Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Gunman Kills Five Co-Workers, Wounds Eight Others In KY Bank Shooting; Survey: One In Five Adults Have Lost Loved One To Shooting; Probes Of Leaked Pentagon Docs Take Shape As DOJ Hunts Source. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired April 11, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Top of the hour here. Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Erica Hill.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: And I'm Bianna Golodryga.

We are learning chilling new details about Monday's massacre at a Louisville, Kentucky bank. And we should learn even more at another news conference about three hours from now. First, the shooter, an employee, live streamed the atrocity on social media using a gun he purchased legally days before the attack.

Police have not released the shooter's social media video yet but in it, today say he tells an employee to leave before shooting her in the back. He then aims his AR-15-style rifle on his other co-workers gathered for a staff meeting. The ambush lasting all of just one minute. The shooter then waits for another minute and a half before a shootout with police where he was killed.

HILL: Five victims are, of course, dead and other eight wounded. Four of them we learned today are still being treated at the hospital. In a press conference just a short time ago, officials broke down over this uniquely American crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JASON SMITH, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE HEALTH: I'm weary. I've been in Louisville for 15 years, all of it at University Hospital. For 15 years, I've cared for victims of violence and gunshot wounds. And people say I'm tired, but I'll be answered. It's more than tired. I'm weary.

There's only so many times you can walk into a room and tell someone they're not coming home tomorrow. And it just breaks your heart when you hear someone screaming Mommy or Daddy. It just becomes too hard day in and day out to be able to do that.

Now, my team is fantastic. They're absolute professionals and they're wonderful. But sooner or later, it catches up to everybody. You just can't keep doing what we're doing. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: CNN's Omar Jimenez is live in Louisville. That reaction, of course, and it's not just about mass shootings, it is about the everyday gun violence those on the frontlines are seeing. We also, Omar, at that press conference did learn some new details. Bring us up to speed.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, for starters, we do expect body camera video to be released today of what the officers encountered when they first got to the scene. We also learned that this gunman purchased this weapon legally last week at a gun store here in the Louisville area.

But we also got more of a sense for the timeline itself that obviously, the shooting lasted for about a minute. But it was nine minutes total where after the shooting happened was when the first 911 calls went out then three minutes after the police arrived, and then about three minutes after that was when the gunman was killed here. But by that point, even in just that short amount of time, five people were killed, eight others were wounded.

And the overarching sentiment we've gotten from public officials here. You heard a little bit of it from that hospital official that they're not just tired, they're weary, not just of acute events like this but the everyday events. It was part of why the mayor here is calling for changes to the state laws so that -- and quickly because every day in his mind that that law is not changed, lives are lost. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIG GREENBERG, MAYOR OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: This isn't about partisan politics. This is about life and death. This is about preventing tragedies.

You may think this will never happen to you. Never happened to any of your friends or loved ones. I used to think that. The sad truth is that now no one in our city, no one in our state, no one in our country has that luxury anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And the mayor also is saying he survived a workplace shooting not too long ago. And here, he is having to announce the deaths of people he knew in this workplace shooting at the bank just behind me. As I mentioned, five were killed, eight others were taken to the hospital. We've had four of them discharged from the hospital at this point, three are in stable or fair condition.

One remains in critical condition, which as we understand, is the police officer -- one of the police officers who responded here just two days really onto the job after graduating from the police academy. He was shot in the head and continues to recover. Obviously, a long road ahead.

But then, later on, this week -- tomorrow, we do expect a vigil to happen which as the mayor said, is a time for people here to process not just what happened here yesterday but how they are going to move forward as a community.

[14:05:11]

GOLODRYGA: Yes. That police officer you mentioned, Nickolas Wilt, just 26 years, old just graduated from the police academy last month. Two weeks ago. Omar Jimenez, thank you.

Well, the tragic events in Louisville have sent shockwaves throughout the community and the country. Joining us now is Congressman Morgan McGarvey, a Democrat who represents Louisville, Kentucky. Congressman, thank you so much for joining us. We are all grieving with you.

And that was quite a powerful press conference specifically referencing what you said. You call Louisville, the biggest small town in America. You recall the friend, Tommy Elliot, who the governor and the mayor was also close with as someone who was lost.

And then you called for change. And you really countered those who said not to use this moment as a political one by saying that public safety and lives aren't political. Congressman, it sounds like you were speaking for more people than just yourself.

REP. MORGAN MCGARVEY (D-KY): Yes, this is terrible. And you know, I -- you said it about Louisville. We are. This is Louis Village. We are one degree of separation away from everybody.

You know, we say this all the time. The joke here is that when you ask when somebody where they went to school, you mean where they go to high school. And so, it's not -- it's not surprising to us Louisvillians how many people each of us knew or how many connections we had to the people who were killed in this tragedy.

I went to the vigil of a young man last night, I think I mean, it's like two years younger than I am, Josh Barrick, who leaves behind a wife and two small children. And I had somebody come up to me at the vigil and it just said, when is this going to be enough? When can we do what's necessary to keep us safe?

All right. This isn't political. If -- when you go to work and you're worried about coming home, and you send your kids to school and you're worried about them coming home, that type of safety is not political. You know, unfortunately, in our jobs that we have, sometimes our kids get a front-row seat to this. I've got three young children, all of whom are in elementary school or younger.

When my wife dropped off our fifth-grade daughter this morning at school, she looked back at my wife and said, hey, Mom, stay safe at work today. Our kids shouldn't have to worry about us. So, don't make this political, but make it about policy. Come together and put those policies first, whether it's universal background checks. Whether it's removing these weapons of war from our streets, whether it's getting the mental health support, whether it's passing some type of extreme protection law that will keep people in crisis from hurting themselves or others, let's come together and make sure that not another family experiences this loss, that not another community is ripped apart at its very fabric by this type of savage and senseless violence.

HILL: You mentioned universal background checks. We know most action on gun reform is likely to happen at the state level -- more likely to happen at the state level than it does at the federal level. Just give us a sense since being there in Washington, and I know you've reached out to your constituents, and we're calling them as recently as last week, ask about their concerns. Gun violence was right up there. Since you've been in Washington, are you more or less hopeful that this country can and will in fact, address gun violence?

MCGARVEY: I'm always going to be help -- hopeful. I spent ten years in the State Senate in the minority as a Democrat in Kentucky and worked every day with my colleagues from all over the state and across the aisle to try to make things better. That's what we're going to do in Washington. We can do this. We can make our country safer.

And, you know, this is tragic. Even when we do pass these policies, I believe we will pass policies that will make people safe, it's not going to bring back the people we've lost or the people who've been lost in so many communities across this country. But if we can just keep a few more people from experiencing that grief, if we can talk about this in terms of public safety, in terms of people and kids over guns, then I think we can come together and really begin to solve a problem, which is uniquely American.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. So many people from the right and left are calling for common-sense gun laws. And I was really floored when I heard the mayor say that it -- according to state law there, the actual weapon used by the gunman will now be auctioned and then sold and can go back onto the street for use again. I mean, there's nothing commonsensical about that.

MCGARVEY: No, it's unfathomable. I mean, I -- as I asked people imagine that your loved one was killed with a weapon and then that weapon was sent to auction and put back on the streets, how would you feel? I know, I would feel absolutely terrible. So, that's -- I think that is a no-brainer for the Kentucky General Assembly to pass if they'll do it.

[14:10:01]

And then I think there are state laws like that, that are really important. Those are the state laws, which like when you mentioned universal background checks, when you mentioned taking away weapons or removing them from our street like assault-style rifles, I think those are best at the federal level.

You know, I'm sitting right here in my district office in Louisville, Kentucky. I just came here from City Hall. We are right across the river from Indiana. You go to Northern Kentucky. I mean, the Cincinnati airport is in Kentucky, right? We're that close to another state.

For those of us in this part of the country where you know the borders between states really are places that people use all the time to go back and forth to shop or go back and forth to work, that's when those federal laws are going to be most effective. And so, we've got to pursue that as well.

HILL: Congressman Morgan McGarvey, we appreciate your time this morning. You know as Bianna said, our condolences for the entire community. We'll be -- we'll be watching and seeing that action. Appreciate it. Thank you.

MCGARVEY: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Meantime, a new survey shows how widespread the trauma of America's gun violence epidemic actually is. The Kaiser Family Foundation found nearly one in five adults have had a family member killed by a gun.

HILL: And more than one in five had been threatened at gunpoint. CNN's Security Correspondent Josh Campbell joining us now with more on these findings. They are sobering, I think, Josh, to put it mildly. It also offers some really important insight into how Americans view gun violence in this country.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): That's right. You know, as if we needed further proof, this new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation certainly paints a bleak picture about America's gun violence epidemic. And it's important to note that respondents in the survey weren't asked for their view about gun control. They were asked about how they experienced gun violence themselves. And over half of Americans who were surveyed say that they either personally or knew someone in their family who has been impacted by a gun-related incident.

And just to show you some of the top-line results here about the sentiments of the American psyche right now as it relates to guns, they were asked how often do you fear gun violence in this country. 40 percent of respondents said sometimes, ten percent said almost every day -- or excuse me almost every day, and eight percent said every single day. So, you can imagine that you have more than half of the country impacted by gun incidents, and people continuing to think about that. You know that that continues to impact the American mindset.

Now, as we look at communities of color, the data here is certainly even more unsettling. I'll show you some of these figures of the respondents. 31 percent of Black adults and 22 percent of Hispanic adults say they have actually witnessed someone being shot. 34 percent of black adults have had a family member killed by gun violence. Guys, that figure is double compared to white respondents. So, certainly troubling figures here, the number of people who are experiencing gun- related issues, and just the fear that we see permeating across the country.

GOLODRYGA: And that is something that we said is uniquely American. No other developed Western countries experiencing these types of numbers. And as we noted, the number of Americans impacted by guns -- gun incidents is stunning. But this study also reveals, Josh, concerning behavior when it comes to storing firearms as well. Can you talk about that? CAMPBELL: That's right. You know, just as to give me an example, the American Academy of Pediatrics, they recommend to the extent allowed by law that doctors actually talk to their patients and talk to their parents about storing firearms in the home. And we can see why by looking at this new data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. A whopping 75 percent of gun owners who participated in this study said that they don't store their guns safely. They don't adhere to common gun safety practices. This certainly has public safety officials concerned. It certainly has medical officials concerned.

I spoke to one senior physician who said that every pediatrician that he knows has treated someone with a gun-related injury. So, just shows you how big of an issue this is, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR SCOTT HADLAND, CHIEF OF ADOLESCENT MEDICINE, MASS GENERAL FOR CHILDREN: Every pediatrician that I know has experienced treating gun injuries, and guns are the leading cause of death in children and adolescents in the United States. And about a third of children in the U.S. live in a household that has a gun. So, it's really important that pediatricians talk to families and make sure that they're storing their guns safely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now, some hospitals such as the Boston Mass General for Children, they've actually implemented novel training programs for doctors to get them in the habit, the routine of asking patients and parents about gun stored safety practices. But, guys, doctors alone can't solve this problem. The data here clearly show that when it comes to safely storing firearms, three-fourths of those who responded said they don't do it safely, certainly concerning and you have to wonder about how many lives might be saved, how many injuries might be prevented if people do basic things such as storing your firearm safely in the home.

GOLODRYGA: Concerning and shocking data. Shock -- Josh Campbell, thank you.

HILL: Newly reinstated Tennessee lawmaker Justin Jones says he plans to file 15 new bills today to address gun reform. This is the state representative's first full day back in the Tennessee House. Last week, Republicans who control the chamber expelled Jones and another Democrat, Justin Pearson, for a gun control demonstration on the House floor that broke rules of decorum. A third Democratic State Rep., Gloria Johnson, was not expelled.

[14:15:11]

GOLODRYGA: The House demonstration was in response to a shooting rampage inside a Nashville Elementary School in March that killed six people. Last night, the Nashville city council unanimously voted to return Jones to a State House seat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) (END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN Correspondent Isabel Rosales is in Nashville. That was quite a moment last night, Isabel. When will the other ousted lawmaker, Justin Pearson, get a chance to be reinstated himself?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Erica, Bianna, we are potentially seeing the so-called Tennessee Three tomorrow being reunited once more. The holdout here is Justin Pearson. His fate -- his political fate will be determined tomorrow during a special meeting by the Shelby County Commission. So, it could be possible that like his colleague, Justin Jones, he will once more be sent to the State House as an interim successor. They will have to certainly face a special election following Tennessee law.

We have been reporting over the past week political tensions rising. We've heard from the chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party that leaders in both Memphis and Shelby County have faced political threats, he says, of losing state funding for key projects should they reinstate Justin Pearson. We have reached out to the Shelby County Commission for comment on that. We have heard back from the Tennessee House Republicans who released a statement just hours after Justin Jones was reinstated back to his seat yesterday. And they said. "Should any member be reappointed, we will welcome them." Erica, Bianna.

HILL: So, we'll be watching for that tomorrow. Meantime, in terms of the fallout after that shooting at the Covenant School, the Republican governor of Tennessee today introducing plans to strengthen gun laws. What's in that proposal?

ROSALES: Yes. Governor Bill Lee, he announced that he will sign an executive order aimed at strengthening the background checks when it comes to any gun sales. And he plans to do that by setting a 72-hour clock for any new criminal activity. He also wants to ensure that the court handoff timely and accurate information over to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.

He is also calling on the General Assembly to pass a Red Flag Law something that Tennessee as a state doesn't have, unlike other conservative states, like Florida, for example. This would be a law that would empower law enforcement to go to a judge with a concerning individual, someone that they think is a threat to themselves or to others. And then a judge will consider the evidence and then decide whether to go ahead and sign off on seizing their guns temporarily. Listen to what the governor had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BILL LEE, (R-TN): This new stronger order protection law will provide the broader population cover -- safety from those who are in danger to themselves or to the population. And I mean, we will have to work together in order to get this done. But I believe it can -- I believe we can. I believe we will.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROSALES: And I mentioned the special election that will have to happen. Per Tennessee law, it's the governor who will have to schedule that for the district seats, 86 and 52, Bianna, Erica.

HILL: Isabel Rosales with the latest for us from Nashville, appreciate it. Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, the fallout from the leaked U.S. Intel documents deepens as Egypt now denies a new report that it was planning to produce weapons for Russia. We're live from the Pentagon.

HILL: Plus, President Biden on his way to Northern Ireland at this hour where he'll mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which of course ended decades of sectarian violence, saying his top priority will be to "keep the peace." This amid concerns about the potential for unrest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:23:01]

HILL: The fallout from that massive leak of classified U.S. documents on the Ukraine war is growing. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer today calling for the Biden administration to brief senators on the scope and the scale of the leak.

GOLODRYGA: Also today, Egyptian officials denied an explosive Washington Post report that the leaked documents revealed Egypt's military was secretly planning to produce thousands of rockets and weapons for Russia. CNN's National Security Reporter Natasha Bertrand is joining us now with the latest. And I know, Natasha, you have new reporting on how the investigations of this leak are taking shape. Are officials any closer to finding the culprit?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER (on camera): Yes, Bianna. Well, the short answer to that seems to be no. The Pentagon has not informed us that they have made significant progress or that the Justice Department has made significant progress in identifying the source of this leak.

But we are told that the investigations have happened on a separate -- on a couple of different tracks here. You have the Pentagon investigation internally, which is focusing really on how this information is distributed and to whom. And then you have the broader interagency investigation that involves the Pentagon, the State Department, the White House, kind of looking at the damage that these -- that the leak of these documents has caused or could cause to U.S. national security. So, things like whether important, you know, U.S. sources and methods have been burned now, for example, by these documents being leaked online and kind of sitting there for at least a month without anyone noticing.

And then of course, you have the Justice Department's criminal investigation, which is taking a really hard look at who could have leaked these documents, obviously, going to be very important to figuring that out. Because thousands of people, according to our sources, could have had access to these documents. And one senior U.S. official actually told us that way too many people have access currently to these kinds of highly sensitive documents, documents that are really designed to brief senior Pentagon officials on a daily basis about important updates in the war in Ukraine, for example.

Now, the U.S. is also trying to smooth over things with allies, who, of course, are mentioned in these documents, including South Korea, Israel, and Ukraine.

[14:25:05]

A lot of those allies now expressing concern about this leak. But some of the allies are saying that the U.S. is taking this seriously and they have been briefed on the U.S.'s efforts to get to the bottom of this. Here's what the Australian defense chief had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGUS CAMPBELL, AUSTRALIA'S DEFENSE FORCE CHIEF: By reports, this is a serious leak. It is being investigated seriously by U.S. authorities, and they are engaging with partners in order to better understand the potential consequences of that information being released into the public.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERTRAND: So, these documents leaking online are embarrassing, not only for the U.S. but also for allies and more importantly, could impact the national security of the United States given the potential compromise of sources and methods as well as that of U.S. allies. Bianna, Erica.

HILL: Natasha Bertrand, appreciate it. Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Right now, President Biden is aboard Air Force One on his way to Northern Ireland. He should be landing in Belfast in about two hours to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which mostly ended decades of sectarian violence.

HILL: There are though real concerns still about the potential for future unrest. Just yesterday, masked men were seen throwing Molotov cocktails at police during a pro-Irish Republican march in Northern Ireland. Today. suspected pipe bombs were found in a cemetery near that location.

CNN's Nic Robertson is live in Belfast at this hour. So, what more do we know, Nic, in terms of both those concerns in the preparations for Biden's visit?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (on camera): Yes. Specifically on the protests yesterday, the petrol bombs, the Molotov cocktails thrown at the police, and those pipe bombs. We were in that cemetery yesterday when those new IRA members and their political wing were there. They were doing something that we were not allowed to film. They put out umbrellas. They hid themselves away. They stopped all the journalists from filming what they were doing. They set fire to something behind a shed there.

The police had surveillance helicopters, surveillance drones overhead. And so, what we understand now today is that the police realized and found out and went there and found these pipe bombs, which of course would be very dangerous. Typically, they used in dairy against the police, so the police are cracking down.

President Biden's unlikely to see any of that sort of potential for violence here in Belfast. Big security operation underway here. And we understand now as well as doing the ribbon cutting at a new university campus here in Belfast, he is going to have the opportunity to meet with representatives of all five political parties here. It's not entirely clear the depth of conversation the president will be able to have with any of them.

But of course, most people in Northern Ireland look at the Democratic Unionist Party who refused to go into government at the moment, which really is something that undermines the Good Friday Agreement. President Biden is expected to talk more about the economy and the economic benefits of doing business here than trying to, if you will, confront or pressure the DUP to get back into that power-sharing government.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, somewhat of a personal trip for the president. He's long highlighted his Irish roots. Nic Robertson, thank you.

Well, the drought crisis Out West is now leading to a dire warning from federal officials.

HILL: Just ahead. How a crucial decision by several states could have a major impact on the water for cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)