Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Eight Killed in Texas Mass Shooting; Ukraine Says It Shot Down Hypersonic Missile; Coronation of King Charles III; Police Release 911 Call From Atlanta Shooting; Security Guard Killed in Serbia School Shooting Laid to Rest; Sudan's Warring Factions Gather in Jeddah; Turkey Moving Embassy After Ambassador Comes Under Fire; Sweden Summons Iranian Ambassador After Execution; Spanish Drought; Fires Rage in Canadian Province as Emergency Is Declared; Dabbawalas and the King; Mage Wins 149th "Run for the Roses"; Coronation Flypast Scaled Down Due to Bad Weather; Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Has Its Day; New York Cyclists Seek Help From Above. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired May 07, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:26]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton, the head right here on CNN Newsroom, another mass shooting in America. This time in Texas, we're at least eight people are dead. After a gunman opened fire in a shopping mall, a new weapon enters the battlefield in Ukraine, the country saying it used an American made patriot system to take down a Russian missile, flying 10 times the speed of sound, plus a celebration fit.

Yes, for a King Charles III crowned in a ceremony full of pump and pageantry. We'll have a look at the highlights and break down the celebrations yet to come.

VOICE OVER: Live from CNN Center (ph). This is CNN Newsroom with Paula Newton.

NEWTON: And we do begin in Texas where eight people have been killed in the latest smash shooting in America. Authorities say a gunman opened fire at an outlet mall near Dallas on Saturday and how it happened as dozens of people you can imagine, they were just out shopping for the day. One witness filmed the horrifying scenes from the rampage, which we warn, knew may be difficult to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOMAN: Why did you get the car you?

MAN: I'm here --

NEWTON: See it there, right? People running. Safety as gunfire rings out in the background. Another witness described the moment he first heard the gunshots and what he did to make it out alive. WITNESS: My mom and I were in Johnson and Murphy shopping, and out of nowhere heard about like 10 pops go off and I look at the customer next to me.

I was like, was that gunshots? And he was like, no, it's probably just construction or something. And then like, heard 10, 15 more shots go off. And so I ran to the front of the store and we're like, no, that's shooting. And we see the guy, there's this guy dressed in all black, wearing a vest, has an assault rifle, and he's just shooting at people.

Right across, he was at like Francesca's area, shooting at people. So, we got everyone in the store into the back of the store and just camped out there.

NEWTON: Sheer terror. Police say the gunman was killed by an officer who just happened to be on the scene. CNN has obtained this photo of what appears to be the shooter lying on the ground with an AR-15 style weapon nearby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, authorities also say the gunman wounded several people, some of whom are now in hospital in critical conditions. CNN's Ed Lavandera was on the scene and reports for us.

ED LAVANDERA, SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT:This is the site of the horrific shooting at the Outlet Mall in Allen, Texas where authorities have announced that there are eight victims in all.

Six of those victims died here at the scene. Two of the victims were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Now, there are also, we are told seven other victims that are being treated for wounds that were suffered here in this shooting attack at this outlet mall. Three of those patients are in critical conditions, so many people still fighting for their lives.

It was an extremely chaotic situation. As the shooting scene unfolded here just before four o'clock central time on Saturday afternoon, we were told by witnesses that there was what they believed to be the gunman, a man dressed and covered. We saw a picture of this with covered in tactical gear with ammunition on a body vest.

As well as an AR style assault rifle laying on the ground next to him. So that is someone that was witnessed the end of this shooting. And what is interesting is is that we were told that many of the victims that were killed or were just beyond the lights that you see behind me near the H&M store, and from what we've been able to gather and piece together from speaking with witnesses, the area where the gunman was taken out was around the corner, some distance away in this large outlet mall shopping center parking lot.

So it's not exactly clear how much time elapsed from the initial moment of the shooting to when it all ended. We were told by authorities here that it was an Allen, Texas police officer who was able to take out the shooter and bring the shooting attack to an end, but much more beyond that we don't know.

[02:05:00]

We don't know if investigators so far have been able to identify who the gunman is or what the motive might be in this situation. Many of the witnesses we spoke with say in those initial moments when the shots started firing, many people ran, took cover inside the department, stores seeking shelter and hiding places in the storage areas in the back.

And for many people it took almost two hours for law enforcement investigators to come through the scene and clear out of those areas, letting them know it was at that moment okay to be able to come out.

They were escorted out of the buildings with their arms in the air and out of the parking lot area here. So, on Sunday investigators will continue working this crime scene, continue looking into the motive and the background of this shooter. And that is what they will be doing for some time.

But as of now, the latest information that we have is that there were eight victims in all, not including the gunman. And three people still in critical condition fighting for their lives. Ed Lavandera, CNN Allen, Texas.

NEWTON: Joining me now is Isabella Volmert. She is a reporter at the Dallas Morning News, and I thank you for joining us on what is, again, another shocking tragedy.

What more are you learning, you know, given the people that you've been able to speak with in the last few hours?

ISABELLA VOLMERT, REPORTER, DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me on. It's been a long day. We're still learning things about the victims. We haven't heard anything as far as names or identities yet. We only have just received confirmation about how many people were killed in this attack just a couple of hours ago.

So far, information from authorities has been fairly limited throughout the day.

NEWTON: You know, that's one of the shocking things. We had the press conference and there wasn't much released, including, we didn't know the identity of the shooter at this point. How can you really at this point understand what happened?

I mean, when we saw the aerial videos, this wasn't the normal kind of mall, it was an outdoor mall, and so you wouldn't expect this kind of place to have much security, right?

VOLMERT: Well, I'm not sure on that regard, but I can say that what we have learned from this shooting throughout the day has been very largely from people at the scene.

There were many, many witnesses there, there was many people who were affected there that day. We heard that there was about 500 people waiting outside of the mall after the shooting this afternoon. And we talked to many people there about what they saw and what they saw of the gunman when he arrived at the mall.

NEWTON: And what did they describe to you? What did they see?

VOLMERT: Several people said they saw the gunman himself. We heard from one person who was very close to the shooting. And from there it was chaos. People were running, people were scared. And afterwards people waited a long time to be reunited and people waited a long time for any official word as well.

NEWTON: I mean, what do you think is most shocking about this? Because as I said, this isn't a place where anyone would expect this kind of a shooting to happen. And from what witnesses said, this was a suspect that turned up at this mall intending to murder people.

VOLMERT: Yeah. So, what we saw from people who were at the mall when our reporters were out there talking to them, a lot of people expressed that they were upset that this had happened to them as it has happened to many other people in the United States.

There's been a way, there has been, you know, recent gun violence in the United States and with just another mass shooting, a lot of people were quite upset to see it helping (ph) to themselves, upset to see their kids go through it.

And people were traumatized by it. That's what we heard from people who are at the mall today.

NEWTON: And yet it's a fact just statistically that mass shootings are a way of life right now in the United States, you know, Texas is a place that really values its gun rights. Have you detect any movement in the state whatsoever, or do you think this will change anything?

VOLMERT: It's hard to say. Texas has been unfortunately the place where many mass shootings has been happened in the past five to 10 years. Obviously the one year anniversary of Uvalde shooting is coming up. It's fresh in the minds of every Texan since then. Also since the recent killing of five people, I believe in San Antonio a couple of weeks ago with the family.

Gun violence is, it happens a lot here. It's common on many different levels and we will see what happens in the next coming days as lawmakers and other people will be responding to the shooting.

NEWTON: And when you talk to people though, who as you said, are already traumatized by this, is there a a sense that if this could happen in Allen, Texas, that really they're dealing with something else?

We heard from some people, of course, at the mall who were saying, well, I'll have to consider going to the mall.

[02:10:00] NEWTON: Well, if you're going to reconsider going to the mall, you pretty much have to reconsider everything in your day, daily life in terms of it being safe.

VOLMERT: Yeah. Absolutely. Mm-hmm. And we heard that exact same thing.

Some people said, you know, if it can happen today, I'm pretty sure exactly what from someone is, if it can happen today, it can happen tomorrow. And you know, again, Texas has unfortunately seen mass shootings in worship spaces, in schools, malls now, Walmarts. It's tragic, it's traumatic, and really sad to see it happen once again.

NEWTON: Yeah. Difficult for everyone involved and as police said, there happened to be a police officer there. And thank goodness because likely ended the situation much more quickly than otherwise would've happened. Isabella Volmert with the Dallas Morning News. Thanks so much. Really appreciate it.

VOLMERT: Thank you.

NEWTON: Moscow is blaming Ukraine and several western nations for an apparent attack on a pro-Kremlin military blogger about 400 kilometers east of Moscow. A Russian and state news agency says Zakhar Prilepin was wounded after his car was hit by a roadside bomb on Saturday. Now investigators say they later arrested a suspect who reportedly confessed he received his orders from Ukraine.

The Ukrainian security service is neither confirming nor denying its involvement in the blast east of Moscow. Prilepin has a telegram channel with some 300,000 followers. Another pro-Kremlin blogger was killed in an explosion in St. Petersburg last month, but Ukraine has denied any role in that attack.

Now in meantime, a Russian mercenary leader is laying the groundwork for his possible pullout from Bakhmut. Wagner Boss Prigozhin said his troops would withdraw by Wednesday because of a lack of ammunition. Now the move could potentially leave an opening for Ukrainian forces, but Prigozhin says Wagner will hand over their positions to the forces of this man.

Notorious Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. He's an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has his own battalion in Bakhmut. Kadyrov says he's ready.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAMZAN KADYROV, CHECHEN LEADER: I have also written a letter to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief that we are ready to take over Bakhmut. We'll be very pleased to take over the territory remaining there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: But Ukrainian military officials say they're calling Prigozhin's bluff. They've released this video saying it shows incendiary weapons raining down on Bakhmut Friday. The footage could contradict the claim that Wagner is running low on ammunition. Meanwhile, Ukraine says its Patriot air defense system has gone head- to-head with a Russian high-tech missile.

Ukraine obtained the U.S. made weapon to protected skies, and as Sam Kiley reports now, the Patriots have reportedly delivered what Kyiv calls a slap in the face for Russia.

SAM KILEY, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Ukrainians are claiming to have made a very significant breakthrough in the realm of aerial defenses with what they say is the downing of a hypersonic Kinzhal missile fired from run inside Russian territory against the capitol here in Kyiv.

In the last few days, they say it was knocked out of the sky by a U.S. made patriot missile. Now, the country here in Ukraine only has one battery of patriot missiles, and the missiles themselves were assumed to be incapable of hitting a hypersonic missile, a missile that travels many times the speed of sound and is, was assumed to be simply too fast for these batteries.

Now, by confirming this kill, as it were of an incoming missile, this is a major boon to the morale of the Ukrainians. But when they get up to full capacity, they will only have its understood two batteries of Patriots, one from Germany and the other from the United States.

They are saying that they desperately need more aerial defensives, particularly after the recent attacks that have been focused very heavily on kyiv and in anticipation of what is likely to be a Ukrainian summer offensive against a Russian positions in which control of the airspace is going to be absolutely critical.

So they are continuing to demand or beg the international community for more of these air defenses, and at the same time continuing to fight very, very bitterly on that Eastern front. Around Bakhmut where the leader of the Wagner mercenary group Prigozhin has said that he will be pulling his troops out on May the 10th because in his words, they're being starved of the amount of ammunition they need in order to preserve their lives.

He claims that they're close to capturing the city and that he'll be handing over operations there to Chechen fighters under the Russian or flag effectively under the Russian Ministry of Defense, a very dramatic development in his ongoing complaints about the conduct of this war by the Ministry of Defense and the generals under Putin.

[02:15:08]

KILEY: Sam Kiley, CNN in Kyiv.

NEWTON: Dozens of prisoners of war have been returned to Ukraine. Meantime, among them, 42 men and three women in the parent prisoner swap.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Ukraine's presidential office announced on social media Saturday that those released include included privates, sergeants, and 10 officers. They've been described as defenders of Azovstal. Apparently referring to the steel plant in Mariupol, which came under Russian attack, reuters (ph) reports that three pilots had been returned to Russia. That's according to their defense ministry.

So it was in fact, you bet a once in a lifetime event. Tens of thousands lined the streets for the coronation of King Charles III with all the pomp, processions, and pageantry details after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:19:56]

NEWTON: Festiv is marking the coronation of King Charles III continue Sunday after a day long celebration packed with pomp, pageantry, and plenty of history. The Archbishop of Canterbury placed the 360-year old St. Edwards crown on the King's head at Westminster Abbey Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN WELBY, MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS OF THE U.K.: God Save the King.

CONGREGATION: God Save the King.

NEWTON: After the ceremony, King Charles and Queen Camilla rode back to Buckingham Palace in a golden coach drawn by six horses. And despite the rain, you knew it was going to rain, didn't you? Massive crowds line the streets to greet them and to witness the next iconic moment at the palace.

The balcony appearance by the king and queen and members of the royal family. Now noticeably absent Prince Harry but the whole thing, it was a long wait for Royal Watchers, but one woman told CNN's Scott McClain, it was worth that way.

SCOTT MCLEAN, INTERNATION CORRESPONDENT: Wait all day?

WOMAN: Oh, every minute. Definitely, two days.

MCLEAN: You waited for two days?

WOMAN: Yeah, it's great.

MCLEAN: Outside?

WOMAN: Yes.

MCLEAN: You camped?

WOMAN: Well, I sat in a (ph) chair. Yeah, fabulous.

MCLEAN: What was it worth? It?

WOMAN: Absolutely every second.

MCLEAN: Why? WOMAN: Yeah. Because it's such an important part of history and the atmosphere and the pageantry and the goodwill of the crowd can't be seen anywhere else in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, not everyone was rejoicing as the historic crowning got underway.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: Not my king, not my king, not my king.

NEWTON: When police arrested dozens of anti-monarchy protestors ahead of the coronation for a variety of offenses. Police have faced criticism for what it calls robust approach towards demonstrators. During the momentous event, let's say they have a duty to intervene when protest becomes criminal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Joining me now from London is Emily Nash, CNN, Royal commentator and Royal editor at Hello Magazine. Good to see you as we try and digest what we saw historically on Saturday. I have to start though, with the fact that even Royal Watchers would admit, right? The whole thing kind of seemed a little bit out of place for this century anyway, King Charles likely the kind of man he is, he realizes that himself.

So how does he build a modern monarchy?

EMILY NASH, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Well, you're absolutely right. Some of the tradition that we watched yesterday does, did seem very archaic, but that is the actual nature of the ceremony itself, and it draws this thread throughout British history, but I think the key is painfully aware of the need to stay relevant and modern.

And it's interesting to see what he's done in his day-to-day duties before this coronation, following this coronation. You know, he's visiting refugees, he's visiting food banks. He is tapping into issues that really impact on people's lives here. So for all this moment of pomp and splendor, one for the history books, I think we need to judge him more by his day-to-day activities.

NEWTON: You know, and judge, he will be judged. Now, while it wasn't the king, obviously it was police, one of the protest leaders was released and he said on social media it was Graham Smith, that the monarchy is supposed to defend freedom. He says, in terms of being arrested, he's saying our freedoms are now under attack in the name of King Charles.

I mean, you know, he's going to get more criticism like that in the months and years to come. How does he kind of counteract that? Because some people would say, look, whether it's for financial or historical reasons, a monarchy has no place in the 21st century.

NASH: Well, I think you know, you are absolutely right.

The monarchy is there by the goodwill of the people. You know, at the moment the Republic movement in this country is small, but it is a vocal minority. And events like yesterday where we saw people being arrested, ahead of what, you know, they said was going to be a peaceful protest, are obviously concerning to people.

That being said, I think that, you know, the focus on the day was crowd safety. There was some discussion about concerns over whether the horses might have been spooked by noisy alarms being set off as part of the demonstration. It's something that's going to be unpicked over the coming days, I'm sure.

But, you know, the, the king is a realist. He understands that people do have objections to the way things are done, and I do think we'll see the monarchy evolve over the coming years. You know, certainly access to the palaces, access to all this property that they own. I think will change and we are seeing already the slim down monarchy in practice.

You know, Prince Harry has departed. There are lots of older working members of the royal family who will be retiring in the coming months and years. I do think we will see a sleeker operation in future to justify their role.

[02:25:02]

NEWTON: Yeah, he certainly has been quite conscious of that in terms of making a monarchy that is fit for the times.

Also, I have to ask you, King Charles has spoken about a new relationship that, you know, he acknowledges the harm from colonization and that he wants now a restorative partnership with indigenous peoples all over the world. In fact, whether it has to do with trying to right the wrongs of colonialism or having that new partnership with the indigenous peoples.

How do you think he will actually operationalize that now? Because you know, he has to do more than pay lip service to it.

NASH: You're absolutely right. I mean, it's a very, very complicated process and actually it's one that ultimately the British government will be responsible for. But just the fact I think that the King is open to these discussions.

We know recently he authorized a study into the royal family's links to the slave trade historically. We know he has built up these very strong relationships with First Nations, communities in places like Canada, Australia. It's something that he clearly is concerned about and, and wants to make, right, but it's going to take a lot of work, as you say, to get to a point where all sides will be happy.

NEWTON: Yeah, one of the Canadian leaders, indigenous leaders who met with him before the coronation put it well, said that our elders tell us that reconciliation can take, you know, a hundred cups of tea. And they said that was our first cup of tea with the King. I thought it was a great way to put it.

Indeed.

NASH: A very British way of tea, I think.

NEWTON: Exactly. Exactly. Emily Nash, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Now, here's a look at some of the events taking place today. No, the coronation festivities are not over. Thousands of street parties are expected to be held right across the U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will also be hosting a Coronation Big Lunch, which will be attended by U.S. First Lady Jill Biden.

Later in the day, a Coronation concert will be he held on the grounds of Windsor Castle and we'll have more coverage from historic Coronation ahead, including why that military flypast had to be scaled down. But first, Atlanta Police released one of the 911 calls from the Midtown shooting, and we will bring that to you moment.

Come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:40]

NEWTON: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I want to thank you for being with us. I'm Paula Newton, and you are watching CNN Newsroom. Now the city of Allen, Texas is mourning this hour after eight people were killed in another U.S. mass shooting. Authorities say a gunman open fire at an outlet mall on Saturday as dozens, if not hundreds of people were out shopping.

One witness filmed the horrifying scenes from the rampage, which we want to warn you. It's tough to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOMAN: Why did you get the car you?

NEWTON: You can clearly see people. You see them there running for safety as gunfire rings out in the background. Another survivor described the chaos and panic that he experienced.

WITNESS: And I saw two ladies rush towards me, and then one was like, someone's shooting, someone's shooting. And then right behind her on the other side, right in front of decay (ph) and (ph) white, so there's a guy with, he just had, he held his neck like this and he was like, blood just dripping down, you know?

And then we went inside, and then I was, I had like two feet in front of me when I go down, go down. So we all went down and then I had like three shots.

NEWTON: Now police say the gunman was killed by an officer who happened to be on the scene. CNN has obtained this photo of what appears to be the shooter lying on the ground with an AR-15 style weapon nearby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Earlier, my colleague Michael Holmes spoke with former Washington DC police chief and CNN law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey. He explained just how devastating weapons such as the one used in Saturday shooting can be.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES RAMSEY, FORMER WASHINGTON, DC POLICE CHIEF: In a matter of seconds, in a matter of minutes. You can have multiple casualties if someone is using an assault type weapon, especially in a place like a shopping mall on a Saturday afternoon.

I mean, it is just ridiculous that we have these kinds of weapons in our country available for civilian use, and our elected officials fail to do anything about it. I mean, there's no need for them. There needs to be a ban on these weapons. And people who already have them, they need to turn him in or at a very minimum, registered firearm.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, because, yeah then there are images out there of the shooter, his body and the weapon, and it is an assault style weapon with what looks to be an extended magazine and multiple magazines on his body. The thing is that it's a, here we go again, situation. The question always is, you know, what can be done when powerful forces oppose meaningful change in gun laws, such as the weapons we're talking about?

RAMSEY: Well, until we get elected officials that aren't afraid to sit down and at least have dialogue to try to come up with a solution, and solutions are there. It may not be perfect for either side, but we have to do something other than just give thoughts and prayers. I mean, if thoughts and prayers worked by themselves, we'd be the safest nation in the world, but obviously more than that has to happen, and we need elected officials that have the courage to stand up.

And do what they have to do in order to protect us. Because right now, I mean, you can't go to the mall, schools aren't safe, churches, there's not a place that I can think of where we haven't had a mass shooting.

HOLMES: Yeah.

RAMSEY: So when is it going to end? There's just no end in sight. It's gonna continue until something's done about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now Atlanta police have released one of the 911 calls from Wednesday's mass shooting. There it paints a picture of the scene at a medical facility where one woman was killed and four others wounded. CNN's Isabelle Rosales has those details.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police are still combing through these 911 calls and plan to release more of them once they're done with that process.

But listen, this one 911 call from it, we get a real sense of this scary and very serious situation unfolding within the hospital. A place that anyone would have an expectation that they are safe within. Instead, what we saw was an eruption of chaos and violence. Listen now to what appears to be a worker talking to a 911 operator describing what they are seeing and hearing.

CALLER: We hear gunshots in the hall. One of the doctors that he see - he think he sees someone on the floor by the elevators on the 11th floor, but it's definitely loud.

[02:35:07]

911 DISPATCHER: Are they still shooting?

CALLER: We don't - they're not shooting at this moment, but there were several shots that we heard.

911 DISPATCHER: Okay.

ROSALES: And the suspect is named Deion Patterson.

His mother, according to a high level source within the Atlanta Police Department, told investigators that her son was seeking treatment there at the hospital because he was dissatisfied (ph) with the service that he was getting from the VA. But then according to a CNN affiliate, WSB, that mother told them that at some point her son got angry after doctors refused to give him anti-anxiety medication.

And that is when he pulled out a gun and started shooting. What ensued was an eight hour manhunt. Technology played a critical role here with a system of cameras capturing footage of the truck that the suspect had stolen, and then tracking it over into Cobb County about 15 miles away.

Officers then rushed to the scene over there, then came barking dogs, a resident within a condo complex there, heard those dogs and was worried that perhaps the suspect was hiding in the pool area. That is when she alerted officers and eventually he was confronted and captured, listen now to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

He is calling for change, gun reform change in response to this shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRE DICKENS, ATLANTA, GEORGIA MAYOR: This cannot be the new normal. We know the common sense gun laws that we should have. Universal background checks should be just adopted and established as a norm. We should not allow convicted felons to have the ability to buy guns.

And violent misdemeanors. Anyone that's mentally unstable, we should disallow them to have access to guns as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROSALES: Altogether, four women were injured in this shooting, one was killed. Her name was Amy St. Pierre, 38 years old, she worked for the CDC. Family called her a loving wife, and a mother, a devoted mother of two.

What we have heard at last check from Grady Health System is that two of the injured are in critical condition. Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta.

NEWTON: Funerals have begun in Serbia after two mass shootings this week. Services were held Saturday for a security guard killed along with eight children. When a gunman went on a rampage in a school in the capitol, Belgrade. Police say a 13-year old is in custody and undergoing psychiatric assessment.

A day later, eight more people were killed in separate shootings. In villages south of the capitol, the country has declared three days of mourning and there's anger and sadness right across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAN: I think there is no such thing as a more painful feeling than this. How can anyone feel? Really enraged, enraged, saddened, but mostly enraged.

MAN: I don't remember a sadder (ph) Belgrade. I remember the NATO bombings and other things, but the city has never been sadder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now a glimmer of hope hangs over Sudan at this hour. As representatives of the two warring factions went to Saudi Arabia reportedly for face-to-face talks there. Now, prominent Saudi diplomats tweets Saturday morning suggested that representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the rapid support forces had arrived in Jeddah.

But so far there's no confirmation a meeting has taken place. Now, suppose ceasefire is underway in the country, but people on the ground in the country told CNN earlier that rapid support forces were trying to take control of strategically located hospitals to use them as bases. Previous truces have collapsed since fighting began there three weeks ago.

Meantime, Turkey says it's moving its embassy in Sudan because of security concerns. The Turkish Foreign Minister says the move from Khartoum to Port Sudan is temporary but necessary after the car of Turkey's Ambassador was fired on in the Sudanese capitol. Iran has executed a dual Swedish-Iranian citizen, and Sweden is furious about it.

A media outlet affiliated with Iran's government says Iran, on Saturday put to death Habib Chaab. It accused him of being the leader of a separatist group responsible for the shooting attack on a military parade in 2018 that killed 29 people. Sweden staunchly opposes the death penalty and summoned Iran's ambassador to complain. Okay, just ahead for us. Spain is struggling through a summer like heat wave and persistent drought, which is drying up reservoirs and putting livelihoods of many farmers at risk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:42:40]

NEWTON: More than a hundred wildfires are burning in Western Canada where the state of emergency declared right across the province of Alberta. Now more than 24,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as Alberta has been experiencing a hot dry spring. Officials say dozens of the fires at this hour remain out of control, and already it has scorched 300,000 acres, and that's more than 460 square miles.

Now, good news here, cooler weather is on the way and could offer some relief to firefighters. Now, the hot weather also triggered a faster snow melt triggering floods in neighboring British Columbia. So far, there are no reports, thankfully of any death. Now Spain has sweltered through a summer like heat wave recently with some areas shattering their high or record highs for April.

Now, there's also a nationwide drought after three straight years of below average rainfall. Reservoirs are drying up and farmers are suffering as CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: From afar, even a natural disaster can look majestic. But up close, the full impact of the global climate emergency is clear to see. This is the Sau Reservoir near Barcelona. Normally one of the largest bodies of fresh water in this part of Spain, but months of drought and the water levels are so low and entire medieval village, usually underwater, has come to light.

The folks here say, normally you'd barely be able to see even the tip of the medieval church because it would be almost fully submerged. But now as you can see, the church is very much on land and the authorities here fear things will get much worse once the summer's heat really sets in. The Sau Reservoir is already at less than 10% capacity, and that's causing hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland to dry up.

All of this wheat is probably lost. Farmer Santi Caudevilla shows me why. The grain should be milky. He said we're in a critical moment. If it doesn't rain, this will end up empty. We should be seeing the grain come up to here, but it's only like this. If it doesn't rain in the coming week, the crop will be zero.

[02:45:00]

PLEITGEN: But there is no rain in sight, and temperatures in Spain have skyrocketed. Scientists at the Institute of AgriFood Research and Technology are trying to find ways to make very little water go along their way. Chief Scientist, Joan Girona, says, efficiency to be maximized.

JOAN GIRONA GOMIS, RESEARCHER, IRTA: But it's our goal, how taking the most of our waterdrop (ph) of water.

PLEITGEN: Just like the crops, the people in this area are also in survival mode. Dozens of towns are without water and need to get it trucked in.

The village Castellcir hasn't had any for about a year, and residents say they can't even remember the last time it rained. I don't recall, Juan tells me, it's been a long time, a year or more without proper rain. Nothing. This region of Spain is a bread basket for all of Europe. And while the authorities say they're building desalination plants to combat the water crisis, the head of the region's water authority says life here might change dramatically soon.

SAMUEL REYES, DIRECTOR, CATALAN WATER AGENCY: Sometimes I think about the capacity of the territory. I mean, is this a handle with the increase of citizens, tourist industry, farmers, agriculture? Or we should stop?

PLEITGEN: And that point might be closer than some believe. Back at the Sau Reservoir, authorities are actually draining most of the remaining water to prevent this precious and ever scarce resource from getting contaminated by the sludge at the bottom of this once mighty lake.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Barcelona, Spain.

NEWTON: When we continue, we'll tell you about the friendship between the Dabbawalas who deliver food in India and the man who is now king.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:50:46]

NEWTON: Mage has won the 149th Kentucky Derby beating out the second place horse Two Phils. But the classic race was overshadowed by several horses, including a favorite dropping out of the the competition and by the deaths of two more horses at the historic Churchill Downs Track. CNN's Patrick Snell has our report.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, the Run for the Roses is always one of the biggest days on the U.S. sports calendar, but the buildup to this year's Kentucky Derby. Well and truly overshadow though two more horses. Chloe's Dream and Freezing Point, having to be put down. Following races that were held earlier in the day on Saturday.

Now, PETA, that's People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, putting out a statement saying Churchill Downs is a killing field. Freezing Point is the latest casualty. He's the second horse to die today at the track, making it an appalling seven deaths in advance of the Kentucky Derby. They should play taps at the Derby instead of my old Kentucky home.

Two of the horses that died earlier in the week were trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. He was suspended and the horse he was training for the Derby Lord Miles being pulled from the race. Saffie says he's been made out to be a scapegoat and did nothing wrong. Five horses had to drop out to Saturday's race. The latest was Forte who began the morning as the betting favorite.

He injured his foot in training on Thursday. Well, that meant 18 horses started the first leg of horse racing's coveted triple crown and a thrilling race it would be. In this, the 149th edition of the Derby, a close sport contest, seeing Mage with a stunning late surge to seal, a famous victory. The three-year-old chestnut cult ridden by Venezuelan jockey Javier Castellano edging out Two Phils who finished in second place and Angel of Empire who finished in third.

This in front of the over 150,000 fans in attendance. Mage will now have a chance to continue the chase for the elusive triple crown at the Preakness Stakes later on this month. The third leg is at the Belmont Stakes in June. Well, in the end, a win to save it for Mage, albeit one that now caps off.

A sad and indeed really troubling week at Historic Churchill Downs. Back to you.

NEWTON: We're turning now to our coronation coverage. The weather played spoiled sport on King Charles historic day, but I love this shot, by the way, a scheduled military fly pass over Buckingham Palace to celebrate the coronation had to be scaled down due to the bad weather. It only lasted two and a half minutes instead of the planned six minutes.

The display consisted of helicopters and the colorful, colorful red arrows instead of other military formations. But look at it. Still pretty good, wasn't it? Two and a half minutes been well worth it. I love that shot prior to. Now what some may see is an unlikely friendship between the man who would be king and the people who deliver lunch.

A cross-cultural relationship leading to an invitation to the coronation, Vedika Sud reports from New Delhi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VEDIKA SUD, REPORTER: One of the many celebrations across the globe marking the coronation of his majesty, King Charles III.

WELBY: God Save the King.

CONGREGATION: God Save the King.

SUD: These are Mumbai's, Dabbawalas, long before Uber Eats, they've been delivering hundreds of thousands of lunch boxes or dabas on foot and by bike in one of the world's busiest cities for over 120 years.

A 2010 study by the Harvard Business School graded them Six Sigma, which means they have a 99.9% efficiency rate. The first brush with British royalty came in 2003 when the then Prince Charles met the during a royal tour of India and was left impressed by their work. Since then, they formed a close association with the royal family.

They were invited to King Charles's wedding to Queen Camilla Parker Bowles in London in 2005.

[02:55:00]

VISHNU KALDOKE, SPOKESPERSON, MUMBAI DABBAWALA ASSOC.: The Dabbawalas have good relations with the Royal Family, so keeping this in mind, Prince Charles is going to be crowned as the King of Britain after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. So we are very happy. We thought of giving him gifts on May the sixth, the day of his coronation.

We are giving him a turban and shawl of the work community.

SUD: And they were invited to his coronation. They weren't able to attend, but earlier this week they were out picking presents. On Tuesday, members of the Mumbai Dabbawalas Association presented a turban and a shawl for his majesty at an event at the British Consulate.

A small gesture for a King they see as a friend, Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.

NEWTON: Now while Saturday was an historic day, obviously for King Charles III, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, I've known a few, also had its day. The small dogs are named after the president -- the president, pardon me, King's Ancestor, King Charles II. The American Kennel Club says while they are aristocrats, the dogs gladly descend from their royal high horse for a backyard frolic, or even a squirrel chase plus the King Charles Spaniels get along well with other dogs and key (ph) here with kids.

So cute, aren't they? Finally this hour.

An annual tradition in New York City, the blessing of the bike cyclists rolled into the Cathedral of St. John. The divine praying for the protection from above while they cruise the streets below the ceremony is in its 25th year. When attendee said, since the pandemic, it seems motorists are driving faster and more aggressively putting the lives of bikers at risk.

Cyclists hope the blessing will ensure safe travels while remembering those who lost their lives on the streets of New York, and we could all drive a lot more carefully. It's a good reminder. Thanks everyone for watching. This is CNN Newsroom. I'm Paula Newton.

Stay with us. I'll be right back with more news in the morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00]