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Death of Abe Shinzo; Russia's War on Ukraine; January 6 Hearings; July 4 Parade Massacre Funerals. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired July 09, 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]
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM:
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Service to his country and his people was in his bones, even after he stepped down from public office.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Tributes from around the world are pouring in for Shinzo Abe.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Plus, top Ukrainian officials are warning people in one of the areas of the country to get out while they can.
And grieving families in Texas are furious with officials over their lack of answers about the Uvalde school shooting.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We're now learning that the funeral for Japan's Shinzo Abe will be held next week. A wake is scheduled for Monday, with his memorial service set for the next day. A hearse carrying the former prime minister's body arrived at his home a few hours ago. He was gunned down while giving a campaign speech on Monday.
Doctors spent hours trying to save him but said his blood loss was too great. Police are now hinting at a possible motive. Listen to this.
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KAZUHISA YAMAMURA, NARA PREFECTURAL POLICE (through translator): The suspect confessed that he committed the act as he had a grudge against a specific organization and believed former prime minister Abe was part of it. We would like to refrain from getting into the details.
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BRUNHUBER: Condolences have been pouring in from world leaders who knew and worked with Abe during his years as prime minister. He was the longest serving premier in Japanese history. Listen to this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's unbelievable to see an attack like this in Japan, which is very safe. It's unbelievable that somebody was walking around with a gun like that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): There are many gun crimes happening abroad but I never imagined it would happen in Japan.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN correspondents are covering this story from Japan and beyond. We begin in Tokyo.
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BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was speaking at a campaign rally east of Osaka on Thursday when chaos ensued.
Two shots can be heard. Abe is hit in the chest and neck.
The weapon: a handmade gun lying on the ground. Bystanders tried to aid the former prime minister before he was rushed to the nearest hospital. But soon news broke. He had succumbed to his injuries and died at age 67.
HIDENORI FUKUSHIMA, PROFESSOR, NARA MEDICAL UNIVERSITY (through translator): There were two bullet wounds. He was in a cardiopulmonary arrest after damage to large blood vessels in the heart. We took resuscitative measures but unfortunately, he died at 5:03 p.m.
ESSIG: Police have arrested the suspect, a 41-year-old man who did not flee after the shooting. A rare occurrence in Japan, a country with one of the world's lowest gun rates.
FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): He loved this country and constantly looked beyond the current generation working hard for a brighter future of this country, leaving behind many major successes in various categories.
ESSIG: World leaders condemned the assassination. U.S. President Joe Biden stunned in outraged by Abe's death, calling him a champion of the friendship between our people.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This hasn't happened in Japan in decades. I'm told all the way back to the late '30s. The Justice Department is going to be going in and give me more details.
ESSIG: Former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump also grieving the death of a personal, quote, friend of America.
From China, reaction came from the country's embassy in Japan, highlighting Abe's contribution to promoting the improvement and development of Sino-Japanese relations.
Shinzo Abe's relations with Beijing were sometimes contentious.
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ESSIG (voice-over): He was the first Japanese PM to meet with the Chinese counterpart in years but was also critical of Beijing's stance on Taiwan. His premiership marked Japan's history in bilateral relations.
However, his assassination now a black dot in the country's history, a violent act of crime due to send ripples of shock across Japan.
ESSIG: The former prime minister's body is now back home. And Abe's family will be focusing on planning his funeral, as was mentioned earlier, the wake set for Monday, the funeral on Tuesday.
But overnight and throughout the day today, we've been learning more about the suspect involved in Abe's assassination and the weapon he used. The suspect, a 41-year-old unemployed man, has admitted to the shooing.
NHK is reporting that the gun he used was made with iron pipes wrapped with sticky tape. They cite police, who say they found multiple guns with barrels at his home but used the strongest weapon to carry out the assassination. Now some people in Tokyo are questioning their own safety. Take a listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think people in Japan were shocked by what happened to Mr. Abe. They never thought that something like that could happen here. People thought Japan was safe. We never imagined he would lose his life in that way. What happened feels like an incident that shook the foundations of Japan's safety.
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ESSIG: Now in the wake of this tragedy, many questions have been raised about the security meant to protect the former prime minister. According to NHK, a security plan was drawn up to watch Abe from all sides while he was in Nara.
It involved dozens of local plainclothes officers and one personal specially assigned from Tokyo. It didn't stop the gunman from walking up and firing those two fatal shots. Security arrangements will now be reviewed.
BRUNHUBER: And Blake, Abe's body was returned to Tokyo earlier this afternoon, as I mentioned. And you were there.
What was the reaction from people on the streets? ESSIG: Yes, earlier this afternoon the body of Shinzo Abe accompanied by his wife arrived back to their home here in Tokyo, just down the street, you know, about a hundred meters or so.
He returned from the city of Nara, where he was assassinated. His home located normally in a fairly quiet residential neighborhood. But as the car came closer to home, dozens of camera crews, police, hundreds of people started showing up, many bringing flowers, ready to pay their respects, to try to catch a glimpse of the former prime minister as he drove by one more time.
And there's no question that this country, shocked, saddened and mourning the loss of one of the most influential leaders in its history.
BRUNHUBER: Thanks so much, Blake Essig, live in Tokyo.
And for more on this, I'm joined now by Jeffrey Kingston at Temple University Japan and joins us from Tokyo as well.
Thanks so much for being here with us. Just describe for us the mood in Japan right now.
JEFFREY KINGSTON, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY JAPAN: Well, I think that this barbaric killing has the nation in shock. Obviously, people are grieving and mourning the loss of perhaps the most consequential political leader in post-war Japan. So I think it's natural that people are very concerned about safety issues.
But the fact is, the man made his own gun, because it is so difficult to get a gun in this country. And last year they had one firearm homicide, compared to nearly 20,000 in the United States. So at least on that score, the Japanese have been very effective in making this a safer society.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely, even though as you say, many people have described that sort of sense of loss of security that they've felt themselves. Now talking about Abe himself, I mean some politicians, after they leave the top job, they kind of fade away. But he was still a politician, even after leaving the prime minister's office.
How much influence did he still have?
KINGSTON: He certainly cast a long shadow over politics in Japan. I think after he stepped down he became, you know, quite involved. He wasn't burdened by protocols of office, so he could speak his mind.
And he was quite critical about China, about Russia, urging prime minister Kishida to boost defense spending, to impose sanctions and show solidarity with the E.U. and NATO.
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KINGSTON: So yes, he had considerable influence. And I think that Kishida has been very adept at carrying on Abe's activist diplomacy.
BRUNHUBER: Now only a few leaders, I would say, would have eponymous policies. Reagan had Reaganomics and Abe known for Abenomics.
Why is it maybe the most important pillar of his legacy?
KINGSTON: It's interesting that current prime minister Kishida, when he was running for the leadership of the LDP, was critical of Abenomics and said it accentuated disparities and did not provide a sustainable foundation for growth.
So I think the mainstream consensus in Japan is Abenomics sort of sizzled (sic) out and did not really leave much of a legacy.
I think if we're looking for Abe's legacy, it's more in terms of influence on security discourse and shifting Japanese security posture in 2015 by strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance, adopting new guidelines and passing legislation that commitments Japan to doing a lot more militarily in support of the United States.
And, of course, that is very contested terrain in Japan and support for that legislation has been relatively weak.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, viewed very controversially at the time.
But you think given everything happening in the world now, with Russia, with China's more hawkish postures these days, are Japanese sort of more, largely speaking, coming more around to his viewpoint?
KINGSTON: Yes, I think that the circumstances of Putin's invasion, Xi Jinping saber rattling, the missile tests from Pyongyang, all of that has raised concerns here. And the joint Russian and Chinese bomber patrols around Japan have heightened the urgency of the security environment in Asia.
So I think that you're right. The public mood seems to have shifted. But in a NHK poll, reported a couple weeks ago, it seemed that support for increased defense spending is rather lukewarm. Only 12 percent of respondents were enthusiastic about a big boost.
Now I imagine the death of Abe might change things a bit in that regard. And I think that the Kishida government is committed to pursuing constitutional revision. And I think they will be able to invoke Abe. It'll be a way to honor his legacy.
And so I think that they have been talking about the suspect as a terrorist and I think that's part of a plan to include in the revision of the constitution a clause that would enable the government to declare a state of emergency.
BRUNHUBER: Hmm. It's interesting to see what effects might reverberate from this. We'll have to leave it there. But thank you so much for your expertise there, Jeffrey Kingston in Tokyo. Really appreciate that.
KINGSTON: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: Well, the U.S. is sending extra firepower to help Ukraine push back against the Russian invasion. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Next, more powerful, long-range weapons heading soon to Ukrainian battlefields.
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BRUNHUBER: Plus a key official in the Trump administration answers questions under oath for the committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. That's ahead. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Ukraine says Russian artillery is pounding a major city in the south. It says 10 houses in Mykolaiv were destroyed.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): This is a video of fires Ukraine says were caused by Russian artillery earlier this week. Air defenses were activated this morning in the occupied city of Kherson.
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BRUNHUBER: Four more advanced U.S. rocket systems will soon be on their way to Ukraine, part of a new batch of military aid was announced Friday. Washington had already promised eight other HIMARS systems and some are already on battlefields.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was quick to thank the White House, posting on Telegram, "Let's go to victory together." Zelenskyy visited the front line in the southeast on Friday and later said this.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I was on the front lines of our defense near Dnipropetrovsk region. I listened to the reports of the commanders, thanked our boys and girls for defending the region.
I visited the famous Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro to personally thank our special heroes, all the doctors and nurses who have been rescuing our wounded soldiers and civilians every day since February 24 and since 2014.
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BRUNHUBER: The global food crisis caused by the war took center stage at a G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia. Ukraine's foreign minister accused Russia of playing "hunger games" with the world. He addressed the foreign ministers, saying Russia is purposely destroying Ukrainian grain while maintaining a naval blockade to prevent Kyiv from exporting it.
He said Moscow wants to get more political leverage by disrupting the food supply. The host country said the issue can't be solved too soon.
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RETNO MARSUDI, INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: All participants (ph), we're concerned about soaring prices of food and energy and reiterated that carbon crisis.
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MARSUDI: Including issues related to their accessibility, affordability and sustainability. There is an urgent need to address global food chain supply disruption. Reintegrating food and fertilizer from Ukraine and Russia into global market is critical.
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BRUNHUBER: Scott McLean is keeping an eye on all developments in Ukraine and joins us live from Kyiv.
President Zelenskyy just visited the front lines.
What more can you tell us about that visit?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've just gotten word that there has been a missile strike in the city of Kharkiv against a residential area. There's actually a CNN team on the ground there, who says that it is a two-story building that has been badly damaged.
Local officials there are also reporting injuries and reminding people that, when those air raid sirens go off, people need to take shelter.
You mentioned the visit by Zelenskyy. He was in the southern part of Ukraine, visiting the troops, visiting the front lines and visiting a hospital in Dnipro region.
Perhaps he is trying to sort of rally the troops ahead of a Ukrainian push to take back parts of occupied territory in the southern part of the country. The deputy prime minister of Ukraine was warning people who live in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions to evacuate, even if it means getting sent toward Russia or going toward Crimea, saying, look, the Ukrainians are going to be mounting this battle to de-occupy this part of the country.
It will mean serious battles. And they are worried that the Russians will use the people as human shields.
Earlier this morning, Mykolaiv, there were Russian strikes there, possible successful strikes coming from the opposite direction as well. There have been evacuees coming in the last few weeks as well. For the month of June, the governor of Zaporizhzhya says 40,000 people have come from occupied parts of the country. BRUNHUBER: As I mentioned earlier, the latest shipment of an American
artillery system is on its way there.
What difference is it expected to make?
MCLEAN: The Ukrainians have asked for 300 of these types of artillery systems. With this new shipment of four, they will have a total of 12. They say they're more precise, have a longer range so they allow the Ukrainians to fire at targets much deeper into Russian-held territory.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this is exactly what the Ukrainians have needed. They really lacked artillery in the battle for the Luhansk region. And they'll need a lot more of it if they plan to go back and mount a serious challenge to take back territory in that area.
The Ukrainians say they have been using this technology, this weaponry, to go after supply lines. So ammunition depots, weapons depots, things like that, to hamper the Russian efforts to move forward.
Just yesterday they claim that, in the Kherson region, they hit a cache of ammunition, though local officials claim it wasn't a warehouse of ammunition. They say it was a hydroelectric plant and, incredibly, it's still functioning.
BRUNHUBER: Thanks so much, Scott McLean in Kyiv for us.
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BRUNHUBER: Sources tell CNN that former president Trump may write a letter waiving executive privilege for Steve Bannon. Federal prosecutors don't believe executive privilege applies. "The Washington Post" first reported Trump is considering this move.
Bannon goes on trial later this month. He pleaded not guilty, citing broad executive privilege claims, even though he left his White House role in 2017. One of Bannon's attorneys withdrew, citing the possibility of being called as a witness in the case.
Meanwhile Pat Cipollone spoke with the committee for hours on Friday. Ryan Nobles has the story.
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RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pat Cipollone may be the most important witness that has come before the January 6 select committee up until this point. And he spent a lot of time with the committee on Friday, gave testimony for more than seven hours.
According to committee sources, they asked him a lot of very specific questions about his view of how the former president conducted himself on January 6 and the decisions made on that day, including Trump's desire to go to the Capitol.
[04:25:00] NOBLES: Sources close to Cipollone say he was cooperative but they do take issue with some of the characterization by committee. Zoe Lofgren says he didn't contradict anything previous witnesses said, including Cassidy Hutchinson.
Cipollone specifically said he was never asked about one key detail that Cassidy Hutchinson provided and that was that Cipollone warned members of the Trump administration, including specifically her, that, if they went to the Capitol on January 6, that if Trump went to the Capitol on January 6, there could be legal consequences.
They say he was never asked about that. And if he would have been asked, he would have said that conversation never took place.
The committee points out that no one has refuted a single thing that Cassidy Hutchinson has said under oath. They believe that is important. They believe it's more important, the general information that Cipollone provided to them in this lengthy deposition. They say we will see much of it in the coming days ahead.
Of course the committee has a hearing scheduled for next Tuesday. There are more hearings planned for the future. So there is a lot more that we're going to hear from Pat Cipollone after this lengthy testimony that took place on Friday -- Ryan Nobles, CNN, on Capitol Hill.
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BRUNHUBER: We'll bring you the latest from Japan in a moment. The body of assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe returns to Tokyo as we learn more about funeral plans.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world.
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BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is CNN NEWSROOM.
The body of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is back home in Tokyo. It arrived from the city of Nara, where he was gunned down and killed during a campaign rally.
Crowds lined the streets as the motorcade made its way to his home. Abe's wife traveled with her husband's body. We're now learning a wake for Abe will be held on Monday and a memorial service on Tuesday.
Mourners gathered near the site of the shooting, bringing flowers, praying and crying. One tribute reading, "The best prime minister in history. Shinzo Abe, thank you." There were also visible tributes to the Japanese leader around the
globe, including at the United Nations meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Have a look.
Ambassadors there stood for a moment of silence in Abe's honor.
And in Taiwan, the landmark Taipei 101 building was lit with messages of thanks for the longest serving prime minister. One described him as a friend of Taiwan forever.
Japan's flag could be seen flying at half-staff in Washington, D.C., one of many tributes put in place by the grieving nation.
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FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We have lost a great politician, who has made great achievements in various fields in order to open up the future of this country. I am deeply saddened that we lost him this way.
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BRUNHUBER: And earlier, I spoke with Akihisa Shiozaki, a senior advisor to former prime minister Abe. And I asked him about Abe's unique ties and relationship with the U.S. Here he is.
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AKIHISA SHIOZAKI, SENIOR ABE ADVISER: I think in prime minister Abe's priorities, preserving the safety and peace of the nation has always been at the top. Prime minister Abe always valued the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance, as a key component to achieve that goal.
So during his term, I think he really worked on and devoted a lot of political resource in deepening the alliance; for example, amending laws that would allow for a collective self-defense to take place, advancing joint operations between the Japanese self-defense force and the U.S. military and pushing the nation to take a more active role in international politics.
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BRUNHUBER: And our thanks to Akihisa Shiozaki for sharing his perspective. As he mentioned, the ties between the U.S. and Japan grew stronger under Shinzo Abe.
The former prime minister visited Pearl Harbor and placed a wreath at the site of the World War II attacked by the Japanese and hosted President Obama at Hiroshima and, of course, the vice president at the time is now the current president.
Phil Mattingly reports from the White House.
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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden said he was shocked, he was angered. It was certainly a surprise that nobody here at the White House expected, the assassination of a former world leader and one with very close ties to the United States across administrations, across parties, an alliance that has been made stronger because of the work prime minister Shinzo Abe did over his time in office.
Now President Biden ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff. He referred to the prime minister as his friend, somebody he had worked closely with on several issues when he was the vice president to then President Barack Obama.
And it underscores a reality here that, over the course of prime minister Abe's time in office, regardless of the president or party, whether it was George W. Bush, Barack Obama or even former president Trump, Abe worked very closely to ensure that the alliance between the two countries became stronger, that it was rigid, that he was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that the U.S. efforts in the Indo- Pacific were bolstered, in large part because of that alliance.
President Biden said he didn't believe it would have any destabilizing affect on the alliance itself. But he did say he might it would have an profound impact on the psyche of the Japanese people, given the fact there are so few gun deaths, so little gun violence in the country, something Americans have grown quite used to over the last several years.
Very much not the case in Japan. Something President Biden alluded to but he did make clear the work he had done with the former prime minister, the work former administrations had done as well.
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MATTINGLY: Set the U.S.-Japan relationship in a better place, even in this very, very sad and difficult time -- Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.
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BRUNHUBER: And just moments ago, protesters in Sri Lanka broke into the presidential palace after getting through barricades. Have a look here.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Officials say more than 100,000 protesters have taken to the streets of the commercial capital of Colombo. At least 31 people, including two officers, have been injured. Two of them critically in the process. The president isn't in the house and has been taken to another location.
This is the second straight day of demonstrations as protesters are calling for the president's resignation. They blame him for what they call the country's worst economic crisis in seven decades. Sophia Saifi joins me now from Karachi, Pakistan. A long-smoldering powder keg seems to have gone off there.
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: We know 100,000 people have stormed into this building. These protesters have been camped out for months now. They had said previously they would not move until he resigned.
We currently don't know his whereabouts. They've been unknown. He's been taken to a secret location since Friday. We do know that the numbers of protesters are actually increasing.
They've been coming in from trains, from buses and kind of streaming in to the capital of Colombo. We also know that this is an area where the president's palace, it is, it's in a very, highly secure areas close to the Colombo port.
The building is right in front of the naval headquarters. There was a police curfew last night which was lifted early morning at about 8:00 am today. We also know that there hasn't been too much pushback from the police.
We do know, like you said, that there have been injuries. No deaths have been reported yet. The military have been called in but they have not fired on the protesters. They've kind of melted away.
We're seeing this as an ongoing situation where the numbers continue to increase. Like you said, it had been a burgeoning situation, which was due to implode. And it has now in Colombo. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: I just heard an alert that the prime minister has summoned a emergency leading of party leaders to come to a resolution. We'll see whether that bears any fruit.
Take us behind what's actually behind all of this anger that, as you say, has been kind of going for some time now.
SAIFI: Yes, Kim, I mean, this is, like you said, one of the worst economic crises that the country has faced in over seven decades. The government had tried to start talks with the IMF and they approached them as a bankrupt country, not even a developing country.
Those have floundered (sic). There is a massive fuel crisis, a food crisis. There have been curfews in the country. There have been massive protests that have been ongoing for a while.
We're looking at a country which is highly dependent on tourism. This was extremely affected by what happened during two years of the pandemic. There's been economic mismanagement.
So this kind of crisis, this economic chaos that has seen public resentment, public anger which obviously in the past has exploded as well and is only now coming to the fore, again, in the capital.
BRUNHUBER: Inflation is 70 percent, no wonder people are angry. Sophia Saifi, thank you so much.
Funerals and signs of recovery when CNN NEWSROOM returns. We'll have a report on the Highland Park victims and an investigation into the Independence Day parade massacre.
Plus.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just really hard because there's just so much suffering and it's hard to grieve when there's no closure.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): More than six weeks after the Uvalde shooting, relatives of a victim are lashing out at police.
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BRUNHUBER: We have the latest now on the mass shooting at that 4th of July parade in the U.S. that left seven people dead and dozens injured.
The parents of the gunman, Robert Crimo III, have a new lawyer, who vows they will try to cooperate with the investigation. Crimo's charged with seven counts of first degree murder and is being held without bond. Prosecutors say more charges are expected.
Meanwhile, as people in the city of Highland Park try to come to grips with the tragedy, families of the victims are buying their loved ones. And CNN's Josh Campbell reports an 8-year-old boy who was shot is now paralyzed.
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JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first three services were held today for the victims of the July 4th parade shooting in Highland Park, a memorial for 63-year-old Jacki Sundheim, a funeral for 88-year-old Stephen Straus and a funeral for 78-year-old Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza.
For those recovering from the massacre, healing is a long way away.
Eight-year-old Cooper Roberts, his twin brother, Luke, and their mother, Keely Roberts, a local superintendent, were all injured that day. Cooper was struck in the chest and his spinal cord severed. He underwent several surgeries and is now in serious condition, paralyzed from the waist down.
ANTHONY LOIZZI, ROBERTS FAMILY SPOKESPERSON: Keely and her husband, Jason, the parents, are just so 100 percent focused at being on Cooper's side right now. Keely herself was shot twice in the leg and had several surgeries. She demanded to be discharged so that she could be with her son, Cooper, who was at a different hospital. CAMPBELL: Today, Cooper was briefly conscious, the first time since he was hospitalized. He has been removed from a ventilator and has been asking to see his brother, Luke, who was injured by shrapnel, and his family dog, George.
The family spokesperson says Cooper had to be sedated again today because he's in so much pain but said he doesn't appear to have suffered any brain damage.
LOIZZI: Everybody obviously knows it will be a long road with a lot of therapy and treatment and potentially more surgeries. Then it is going to be a new normal for him moving forward. Obviously, he won't be able to walk. He was a very active little boy, active in soccer, baseball, loved sports.
CAMPBELL: Cooper is the youngest victim on among the dozens injured in the shooting. The wounded ranging in age from 8 to 85.
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CAMPBELL (voice-over): Now the traumatized residents of Highland Park are beginning to reemerge after the shooting that killed seven people and injured at least 30 one more and devastated an entire community.
CHIEF LOU JOGMEN, HIGHLAND PARK POLICE DEPARTMENT: In an event like this, the horror and the pain caused on our community, you know, you can try to look clearly as a human being for something moving forward, right?
We are concerned about the community. We take it very personally.
CAMPBELL: Highland Park police chief Lou Jogmen was at the parade with his family when the gunmen opened fire.
JOGMEN: It went from a beautiful day to complete chaos. Noise was bouncing off the buildings. People were pointing in different directions.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Law enforcement is still investigating the shooting but the yellow barricade tape may come down as early as this weekend. And the sidewalks here will be open once again.
CAMPBELL: Now even after these police vehicles depart and the crime scene tape is removed, authorities say their investigation will continue. They're still working to determine the motive in the shooter.
The police chief tells me he knows there is one simple but important question that members of this community are asking, why, why did this happen here in this community? -- Josh Campbell, CNN, Highland Park, Illinois.
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BRUNHUBER: Eight-year-old Cooper Roberts was honored by the Milwaukee Brewers before their game Friday. They had a jersey with the boy's name and number 22 hanging in their bench area to show support for him and his family. The family's spokesperson says Cooper is a fan of the team and loves sports in general.
Families of the victims of the Texas school shooting remain furious over the police response. That's after a report said an armed Uvalde police officer spotted the gunman outside the school before the attack and asked for permission to fire. But a supervisor either didn't hear the request or responded too late.
The Uvalde mayor is blasting the report, saying it doesn't give an accurate account of what happened. He issued a statement saying no police officers saw the shooter prior to him entering the school and no officers had any opportunity to take a shot.
He added that an officer saw someone outside and was unsure who he saw and observed children in the area as well. Ultimately, it was a coach with children on the playground, not the shooter.
The gunman fatally shot 19 young students and two teachers inside a classroom before authorities got inside and shot and killed him more than an hour later. The family of one of the teachers spoke to CNN's Shimon Prokupecz and called the responding officers "cowards." Listen to this.
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VELMA DURAN, SISTER OF IRMA GARCIA: Of all the lies, the deceitfulness from the beginning, it was just like putting salt on an open wound. It's just really hard because there's just so much suffering and it's hard to grieve when there's no closure.
CRISTIAN GARCIA, SON OF IRMA GARCIA: One thing I want for those officers that were in those hallways, I want them to resign.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE PRODUCER: So you want all those officers gone that were in the hall?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
DURAN: Yes.
GARCIA: My mom protected those kids but no one protected her. So the whole police department here are cowards.
JACINTO CAZARES, FATHER OF IRMA GARCIA: My daughter was a fighter. She took a bullet to the heart and still fought. She fought hard to stay alive and these cowards couldn't go in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The latest report on the police response was based on school video, body cameras, radio logs and officers' testimony. Reports from the FBI, Texas Rangers and the district attorney are also expected.
Parts of the U.S. are under a dangerous heat wave this weekend. So we'll go to the CNN Weather Center for the latest ahead. Stay with us.
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[04:50:00]
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BRUNHUBER: On the U.S. West Coast, fires are threatening parts of California. On Friday, evacuation orders were issued in Yuba County and lifted several hours later. By the afternoon, the Bay fire burned around 25 acres and was 60 percent contained.
Authorities say power is also out for more than 600 customers. Officials say another wildfire is threatening the famed giant sequoia tree grove in California's Yosemite National Park. Campgrounds had to be evacuated Thursday while firefighters tried to contain the blaze.
The Washburn fire is estimated at 60 to 70 acres so far.
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[04:55:00]
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BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in a moment with more news, please do stay with us.
