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Police: Parade Attack Was Pre-Planned "For Several Weeks"; 6 Killed, Dozens Injured After Gunman Opens Fire On Illinois Parade; Grand Jury Subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Lindsey Graham In Georgia 2020 Election Interference Investigation; 300 Plus Mass Shooting In 2022 As Gun Violence Epidemic Sweeps U.S.. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired July 05, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: The national average is $4.80. Is there any more that can be done at the federal level?

PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: Well, there is more, the President has called for Congress to look at a gas tax holiday. That's something that would take the edge off prices, in addition to the steps that this administration has already taken, whether we're talking about the strategic oil reserve and the release from there or the flexibility around ethanol, which can be helpful right now.

But, look, the bottom line is that oil markets have always been volatile and can be impacted by something like a major oil producing countries like Russia getting into a war. That's exactly why we should be acting as a country to reduce costs in areas that are, frankly, easier for policymakers to control; the cost of insulin, the cost of prescription drugs where we're really pushing for legislation that would reduce that that cost. Making sure that we act on the President's proposal to lower the cost of childcare, lower the cost of eldercare.

A lot of things that we could be doing right now, that would be durable and make a huge difference in families' pocketbooks in addition to the immediate steps that are being taken to try to keep gas prices under control. The other thing that continues, we think, to be very important is to hold oil companies accountable.

Now, just about everybody in this country is frustrated with the extraordinarily high price of gas, except for oil executives who've made it clear they're not going to invest in production when they're as profitable as they are. That's why the President has called for use it or lose it rules that if an oil company is just sitting on production permits or leases and not using it to do the kind of production that could lower the cost of oil, that they're held accountable for that.

Right now, last time I checked, there was unified congressional Republican opposition to this idea, but we think it's a good one that would make a difference for consumers who are feeling this pain at the pump.

CAMEROTA: Secretary, I mean, I know you're here to talk about transportation, but unfortunately many days we have to talk about gun violence. And so given the latest mass shooting that we just saw in Highland Park, we're trying to have conversations about is there anything that can be done proactively before the next one happens? Do you have any thoughts on what else can be done?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, we cannot tolerate being the only country in the world where this happens routinely. It's unacceptable and it makes no sense to imagine that the only reason America is the unique country experiencing this on a routine basis, somehow has to do with the way we design our schools or organize our parades.

It's why, I think, we're all encouraged to see the steps not nearly all that needs to be done, but steps that were taken on a bipartisan basis. And look, I think we're all frustrated and furious about the fact that we're just expected to put up with this. And I come at it from the perspective of who carried a weapon of war in a war zone and just scratch my head at the idea that anybody needs a military grade, semi-automatic weapon in peacetime for a civilian in the United States of America.

CAMEROTA: Yes. There's a lot of head scratching going on right now. Secretary Buttigieg, thank you very much for all the information. Thanks for your time.

BUTTIGIEG: Thank you. Good to be with you.

CAMEROTA: Hi, everyone. I'm Alisyn Camerota. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM.

The shooter who allegedly opened fire on a July Fourth parade, killing six people planned the attack for several weeks, we've learned. That's just one of a string of new details and investigators in Highland Park, Illinois revealed today about Monday's mass shooting. Thirty- eight people were wounded.

According to police, the suspect had a second rifle in his car and more weapons at home. He purchased those weapons locally and legally. He used a high powered rifle to fire roughly 70 rounds into the crowd and a recording captured the barrage of gunfire. It's disturbing to hear but I want to warn you that first you're going to hear the shots and then you'll see all the innocent people having to run for their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWD: (Inaudible) ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Officers arrested the suspect more than six hours after the rampage. A sheriff's officials said one thing that investigators have not found so far yet is a clear motive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEPUTY CHIEF CHRIS COVELLI, LAKE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: We have no information to suggest at this point it was racially motivated, motivated by religion or any other protected status. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: President Biden ordered flags lowered to half-staff today through Saturday at the White House.

[15:05:03]

Public buildings and military posts to honor all of the victims.

CNN Security Correspondent Josh Campbell is in Highland Park for us. So Josh, we understand there's going to be another police update in the next hour, what are we expecting from that?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, one thing we're still waiting to hear is what type of potential charges this suspect is facing. We know that there were at least six people that were killed in that July Fourth attack, dozens injured. So I asked at the end of the last press conference when we could expect charges, the Deputy Chief said that we can expect an update later on. Today, we will wait and see whether prosecutors are now ready to actually file those charges.

One thing that is interesting is we're learning more about what exactly transpired yesterday before the attack, during the attack and after the attack. Authorities say that this suspect had planned this attack for weeks as he went up on the rooftop of this parade firing down from a sniper's nest position. We're also learning details about the amount of preparation the suspect took in order to try to make an escape. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COVELLI: During the attack, Crimo was dressed in women's clothing and investigators do believe he did this to conceal his facial tattoos and his identity and help him during the escape with the other people who are fleeing the chaos.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now, authorities were able to make an identification of the suspect because they found a high powered assault rifle on the rooftop of that building. It was the ATF doing what they do best, looking for the background of this weapon tracing it, they identify who the shooter was this weapon legally obtained. They were then able to push that information out to the public. Obviously, we in the media were getting that information out, the description of the vehicle, of the suspect. It was a diligent citizen who saw the vehicle, called 911 that then set in motion this eventual capture.

We're told that there was a short police chase and the suspect was taken into custody without incident. Now, there's still a lot of questions remaining, particularly as it relates to motive. I asked the Deputy Chief whether the suspect is cooperating. He said that the suspect is answering questions. They're not providing additional information about what he is saying, but we know the suspect had a very troubling online history, a lot of very violent images that were posted online. We're waiting to hear more details on the motive both of what they find in their digital forensic investigation and also what they might be finding from the shooter himself, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Yes. And as you say, thank goodness for the eagle eyed public that helped in his capture. Josh Campbell, thank you very much.

CAMPBELL: Yes.

CAMEROTA: CNN Correspondent Ed Lavandera is outside of a hospital in Highland Park. So Ed, what are we learning about the victims?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Alisyn. Well, so far, we have learned the identities of two of the six victims. The first one we can tell you about is 78-year-old Nicolas Toledo. His family describes him as adventurous, funny, loving and creative. He was there at the parade with family members. Family says he is the father of eight children and many more grandchildren, as the family said.

And we've also learned about Jacki Sundheim. She was identified by the leadership at the North Shore Congregation Israel, the synagogue, where officials there say she had worked as a staff member and a preschool teacher and an events coordinator there. So those are the identities of the people that we know so far who have been killed in this attack.

And we're outside one of the hospitals not too far from the shooting scene, where we are told by hospital officials that in the aftermath of the shooting, 39 additional people sought medical attention. The vast majority of those, because, obviously of gunshot wounds.

We are told that of those 39, nine patients still remain in the hospital, Alisyn. Eight of them suffered gunshot wounds. The other one suffered other injuries and they range in ages from 14 into their 70s. And that one of those eight patients is in critical condition at this moment and that is a 69-year-old man.

So the difficult and important work of saving lives here continues here this afternoon, more than 24 hours after this attack. Hospital officials say they will not be holding press briefings today. But we're hoping to continue to learn more information about the conditions of these victims as the hours go on here, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Okay. Ed Lavandera, bring us any update as soon as you have them. Thank you very much.

Joining us now is Dr. Adam Schlifke. He is from the Highland Park area. He now lives in San Francisco. He was visiting his hometown specifically to attend this parade with his family.

Doctor, thanks so much for being here. This is your hometown and so I think that as I understand it, your mom and your kids were going to be - were walking in this parade, so tell us what your experience was.

ADAM SCHLIFKE, ATTENDED PARADE: Yes. Actually, my mom and my two sons who are 11 and nine were actually on a float. My mom works in downtown Highland Park and her office hosts a float every year. And actually this is the second time they were going to be in the parade. The first time was before COVID when they would typically be on a float and go down Central Avenue in downtown Highland Park.

[15:10:06]

And so myself and my stepfather, and my stepbrother and his daughter were all lined up on Central Avenue right on the same block is where the shooting was waiting for the - their float to come by, but before they had a chance to is when that - we started hearing gunshots.

CAMEROTA: And then what happened, Adam? I mean, when you - when the gunshots went off, how long were you separated from your family and what were those moments like?

SCHLIFKE: Yes, we - as soon as we heard the shots, I mean, someone yelled out, although they're just firecrackers, but then everyone started to run. And as soon as everyone started to run we ran as well. And my actually - my stepbrother actually fell right as we were trying to run, but he was able to quickly pick himself up. But my stepfather saw other people fall as they were trying to get out of there and he helped a couple people get up and then we just ran around the corner.

And then it was probably about 10 minutes before we reunited with my family, my family actually lives in downtown Highland Park, so we were lucky enough to be able to go back to the house and meet up with them there. But it took us several minutes to get in touch with them, so it was really a scary time.

CAMEROTA: I can imagine. And how are your nine and 11 year old sons doing? I mean, what do they say to you about all this?

SCHLIFKE: Yes. I mean, they - unfortunately, this is - this isn't the first time they're hearing about a mass shooting, right? So this is something that they're used to hearing about, unfortunately. So, I mean, they're certainly still talking about it and weren't scared at the time. I mean, both - when I saw both my kids after we were able to reunite with them, they both - we've hugged very tightly and I told them that love them.

And they're doing well now, but I mean I still think about the situation. It almost doesn't seem real still. It seems surreal to just see everybody running, hearing these loud shots go off. It's really something else.

CAMEROTA: I'm sure it'll be something of an emotional roller coaster for a while for them. I mean, maybe they haven't even processed it yet. But, Adam, I hear - we hear so many people after something heinous like this, say, I never believed it could happen here. You grew up in Highland Park. I mean, this was - tell us what this parade meant - means to that town and to your family and why so many people in Highland Park thought they were so safe.

SCHLIFKE: Yes. Well, I mean, it's a special time, right? I mean, it's a time of the year when everyone comes together and celebrates nation's independence. And we were actually supposed to go to a fair afterwards. So we were looking forward to the day and actually that is the reason that we were in town. It actually happened to be my stepfather and stepbrother's birthday that weekend as well, but we were mainly in town to come to the parade.

And so this is something that is almost a tradition in our family and so to have this happen is really, really shocking. And a lot of people have said this, but, I mean, this is a town that's pretty well off and typically thinks of itself as a - pretty safe area of the suburbs and certainly outside of the city of Chicago, so we're very safe and what happened here, it can happen anywhere. I know, we've seen a lot of these tragedies happen, unfortunately. And we're hopeful that this will obviously spark some more conversation about what can be done about all this senseless violence.

CAMEROTA: Yes. I mean, it can happen anywhere as we have seen time and time again. Adam Schlifke, we're happy that your family is safe. Thank you very much for taking the time to tell us your experience.

SCHLIFKE: Thank you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: The accused gunman's uncle says he saw no warning signs, but we know the suspect did post violent images online. How red flags like these get missed?

Plus, some of Donald Trump's top allies were just subpoenaed by a grand jury in Georgia. What does this mean for Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rudy Giuliani?

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[15:18:19]

CAMEROTA: The investigation into Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia has expanded into his inner circle. An Atlanta area Grand Jury just subpoenaed his former attorney Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Lindsey Graham among others. CNN Sara Murray is here with us. Sara, what have you learned?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, this is a new round of subpoenas coming for this Atlanta area grand jury which is investigating whether Donald Trump or any of his allies committed crimes in their efforts to overturn the 2020 election. So it's getting closer to Trump's inner circle.

Like you said, these are subpoenas that are going out to former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani as well as South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. There are also a handful of other former Trump campaign attorneys who received or who have been subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury. Those include John Eastman, who we've heard a lot about in the January 6 hearings. Jenna Ellis, Cleta Mitchell, who was an attorney who was on that call between Trump and Raffensperger where Raffensperger pressed - or where Donald Trump press Raffensperger to find the roughly 11,000 votes for him to win. And Ken Chesebro, who's another person we've heard about in the January 6 hearings, who allegedly worked with these officials in Georgia to put forward this slate of electors. So we've seen a lot of activity out of this grand jury. This is, of

course, significant because there's moving closer to Trump and attorney for Giuliani declined to comment on this and we have reached out to Lindsey Graham's office but have not heard back yet, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Okay. Sara Murray, thank you very much for the latest.

Let's bring in CNN Legal Analyst Jennifer Rodgers. She's a former federal prosecutor. So Jennifer, what did these subpoenas tell us about the investigation?

JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's moving forward and it's moving forward at a pretty good clip, Alisyn. I mean, they're not going to show up tomorrow and testify. They're first going to assert some privileges, those issues may have to be litigated.

[15:20:04]

But the good news is that unlike with the January 6 committee there's a judge, an actual judge who oversees the grand jury in Fulton County. So they'll be able to get through these issues much more quickly than the January 6 Committee was able to deal with them. And it's also a grand jury subpoena is different from a congressional committee subpoena, they won't want to defy it or they could find themselves in jail even.

So I do think that it means that they will ultimately if they want, get some testimony from these people just take a little bit of time to sort through those issues.

CAMEROTA: And how about the fact that a sitting senator, Lindsey Graham, has been subpoenaed? Is that - how uncommon is that?

RODGERS: Well, it's extraordinary. I mean, of course, everything about the effort to overturn the election was extraordinary and who was involved in it? But you're right, the notion that Lindsey Graham called and tried to pressure, Brad Raffensperger and other election officials to overturn the results is extraordinary. And the fact that a grand jury may be trying to hold him responsible for it or at least get information from him is also extraordinary.

CAMEROTA: And so Jennifer, one more time, you're saying, I mean, we have seen them be uncooperative, for instance, Rudy Giuliani in the past. So if they try to defy the subpoena, then what happens next?

RODGERS: Well, if they just refuse to show up, I mean, these things, of course, are all negotiated through the lawyers and so on. But if they just defy the subpoena, refuse to show up, even after issues of attorney-client privilege are litigated, they have to show up to assert the fifth, so that's not even an excuse for not coming. But the judge can issue an arrest warrant if push comes to shove.

So I don't think you'll see the sort of level of defiance that we saw from witnesses in the January 6 Committee, I think they will be responsive, although, again, they're going to try to throw up as many privileged roadblocks as possible to delay things and try to narrow the scope of what they have to testify about. The other possibility here, Alisyn, is that once they get through the attorney client issues, the grand jury may actually immunize these witnesses and then they wouldn't have any excuse not to testify.

So we'll have to see how it plays out. But they're not going to be able to play the same kinds of games that they played in the January 6 Committee context.

CAMEROTA: That's interesting. And is there any way to know at this point what this means for former President Trump?

RODGERS: Not really, except that they are moving forward. I mean, it's clear that the grand jury has been busy. They're working hard. They're pushing forward. Fani Willis is telling us that she does not expect to take all the time the grand jury has which is till I think May of next year 2023. So they're moving quickly. We don't yet know what they will do, but they're marching forward and if they hadn't found anything, they would have wrapped up by now.

CAMEROTA: Jennifer Rodgers, always great to have you. Thank you.

All right. We are set to get an update from police on the parade shooting in Highland Park. So we'll discuss what charges the suspect could face. That's next.

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[15:27:49]

CAMEROTA: We're just five days into July and the United States has already seen 318 mass shootings this year. That number went up by three in just the time we've been on the air. If you look at the same time period for 2021, it was actually a little higher, but it was a little lower in 2020 and 2019.

Joining us now is CNN National Security Analyst and former Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security Juliette Kayyem and former FBI Profiler and the host of the podcast Killer Psyche, Candice DeLong. Great to see both of you.

We're looking for solutions here. Candice, I want to start with you about what profile this suspect fits and what warning signs there were. Here is his uncle talking about if he saw any signs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL CRIMO, UNCLE OF SHOOTING SUSPECT: There's no warning signs as I saw. I was like - I saw him yesterday evening and I went home I said hi to him. And then when I came back downstairs, I said bye. He said bye and that was it. That was normal standards of my time. Any - I see no - nothing that will trigger him off for doing this at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Had he ever said anything to you or said anything to a family member that might have concerned people?

CRIMO: No, no, no, there's no concerns that I've seen at all. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the weapon, do you have any idea where he

acquired the weapon?

CRIMO: I'm not sure. I don't know. There was no signs of trouble. I saw no signs of trouble. And if I didn't see signs, I would have said something, but there was no signs of trouble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So Candice, I mean, obviously these are early days but as a profiler, do you see signs with what you've heard already about this suspect?

CANDICE DELONG, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, clearly he's a quiet loner, keeps to himself. That probably would explain why his uncle is saying he didn't see any signs. But people that do these kinds of things don't walk around with the red flag on the top of their head. If you want to know what's going on with someone that you care about, who stays to himself, doesn't have a lot of friends, is unemployed may be an in-depth conversation about what's going on in their life would be a good thing.

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