litigated. And from what I can remember, only happens after the conflict is essentially over. I want you to listen though to what President Zelenskyy said just overnight. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): In cities and communities closer to the Russian border, and Donbas, in Luhansk, they gather everything they can to fill the place of those killed and wounded in the occupation contingent. All of this including the deportation of our people and the mass killings of civilians is an obvious policy of genocide pursued by Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: An obvious policy of genocide that is taking place right now in the Donbas area. I mean if this is happening right now, what are the realistic legal means to prevent it, what can states or geopolitical actors do at the stage? Because this really goes to the heart of your report here.

DIAMOND: Yes, so it's an important point and I think what he is getting at is, like Emily was saying, there's an incitement campaign that has been engaged in from the top in Russia. And this is all happening against a backdrop of heightened restrictions on media, bans on foreign media, bans on social media, new criminal laws that will sanction certain discussions around the war.

So, this allows for the Russian officials and state media to more directly filter the message that this war was based on. Which is to fight against the Nazis in Ukraine. And as the war has progressed, that has gone on to broadly characterize a majority and substantial group, if not an entire generation of Ukrainians, as Nazis, and an existential threat, which carries an even deeper meaning in the Russian context.

Because this conditions the public to both condone and commit atrocities that they see as necessary and defensive. Because the more that they repeat the lie, that this war is based on, the more it becomes true for the audience if it's the only message they are hearing.

And so, this is the kind of policy of genocide that we had documented, and we have determined. So, we as legal experts, and historians, and genocide experts, we have simply looked at all the available evidence and the facts and we've determined actually there is two breaches. One is incitement to genocide, and an intent to destroy the Ukrainian group in part. Which is a reasonable ground to conclude that there is genocide taking place as well. We had definitely conclude that there is a serious risk of genocide.

SOARES: Yonah Diamond and Emily Prey, really appreciate you both taking the time. I wish we had more time for us to talk about. Really appreciate it. Very important report. Thank you both.

DIAMOND: Thank you, Isa.

SOARES: While the U.S. president is getting ready to return to his role as consoler and chief, he'll be meeting families who lost loved ones in the Texas school shooting. We'll have the details on his visit, just ahead.