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Uvalde Marks Two Years Since 21 Killed At Robb Elementary; American Gets A One-Year Suspended Sentence For Taking Ammo To Turks And Caicos, To Be Freed Soon; Retailers Doing Sophisticated Work To Fight Theft. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired May 24, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: It's been two years since a gunman took the lives of 19 children and two teachers inside of Robb Elementary School classroom in Uvalde, Texas. Memorial events are planned throughout the day, including a gun violence awareness demonstration by Arnulfo Reyes, one of the survivors. Reyes will stand with one hundred orange flags in the main plaza for 77 minutes. You're seeing some of the video right there of some of the markings for the victims in -- a lot of this obviously, is hitting very close to home for the people in Uvalde.

And I want to bring in Oscar Orona. His son was shot but survived on that terrible tragic day. Oscar, I just -- our hearts go out to you even though it's been two years. I know how painful it must be for all of you but it's so painful for so many Americans around the country after what took place in Uvalde, in the fact that you're still fighting for accountability in your community.

First of all, though, how's your son doing? And I know his recovery has been difficult. Can you give us an update?

OSCAR ORONA, SON SURVIVED ROBB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING: Yes. First of all, thank you for having me. I appreciate that. He is progressing. He's not back at the level where he was before all of this started.

And I'm not sure if we'll ever have that version of Noah again but we are happy to have the version we have now. He's a lot quieter. He keeps a lot inside -- internalizes a lot.

But you know, by the sheer grace of God, he survived that horrific event. And we are moving forward. We take each day one day at a time. It is a cliche, but literally, that's how we live our lives. And we hope for the best and we move forward in God's name.

ACOSTA: Oscar, I mean, that breaks my heart when I hear you say that. And so, what you're -- it sounds like what you're saying is that it's the mental injuries that he's still grappling with from that day --

ORONA: Yes, he --

ACOSTA: Or we talked about physical injuries as well.

ORONA: No. It's more mental, although he does have a pretty vicious- looking scar on his shoulder that he's well aware of.

ACOSTA: Yes.

ORONA: And he does everything he can do to hide. But, you know, mentally, he's not the same young person -- a young man that he should be for a 12-year-old. He's very mature for his age, obviously, because of what he experienced and what he saw, and what he heard.

And, you know, we were doing the best that we can. And we have a very close-knit family, and a tremendous group of support -- you know, friends that help us. And you know, he -- we were hoping that at some point in time, you know, we'll see some semblance of what he used to be before all this happened.

ACOSTA: We're obviously pulling for Noah and for all of you. And the families, they're fighting for justice through the courts. We've been talking about this all morning long.

ORONA: Yes.

ACOSTA: There's been this two-million-dollar settlement with the city of Uvalde. But there's also this $500 million federal lawsuit filed against the officers. Can you talk a little bit about that? How might that get the community to some accountability?

ORONA: Well, I think you know, the community, despite its best efforts is somewhat divided, unfortunately. There's a faction that wants this to go away. They want you Uvalde to be remembered for something other than this horrific event.

But unfortunately, this has (INAUDIBLE) us not -- you know, psychologically, mentally, you name it. This thing is with us and will be with us for a while. Nobody forgets about these things, especially not the number of children that were affected -- the number of families that were affected.

And all we wanted from the get-go was some semblance of accountability, some transparency. We've not really received either one. And now, we'll leave it up to our attorneys to begin another phase of our fight as we continue our fight as well.

ACOSTA: And what does accountability look like? What does justice look like for you and the rest of the families -- or just for you, personally?

ORONA: For me, I would just like someone to say, you know while we botched this, we apologize. We did things wrong from the get-go, and -- you know. And it wasn't just for one single department. It was a group of law enforcement officers -- officials that were present that did nothing for a very long period of time.

[11:35:00]

One minute with an armed gunman is one minute too many. If you multiply that time 77, then you have a nightmare from hell --

ACOSTA: Yes.

ORONA: Which is what my son managed to somehow survive after being shot in the back. And we don't wish it on anyone. But by the same token, in order for the healing to begin, someone has to step forward and say, you know what, we did not handle this right.

We -- it is our fault. We should have done a better job. And until that happens, I don't think that you can even begin to talk about the healing process.

Costa: Yes. I can imagine -- I mean, how can you heal if you just can't hear those words that they're sorry, that they messed up, and they're not going to let it happen again? Doesn't seem like much but it should be said. Oscar Orona, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it. All our best for Noah.

ORONA: Thank you for your time.

ACOSTA: Thank you.

ORONA: Thank you so much.

ACOSTA: As we had to break, we want to remember the 19 students and two teachers killed at Robb Elementary School as the community comes together today. But also, the lasting memorials in their honor. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:41:01]

ACOSTA: Some breaking news to tell you about. An American charged with bringing ammunition into the Turks and Caicos was given a suspended sentence of one year and fined $6,700. Bryan Hagerich is expected to be released shortly.

He pleaded guilty to possession of 20 rounds of ammunition. Authorities found hunting ammunition that Hagerich said he'd forgotten about that it was in his bag following a recent trip. He was one of five Americans arrested in recent months in the Turks and Caicos on similar charges.

We'll keep you posted on any other developments that come out of this case. But this American getting a one-year suspended sentence. Some of these Americans facing up to 12 years in jail in the Turks and Caicos if they're convicted on similar charges. We'll keep you posted as all of this develops.

In the meantime, Russia is stepping up its attacks in the eastern part of Ukraine, at least seven people in Kharkiv have been killed after Russia pounded the city with missiles on Thursday. Ukrainian forces struggling to fight back as they wait for more U.S. aid to reach the battlefield. Let's discuss this with Democratic Congressman Jim Himes of Connecticut. He's the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, I do -- I do want to ask you about Ukraine. And just above it, we'll get to that. But I -- and I -- I'm not sure how much you've worked on this Turks and Caicos issue, but what's your response to this American getting a suspended sentence?

I know there's been a lot of congressional activity on this. A lot of your colleagues up on the Hill have been working on this. Your thoughts if you have any?

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): Well -- yes, Jim, not exactly my area of expertise.

ACOSTA: Yes.

HIMES: But inasmuch as I am an expert on this, my view is, if you're going to get on an airplane and go somewhere else, make sure there's no firearms and ammunition in your luggage. How hard is that, right?

ACOSTA: Yes.

HIMES: Now, I'm sure this somehow gets wrapped up in the whole gun debate. You know, obviously, anytime we have an American citizen who is in jeopardy abroad, we care about it. But come on, folks, make sure you don't have ammunition or firearms and stuff you're trying to move across international borders.

ACOSTA: All right, fair enough. Let me ask you about what's taking place in Ukraine right now with these Russian advances. You are the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee. How concerned should Americans be right now about whether or not the Russians are turning the tide there in Ukraine?

The Ukrainians have been waiting for a long time -- they have been waiting for a long time to get that aid from the U.S. and other countries. It's finally starting to trickle in. Your thoughts on that?

HIMES: Yes. Well, Jim, I mean, it's horrifying in the sense that we're seeing the effects now of the six-month unconscionable delay that the Congress took in providing the weapons that Ukraine needs to win this war. And, of course, you know, weapons can't magically appear on the Ukrainian battlefield overnight. So, while I'm delighted that the speaker finally did the right thing and we got the $60 billion in aid, we're in that period right now where an awful lot of aid is on its way. That doesn't do anything for Ukrainians on the front line.

Meanwhile, the Russians have sort of learned from their catastrophic mistakes of the early days. And so, they're getting better. The Chinese and the Indians continue to buy their energy. So, you know, their economy is doing just fine.

And so, what's the answer? The answer is we should never again let a gap in our aid to Ukraine appear. And as you probably know, Jim, I've been sort of part of a group of members of Congress who have been urging the White House to lift some of the strictures that exist on the use of American weapons. You know -- we and I understand that the president has to really factor in the possibility of what Russia could do if they were really losing.

ACOSTA: Yes.

HIMES: But the problem is, that's not a question right now because they're not really losing. So, I think we need to get more aggressive, both in terms of what we supply and the rules that we put on the use of the weapons that we send there.

ACOSTA: And I did want to ask you about former President Donald Trump and what he is -- he has been claiming within the last day or so that Russia will release the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich within 24 hours if he wins this November. Let's listen to that -- this and talk about it on the other side.

[11:45:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (R) AND CURRENT U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (R): I will get him out very fast. Hopefully, he'll be home before that. But if he's not, I'll have him out within 24 hours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because you're not negotiating.

TRUMP: No, I'm not going to pay anything for it. I'm not going to go get paid. Anybody can pay, but you can't pay.

Once you pay, you're going to have to pay for everybody. President Putin respects me and he's going to come out. He's going to come out within 24 hours.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Congressman, what's your response to that?

HIMES: So, Jim, the headline is that Donald Trump believes he can fix those all very difficult problems instantly. I -- not news, Jim. I am old enough to remember when Donald Trump said that he would build his wall from sea to shining sea and Mexico would pay for it. It didn't happen, right? So, look, you know, I think -- I think this is yet another example of Donald Trump's grandiose self-opinion, but you know, not a -- not a surprise.

ACOSTA: All right. Congressman Jim Himes, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.

HIMES: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Good to see you, sir. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:12]

ACOSTA: It's like shoplifting on steroids. Organized gangs of brazen thieves hitting big stores and cities across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Some of that video right there. Some major retailers though are fighting back by doing their own investigations with their own detectives. CNN's Kyung Lah has a CNN special investigation report.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, it's an unavoidable sight these days if you go shopping. Whether it be at a pharmacy or a big box retailer, you see a lot of the items that you want to buy behind Plexiglas are locked up. This is not just simple shoplifting. It is far more sophisticated.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (voiceover): A pre-dawn raid. Dozens of heavily armed deputies and investigators from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department surround a house. 12 people arrested.

An organized crime network, says law enforcement, is suspected of links to narcotics dealing and illegal gambling. At another location, Santa Clara County deputies recovered the fuel for this alleged criminal network.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tons of packaged goods. Some parts of the house looked like it was a store.

LAH (voiceover): Stolen from local businesses, but it is nothing like the shoplifting you've seen in the past. Brazen thieves recorded racing out with carts full of merchandise, even attacking store workers in the process.

SEAN BROWNE, SENIOR MANAGER OF ASSET PROTECTION, HOME DEPOT: This is not somebody who forgot to scan something at self-checkout or somebody who stole food. This is a large criminal organization with multiple factors.

LAH (voiceover): Sean Browne is not a cop. He works for Home Depot investigating organized retail crime. His job, a growing field in store chains as criminal organizations branch out from guns and drugs to stolen goods. A CNN review of court records and interviews of more than two dozen retail chains and law enforcement officials show that the private sector is not just helping the police, but often delivering the initial evidence that leads to search warrants.

BROWNE: A lot of times, local and state resources don't have the capacity to investigate these crimes at that scale.

LAH: And in comes you?

BROWNE: We try to full service the investigations.

LAH (voiceover): Home Depot gave us a glimpse of a model replicated by multiple major retailers across the U.S. This is their high-tech command center with electronic eyes on their stores throughout the country. Retailers have already moved beyond, searching for the thieves you see in viral videos to their bosses. They are the real targets known as the fences.

BROWNE: These ringleaders operate as the fence of this merchandise where they're converting it to cash, drugs, and other illicit items.

LAH: It sounds like you're talking about the mob.

BROWNE: It often is conflated with what would be considered mob activities. Bad actors will target specific merchandise usually directed by the ringleader. Almost like a shopping list.

LAH (voiceover): Store chains have the financial muscle to deploy high-tech tracking, like license plate readers and in-store monitors capturing the crime as it happens.

BROWNE: We use a lot of different investigative tactics and technologies to ensure that we can build the absolute best case for law enforcement and prosecutors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bad guys have the upper hand with respect to this issue.

LAH (voiceover): The sheer scale of organized store theft is so overwhelming. Members of Congress met with prosecutors and store chains looking for federal help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The organization and sophistication of these groups have grown exponentially in recent years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think organized retail crime is one of the biggest issues that is facing our local economy.

LAH: This entire aisle on this side is almost completely locked up.

BROWNE: Yes, not the way we would like to envision our rough electrical aisle for our customers, our pro contractors, but this is what your typical Home Depot looks like.

LAH (voiceover): Retail says Browne has already locked down their merchandise impacting the consumer from inconvenience to higher prices.

LAH: This? How would they get past this though?

BROWNE: We've had certain crews that have caught locks and cables and broken into some of the fixtures that we've built inside of our stores.

LAH (voiceover): What you see here is because the explosion of online shopping has made it easier than ever to move stolen merchandise. Sold to a consumer hunting for a deal.

BROWNE: 20 years ago, I needed a storefront in order to sell laundry detergent. Now, I can do it from my phone. LAH (voiceover): California has now put hundreds of millions of dollars towards combating this problem enabling law enforcement here in Santa Clara County to break up a major crime ring. Recovering $150,000 in stolen merchandise authorities say from six retailers.

[11:55:04]

LAH: How big of a heist was this?

BROWNE: This happens daily across stores. Even with all those measures that you got to see in the store, we're still impacted at this level.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (on camera): Local and state law enforcement as well as these national retailers want more intelligence sharing. So, they are all backing a proposed federal bill called the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. This bill would then set up an intelligence-sharing hub at the Department of Homeland Security. But this bill which does have bipartisan support, stalled in Congress, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Kyung Lah, thank you very much for that eye-opening report. And thank you for joining me here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta.

Stay with CNN. "INSIDE POLITICS" with Dana Bash starts after a short break. Have a great weekend, everybody.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)