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Police: Multiple Fatalities In Virginia Wal-Mart Shooting; Israeli Police: One Person Dead After Jerusalem Explosions; Police Searching For Suspects After Jerusalem Blasts; Multiple Fatalities and Injuries in Virginia Walmart Shooting; LGBTQ Nightclub Suspect to Appear in First Court Hearing; Deadly Walmart Shooting in Virginia; Ukraine's Power Stations Colossal Damage Because of Russian Attack Last Week; U.S., E.U. And World Bank to Provide Money to Ukraine; Saudi Arabia Celebrates Win in World Cup over Argentina. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 23, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:30]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. We are following breaking news of this hour, yet another mass shooting here in the United States two days before Thanksgiving. And this happened just after 10:00 p.m. local time at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Chesapeake, Virginia on Tuesday night. Police say there are multiple fatalities and injuries and the gunman is deceased.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEO KOSINSKI, CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA POLICE SPOKESPERSON: Several officers, many other officers also responded. Parts of -- members of our fire department responded. We did basically like a tactical entrance and moving in the building located multiple fatalities and multiple injured persons. Little while later through the course of providing treatment, we were able to establish that we believe it's only a -- we believe it's a single shooter, and that single shooter is deceased at this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Officer Kosinski went on to say he believes there were less than 10 fatalities in all but did not confirm that number. Police are expected to hold another briefing sometime early morning local time. They're spending the overnight hours going through the sprawling store looking for victims and people who may have been hiding from the gunman and they're asking people to stay clear of the area while they investigate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KOSINSK: Multiple fatalities, multiple injuries and all the injured were transported to area hospitals.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is the shooter a man, male, female?

KOSINSKI: Mot at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any important information because I know that family reunification centers set up any other information that families may be concerned --

KOSINSKI: Just that our family reunification center is the Chesapeake Conference Center. And that's at 700 Conference Center Drive. So if you're looking to try to get hold of a loved one that either weren't here or might have been shopping here, that's where you should go. It's that 700 Conference Center Drive to try to locate your -- locate your loved one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Now, I do just have this Virginia source that tells CNN that the Wal-Mart gunman fired on employees in a break room. That is just the information coming in at this point. We'll continue to follow and bring you all the details. Obviously there are very few at this early hour. This just happened a few hours ago, about four hours ago, in fact. And one customer who was in Wal-Mart during the shooting texted her daughter and her daughter shared a screenshot of the text exchange with her mother on Facebook where she tells her mother to hide.

Her mother said she saw a victim on the floor. I'm crying, I'm shaking. The daughter told CNN. I had just talked to her about buying turkeys for Thanksgiving. Then this text came in. The mother is still in shock, understandably, but she has been reunited, thankfully with her daughter.

Wal-Mart has released a statement saying we are shocked at this tragic event at our Chesapeake Virginia store. We're praying for those impacted, the community and our associates. And we're working closely with law enforcement and we are focused on supporting our associates.

Well, CNN's Briad Todd is on his way to the scene, he joins me now by phone. Brian, I know you're not there yet. But what more are you learning about this mass shooting at a Wal-Mart in Chesapeake, Virginia that's resulted in these multiple fatalities and injuries? And we don't have confirmation on numbers at this juncture.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Right, Rosemary. And of course, that's the key information that we're waiting to hear from law enforcement and they're indicating that they may not be able to give it to us for maybe a few hours now at least, until later in the morning. That's according to Leo Kosinski, the Public Information Officer with the Chesapeake Police.

What we are told and this is from our colleague, John Miller, from a law enforcement sources that the shooter is believed to be an employee or a former employee who walked into a break room where other employees were at open fire. That is according to a law enforcement source. And that is from our colleague, John Miller in New York. It is believed according to that source that the shooter at some point, turned the gun on himself and as you heard police say he is deceased, Rosemary.

[02:05:00]

But again, the details are so few and far between at this moment, the shoot -- the shooting happened a little less than four hours ago at 10:12 p.m. local time in Chesapeake. And of course, you know Wal-Marts are open many of them are open 24/7 here in the United States, they are very busy places around Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, you know, a key thing is going to be would be a key piece of information to learn is not only, you know, how many casualties there are dead and wounded, but how many people were in the store.

What witnesses were saying, a lot of this is going to be pieced together, you know, later this morning, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes. It is a horrifying situation for people to try to digest. And Brian, as you point out, police, they don't expect to be able to provide an exact number of Wal-Mart shooting victims until Wednesday, perhaps later Wednesday. Do we know why they're delaying that announcement? Is there any understanding of what's happening with that?

TODD: Well, the police spokesman Leo Kosinski did say that this is a big store, that there are a lot of places to hide and that they have to very meticulously go through the building to see if anyone has been hiding. And see if maybe if anyone who is hiding, if there is anyone hiding might be wounded. So they are, you know, where anybody has been to a Wal-Mart in the United States knows that they are very, very big places.

And there's a lot of places to hide and a lot of -- just a lot of rows and rows and rows of merchandise. And you have to go through each one to see if people are hiding underneath something or something like that. So you can imagine that's a very meticulous process for the police even if they believe that the danger has passed at least for the moment.

CHURCH: So Brian, do we know how long it could take them to go through this Wal-Mart facility to check for casualties or survivors perhaps still hiding?

TODD: Well, you know, when you -- when you hear the police spokesman say that it could be a few hours, at least, until they can even give us some information on the dead and wounded, you can get a pretty good picture that this is going to take maybe a few hours. I mean, it is overnight. And they've got of course, as many resources as they can. Police units and many of them responding to the scene, tactical units and others.

So they're very well versed and going through scenes like this and Chesapeake and then the Tidewater area of Virginia is not a small area between towns like Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, they're all fairly close together. It's a very heavily populated general area, Chesapeake itself, not all that big, but it's part of a fairly large what you could call maybe a metropolitan area in that Tidewater area of Virginia where several midsize cities very close together.

So, you know, the police units in these cities are not, you know, they have a lot of resources. But they've got to come to a very large building with potentially a lot of people still in it.

CHURCH: And Brian, for the benefit of those viewers who are perhaps they're just joining us as we follow this breaking news, this mass shooting yet another mass shooting this time at this Wal-Mart facility in Chesapeake, Virginia. Let's go over again what you were saying about the source that said it's believed that this shooter may have been a current employee or perhaps a former employee. What more are you able to share on that?

TODD: Well, that is -- that is pretty much what we have at the moment, Rosemary. I'm just combing through some other information as we go here, as we're in transit ourselves to the scene. And what we do know from our colleague, John Miller in New York, he's getting this from a law enforcement source that the shooter is believed to be an employee or a former employee who walked into a break room and opened fire in this break room where other employees were gathered.

And it is believed that the shooter at some point turned the gun on himself. There had been conflicting reports on this. We had heard a report earlier that the police might have killed him, but it looks now from our sources that he turned the gun on himself.

CHURCH: All right. Our Brian Todd at still making his way to that Wal- Mart facility in Chesapeake, Virginia. Many thanks for bringing us up to date on what you have right now.

And joining us on the line is CNN Security Correspondent Josh Campbell. Thanks so much for being with us, Josh. Of course, you have covered many mass shootings, and here we are, again, covering yet another one just days after the Colorado Springs shooting and just days away from Thanksgiving. It is a dreadful time for this country as we tackle this gun violence epidemic that we seem to have and we're learning from our Brian Todd, he was just saying they're from a law enforcement source that it is believed that this is perhaps a current employee or a former employee of Wal-Mart walking into this break room.

[02:10:10]

Talk to us about what you're able to piece together, certainly with your experience. Also, where in investigations like this.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary. Two things that I'm looking at right now are the method of the shooting. As you just mentioned, the reporting the CNN has that this appears to be either a current or former employee of this Wal-Mart store. Of course, Wal-Mart is a global conglomerate, some 10,000 stores both in the U.S. and 24 countries around the United States. This is the type of store where you go to buy groceries, where you go to buy general merchandise. And we're learning from this law enforcement sources that appears that this was a current or former employee who opened fire inside of a break room. That's one key piece of information. I'm also looking at a second piece of information, which is the time of the shooting, looking at this particular store.

It appears as though the store closed at 11:00 p.m. at night, which is key because the shooting, at least according to law enforcement occurred around the 10:00 p.m. hour. And so, you know, covering sadly, so many of these mass shootings, if you are a shooter who is intent on causing indiscriminate casualties, this would not be the time of day that you would open fire. We know for example, back in 2019, there was a mass shooting at a Wal-Mart store in the U.S. state of Texas that caused some 23 casualties, 23 deaths and multiple injuries.

That occurred around the 10:00 a.m. hour. Again, looking at this shooting that we're reporting on now in the U.S. state of Virginia, this occurred just before closing time where you wouldn't typically have many casualties. And so that tells me as a former, you know, law enforcement investigator, this appears to be very personal. This reporting that we have, this was a former employee or perhaps a current employee who went into a break room.

And so, as you think about a store that's laid out, you know, anywhere in the world, you have the section of the store where customers are, they're buying items, they're checking out there, then departing. But there's also a separate area where employees are where they have their break room where as they're on shift, they will obviously have their downtime. And it appears as though the shooting took place in this particular area.

And so again, we're waiting for additional information from law enforcement but this appears to be according to our reporting, someone who knew the layout of the store, who knew where this break room was based on their current or former role. And so, that's all information that investigators will be looking at. Of course, finally, it's important to note that we don't know if customers were also included among the casualties as the shooter made his or her way to that break room. That's something we're still waiting to hear from police officials.

CHURCH: And Josh, these mass shootings in the United States, they have become the norm, haven't they? I mean, this is every few days, we're reporting on these now. What does this country need to do to face up to its gun violence problem? I mean, this is ridiculous that people in areas where they go shopping or they go to school, all of these soft targets, they're not safe anymore. Go to nightclubs, they're not safe anymore.

They have to go into combat mode to defend themselves. So, what sort of country are we living in right now?

CAMPBELL: No, extremely well set. Combat mode. I mean, there were -- there appears to be no place that is safe in the U.S. from guidance of gun violence, whether you're going to your place of business, whether you're going to your place of worship, whether you're going to a grocery store to buy items. It appears as though, you know, gun violence is inflicting every part of American society.

And there's, you know, if you look at the Colorado Springs shooting that you just referenced, according to the gun violence archive, which is the consortium of analysts that CNN often referenced, there have been at least four mass shootings since that incident and now we're reporting on yet another one here in the state of Virginia. There's a lot we don't know, at this hour about the particular shooter, about the type of weaponry.

There's always a question after a mass shooting whether there were warning signs that could have been picked up on by either law enforcement or someone who was in the orbit of a particular shooter. It appears, for example, in the Colorado Springs mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub that there were multiple warning signs. And again, that's just one of many mass shootings in the United States when as investigators look, you know, after the fact, yes, this appears to be someone who was troubled.

There were warning signs there, there was contact with law enforcement, the question that always looms over, you know, how did this person gain access to a firearm as it relates to the incident that we're reporting on tonight, still early to determine whether this person had some type of warning sign that maybe someone should have picked up on. Whether a co-worker, whether a loved one, but that appears to be the key question that, you know, we all -- we often hear people say here in the United States.

Well, it's too soon to talk about gun, you know, politics. But yet we continue yet again to find ourselves reporting on yet another mass shooting. How do you stop it is a key question. We have lawmakers that continues to say we need to focus more on background checks to ensure that before someone actually gains access to a firearm that there is a fulsome check into one's past and maybe, you know, interviews of people who are in a gun buyers orbit to determine whether this is someone who would actually have access to a gun.

[02:15:19]

As happens in many countries around the world. That's not typically the case in the United States. I just did a story not long ago, comparing gun violence in the United States with Canada, our neighbor to the north, and obviously Canada has robust gun checks. They actually interview loved ones of a gun buyer to determine is this someone who maybe has potential issues, potential mental health issues.

But yet in the United States, because this is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, the Second Amendment, that is something that people go to time and time again. There's this debate whether someone should be able to gain access to a weapon, whether it's actually constitutionally protected, clearly an issue that continues to be a focus here in the United States. And as all this debate is in the political realm, you and I continue to report, Rosemary, on mass shooting after mass shooting here in the U.S. CHURCH: That is exactly right. And as you mentioned, the congress appears to be paralyzed. And certainly many Republicans who stand by the gun lobby, they're refusing to do anything. And this despite the fact that most Americans and all the polls show us this, most Americans want to see some action on gun control. They want to see an end to this gun violence. If that doesn't happen, Josh, we're going to have to get to the point where we have metal detectors in so many entry points.

Whether it go -- we go shopping, I mean, my children actually do walk through a metal detector when they go to high school. I mean, is this -- is this what we all need to do to ensure some level of safety and even then that can't be guaranteed, can it?

CAMPBELL: No, you're absolutely right. I mean, this gun violence is shaping the world that we live in, particularly here in the United States where there -- as we just mentioned, you know, there's no place that you can go. It seems that it is actually immune from gun violence. And the polling that you mentioned, is really, really important. And that is -- that a recent poll by Gallup, which is a national -- at least here in the United States, they do polling around the world, particularly United States, they've determined that approximately 90 percent of Americans are in favor of background checks.

I mean, if you think about it, as polarized as American society is, how can you find 90 percent of Americans who agree on anything? 90 percent of Americans don't agree on the weather, yet they did they agree that background checks are important, yet we don't see that type of action from U.S. lawmakers, as it relates to, you know, looking into the background of someone who wants to actually buy a gun.

And again, you know, I talked to as, you know, working on CNN (INAUDIBLE) I talked to lawful gun owners who say that, yes, you know, you know, if you need a gun today, if you need a gun right now, if you need a gun this hour, that itself should be a red flag. So, you know, what is the concern about waiting, you know, days to actually look into someone's background to determine whether this is the type of person that you actually want to have access to this type of weapon.

Yet we don't see action by lawmakers. We don't see action actually moving forward. It's obviously a divided country politically and it will be interesting to watch moving forward whether this administration which, you know, the Biden ministration, has called for robust gun regulations, everything from background checks universally to banning assault weapons to banning so called ghost guns which are guns that people can actually piece together on their own.

That has faced robust debate and headwinds in the U.S. Congress by Republicans, whether that will actually lead me to anything I'm hesitant to actually suggest that that would be the case based on, you know, obviously our past history. But one thing is clear that with a lack of action by lawmakers, particularly on the background checks, we continue to see mass shooting after mass shooting casualty after casualty. And as you and I are reporting on tonight, deadly gun violence here in the U.S. CHURCH: Yes. We all have to ask our representatives when is enough enough? We need to bring an end to this. Josh Campbell, thank you so much for talking with us. Many thanks.

And we are getting more reaction from Virginia officials, the mayor of Chesapeake, Rick West have this message, on behalf of the city I want to offer my sincere condolences to the victims of today's horrific event, as well as their families.

And U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia tweeted, sickened by reports of yet another mass shooting. I urge all those in the community to listen to guidance from local law enforcement and stay away from the same.

We are also following breaking news out of Jerusalem. Israeli police say at least one person is dead after two explosions in the city. Police reported earlier at least 11 people were injured in the first explosion while three others were wounded in the second blast.

[02:20:02]

And for more let's go to CNN's Hadas Gold who joins us live in Jerusalem. So, Hadas, what more can you tell us about this?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, police believe that these were coordinated bombings that went off in the 7:00 a.m. hour local. That's about just over two hours ago, the first explosion happened just after 7:00 a.m. at a bus stop right at one of the main kind of highway entrances into the city right by a gas station. And it was at that location that police believe some sort of bag or package was placed at the bus stop.

And then it exploded where at least 11 people were injured. One of those who was injured has suddenly died of their wounds and about 30 minutes later, another explosion at another bus stop happened in an area in the north part of the city. And in that situation, three people were injured. Now police say that they are continuing to search for suspects. And there are great fears that there might be further explosions because bombings like these have not happened in Jerusalem or in Israel proper for many years now.

These types of explosions are bringing back many memories for many people to the Second Intifada when suicide bombings and sort of these apart -- package explosions were happening, especially on buses and by bus stations and restaurants and things like that. But Israel hasn't witnessed these types of explosions in many years. Now, this has already been the most violent year for both Israelis and Palestinians since 2015 as a result of a series of attacks on Israelis and as a result of mostly Israeli military raids in the West Bank.

And there were already great, great fears that the ground was so dry, the kindling was so dry for some sort of explosion that would turn into a potential Third Intifada. And these explosions today are I think the closest that we've potentially come to that because it is so reminiscent of the First and the Second Intifada as these explosions have not happened. Typically, if there have been attacks targeting Israelis in the last year they've been stabbing attacks, they've been ramming, they've been shootings.

We have not seen explosions like these have recently. And we do know from some reporting that there have been these newly formed militant groups in the West Bank. Some of them have reportedly been working on explosives. Now no militant group has claimed responsibility yet for this attack. But obviously this is still a very quickly developing situation. The Israeli Prime Minister, soon to be outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid is holding a security situation assessment on this in the next couple hours.

But right now the situation in Jerusalem is incredibly tense as people are very fearful that there are going to be further explosions potentially elsewhere in the city or elsewhere in Israel.

CHURCH: Yes. That's a real concern. Hadas Gold joining us there live from Jerusalem. Many thanks. And we'll be back with more news on the mass shooting at a Wal-Mart store in Virginia after a short break. You're watching CNN.

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[02:26:45]

CHURCH: The latest now on the mass shooting and Chesapeake, Virginia. A law enforcement source tell CNN the gunman is believed to be a Wal- Mart employee or former employee who walked into a break room and opened fire. The source says it's believed the shooter at some point turned the gun on himself and is dead. Police say they don't expect to release the exact number of victims until later today.

But earlier they said the number of fatalities is less than 10. Authorities are still working to make sure the sprawling building is safe and secure. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco. Firearms and Explosives says it's sending experts to assist with the investigation, we will of course bring you new information as it becomes available.

Well, the situation in Chesapeake is of course, very fluid at the moment, police gave an update on the situation just a short time ago. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOSINSKI: As far as the investigation -- I mean, there's -- it's basically it's an all hands on deck type situation at this point, you know, have many of our investigators here. And we just, you know, piece by piece, you know, we're just take a little bit of time, you know, we have -- we have plenty of time right now. You know, where the store is closed. So we're just -- we're going to, you know, investigate until we get everything complete.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know how long --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any outside agencies here (INAUDIBLE)

KOSINSKI: There are also roadside agencies but they're assisting with traffic. The new state police is here. I think I saw Virginia Beach police car, helping with just traffic control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know roughly when -- how long it was between when the first officer arrived on the scene and when the (INAUDIBLE) entrance was made?

KOSINSKI: I do not know that. Well, the first officer arrived, they went in immediately. But I don't know when they started -- I don't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last time we talked you said they were methodically (INAUDIBLE) department by department, they were still looking for possible fatalities and other victims as well. Tell us an update on that.

KOSINSKI: I believe that's still going on right now. You know, as big as stores this is, you know, that could be a lot of hiding places. You know, if somebody was in there that heard something got scared ran and hide -- and hid. You know, we're still kind of in -- the in -- the in the searching aspect of going through the store just to locate other potential victims or, you know, just people in hiding.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did it seem like the shooter was shooting randomly targeted?

KOSINSKI: I do not know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

KOSINSKI: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know whether or not the shooting was -- appeared to be contained to one part of the store at this point?

KOSINKI: I do not know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When can we expect to get an update on how many fatalities?

KOSINSKI: I don't know. I'm hoping sometime tomorrow looking into that. It's still like I said, you know, we're just a couple hours past the initial incident. So it's very fluid, very new right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, step -- next steps (INAUDIBLE) on what it was before.

KOSINKSI: Correct, we're still -- yes. Still clearing until we're confident the entire building is clear and safe and secure. And then the criminal investigation SEC part starts and that could take -- that could take days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And we'll be back with more news on the mass shooting at a Wal-Mart Store in Virginia after a short break. You're watching CNN.

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[02:30:00]

CHURCH: Back to our top side this hour. Police in Chesapeake, Virginia are reporting multiple fatalities and injuries from a shooting at a Walmart. A law enforcement source told CNN the shooter is believed to be an employee or former employee who walked into a break room and opened fire. The source says, it is believed the shooter, at some point, turned the gun on himself and is dead. Police are at the scene securing the store and gathering evidence.

In a tweet, U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia says, he is sickened by reports of yet another mass shooting. He's urging all those in the community to listen to guidance from local law enforcement and to stay away from the scene.

[02:35:00]

Well, Virginia Democratic State Senator, L. Louise Lucas, called into the program earlier. She is furious over America's Failure to implement gun control laws. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. L. LOUISE LUCAS (D-VA): It's just absolutely horrible. And the thing that makes this so sad is that this gun control -- this gun violence is out of control. And unfortunately, we have the power to do something about it. It's just is not the will on the part of many of our legislature members to do it.

All I can to you is that this is a sad night for us here in Virginia. It's a sad night in Chesapeake. And it's going to be a really, really sad time tomorrow morning when people wake up and hear this sad news. But we can do something about gun control. There's too much easy access to firearms, and we have got to do something to bring it under control.

Many of us have been fighting in a legislation for decades to try to get gun control measures passed. But unfortunately, there's always pushback, pushback, pushback. But we've got to bring it under control. How many people will have to die before legislators, not only in Virginia, but all across this nation come to the reality there's just too much access to firearms?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And we want to turn to Colorado now where the suspect in the mass shooting at the LGBTQ nightclub is now out of the hospital and in jail. Anderson Lee Aldrich is due for an initial court appearance in the coming hours and will face multiple murder charges. The district attorney says hate crime charges are also being considered. CNN's Rosa Flores in Colorado Springs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): New information is surfacing about the troubling past of the suspected gunman, 22-year- old Anderson Lee Aldrich. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our investigators are writing search warrants and looking at any type of items such as computers and other technologies.

FLORES (voiceover): The suspect was caught on camera surrendering to police during a bomb threat incident last year.

ANDERSON LEE ALDRICH, SUSPECT: This is your boy. I've got the -- outside. Look at that. They've got the bead on me.

FLORES (voiceover): When his mother called police on him, saying he had guns and ammunition, according to authorities. But the case was not adjudicated, and the file was sealed, which means it would not be detected in a background check.

ALDRICH: Go ahead and come on in, boys. Let's -- see it.

FLORES (voiceover): The incident failed to trigger Colorado's red flag law, raising questions about the strength of a tool that allows firearms to be removed from someone at risk to themselves or others. Until the age of 15, Aldrich was known as Nicholas F. Brink. He legally changed his name to Anderson L. Aldrich in 2016 through the courts in San Antonio Texas, court records show.

Prior to that, in 2015, the shooting suspect was a subject of intense online bullying on a still active internet parody page. CNN has found evidence of the mocking comments that span a five-month period when he was 15 years old. The page, resembling Wikipedia shows photos of him, mocks his weight, and accuses him of engaging in illegal activity.

Aldrich is the grandson of California Assemblyman Randy Voepel, who initially compare the January 6th attack to the Revolutionary War, but later said he did not condone or support the violence and lawlessness that took place on January 6th.

Aldrich's family life is chaotic. He was primarily raised by his maternal grandmother, the ex-wife of the assemblyman, a source told CNN. And since the shooting, police have been trying to reach out to the suspect's mother, Laura Voepel. Police say they don't know where she is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She has not offered to come forth and speak with us.

FLORES (voiceover): The suspect's mother receive three years' probation for public intoxication and falsely reporting a crime to police in California when Aldrich, then known as Brink, was just eight years old, according to court records obtained by CNN. The court records show that she made a false report in 2008 about a break-in and burglary attempt, where she was tied up with a kite string and duck taped. Weeks later, she admitted to making up the whole incident because she was lonely unwanted attention.

In 2010, court records also show she sought custody of her son, then 10 years old. When he was 12, his mother was again in trouble with the law. She was arrested for suspected arson, and the charge was later reduced to criminal mischief. Rosa Flores, CNN, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Still ahead, new details are emerging about the mass shooting at a Walmart store in Virginia. We will have an update after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:00]

CHURCH: We want to bring you the latest now on our breaking news this hour. Police say multiple people have been shot and killed at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, and the gunman is dead. Now, we are expecting another briefing once investigators have been able to go through that store.

A source tells CNN the shooter is believed to be an employee or perhaps former employee who walked into a break room and opened fire. Walmart has released a statement saying it is shocked at the tragic events and praying for those impacted.

But turning now to Ukraine and a startling assessment from the head of the country's power grid who says a major Russian attack last week caused colossal damage at power stations across the country. He says more than 100 missiles were used in the assault on energy facilities. For now, the grid is stabilized as scheduled blackouts continue, but the destruction is widespread.

[02:45:00]

VOLODYMYR KUDRYTSKYI, CEO, UKRENERGO (through translator): The scale the damage is colossal. Practically no thermal or hydroelectric stations have been left unscathed. For you to understand the scale of these attacks and what we have to deal with, practically all thermal and hydrogenerations, meaning major power stations, have been damaged by missile attacks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: As Ukraine works to keep the power running, more aide is on the way. The U.S. in the World Bank each expected to provide $4.5 billion in assistance in the coming weeks the. And the European Union has announced $2.5 billion in financial aid.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is following developments for us from London. She joins us now. So, Salma, Russian forces caused colossal damage to Ukraine's power generating facilities. That is according to the head of the country's power grid. What more are you learning about this?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Yes. So, these were really ferocious attacks that took place last week, Rosemary. Russia launching more than 100 heavy missiles. But we're finding out more about the extent of the damage caused there, as you heard, from that Ukrainian official. Not a single thermal or hydroelectric plant now intact. In fact, the World Health Organization's Europe regional director was in country this week, earlier this week, to try to assess this damage after weeks of sustained attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. The World Health Organization saying some 10 million people in the country, that's a quarter of the population, are without any electricity, that half of the country's power grids are either damage or completely destroyed in these attacks.

And, of course, these are life-threatening conditions, Rosemary. Temperatures are expected to drop to negative four Fahrenheit. That's negative 20 degrees Celsius. In the depth of this winter, you have to remember, that also hospitals, clinics, schools at times are struggling to get electricity, to get running water. So, an absolutely concerning winter for millions of Ukrainians who are struggling to get through it.

The World Health Organization also warning about the mental health conditions. You can imagine after spending nine months in war being in those dark basements during blackouts is absolute terrifying for some children in Kyiv.

But I also want to take you closer to the frontlines, give you an update from there as well, Rosemary, all along the east. We just got information just this hour that Kherson to the north, in those frontlines, has been struck by Russian shelling. So far, we understand a health clinic and a school struck, two people killed. And then, further to the south, Zaporizhzhia region, an absolute flash point home to the world's -- Europe's largest nuclear power plant, rather, in that region.

Overnight as well, shelling on a maternity ward, Rosemary. We understand that rescue operations are still underway. But a newborn has been killed in that attack, on that maternity ward, in the Zaporizhzhia region. The mother of this killed newborn able to be pulled out along with one of the doctors. But again, just a reminder of how horrific this conflict is, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes. And yet, another heartbreaking story. It is horrific, as you say. Salma Abdelaziz bringing us the latest on the situation in Ukraine. Many thanks.

And we'll be back with more news after a short break. You're watching CNN.

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CHURCH: In Saudi Arabia, a public holiday is getting underway to celebrate the Saudi's World Cup win over perennial powerhouse, Argentina. Fans in Qatar lost their minds over the two-one upset, which some considered the biggest in tournament history. At the final whistle, both sides fell to their knees from disbelief and exhaustion. The last three teams to beat Argentina at the World Cup either went on to win the competition or reached the final.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amazing, amazing. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. You know, I was telling my friends that I wish Argentina will win three- one, two-zero. But it's two-one for Saudi Arabia. For Saudi Arabia. Go Saudi Arabia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really excited. I'm so happy. It wasn't expected. But I'm really happy to be here today and supporting the Saudi team.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, supporters of world number three, Argentina, are struggling to process the humiliating loss and what went so terribly wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Honestly, incredible. Because the team had a good season. We had high expectations. Saudi Arabia was one of the easiest rivals we had. So, what happened was incredible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Honestly, I can't believe it. It was a strange game. Unusual. But that is football. We play badly. We have to see the next game. These things happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Another four World Cup matches kickoff in the coming hours. Former champions Germany and Spain will make their group E debuts. Germany taking on Japan. and Spain going up against Costa Rica. In group F, Morocco will challenge 2018 runner-up Croatia. And Canada will face a formidable opponent, world number two Belgium during their first World Cup appearance since 1986.

[02:55:00]

Well, out top story this hour. Police in Chesapeake, Virginia are reporting multiple fatalities and injuries from a shooting at a Walmart. A law enforcement source tells CNN the shooter is believed to be an employee or former employee who walked into a break room and opened fire. The source says, it is believed the shooter, at some point, turned the gun on himself and is dead. Police are at the scene securing the store and gathering evidence.

Walmart has released a statement saying, we are shocked at this tragic event at our Chesapeake, Virginia store. We are praying for those impacted, the community and our associates. We are working closely with law enforcement, and we are focused on supporting our associates. This is a breaking story, and CNN will continue to bring you updates as they become available.

And thank you so much for being with us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more "CNN Newsroom" in just a moment. Do stay with us.

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