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More Memphis Officers Disciplined; James Breaks NBA Record; Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) is Interviewed about an Assault Weapons Ban. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired February 08, 2023 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:30:00]
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Survivor has been pulled from this building but everyone here is still hoping that -- that they'll be able to locate survivors.
Really, really unimaginable what people here are going through right now. And this is just one building, in one province. And you can imagine, with thousands of buildings that have been destroyed in this earthquake, thousands of people who are still believed to be under the rubble, that this is a scene that is replicated over and over again across this country right now.
Jim. Erica.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Jomana, please stay there with us. This is quite a moment for those families there, hoping against hope they receive some good news. We're going to ask our team to stay there and we're going to check back in to see if they get that good news. And then, as Jomana said, this is being repeated thousands of times across that poor country. We'll keep on top of it.
And still ahead, another story we're following. There are disturbing new allegations against the five former Memphis police officers who have been charged in the death of Tyre Nichols. They are now accused of assaulting another black man just days before.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:35:48]
SCIUTTO: Some disturbing news this morning. One of the Memphis police officers charged now in the death of Tyre Nichols has admitted that he took pictures, photographs, of a bloodied, wounded Nichols. Surveillance video captured that moment. We do want to warn you, this might be difficult to watch.
Here it is now.
You can see Nichols propped up against a police car there and as former Officer Demetrius Haley took that picture you saw. Police documents show Haley sent that photo afterwards, and here it is again, to at least six people.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: I mean, that is something. Talk about fallout.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
HILL: There is more in the wake of Tyre Nichols' death. Seven more Memphis police officers now facing internal disciplinary action.
CNN's Nick Valencia is live in Memphis this morning.
So, the five fired police officers who were charged and accused of assaulting another young black man, some -- another incident just three days before. What happened in that incident?
SCIUTTO: Yes.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good morning, Erica.
Twenty-two-year-old Monterrious Harris, who is a U.S. Navy veteran, alleged in a newly filed federal lawsuit that just three days before Tyre Nichols was stopped he was assaulted by members of the Scorpion Unit.
In this lawsuit he alleges that the five officers -- former officers who are now charged with second-degree murder in the death of Nichols, were the same officers that assaulted him. And in this lawsuit, Harris says that he was sitting in his car in an apartment complex waiting for his cousin to come out when men approached him wearing ski masks and did not identify themselves as police officers. In fact, he went on to say that he thought he was being car jacked and he tried to get away. He was eventually, he says, punched, dragged across the concrete and beaten. Officers did say after they arrested him that they found a handgun in his car, as well as some marijuana. Harris alleges that the handgun was legally registered to his cousin. He is suing the city of Memphis and the police department for $5 million, alleging as well that they falsified the police report.
All of this coming as the city council held its first meeting since the video of Tyre Nichols' beating was released to the public. And during this meeting they passed a series of reforms, public safety reforms, including officially supporting the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
Earlier this morning, Tyre Nichols' parents were on CNN this morning and spoke about their adamant support of that legislation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODNEY WELLS, STEPFATHER OF TYRE NICHOLS: My message to Congress is that if they had passed the George Floyd bill initially, my son may not have died tragically the way he did. So, I think that Congress needs to get together, both parties, and get this bill passed so that no one else has to suffer the way we are suffering right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: The fallout continues from Tyre Nichols' death. The city attorney telling me that at least seven other officers are expected to face discipline, bringing the total for now to at least 13 officers who either have been terminated or will be disciplined in the future as a result of Nichols' stop.
Erica. Jim.
SCIUTTO: Incredible. More than a dozen officers.
Nick Valencia, in Memphis, thanks so much.
HILL: Still to come here, the hero who stopped a mass shooting among the guests at the Capitol last night for the State of the Union. He was there to hear the president make a passionate demand to Congress to ban assault weapons now.
The congresswoman who represents that district, Judy Chu, joining us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:43:41]
HILL: Well, we have the answer to a question we asked yesterday, LeBron James is now the NBA's all-time leading scorer. It took him just 20 seasons., more than 1,400 games to pass the former record holder,, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who scored 38,387 points in his career. That record breaking basket coming in the third quart of Tuesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
SCIUTTO: Yes, fade away. I was sort of thinking he might try a sky hook as an honor to the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I remember, by the way, and this will date me, seeing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar do that on -- live on television.
Well, King James spoke about getting emotional during this moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, NBA'S NEW ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER: I probably can count on my hands how many times I've cried in 20 years, either in happiness or defeat, you know. So, you know, that moment was one of them when I - when I kind of teared up a little bit. It was - it was -- I can't believe what's going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Omar Jimenez has more on that moment.
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: People came to see history, and they witnessed it. LeBron James now the all-time leading scorer in NBA history. And he would be the first to admit that he didn't think he would be the one to break what some thought was a previously unbreakable record. [09:45:01]
But when you look at everything LeBron has done over the course of his career, who else would it have been?
And the moment came on a Tuesday night. And when that happened, when he hit a fade away off the left elbow, almost nothing but net, he ran to center court, raised his arms in triumph as an entire arena cheered him on, likely many more watching from home. He came to the center court and was greeted by his family, as the crowd chanted MVP. He was emotional, as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the person whose record he now eclipsed, embraced him and greeted him, along with the NBA commissioner.
And when you look at LeBron James' legacy, the on the court, of course, will be respected and always remembered. But the reaction and the embraces that he had once he crossed that milestone are emblematic of who he is off the court. And for many, all of those come together in the legacy that the LeBron James.
And when you talk about the history milestone that was crossed tonight, it wasn't just a moment in NBA history. For those watching, and that have followed him all around the world, this was a moment in history.
Omar Jimenez, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Right now, another story we're following this morning. Court back in session in South Carolina for the ongoing double murder trial of the former lawyer, Alex Murdaugh.
This morning, a blue rain coat, pictured there, remains the focus of testimony.
HILL: A forensic scientist back on the stand this morning being questioned about that coat which was found in Murdaugh's mother's home.
CNN's Randi Kaye is live at the courthouse.
Why is this raincoat so significant, Randi?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Jim and Erica.
It's really significant because of what this expert says she found on it. We're talking about Megan Fletcher. She's a gunshot residue expert for SLED, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. And she has been testifying about gunshot residue she says she found on Alex Murdaugh's clothing from the night of the murder, just three particles on his white t-shirts three particles on his shorts. But she says she found a significant number of gunshot residue particles on this blue raincoat.
Now, this is a raincoat that prosecutors talked about in their opening statement. They believe that Alex Murdaugh stashed this raincoat at his mother's home. And she says that she found 38 particles on this blue raincoat. And in the questioning by the prosecutor, he hinted at how the prosecution seems to believe those gunshot residue particles got on that raincoat.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would your findings be consistent with that item containing a recently fired firearm.
MEGAN FLETCHER, SLED TRACE EVIDENCE ANALYST: It is possible, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With that number of particles?
FLETCHER: With that number, it is possible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there any other possibility?
FLETCHER: If -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You stated one. Is there any more?
FLETCHER: If the jacket was inside out and simply in the vicinity to the discharge of a firearm, it could have also had that number of particles on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: So, prosecutors seem to be hinting at their theory that Alex Murdaugh used that big blue raincoat to wrap up the murder weapons and then dispose of them and then stash that raincoat in the second floor closet of his mother's home.
Now, we know that there has been no evidence presented yet that those murder weapons have ever been recovered. But the question is, how would that gunshot residue have gotten on that raincoat? And this expert said that you have to be close to a gun when it's fired for it to get on that or touching something with gunshot residue on it.
And this was a very big raincoat. Certainly big enough, according to this witness, to hold something like that. They had to spread it over two tables in their lab to test it.
Back to you.
HILL: That's something.
Randi Kaye, appreciate it. Thank you.
Still to come here, reaction from the president's party after last night's fiery State of the Union Address. Democratic Congresswoman Judy Chu joins us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [09:52:51]
HILL: Finish the job and ban assault weapons now. One of the many calls to action President Biden made to Congress in his State of the Union Address. And a very personal plea for some of those in attendance.
Among the first lady's guests last night, 26-year-old Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the Monterey Park shooter at a second location last month, likely preventing even more deaths.
I'm joined now by Democratic Congresswoman Judy Chu. Monterey Park is not only part of her district, she is the former mayor. It's her home.
Congresswoman, it's good to have you with us.
Julie Fung (ph), whose aunt was killed in that horrific shooting in Monterey Park, was also in attendance last night as your guest. Is she hopeful that this Congress will, in fact, act?
REP. JUDY CHU (D-CA): Well, I was encouraged by the thunderous applause last night for banning assault weapons. You know the 11 shooting victims in Monterey Park were killed by a high-capacity magazine that is now illegal in California. And it allowed this shooter to kill many people at once in a very, very short period of time. It is so clear that it's time to ban assault weapons and also to ban high-capacity magazines. And I think that it's - it's the voices of victims like hers and - and the voices of victims of mass shootings and of shootings all across the country that need to be heard so that everybody in America can rise up and ultimately get this ban.
HILL: So, you're encouraged by that applause. We'll see what it - what it translates to in this Congress.
On the heals of that horrific shooting, you - you had noted in an op- ed the fear that so many people were feeling in anticipation of lunar new year, being able to celebrate together once again. But that fear coming from the rise that we've seen, the very clear rise, in anti- Asian hate across this country over the last several years.
The president, last night, said, and I'm quoting him here, we must give hate and extremism no safe harbor.
Did the president miss an opportunity, though, to say more, to encourage both Congress and the American people to do more to combat that hate?
[09:55:04]
CHU: Actually, I thought he was very forceful. And he especially wanted to bring Brandon Tsay so that he could talk about what happened in Monterey Park. I thought that it was a very important way to show what happened. So, no, I appreciate everything that he did on that issue.
HILL: There was the applause last night. There was also a lot of heckling. Before I let you go, is this the new normal in Washington?
CHU: I thought it was very disrespectful. Worse, I thought it was very disingenuous. The boos came around President Biden's statement that Republicans wanted to cut Social Security and Medicare. And, actually, we have seen many statements on the part of the most extreme in the Republican caucus who do want to cut it. So, I - you know, I know that there are many Republicans who don't want to, but the most extreme in their party want to do that and right now just a handful of people can control where this Republican caucus goes.
HILL: Representative Judy Chu, we look forward to having you back on for further discussion. Thank you.
CHU: Thank you.
HILL: We'll be right back.
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