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Soon: Police To Give Update In Univ. Of Idaho Students Deaths; Idaho Victim's Family Blames Rumor's On Limited Police Info; 3 Arrested In Beating Of Inmate At Georgia Detention Center; At Least 6 People Killed, 4 Hurt In Virginia Walmart Shooting; Big Retailers Roll Out Deals Ahead Of Black Friday. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired November 23, 2022 - 15:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:32:21]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: Moments from now, authorities are expected to give an update in the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students. It has been 10 days since the bodies were found and officials still have no suspect or murder weapon.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Police, however, say they are making progress in this investigation. CNN's Natasha Chen is live in Moscow, Idaho. Natasha, tell us, where does this investigation stand out?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, like you said, we've been told they're making progress. And this involves combing through a large number of video files that people have actually submitted through an online portal. Police have been asking for any relevant surveillance footage over the past few days.

In fact, this flyer was sent out around the community in the last few days. And it does ask for anyone's security camera footage or video doorbell footage between the hours of 05:00 p. m. on Saturday, November 12 and 12:00 p. m. on Sunday the 13th. And of course, in between those hours is when we know these four people were killed.

Now, this is a press conference where people are really hoping for more concrete information, but I'm being told this is a chance for police to kind of explain their process as well. What is happening in the course of the investigation without a whole bunch of details? There are unfortunately have been a number of rumors swirling out there that they've had to dispel, and one of the families of one of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves spoke to CNN this morning about that issue. Here they are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE GONCALVES, FATHER OF KAYLEE GONCALVES: We all want to play a part in helping and we can't play apart if we don't have any real substantial information to work from.

ALIVEA GONCALVES, SISTER OF KAYLEE GONCALVES: You stand from all of the vagueness, and it's human nature that we want answers. It's human nature to kind of put forth a theory so that you can even comprehend it in your brain. And so I think that's how we're getting all of some of these really, really off the wall theories.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: And one of the examples that they mentioned on our air is the idea of their daughter, their sister Kaylee, having a potential stalker. And last night, police had to issue a statement saying that at this time, they cannot verify or identify a stalker for Kaylee Goncalves. In the meantime, they've been interviewing more than 90 people, chasing more than 700 leads.

And surely it is frustrating for people not to have a whole lot of information about how close they are to catching a suspect. But in the meantime, because no one has been caught, police do caution that if you're around the area, it is wise to travel with someone at night and lock your doors. And there is still some level of threat out there.

[15:35:00]

BLACKWELL: Yes. Natasha Chen, for us there in Moscow. We're waiting for those updates. Thank you very much.

Well, three of the officers who were caught on camera beating and punching a detainee in a Georgia jail are out on bond. We will discuss their felony charges and the ongoing investigation next.

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BLACKWELL: Three employees of the Camden County Georgia Sheriff's Office are now out on $10,000 bond after being arrested and charged after beating a detainee while in custody. You'll remember this disturbing video. You can't forget it, of sheriff's office employees attacking 41-year-old Jarrett Hobbs in his cell.

[15:40:10]

Mason Garrick, Braxton Massey, Ryan Biegel were all charged with battery of an inmate and violating the oath of office, the record show. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says that their investigation is ongoing.

The attorney for Jarrett Hobbs and CNN Political Commentator Bakari Sellers is with me now. Bakari, thank you for being with us. Battery of an inmate and violating oath of office, your reaction to the charges filed?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, first, you have to give a huge shoutout to the GBI and the Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for following through and moving expeditiously in, you know, identifying what he said to be true. Officers who violated their oath of office, officers who committed a heinous assault that we witnessed on camera.

And I believe the investigation will continue because there are more problems in that department, as well as these officers lying to the United States Department of Probation on this assault that they allege Mr. Hobbs actually assaulted them in federal documents. And so I look forward to this continuing. And we've also asked the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to come in and investigate this department as well.

BLACKWELL: All right, I want to get to all that, but before I do the video, there were five officers, five employees of the sheriff's office in the cell. Three have been charged so far with felonies. The others have not been charged. Are you satisfied with the charges thus far?

SELLERS: We are definitely satisfied with the progress that this investigation is taking and how quickly it's come to fruition. You know, this investigation it takes not only the video, but the interviews with those particular officers, with or without their lawyers, if they decided to sit down, and then an interview with our client as well, Mr. Hobbs. And so, this has been a very thorough investigation from the GBI, but as you stated earlier, it's not over.

BLACKWELL: Yes. So, you say that you want the DOJ to get involved. Are you asking for the DOJ to investigate this incident? I also know you represent the family of Latoya James, who was killed during a Camden County raid last year. Are you asking for an investigation of just these or the overall patterns and practices investigation of the department?

SELLERS: It's a very good question, Victor. So the fact is, we asked for the Department of Justice to come in and investigate the death surrounding Latoya James. We've asked them to investigate not only this assault against Mr. Hobbs. But just this department as a whole, I think the chair proctor in Camden County, I mean, frankly speaking, I'm tired of having to go down and do civil rights cases in little Camden County, Georgia. There is a problem there.

As I stated in a press conference, it's exhausting being black and having to deal with law enforcement in Camden County. And so we hope the full weight of the investigative body at the Department of Justice comes and looks at that place from top to bottom. I mean, if you look at Mr. Hobbs' incident, Victor, what I want people to realize is not only did they beat him and assault him, but then they lied about it. They communicated those lies trying to get him more time to the United States Probation Office.

I mean, this is something that is readily allowed. This is systemic --

BLACKWELL: Yes.

SELLERS: -- and this is something that we have to root out in this local department.

BLACKWELL: So let's talk about what you say is a lie here. Hobbs was arrested in Georgia. That arrest would have violated his probation in North Carolina. The North Carolina probation officer who was not there in Georgia wrote this in a document. "Defendant resisted the jailers and subsequently punched one deputy in the face while punching another deputy in the side of his head. One deputy sustained a bruised eye and a broken hand as a result of that incident."

And you say that that did not happen. Even if this had happened, it would not have justified what we saw on tape. But you say that that absolutely did not happen. This was made up by those officers or those deputies in the CCSO.

SELLERS: So let's just -- let's keep it 100 as we say. Look, the fact is he did violate his probation, and he was not supposed to be in Georgia, and he did have marijuana. And so he was actually found to violate those conditions of his probation. He didn't dispute that.

Where the dispute comes in is Mr. Hobbs always said that he never assaulted those officers. Mr. Hobbs always said that he never abused those individuals. And so there were efforts, and this is why the systems of justice, we have to applaud them when they work appropriately because -- but for the actions of that probation officer and the U.S. attorney up there and Mr. Hobbs' lawyer, we may have never found this out.

When they saw the video, they looked at that charge in his probation, and the judge dismissed that. Now he was found to violate those other conditions of his bond, but not these.

[15:45:06]

BLACKWELL: Last one for you quickly, do you have all of the video that you know exists of your client in the CCSO's custody?

SELLERS: We have all the video that we know to exist today.

BLACKWELL: All right, Bakari Sellers, thank you.

SELLERS: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: New disturbing details about the horrific mass shooting at a Virginia Walmart. Witnesses say he stormed a break room and opened fire, killing at least six people. We'll have the latest details straight ahead.

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[15:50:03]

GOLODRYGA: Retailers are already rolling out deals ahead of Black Friday. As you noted, they have been. Consumers are returning to stores in droves to spend. This is despite inflation.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is in Manhattan. What a shop is saying about the spending for the holidays?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the National Retail Federation is projecting a record-breaking shopping season despite inflation. Consumer sentiment is also dropping and Americans are going into more debt on their credit cards, 15 percent more this year than last year.

So we wanted to see, are shoppers still expecting to spend big this holiday season? We went to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YURKEVICH (voice-over): On this year's holiday shopping menu, more sales, but with a healthy side of inflation.

(on-camera): Setting up your circulation.

DENISE SALLETTE, HOLIDAY SHOPPER: I'm going crazy.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Denise Sallette is in the middle of her holiday shopping at Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, New Jersey.

SALLETTE: So this is for my mom, and then I got stuff from my kids and my niece.

YURKEVICH (on-camera): Yes.

SALLETTE: And, oh, my God.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): But this year, the wish list is looking a little different. Last month, inflation cooled, but was still running hot at 7.7 percent year over year.

SALLETTE: So I've had a cut back on shopping because things are too expensive. I mean, I do have three girls. They do understand that, you know, times are hard right now and it's just me being a single mom.

YURKEVICH (on-camera): Despite high inflation, the National Retail Federation estimates that nearly 8 million more people will shop between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and spend up to 8 percent more this year than they did last year.

MATTHEW SHAY, PRESIDENT & CEO, NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION: We're looking at records in all categories. It is remarkable in the face of the cost and the price pressures that consumers are still finding a way to increase their spending, power the economy, drive economic activity.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Last month, retail sales beat expectations up 1.3 percent in October. But this month, consumer sentiment fell. Still, higher prices haven't stopped some people from shopping.

(on-camera): Has that impacted the way you're going to spend this holiday season?

CYNTHIA PENDELTON, HOLIDAY SHOPPER: For me, not really, because I try not to overspend anyways. So even before this is going on, I try not to exceed what I can do.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): And according to the National Retail Federation, while online sales are expected to increase this year, a return to instore shopping will make up a larger portion of all holiday sales.

PENDELTON: I kind of like in person more. YURKEVICH (voice-over): You do -- why is that?

PENDELTON: I don't know. It's just more of the feel of being able to touch it, being able to see it, being able to try it on for the stores that you allow to, and then being amongst everybody else.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): It's that holiday nostalgia that Willowbrook Mall says will help this year's shopping season return to pre-pandemic expectations.

(on-camera): Do you anticipate that inflation will play a role in how people shop, people coming to the mall?

RYAN HIDALGO, SENIOR GENERAL MANAGER, WILLOWBROOK MALL: I think people are planning better in terms of what their spend is going to be. I think they've budgeted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I don't come back at Christmas.

YURKEVICH (on-camera): How many more stores are you going to?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, maybe five more.

YURKEVICH (on-camera): Five more?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe, I don't know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YURKEVICH: And there's no doubt that shoppers are looking for sales this year. We are expecting to see steeper discounts and for a lot longer throughout the holiday season because some retailers have excess inventory. That's a total opposite from last year, when retailers didn't have enough inventory because of supply chain issues.

And new this year, some retailers are doing away with free return shipping because they, too, are dealing with inflation. They're trying to tighten up their bottom lines. So just make sure you're reading the fine print if you're doing any online shopping this year. Guys?

BLACKWELL: All right, Vanessa Yurkevich. Are you going to get out there?

GOLODRYGA: I think so. I'm sorry I can't get over, Vanessa, that kid in your piece. I think that was Cynthia's son who winked for the camera. I think he's got a future in television. Yes, exactly.

BLACKWELL: Thanks, Vanessa.

GOLODRYGA: Thanks, Vanessa.

BLACKWELL: All right, hard turn here. Russia unleashed another relentless round of strikes on Ukraine, including one that hit a maternity ward and killed a newborn. The latest from the region ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [15:59:00]

BLACKWELL: Boy, this is not your average goldfish. This is carrot. Weighs 67 pounds, 4 ounces. Fisherman Andy Hackett reeled it in early this month in France.

GOLODRYGA: Carrot is huge. Look at that picture. So Hackett told British media he spent over 25 minutes trying to catch that fish. Look at his face. He looks like he took him some struggle there. After he posed for pictures, he said he released the fish back into the water.

BLACKWELL: Carrot eats meat, I'm convinced.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, that's quite a fish.

Let's turn back to New York City, where preparations for the 96th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are underway.

BLACKWELL: So the giant character helium balloons are being inflated today. This is happening on New York's Upper West Side. All right, got some new balloons joining the march. Characters from the franchise's "Despicable Me". It's kind of sad to see them before they're inflated, actually.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. They look so deflated.

BLACKWELL: They look so deflated.

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Wonder what?

GOLODRYGA: Get it?

BLACKWELL: Yes, I get it. Bluey, we've got of course, Papa Smurf is returning. The Pillsbury Dough Boy will be there. And one Mr. Sponge Bob, Square Pants.

GOLODRYGA: Papa Smurf is one of my favorites.

BLACKWELL: Yes, I'm -- like the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

GOLODRYGA: OK. You'll be watching around.

BLACKWELL: I get up early.

GOLODRYGA: OK.

BLACKWELL: "THE LEAD" starts right now.

GOLODRYGA: Happy Thanksgiving.