Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Protests After Police Shoot, Kill Man Who Was Armed When Shot; Trump-Backed Candidate Once Called Abortion Child Sacrifice; Embattled Uvalde School Police Chief Resigns From City Council. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired July 04, 2022 - 10:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The city of Akron, Ohio preparing for more protests after police released body camera footage from the fatal shooting of Jayland Walker. We want to warn you that the video you're about the see is graphic.

Walker suffered at least 60 gunshot wounds when police officers fired their weapons at him during this foot chase. One week ago today, police say during the car pursuit, a gunshot was fired from Walker's vehicle.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is live in Akron. Now, the city, Polo, released footage from 13 officers who responded to the scene. What does that footage tell us?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Christine, yesterday, we heard from Akron's police chief say that that apparent gunshot coming from inside the vehicle being driven by Walker, that's what changed the entire situation a mere 40 seconds into that vehicle pursuit. And that basically fueled the concerns for police officers that were responding, according to the police chief. But, really, what yesterday's disclosure of information does, it provide at least a slightly clearer picture, a very disturbing picture of what took place in the moments leading up to and during the actual shooting.

Now, in addition to the body camera footage from several police officers, it showed the same disturbing images, they also released a still shot. Police department released a still shot showing what appears to be a muzzle flash coming from inside of the vehicle. That's where the body camera video then picks up where it seems to show Jayland Walker wearing a ski mask exit that moving vehicle out of the passenger side of the car, a car in which they found a pistol inside a short time later. And that is when police officers basically chase after Walker and then seconds later opened fire.

Now, the key part of this investigation is being handled by state authorities will certainly be if the deadly force was justified and also what is really fueling concerns here on the streets of Akron is if it should have taken that much firepower to stop this alleged perceived threat. And that's what state investigators are going to be tasked with looking into.

Now, in terms of what the Walker family is saying, I had an opportunity over the weekend to sit down with local pastor Robert Dejournett. Not only is he a head of a congregation here in Akron but he also happens to be the cousin of one of the parents of Mr. Walker. He says that his family is not only pleading for peace in future demonstrations but also with patience letting the investigative process play out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT DEJOURNETT, PASTOR AND COUSIN TO WALKER FAMILY: And I know that's going to enrage us, and we need to take that rage and let's really put our efforts together for some change, a systemic change. And we're demanding answers and we want accountability. But we want to allow the process to play itself out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: He wants justice for Jayland in a dignified way. That's what I kept hearing from him. It really speaks to how the Walker family is handling all of this while grieving the loss of their son. In the meantime, outside of police headquarters, really, all is quiet except for that noise you may have been able to hear, I heard a little while ago. It's basically a heavy equipment being used by state officials to place large concrete barriers around portions of the building to try to limit vehicular access.

They are expecting later today to see yet another wave of demonstrations. Last night, things did get relatively tense, but a city spokesperson telling us that there were no arrests that were made, again, both the Walker family and the city pleading for peace and for patience.

[10:35:01]

Christine?

ROMANS: All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much. Keep us posted.

Next, the Trump-endorsed nominee for Michigan's secretary of state says abortion is child sacrifice and claims that demonic possession is real. Hear what CNN uncovered as we dug into her podcast archives.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: A Trump-backed candidate in Michigan is under new scrutiny after CNN's KFILE found some troubling comments she made about abortion.

[10:40:04]

Kristina Karamo is running for secretary of state in Michigan. Before running for office, she had a podcast where she discussed mostly religious topics, including her belief that abortion is child sacrifice. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTINA KARAMO (R), MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE CANDIDATE (voice over): I'm going to discuss how abortion is child sacrifice and how it's really a satanic practice. It's child sacrifice because the god you're sacrificing child to is yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: CNN's KFILE Senior Editor Andrew Kaczynski joins me now. Andrew, tell us what about you found in these podcasts.

ANDREW KACZYNSKI, CNN KFILE SENIOR EDITOR: Yes. S, me and my colleague went through quite a few podcasts from Karamo from a period in which she was a local Republican activist and community college professor. We found quite a few interesting comments, some of which you just played, mostly related to LGBT people, religious social issues.

As we just played, there was the comment she made about abortion being equivalent to ancient child sacrifice. She spoke quite a bit about Satan on these podcasts, claiming various things are part of a satanic agenda.

Now, these races are, as many people know, incredibly important with the 2020 election with the false claims of election frauds. Many of these secretaries of states are involved in certifying the election results. Trump has weighed in on these races by endorsing these candidates who back his false claims of election fraud. It's led to a lot of colorful candidates around the country running in some of these races in Nevada, swing states that ultimately are going to be very important.

One comment from her that has raised quite a few eyebrows was a comment she made talking about demonic possession, in which she said basically that demonic possession was real and was transferred via intimate relationships between people. We actually have sound of that if we want to to take a listen to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARAMO (voice over): If a person has demonic possession -- I know it's going to sound really crazy me saying that for some people, thinking what? But having intimate relationships with people who are demonically possessed or oppressed, I strongly believe that a person opens themselves up to possession. Demonic possession is real.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KACZYNSKI: So, we reached out to Karamo campaign many times last week trying to get a response on some of these comments, we did not hear back from them and we have yet to hear any response to our story.

ROMANS: All right. Andrew Kaczynski, thank you so much. And a reminder, you made a very good point. These secretary of state races around the country are incredibly important. These are people who safeguard elections and run local elections. I mean, it's just -- your vote always really matters. I mean, it really matters in these secretary of state elections, for sure. All right, Andrew, nice to see you. Thank you for bringing us that.

The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has raised serious questions about the future of fertility treatments in the U.S. Many new abortion laws define life at the beginning of fertilization, at the moment of fertilization. So, what does that mean for in vitro procedures, of course, that fertilize an egg outside a woman's body?

Joining me now is Kimberly Mutcherson, Dean and Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School. So nice to see you on this 4th of July, I'm so glad we can have this conversation.

You write that the decision to overturn Roe has resulted in just chaos. Explain your view.

KIMBERLY MUTCHERSON, DEAN AND PROFESSOR OF LAW, RUTGERS LAW SCHOOL: Well, I mean, the expectation, of course, was that there were about half the states that were ready to ban abortion almost immediately as soon as Roe fell. And what we've seen is, is there a ban in place or isn't there a ban in place?

We have seen lawyers for abortion rights go into court immediately and try to get bans temporarily halted. We have seen folks trying to figure out what do these new laws mean in terms of medical emergencies or what about a woman with an ectopic pregnancy. So, there's just confusion all around about what the rules are right now.

ROMANS: Yes, no clarity -- I mean, less clarity today than there was a week ago.

And this issue of the fate of frozen embryos, right, still very much up in the air. So, you look at the most restrictive anti-abortion laws that life begins at fertilization. What does that mean for women who have frozen embryos in states with restrictive laws and what does it mean for women who are trying to conceive using in vitro in states like Louisiana?

[10:45:05]

MUTCHERSON: So, I think, again, we're trying to sort of figure out and feel our way in this new regime that we're living under right now. So, there are millions of frozen embryos in the United States. Typically, it has been case and the people who have created those embryos get to decide what happens to them. Sometimes there are disputes, but, typically, people are in agreement and it can be anything from leave them frozen for decades to giving them to somebody else to use, to giving them up for research or to having them destroyed.

But in a state that decides that life begins at the moment that an egg is fertilized and decides that an embryo is no different than, say, a five-year-old child, then what they think about what happens to the embryos is obviously going to have to shift as well. So, imagine, for instance, a regime where a state says, well, actually, if you're not going to use those embryos, you basically abandoned your children. And when people abandon their children, they become -- they go into the custody of the state and the state finds alternative homes for them. So, it sounds like such an odd thing that anybody of that nature could happen, and yet in Arizona, there's already a statue that says if there's a dispute over embryos, that the court should give them to the person who is most likely -- who has the best chance of bringing them to fruition.

ROMANS: Wow. Well, already, fertility treatments are expensive, right, and out of reach for many Americans. Do you think this ruling makes it even less accessible?

MUTCHERSON: I think it does. I think it does. Because, now, we have got these fertility providers who are going to have to figure out, well, what does this mean for us? What does it mean in terms of continuing to store embryos? Are they going to feel safe storing embryos? What happens if there's an accident and a bunch of the embryos get destroyed? What they do they owe to the families, who those embryos belong to? So, I think it is going to make the world a lot more complicated. And when you make things complicated for the providers, that tends to make things more expensive for the people who want use this service.

ROMANS: Well, chaos indeed. You're absolutely. That's the word to use for it. There's patch work of different kinds of scenarios for women depending on where you live and whether you have the resources to travel some place, to say nothing of the privacy concerns.

Kimberly Mutcherson, thank you so much. We'll talk about it again. Have a nice day.

MUTCHERSON: You too.

ROMANS: All right. Still ahead, the embattled Uvalde school police chief, Pete Arredondo, steps down from his city council position, but a local lawmaker says he's being used as a scapegoat.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

ROMANS: In Texas, embattled Uvalde School Police Chief Pete Arredondo has resigned now from city council position. He's on leave from this position as chief after that botched police response to the Robb Elementary shooting that claimed the lives of 19 children, 2 teachers.

Let's get to CNN's Ed Lavandera in Dallas. This is something the families of the victims had demanded, right, Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes. Frustration and anger really has been growing in Uvalde in the last few weeks, much more so than we saw in the early days after this tragedy. But Pete Arredondo served in two very public roles there in Uvalde, his hometown, as the police chief of the school district police department, and just a few weeks before the tragedy, he had been elected to the city council. Remember, it was just days the tragedy that he was sworn in, in a secret ceremony with the mayor, which raised a lot of eyebrows and frustration with residents there.

But now, Pete Arredondo says he is resigning from his position as a city council member. He did not attend any meetings and he was getting very close to being removed because of not being attending meetings. But in his resignation letter, he did say that, after much consideration, I regret to inform those who voted for me that I have decided to step down. The mayor, city council and city staff must continue to move forward without distractions. I feel this is the best decision for Uvalde.

Now, Arredondo has also, as you mentioned, Christine, been put on leave from his job as the school district's police chief, but the state senator from that area, Roland Gutierrez, says that not all of the blame should be falling on Arrendodo at this point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE SEN. ROLAND GUTIERREZ (D-TX): Pete Arredondo was placed out there as the scapegoat, for sure, for a tremendous amount of failure that happened at every possible level. And she, the district attorney, was the first to come out and yell, stop, to everybody and tell people they were ordered not to communicate. She continues to tell the mayor that he cannot talk to the media, continues to tell city officials that if they talk to the media, they will be committing a crime and they potentially could get themselves indicted. That, to me, is just a travesty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And, Christine, it's important to point out that all of these developments really now starting to happen as you're seeing anger and frustration really starting to become much louder there in the city of Uvalde. Christine?

ROMANS: All right. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much for that.

All right, next, a teenage girl who survived a shark attack speaks to CNN about her recovery.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:55:00]

ROMANS: All right. Welcome back. A 17-year-old girl who survived a shark attack is sharing her story with CNN today. Addison Bethea was scalloping in shallow waters off Florida's Gulf Coast last week when a large shark bit her multiple times. Her brother, Rhett, is a firefighter EMT. He fought the shark off and was able to get her to safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADDISON BETHEA, SHARK ATTACK SURVIVOR: I didn't really know exactly what to do but I knew that with sharks, you're supposed to punch them in the nose to get them off. I couldn't get around to punch it in the nose. So, then I just started socking it in the face and then I poked its eyes. And then I tried to latch it off of me with my fingers and it bit my hand. And I screamed for help and then my brother came and saved me.

RHETT WILLINGHAM, EMT WHO HELPED SAVE SISTER AFTER SHARK ATTACK: There was another boat that pulled up like right next to us to her. So, he helped me load her in the boat and then put the tourniquet on her and then got her back to the land as fast as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:05:00]

ROMANS: Wow. Addison will have her leg amputated.