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CNN International: Police Manhunt Ongoing After Gunman Kills 18 in Maine; IDF Carries Out Second Targeted Raid Inside Gaza; U.S. Strikes Facilities Linked to Iran in Eastern Syria. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired October 27, 2023 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, welcome to our viewers joining us in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Max Foster. Bianca off today. It is Friday, October the 27th, 9:00 a.m. here in London, 4:00 a.m. in Lewiston, Maine, where police are in their second night of hunting for the suspect in two back-to-back mass shootings that killed 18 people and wounded thirteen. Law enforcement descended on the suspect's last known address yesterday. And they'll be scouring other locations in the hours ahead.
Police are looking for this man, 40-year-old Robert Card. He's considered armed and dangerous. He's charged with multiple counts of murder. Officials are telling residents in the areas around Lewiston, Maine, to stay vigilant, remain inside and lock their doors as they search for Card. Tensions rose last evening when, for a time, it appeared the manhunt may have been ending, but it didn't. CNN's Brian Todd was on the scene as police surrounded. The suspects home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Starting at about 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time, when law enforcement assets just flooded the zone here and surrounded Robert Card's home behind me, about 250 yards behind me, with a lot of tactical vehicles, armored vehicles, personnel, air assets like drones and other things. They had a canine team here. They surrounded the house. At that point they came up to our cameras here at this position and said you've got to cut your camera lights off because the camera lights are creating a danger for law enforcement. So at that point we of course cut our lights off and we filmed for the next 2 1/2 hours in complete darkness, but we did get a pretty good view of everything that was going on.
At one point after we had turned our lights off and they had surrounded the house, they moved a tactical vehicle pretty close to the house. Then they moved a spotlight onto the house. At that point, they began kind of a one way dialogue and we were told later on that it was unknown if the suspect was in the house or not. But they began a one-way dialogue. A law enforcement officer on a loudspeaker was saying things like come out with your hands up. We don't want anyone else to get hurt. Please come out and follow our instructions. Walk to the front of the truck. Indicating there was some kind of a truck in the driveway. And he even spoke on a personal level, saying, we know this could be intimidating to you. We really just don't want anyone to get hurt. So please come out and talk to us.
That was a one-way dialogue. There was no indication that there was anyone on the other end conversing with them. But they did move around a lot. They positioned their -- again their drones, their spotlights all around the house, seemingly looking for something. So kind of a dramatic night out here and what they got out of it, we don't know.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Officials say the gunman first attacked a bowling alley and then a restaurant on Wednesday evening around 7:00 p.m. as people are enjoying a night out with family and friends. More now on how the shootings unfolded from CNN's Omar Jimenez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A multi-agency manhunt is underway for the suspect in two mass shootings in Maine.
JANET MILLS, MAINE GOVERNOR: I am profoundly saddened to stand before you today to report that 18 people lost their lives, and 13 people injured in last night's attack.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Both incidents happened Wednesday night in the town of Lewiston.
POLICE: We got multiple victims, I'm seeing multiple victims, I need every unit you can find.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): State police say the first call came in at 6:56 p.m., reporting a man shooting at the Just-in-Time Recreation which includes a bowling alley.
Then, at 7:08 p.m., the communications center received multiple 911 calls about an active shooter inside Schemengees Bar and Grille, about a ten-minute drive away from the bowling alley.
DISPATCHER: Respond to the town of Lewiston for two active shooter locations. Again, the town of Lewiston for active shooter incidents, all available units to Lewiston.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): At 8:06, police released photos of the shooter to the media.
COL. WILLIAM ROSS, MAINE STATE POLICE: The victims of the Just-in- Time's establishment, seven people are deceased there, one female and six males. Victims of the Schemengees's billiards, eight are deceased. Seven males inside the establishment, one male outside of the establishment.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Three other victims were pronounced dead at local hospitals. One man at the bowling alley, during the shooting says, he hid inside a bowling machine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Out of nowhere, he just came in, and there was a loud pop. I just booked it down the lane, and I slid basically into where the pins are and climbed up into the machine and was on top of the machine for about ten minutes until the cops got there.
[04:05:00]
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Megan Hutchinson tells CNN that she was inside the bowling alley with her ten-year-old daughter, Zoe, who was grazed by one of the bullets. She was injured, but not hospitalized.
ZOE LEVESQUE, WOUNDED IN SHOOTING: It's like shocking, something that you think would never happen. I never thought I would grow up and get a bullet in my leg. Why? Like why do people do this?
JIMENEZ (voice-over): At 9:26 p.m., Lewiston police received a call identifying the shooter as 40-year-old Robert Card, former Army reservist. By 9:56 p.m., investigators found Card's white Subaru hatchback near a boat launch in the nearby community of Lisbon, where authorities are now actively searching for him.
CHIEF RYAN MCGEE, LISBON POLICE DEPARTMENT: We had everything from people calling about, you know, noises in the basement, noises in the woods. Suspicious people, gunshots, all night long since the incident in Lewiston. We have a whole department working.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Now, an entire community is under lockdown, being told to shelter in place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very unnerving right now. Seeing the cops coming around there, that -- that makes me feel a million times better. In the situation like this, I wish I had a firearm.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Omar Jimenez, CNN, Lewiston, Maine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The Gun Violence Archive, which tracks shootings, says the rampage is the deadliest mass shooting of the year in the U.S. It says there have been more than 500 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year. The agency defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are shot or killed in a single event. You can see that 2021 is listed as the most violent year in the past decade, with 690 mass shootings in the U.S.
While the U.S. -- while the U.S. as a whole sees hundreds of incidents of gun violence, this is unusual for Maine. Senator Susan Collins says the death toll in Wednesday's attack is nearly as many murders as the state sees in a year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): Maine, I would point out, has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the country and has a long heritage of responsible gun ownership. It also had a very low rate of violence. What makes this crime so heinous is in a typical year Maine might have 22 murders. And last night we almost approached the number for the entire year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The mass shootings prompted a congressman from Maine to flip his position on the assault weapons ban. A Democratic Representative, Jared Golden, says he now supports the ban. Golden is from Lewiston, where the mass shooting occurred, and says he feels like he let down his community.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JARED GOLDEN (D-ME): The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure. Which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing in my hometown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, we're learning more about some of the people who lost their lives in the rampage in Maine. These are a few of the victims who've been identified so far. Arthur Stroud, a father of five children, was killed at the restaurant where he had been playing pool. 39-year-old Peyton Brewer-Ross celebrated his daughter's second birthday two weeks ago. 34-year-old Tommy Conrad was killed at the bowling alley where he was a manager. He leaves behind a nine-year-old daughter. Bryan MacFarlane was part of the local deaf community and usually went to the restaurant to play cornhole on Wednesdays. Joseph Walker was a manager of the restaurant. He was killed when he tried to stop the shooter from killing others. And 53-year-old Trisha Asselin worked part time at the bowling alley. She was killed as she tried to call 911.
Now the NHL's Boston Bruins held a moment of silence before their game on Thursday night in memory of the victims of the deadly shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our hearts are with each of the victims, their families, and all of those affected. As we stand with the Maine community, Lewiston is strong at this time. We ask that you please join us for a moment of silence and remembrance of the lives lost and in solidarity with the city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The Bruins wore -- the Bruins wore decals on their helmets with a blue outline of the state of Maine. The visiting team, the Anaheim Ducks, taped up their hockey sticks with blue tape. Players from both teams raise money for the victims' families by auctioning off signed hockey sticks. The Bruins hung a black jersey on the glass behind the home bench that read "Lewiston Strong" with the number 207. The area code for Maine.
Just ahead, we'll go live to Tel Aviv for the latest on the Israel Hamas war.
[04:10:00] And China's top diplomat is making the rounds in Washington. More on his meetings with top U.S. officials and one coming up with President Joe Biden as well -- just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Israel's military says it carried out its second targeted raid into Gaza in the past few days. This is part of the preparations for an eventual ground assault. According to the Israel Defence Forces, the new raid targeted Hamas infrastructure with strikes on buildings in open areas and Israeli troops later withdrew. The IDF announced on Thursday that limited ground raids will be carried out over the next few days.
The Israeli military also said that an air strike on Thursday killed a senior Hamas leader who was involved in planning the October 7th attacks. Israel claims its killed scores of senior Hamas leaders since the fighting began.
Amid the ongoing Israeli air strikes, EU leaders are appealing for safe corridors to deliver aid to Gaza, where basic necessities are in short supply. CNN's Rafael Romo covering us live for us from Tel Aviv. And we've had some new video -- Rafael.
[04:15:00]
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's correct. And Max, let me tell you, the Israel Defense Forces just confirmed that for a second night, they have conducted what they call targeted raids inside Gaza before withdrawing. This was the fourth raid that we know of into Gaza since the beginning of this war.
The Israeli military has published images, video about the raid, showing tanks and armored vehicles moving on a road near agricultural land. And those images also show strikes on buildings and open areas.
In a statement, the IDF said that this particular raid was meant to target Hamas infrastructure, including anti-tank missile launch sites, military command and control centers, as well as Hamas militants. In a televised news conference Thursday, an IDF spokesman said the Israel Defense Forces will continue ground raids into Gaza in the coming days to prepare for the next stage is in Israel's war and against Hamas.
The spokesman said the purpose of the Israel's ground operations is to kill Hamas militants, lay the foundations for an all-out invasion and neutralize explosive devices and reconnaissance posts.
And let me tell you, Max, we were in Ashkelon yesterday and we saw how Hamas continues to fire missiles into Israel. There were also several missiles here in Tel Aviv that were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome last night. As you know, the air defense system here -- Max.
FOSTER: Lots of pressure growing amongst Israeli allies calling for a pause in the fighting, if not a, you know, they're not going as far as obviously a formal ceasefire. But is there any suggestion that the Israelis will consider a pause at this time? ROMO: Yes, it doesn't seem very likely, Max. But as you were saying,
the international community continues to urge restraint. And during a meeting in Brussels Thursday, European Union leaders called for a pause in the Israel Hamas conflict to allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza. They would like to open humanitarian corridors, they say, and what they called a continued rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza.
It was interesting, though, that they stopped short of calling for a ceasefire, something that was previously ruled out by several European leaders. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said 12 aid trucks entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Thursday, carrying water, food, medicine and medical supplies. But no fuel, Max. That's very important. And the amount of aid has been previously described by UN officials as not a drop in the bucket, but a drop in the ocean. Considering that before the war, Max, about 100 trucks per day crossed into Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. Back to you.
FOSTER: Rafael Romo, thank you so much for joining us from Tel Aviv.
For a look at the big picture of the military situation in the region, we're joined by Mick Ryan, a retired general of the Australian Army. Thanks so much for joining us, Mick. You've seen the -- I don't know where Australia exactly stands on this, but certainly other allies are calling for a pause in the fighting because they can't ask for a ceasefire because that's got its language associated with it, hasn't it? But it doesn't sound like from Rafael that the Australians are even considering it at this time -- that the Israelis are even considering it.
MAJ. GEN, MICK RYAN, AUSTRALIAN ARMY (RET.): No, I don't think so. And they would be keen to press on with the air attacks as well as these militant raids into Gaza. I think the limited raids are interesting. They offer a different model for ground attacks into Gaza than a large-scale invasion which might inform Israeli decisions in the days ahead.
FOSTER: In terms of what you're seeing in the video -- we're getting from these raids. What do you think they're exactly doing?
RYAN: Well, these things will be conducted to gather intelligence. They'll be assessing the impact of the air attacks, and they'll be off also testing Hamas tactics. And as well as Israeli tactics. I mean, if the Israelis really come under a lot of pressure from the United States and Europe, these limited raids into Gaza might be a different approach that they select instead of a large-scale ground incursion. And we should remember, the more forces that the Israelis sending to Gaza, the more risk they're taking on their northern border and in the West Bank as well.
FOSTER: It does seem as though discussion seems to be moving to a -- towards a more limited incursion. I mean, how do you rate incursions? When's an incursion, an incursion when isn't one?
[04:20:00] RYAN: Well, an incursion is when they're not establishing a permanent or semi-permanent presence there. These raids are about 24 hours duration and they're withdrawn quickly, which means the Israelis don't have to defend themselves for long periods of time in a very difficult urban environment. So they do offer a different model for the Israelis going forward.
FOSTER: I wanted to just ask you as well, if I could, about events in Syria, just because it is inevitably speaking to this. Even though the Americans are being very clear that their sort of attacks on Iranian backed groups over the last 24 hours has nothing to do with what's happening around Israel. Israel wasn't even informed about it. But we are seeing Iranian backed groups firing at a U.S. base. And now the U.S. base effectively firing back.
RYAN: Yes, we've seen about a dozen attacks on U.S. forces that are based in the region and the Americans got and listen enough is enough. The Americans need to send a message that they won't accept these attacks. They want to deter further attacks. And I think quietly in the background, many countries in the region would not be displeased with the Americans taking out locations that are associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
FOSTER: How does it speak to the wider conflict, though? Because -- or the conflict between Hamas and Israel? Because inevitably what we're all concerned about is tensions rising across the region and both of these different conflicts play into that, don't they?
RYAN: Yes, I think the statement that was issued by the U.S. administration on these strikes, which was very, very carefully worded, gets to this tension, this high wire rope that the Americans are walking on to protect themselves. But not do something that escalates the situation in the wider region and flames publics and causes more instability in different countries in the region. They -- they've really got a very difficult tightrope to walk on at the moment.
FOSTER: And can I just ask you about the language around ceasefire pauses, lulls in the fighting. I mean, really, what is the difference? I understand this idea that the Allies have supported the idea that Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas and how a ceasefire, calling for a ceasefire might undermine that language. But lull -- calling for a lull or a pause in the fighting is effectively the same thing, isn't it?
RYAN: I think the effect on the ground would be similar. I mean, the Israelis may ease off on some of their attacks, but they're not going to want to have their hands tied behind their back and prosecuting this operation against Hamas. But at some point in time, provision of additional assistance to civilians in Gaza is going to be even more necessary than what it is now. And the Israelis will come under more pressure to allow that.
FOSTER: OK, Mick Ryan, as ever, thank you so much for joining us with your analysis. Let's get more on the U.S. air strikes against facilities in eastern
Syria then that are linked to Iran. The strikes followed a series of attacks on U.S. forces in the region. CNN's Oren Liebermann has the details on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. carried out air strikes in eastern Syria against two facilities used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups in a series of attacks we've seen over the course of the past week and half or so against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.
The Pentagon says two F-16 fighter jets use precision guided munitions to target these facilities. An ammo storage facility and a weapons storage facility. Officials say these facilities were used and assisted in this series of attacks we've seen. Since October 17th, the Pentagon says we've seen 19 attacks, drone attacks and rocket attacks against U.S. forces in these countries, resulting in more than 20 minor injuries and one U.S. civilian contractor who was killed as the result of a false alarm because of a belief of another one of these attacks.
Given the situation, the U.S. felt it had to respond. But the U.S. and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin were very clear in this warning, describing these as self-defense strikes that were narrowly targeted to protect U.S. forces. But also to send a message that there would be more strikes if the attacks on U.S. forces continued. And I'll read you a part of Austin's statement here. First, attributing these to Iran and pinning this on Iran.
Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them. If attacks by Iran's proxies against U.S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people. And then, these narrowly tailored strikes in self-defense were intended solely to protect and defend U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria.
We have already seen the U.S. bolster its force presence in the region because of a worry of escalation on the part of Iran's proxies, and that would be Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as these Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria.
[04:25:00]
The U.S. deploying and in the process of deploying 900 troops to the region, including a THAAD air defense battery and Patriot air defense systems. And that's on top of everything we've already seen the U.S. move to the region -- two carrier strike groups and amphibious ready group. All as a warning to Iran to stay out of this fight.
The question now, of course, did these air strikes and these targets on facilities used by Iran's IRGC and affiliated groups? Did that get the message and has deterrence been restored? Or does this continue? The U.S. trying very hard to make sure the conflict in Gaza does not spread to the wider region, even as we've seen anti-U.S. and anti- Israel protests across the Middle East.
Oren Liebermann, CNN at the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The search for the man suspected of the mass shootings in Maine continues into Friday, with law enforcement checking Robert Card's home hoping to find him and a positive motive as well. We're going to keep following that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Well, back to our top story this hour, a community on edge as an intensive manhunt is underway in the U.S. state of Maine. An arrest warrant has been issued for Robert Card, the suspect in a shooting rampage that left 18 people dead and 13 injured. He's considered to be armed and dangerous. People in several counties have been asked to shelter in place, multiple schools and colleges remain closed. The motive for the shooting is unclear, but law enforcement sources say Card recently broke up with ...
