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CNN This Morning

IDF Conducts Raid on Gaza; Mass Shooting in Maine; Judy Meyer is Interviewed about the Maine Shooting; Shelter in Place Expands; Manhunt Continues in Maine. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 26, 2023 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Movements on the ground overnight. And I'm wondering how significant that was, especially in the context of what we just heard the prime minister day.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Very significant, Poppy. And, in fact, in this war, the most significant assault on Gaza thus far. In fact, it may be the most significant ground assault by Israel on Gaza in the past decade. So, it does show very much a move to the next stage.

The forces went in. They did come out after conducting their operations. They said they killed numerous terrorists. They did not give an exact number. Also anti-tank searching - anti-tank mine searching, I'm sorry, as they went through that rubble in northern Gaza.

But this is the first time in, in a significant way. Could be the biggest in a decade. We do know special forces, obviously, have been in Gaza. But this is a significant shift overnight. And the reality of it is, of course, when you look at those images before and after, it has been reduced to rubble. We've compared it to what even you see in a place like Bakhmut. But the reality of it is, is the pre and post. You can see already what Israel has accomplished in its war as it sees it through these strikes. Thousands of strikes just over these past three weeks that we have been covering this war.

And they did release that video. Of course, we should emphasize, when you get a view of the front line here, that video is coming from the IDF. They have not provided the access for journalists to actually see that and witnessed that ourselves, Phil and Poppy.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Erin, the split screen of - that you're looking at right now, of the two different timelines for Gaza underscores the acute nature of the debate - the ongoing, intensive debate related to humanitarian aid. The U.N. said it's almost run out of fuel. It's scaling back humanitarian operations. What's the latest as efforts to try and expand it seem to continue to run into roadblocks?

BURNETT: You used the word acute and I think that's the right word. The U.N. had said that they could run out of all necessary supplies for any humanitarian assistance overnight. We are now, obviously, in the early afternoon here in Israel. They say that they are now rationing fuel, that that is giving them a bit more time but that they are rationing. That means, obviously, a lot of people are not getting what they need. Hospitals have already been shut down, many of them, from being able to provide essential services. The U.N. uses the word paralyzed to describe the situation that they're facing on the ground.

I was talking to a pediatrician, an American. The exhaustion in her voice. She said one toilet for 800 people. And just that image, of course, is - is hard to describe. You can imagine the lines. You can imagine what that means. You can imagine the disease. And that is what an American pediatrician is experiencing along that Rafah border crossing.

It is, obviously, significantly worse in the north. And the Israeli airstrikes, as you know, while they have decimated the north, also strike areas and con (ph) units in closer to Rafah in the Israeli air strikes. Hours long bread lines and humanitarian crisis is dire here. They are rationing fuel, as we understand, at this moment, Phil and Poppy.

MATTINGLY: All right, Erin Burnett with the latest from Jerusalem. We'll be back with you shortly. Thank you very much.

Well, in just a few hours, continuing on the breaking news, police will hold a news conference with more details on that deadly shooting in Lewiston, Maine. The person of interest is at large. What we know, just ahead.

HARLOW: Also, the shelter-in-place now expanding to a neighboring town. What we know about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:37:23]

HARLOW: We are continue to follow the breaking news this morning out of Maine. Right now police are urgently searching for the mass shooter. Sources tell CNN at least 16 people were killed, many more wounded. Officials say Robert Card is the person of interest and that he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Here with all the details we know this morning, our national correspondent Athena Jones.

Good morning.

This is him?

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is him. We should learn more details at a 10:30 press conference that officials are having at Lewiston City Hall. But we know right now Robert Card is a person of interest, police have identified, described as a certified arms instructor and a member of the U.S. Army Reserves. Law enforcement officials say he has also, in recent months, been reporting mental health issues, including hearing voices and making threats to shoot up a National Guard facility in Saco, Maine. That's about 50 miles to the south of Lewiston, Maine, where these shootings took place overnight.

Unclear where he is here. Here we are. Here are the two locations of the shootings. This is Sparetime Recreation. It is a bowling alley. You can see a picture of the person of interest entering with a long gun. A high-powered assault-style rife.

And then it was about seven, eight miles away that the - that the person of interest's car, Card's car, this white SUV, was found in the town of Lisbon. Now, Lewiston and Lisbon remain under a shelter-in- place order, of course, because authorities do not know where Card is. They were talking about southern Maine. And these are relatively small towns.

HARLOW: Yes.

JONES: We spoke last night with the mayor of Auburn, which is about two miles - a neighboring town to Lewiston. He said the combined area is about 60,000. So, not a lot of people.

But, of course, we know at this - at this location, the first location, we heard from witnesses that there were people of all ages. We saw video of people fleeing that bowling alley. But we can also see, just from these borders here, it's been many, many hours since this began to unfold last night around 7:00 p.m. These -- this is one of the photos that police began putting out within about an hour of the reports coming in to -- in order to get the public's help in identifying this - this person of interest. But, of course, he could be very far away from Lewiston, Maine, at this point. And so you have hundreds of people now, hundreds of officers now looking for him.

This is adding to the long list of mass shooting already in the U.S. this year, 565. And it ranks as one of the deadliest, or the deadliest so far this year. Of course, this death toll may change. It already has adjusted a bit overnight. But 16 killed, 50 to 60 wounded is the latest numbers we have from various law enforcement officials. Of course, we don't know how those people were wounded. Were they shot? Were they injured while trying to run away from the scene?

HARLOW: Yes.

JONES: So, clearly not a problem that - that - it's a problem the U.S. is used to, but it's not a good - a good thing to become familiar with.

[06:40:05]

Yet again, another - another mass shooting and another manhunt for a very dangerous person of interest.

HARLOW: Yes, armed with that assault-style rifle.

Athena, thank you for all the reporting.

Phil.

MATTINGLY: And joining us now from Lewiston, Maine, the executive editor of the "Sun Journal," Judy Meyer.

Judy, we appreciate your time.

Just a few moments ago on Facebook, the Maine State Police said they were expanding the shelter-in-place order. They said they have 100 investigators, both local and federal, working to locate the person of interest, Robert Card.

Do we know anymore right now? One of the issues I think we've had is that there just hasn't been a ton of information coming from the authorities. What are - what are - what are your teams hearing?

JUDY MEYER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "SUN JOURNAL": There really hasn't been a lot of information coming from authorities. The press conference last night was very brief. They have another one scheduled at 10:30 this morning. But they are really holding information close to the vest. You know, who knows, maybe he's listening and that could be why.

But we have learned this morning that seven of the deceased were at the bowling alley and if the 16 number holds firm, that would leave the other nine at the Schemengees Bar & Grille.

HARLOW: That's a detail, Judy, that we have not been able to report. Can I just ask where you learned that from?

MEYER: It was shared with us by the Androscoggin County Sheriff.

HARLOW: OK. That's helpful. Thank you very much.

MATTINGLY: Can you can talk about the community right now? I mean the scale of the lockdown, the manhunt that's underway, paired with the unspeakable trauma of a mass shooting like this, what's the response been like?

MEYER: Well, obviously, people are very scared. Lewiston's a city of some 36,000 people. Hard working, kindhearted people. The lockdown was really extreme last night and people were very good about observing it. There is a lot of traffic and a lot of pedestrian traffic out there this morning. So, I think people are feeling, knowing police are looking for Card in Lisbon or perhaps Bowdoin that it's safe to be on the streets in Lewiston. But the lockdown does continue here in Lewiston and Auburn and now in Bowdoin.

HARLOW: One thing that was so striking to hear from the mayor of Auburn on CNN last night as he described the silence from eyewitnesses of the shooting as being very, very telling. How shocked they were and how silent they were.

MEYER: Yes.

HARLOW: What have you heard?

MEYER: We've heard the same thing. And it's - it's - I -- I think it's just the human reaction of not being able to put into words what you've seen and what you experienced. And I - you know, the heartache and the tears will come, certainly, but it was unnervingly quiet last night.

MATTINGLY: We've also heard that hospitals, just in terms of the scale of those injured, were having a difficult time last night. Is there any update on -- in terms of where they are in terms of resources?

MEYER: Well, they were having a difficult time. And I know a lot of the patients were medevacked directly to Boston. You know, there was a lot of air traffic last night between the airport and Mass General and Lewiston Central Main Medical Center.

But, you know, looking in the ED entrance last night, you could see the stretchers lined up, the medical personnel were all there waiting and ready. So, everybody is, you know, devoted to doing the work. But the hospitals here in Maine are not gigantic medical centers. They are community hospitals and they definitely were overwhelmed.

HARLOW: Right. Now every parent has to tell their child this morning why they're not going to school. And we also heard from a young girl who, with her mom, speaking to ABC News, who was grazed by a bullet. There were young kids at that bowling alley. It was - it was youth night.

Do you have any information on how children are doing?

MEYER: I - I don't. I do know that the school systems here are in emergency planning mode to help children. You know, I would be surprised if school is even open tomorrow. So, this may come next week. But the school administrators are working on plans to help children understand what cannot be understood, frankly. And it is - it's really difficult - it's going to be difficult for these kids to go through, especially the kids who were in the bowling alley with their friends.

MATTINGLY: Judy, for those who aren't familiar with the area or Maine, as investigators, law enforcement try and find this person of interest, can you talk about the - these -- this space itself, the terrain, the area, kind of the difficulties that may present.

MEYER: You know, Maine ' a largely rural state. The last we heard that they were looking in the Lisbon, Lisbon Falls area. It's more of a community area, residential. Not a lot of businesses there. So, it's a lot of, you know, long, narrow, rural roads filled with homes where people are now, you know, behind locked doors. There -- but there are, frankly, a lot of places to hide. It's very wooded. So, you know, it's -- I don't envy the police -- the job they have here.

[06:45:04]

It's not easy.

HARLOW: Judy Meyer, thank you for joining us this morning. Obviously, all our hearts are with all of you right now as you go through this. Thanks for all the helpful information.

MEYER: Thank you very much. MATTINGLY: Well, as Judy was noting, at 10:30 police will hold a news

conference with more details in the shooting in Lewiston, Maine, as they urgently look for the gunman, the person of interest, who's still at large. The area is still on lockdown. We're going to get a live report from the bowling alley, one of the two locations where the shootings occurred - shootings occurred.

And a mass shooting in the U.S. in a state where laws and gun violence are very different from the rest of the country. What we know, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: All right, this new information just into CNN. We have learned that the shelter in place advisory has just been expanded to the neighboring town of Bowdoin. Schools all across that area closed today as an urgent manhunt continue for the gunman behind multiple mass shootings last night in Lewiston, Maine.

[06:50:00]

We are expecting a press conference from the authorities at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

CNN affiliate reporter for WHDH Rob Way is outside of the bowling alley and joins us now.

Rob, what can you tell us?

ROB WAY, REPORTER, WHDH: Poppy, as you can imagine, this community is on edge on one side of the coin, but also mourning on the other after such a tragic event.

We are learning that the shooter went to two different businesses. A restaurant down the street from mere and the bowling alley.

And I just want to give you a scene of the scene. It seems pretty quiet. But this is the distance, about a quarter mile back from the bowling alley that police are keeping us because that is where the focus of their investigation is further down the road there.

And since we've been here, we've been here all night, a number of police cars and an evidence response team has arrived. This is also along the busiest road in town, which police officers say is normally very busy at this hour but many are heeding that shelter-in-place warning here in Lewiston.

The search, of course, on for 40-year-old Robert Card. He's been identified as a person of interest in this case. He should be considered armed and dangerous.

All of this started to unfold around 7:00 last night when the gunman opened fire inside those two businesses. I talked with one woman this morning who lives nearby. She says she is shocked, describing this as a safe city where everyone knows everyone.

At this hour, hundreds of police officers are now combing through the local towns trying to find this suspect.

And one thing I want to point out of note, of just how large this response is. As we were driving from Boston last night where our station is based, up here into Maine, passing us were cruisers, police cruisers, from communities all across New England. Of course, coming to help aid in that search and aid all the victims that need transportation and anything that these local police stations need.

So, of course, we've seen that massive response and now the hope is that they'll catch the suspect very soon.

Live here in Maine, I'm Rob Way.

HARLOW: Rob, thank you very much.

Phil.

MATTINGLY: Well, as we continue to follow the latest in the manhunt for the shooter responsible for the killing of at least 16 people in Lewiston, Maine, let's go ahead and take a look at the gun laws in the state. It is a state that does not have the most restrictive gun laws. Not even close. But it's also a state that has a very different profile than perhaps some others.

Gun ownership in the state at about 45 percent. That's about 8 percent to 10 percent higher than the national average. However, violent crime, 103 per 100,000 people. That's actually the lowest in the nation according to the most recent numbers. Twenty-nine homicides in 2022. It is a state where gun ownership is higher than average, violent crime is lower than average. And that has led, in part, to why the gun laws in the state, despite some efforts in the state legislature, have not grown significantly more restrictive over the years as mass shootings have been as pervasive as they have been.

As it currently stands on the state level, no assault weapons ban, no background checks for private sales. It is a permitless concealed carry state. And while it does not have a red flag law, it does have what ended up being kind of a compromise provision of a yellow flag law. Now, the details there are important, particularly given what we know about the person of interest in this case. Where the yellow flag law differs from a red flag law, this quote's directly from a summary in the law. "A medical practitioner shall notify in writing the law enforcement officer or law enforcement agency that based on the assessment there's a likelihood for foreseeable harm." It also requires a sworn - a sworn testimony by a law enforcement officer. So a few more steps than in traditional ERPOs or red flag laws that we've seen become more prominent in the course of the last several years.

But, again, as this debate, which almost seems inevitable, since we have so many of these, will certainly come in the days and weeks ahead. The difference between high gun ownership and low violent crime as the state will now have to grapple with yet another mass shooting.

Poppy.

HARLOW: Phil, that's fascinating looking at the statistics of gun ownership and yet violent crime there. Thank you very much.

In just a few hours, police will hold a news conference. They will update the public on the mass shootings in Maine. We are told 16 people -- at least 16 people were killed. A manhunt is underway for the person of interest.

MATTINGLY: Ahead we're going to speak with the mayor of a nearby town where residents are currently sheltering in place.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:58:33]

HARLOW: Let's go straight to Shimon Prokupecz. He joins us in Lisbon, Maine.

Where, Shimon, I understand police - you're there, you're seeing them doing these searches right now.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so we're in Lisbon, just a few minutes from where the person of interest dumped his car and where police have been searching through the night. And now that we have some daylight, we're starting to see some of these law enforcement officials going through these homes, the wooded area.

We were just driving through here and we spotted these cars here. And so we came through here and what we've been seeing, Bob, as you can see over here, you see one police officer here. You could see another officer. They are going through some homes here.

And this is where they were meeting up here, several of these officers. They were pointing their guns. They were going through the woods here looking through this area. They were checking a home there to see if perhaps maybe this person of interest is there. They are now coming out from this area.

This is one of the more active searches that we've seen. I mean we've been here since around 6:00 a.m. or so we got here. But this is the first time that we're actually seeing officers going through this area, going home by home, looking through the woods.

What's happening here is that the police tell us that they are getting calls from people in the area. This entire neighborhood is kind of on lockdown.

[07:00:00]

There's a shelter-in-place. And so neighbors, people who live in these homes are hearing things in their yards and they are getting concerned.