Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Campus Remains on Lockdown as Police Search For Shooter; Officials Release Video Showing Brown University Shooting Suspect; Nine Killed in Shooting at Australian Beach; Shooter Dead; Trump Vows "Very Serious Retaliation" for Ambush on U.S. Soldiers; Russia Targets Ukraine's Energy Infrastructure With Massive Strike. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired December 14, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:00:49]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Police are searching for a person who shot and killed two students at Brown University. Nine other students were also hurt. They were in the middle of a final exam review session.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINA PAXON, BROWN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT: Our focus right now is on supporting the families who have been affected by this. The families of the two students who sadly lost their lives today, as well as the eight, now nine, students who are in the hospital. We've been in touch with their families. I will talk to them soon. But, you know, we -- we will come together as a community and we'll get through this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The university president also published a letter. I'm going to read a portion of it now. "I want to thank every member of our community for every kindness, shoulder to lean on, and gesture of support that I know will come in the hours and days ahead as we work together as a community to be there for one another."

And right now, we don't know much about the person of interest shown in this surveillance video, other than he's likely in his 30s and was wearing dark clothing. And the campus is right now under a shelter in place, a lockdown order. Parts of Providence near the campus also under a shelter in place order. And the mayor says that will give officers the chance to search for that shooter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BRETT SMILEY, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: It has allowed police, Providence Police, Brown Police, and all of our partners to canvas the neighborhood, look for evidence, assess if there are additional cameras that may yield video evidence, and to do a visual search to help provide and ensure a sense of safety for our community.

Having this shelter in place allows them to -- to do their work in the first phase of the investigation. And so, we will notify the community through official Providence channels when the shelter is lifted, but it remains in effect to allow law enforcement to conclude and conduct this chapter of the investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now look at this video. This is police clearing buildings on campus. One of the first witnesses to call police said that she was walking through a hallway when she first heard those shots.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOPHIA HOLMAN, WITNESS, BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT: When I first heard them, I thought it was, you know, as a college student would in an engineering building, I thought it was just maybe something from the woodshop or it was something, you know, it was an experiment gone wrong. But once I continually heard them and I heard someone and I saw someone run past me, I thought it, you know -- I thought it was better to be safe, I'm sorry. So, I started running behind the girl that ran by me.

I could tell she was a student by the athletics parka that she was wearing. So, I ran out of the Hope Street exit. I ran one block East and then I called the police at 4:04 p.m.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Hundreds of members of law enforcement are working to get students to safety. Of course, this search is continuing. The president, Donald Trump, has been briefed on the shooting. We're expecting more updates later this morning and CNN's Leigh Waldman explains where the investigation is right now.

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor. We've seen busloads of students being taken from this area of the campus over to the reunification center that's been established here at Brown University. We've also seen several students leaving on foot. We stopped two of them, two Ph.D. candidates who didn't feel like talking on camera after everything that they went through, but shared that they were in their office, were barricaded in there, and then were moved by officials to a gym area where they were surrounded by other undergrad students.

I asked them, what is it like inside of that gym? And they said it's chaos with everything that they've all gone through in the midst of this lockdown following a horrendous shooting.

We want to point your direction, your attention to this building behind us with its lights on. That's Bar's Hall, and that's what authorities have indicated, where authorities have indicated that the shooting actually took place. Two students killed, nine others hurt. We've seen a short clip, a 10-second-long clip showing who authorities have said is the suspect in the shooting, running out the back on Hope Street and turning right onto Waterman Street.

[05:05:07] Now, we can't see that person's face, and that's why the FBI has established a tip line asking for any and all information, if anyone has any other video, to help them in this investigation. But take a listen to what university officials have to say about supporting the students and staff during this time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK DOYLE, BROWN UNIVERSITY PROVOST: This is, as the mayor and the governor pointed out, an unthinkable, unthinkable act, incomprehensible, right? None of us could prepare our kids for this, the parents.

We've been in touch with the parents. The president's not here right now, because she was at the hospital attending to the students, and she's now at the Nelson Shelter-in-Place location. We've communicated and put the word out to the parents. The perimeter that was spoken about earlier as part of a safe approach to managing the campus and getting students back in their dorm rooms, we'll continue to support them. That's our top priority.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALDMAN: Now, this area that we're in is under a continuous lockdown throughout the evening and early morning hours. It's one of 15 areas indicated by Brown University as the focus of law enforcement activity. We know that local and state police are working with the FBI Secret Service. It's combing through this area all with one goal in mind, and that is to find the person responsible for this tragic shooting. Victor?

BLACKWELL: All right, Leigh Waldman for us. Thank you so much.

President Trump, again, says that he's been briefed on the shooting. He's calling for prayers for the victims. He told reporters at the White House, in addition to those victims killed, that there were several who were very badly hurt. Let's go down to CNN's Julia Benbrook, who has more from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting at Brown University. He says that he is keeping the victims, all of those involved, in his thoughts and prayers. I want to play you his full remarks as he returned here to the White House Saturday night. Take a listen.

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, I've been fully briefed on the Brown University situation. What a terrible thing it is. And all we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt, it looks like. And we'll inform you later as to what's happening, but it's a shame, it's a shame. Just pray. Thank you very much.

BENBROOK: Vice President J.D. Vance also reacted. In a social media post, he said, quote, "Terrible news out of Rhode Island this evening. We're all monitoring the situation and the FBI stands ready to do anything to help. We're all thinking and praying for the victims tonight."

As far as the federal response goes, FBI Director Kash Patel put out a statement saying that FBI personnel are on the scene and assisting this evening after the shooting at Brown University and we will provide all capabilities necessary. Please pray for all those involved.

During a press conference Saturday evening, we did hear from the Rhode Island governor who said that he is in contact with various leaders, including those here at the White House.

Julia Benbrook, CNN, Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Julia, thank you.

Joining me now is CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst and former Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Charles Ramsey.

Chief, good morning to you. First, let's just start here.

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: Twelve hours -- a little more than 12 hours into this manhunt. What does this search look like now? How deep, how broad?

RAMSEY: Well, they're continuing to make sure they lock down the campus so that they can lift that lockdown. And when I say lock down the campus, I mean, establish a strong perimeter and feel confident that the shooter is not on campus.

But right now, they're really combing through video, not just video from the university, but they also saw a direction in which this individual walked away. So, they'll be looking at businesses, they'll be looking for ring doorbell cameras, they'll be looking for anything to show whether or not he remained on foot. Did he get in a vehicle? If so, what kind of vehicle?

They'll try everything they can to also take a look to see if they can capture any video of him approaching the school. And then they go backwards to find out where he came from. They might get lucky and catch a shot of him without the mask on, but they're still telling where he is now.

He's had a pretty significant headstart and you're not far from I-95. There are a lot of different escape routes, but right now they're doing everything they can to try to identify the person.

BLACKWELL: OK, so when you say they're looking through video, we received this clip just a few seconds long of surveillance and here it is several hours ago now. It's your expectation that they have more than they've released, more video of this person of interest? RAMSEY: Well, I would hope they do. You know, it's a college campus, so there are a lot of cameras. And then of course, in a neighborhood or a business, you have a lot of cameras. This doesn't do much in terms of being able to tell you who the individual is, but if you look at his right arm, he's concealing something underneath that jacket, probably the weapon that was used to commit the crime.

[05:10:19]

So, you know, they're putting a little bit out right now, but if they have something that would really indicate who this person is, their face or any other feature, I'm sure they'll put it out so that someone could recognize this information.

Somebody may be able to recognize this person just from the gait of their walk. I mean, who knows, but they're going to put as much out publicly as they can, because they have to catch this guy.

BLACKWELL: And we have seen, you know, having covered these over the years, that some of those small details, including the gait, may be enough to get someone to contact police. They've put out this tip line that they're asking for calls into.

Let me ask you, I want to play something here. This is from the mayor of Providence, Brett Smiley. So, you've got this mass shooter who's on the loose, 11 people shot, two of them dead. And then also this advice from the mayor.

Let's play this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SMILEY: Tomorrow is Sunday, a week before Christmas, in a city with a lot of things going on. There are shows, a lot of families will be headed to church in the morning. And we, at this time, are not recommending that those events be canceled. It's a personal choice whether you want to cancel your holiday party, but we do not feel that it's necessary.

In the hours that have eclipsed since the initial shooting, we've received no additional credible information that there is any specific ongoing threat from this individual. And so, we do not believe these events need to be canceled.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: However, there is still this lockdown. So, what informs that advice when they don't know who this is, where this person is, and potentially if there's an uncontinued threat?

RAMSEY: I don't know what information the mayor and others have available to them. They may have video showing a person in a car leaving the scene. I have absolutely no idea, but I do know this. It's an individual choice. And everyone in that area is monitoring television, radio, trying to get as much information as possible. And they have to make an individual choice whether or not they feel it's safe to continue with whatever activities they had planned for today.

This person is still out there. They're still on the loose. And so, you know, you have to take all those things into account. And they didn't have any credible evidence that he was going to commit the crime to begin with. I mean, so you just have to be careful. You have to use caution, use common sense, but it is an individual choice that people have to make as to whether or not they feel safe venturing out of their homes.

BLACKWELL: Well, the choice to continue the lockdown at Brown University is made by the leadership there, advised by Providence Police. Talk to me about what informs how long to keep that lockdown in place, the shelter in order -- shelter in place order.

RAMSEY: Well, obviously they can't continue it forever, but once they've completed a thorough search of the entire campus, they've established a perimeter, probably with checkpoints. So, if students leave campus, which isn't a smart thing to do right now, they would need to show some kind of I.D. or something in order to get back on campus.

And so, they're going to really have a good perimeter around the school when they feel confident that they can lift the lockdown and kids can actually, you know, go to one of the buildings, go to their dorms, or whatever it might be.

By now, they probably have finished that particular search, but they're going to err on the side of caution. And at least wait until daylight. They're not going to do anything while it's dark out. They're going to wait until daylight, make sure they have everything properly secured before they lift that particular lockdown.

BLACKWELL: There was this call of the first shots fired at 4:05 p.m., and then the shelter in place order or text that came out from the university at 4:22, 17 minutes, a crucial period. And I don't offer this as a criticism of any of the decisions made, because there are lots of variables that I don't know. But what informs that 17-minute gap?

From a law enforcement perspective, we know that there are also these -- these false calls, these swatting events that happen that seem real that they have to consider, but those 17 minutes seem to be crucial.

RAMSEY: Well, they have to verify, first of all, that they did, in fact, have a shooting. Now, 4:05, 17 minutes later, remember this was on a Saturday. I don't know what kind of staffing they have on a weekend at the university, but certainly they put out the information, I'm sure, as soon as they possibly could to verify exactly what was taking place.

[05:15:15]

You know, as we look back on these things, obviously we're going to find something here or there that perhaps we could say, you know, would have been a shorter period of time. Bottom line is there's only one person responsible for that, and that's the person that did the shooting.

And universities and local police respond, that's why they have tabletops, they do the very best they can to not only lock down that area, but to also inform the students and faculty of what's taking place so they can shelter in place.

And so all that'll be looked at , at some point in time, you always, you know, debrief and do after action reports to see where you can improve in these kinds of things. But right now their focus is on one thing and one thing only, and that's identifying and apprehending this individual.

BLACKWELL: All right, Chief Charles Ramsey, we are expecting an update from the university and from local police. Sometime later today, we're told at the last press availability last night. So, hopefully some updates, hopefully maybe some more video of this person of interest, and we'll see if we get anything valuable through that tip line.

Chief Ramsey, thanks so much.

RAMSEY: Thanks, Victor. And I want to offer my condolences to the family of the two that were killed yesterday.

BLACKWELL: As do I. Thank you, sir.

All right, earlier CNN spoke with a Brown University student who was still on lockdown. He described the moments that he found out about the shooting and the updates he received from the university and police. Here's that conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYNDELL DYER, BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Basically at 4:22, we got the first notification from the school saying that there was a shooter. I know from people who were near the area that it happened in our engineering building, which is about two blocks down from where we are. And once that happened, we kind of went into shutdown. We -- their school gym where I work, where I'm at right now, it's three floors. So, we had to go gather everybody, bring them up to the top floor, put down the, turn off the lights, put down the blinds. There are currently 154 of us here.

And we've been trying our best, you know, to stay quiet, stay in the dark, you know, because the shooter is so close. And between 5:30 and 5:45, the first police officer arrived at our building. So, they're now stationed downstairs. There's a fire truck and a couple of police cars outside on the street.

But yes, the school has by now given us five alerts. At first, like you mentioned, it looked good. They said they had someone in custody and then they went back on that. And since saying that, nothing has really changed. So, right now, still very much an active shooter, basically in the middle of campus, yeah.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Situation. What -- and have you been able to get any information from those officers who were there on the scene with you about the status of what they know i.e., do they -- are they looking at somebody to try to get in custody? Is this person, like, where are they in this process?

DYER: Well, basically what the school has been willing to announce to students is all that, you know, they've told us. So, the emails that we've been receiving, that's basically been our only avenue. And other than that, you know, just talking to other students. I know a lot of people who are near the scene. And so, I think most of the information that we're getting is from students internally. University really, you know, has been giving those main updates that have been pretty vague. And yeah, that's -- that's really all that we've gotten so far.

DEAN: How do you feel right now? Are you afraid?

DYER: I mean, you know, we're surrounded by 150 people. So, there's safety in numbers. I think I was more afraid for, you know, some of my friends who were really close by. You know, I think knowing that there were people who were in the basement of the building that an active shooter was in, that was definitely a scary moment. But, you know, we're students. We stick together. We persevere together. So, I think that's kind of been our mindset and that's what we're sticking with right now.

DEAN: And so, Lydell, at this point, you're in the gymnasium. The -- it sounds like, and correct me if I'm wrong, that the only official communication you're getting is these emails from the school. And then you said around 5:30, 5:45, officers did show up at the building. They were checking everything. Is -- is that right? That's the official information you're getting?

DYER: Yes, that is correct.

DEAN: OK. And so what happens now? Have they told you how long you might be there? Do you have any sense of timing?

DYER: We have no sense whatsoever. I think I know that they've been clearing students in the immediate vicinity. And so, you know, I kind of have been, you know, doing mental calculus and just thinking about, you know, the buildings where they clean people out and when they might get to us.

[05:20:10]

But no, so far the school has not issued any immediate, you know, warnings. And I think most of us are kind of expecting that we'll be here for -- for most of the night.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: OK. All right. All right, that was CNN's Jessica Dean speaking to Brown University student, Lydell Dyer.

We are also following breaking news out of Australia. Nine people have been killed in a shooting in Sydney, Australia. We have a live report on that coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: We'll get you more from Rhode Island in just a moment, but there's more breaking news. This is from Australia. Nine people were killed in a shooting there. One of the gunmen is also dead. This is the chaos at popular Bondi Beach in Sydney after reports of gunfire. Officers urging people to stay away from that area. CNN's Angus Watson is joining us now from the scene. Angus, what can you tell us?

[05:25:04]

ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER: Victor, a horrific scene down here on Sunday afternoon at Bondi Beach. As you said, at least nine people have been killed, including the shooter who was shot by police. Another suspect is in custody alive, and he has been critically injured as well.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service dispatched 25 vehicles here, and at least 16 people have been ferried to hospital for their wounds to seek treatment here after two gunmen began randomly firing into the crowds down here at Bondi Beach. Thousands of people here at the beach today enjoying their sunny afternoon. We don't yet have any indication of exactly why these men did this.

What we do know is police have not yet secured the scene. Police here on the ground are saying that they cannot be sure that this area is still safe, and told me that there are reports of an IED still here on top of a bridge, below a bridge, where the gunman fired from on top of, towards crowds in a park here on Sunday afternoon.

Police say they've identified several suspicious packages here in the -- or suspicious items here down at Bondi Beach, and are still working to make this area safe, doing what they call a clearance operation. They don't know, for example, how these men got here, what cars they drove. They're still looking for more clues, more evidence to try to piece this together.

What we do know is that the men were confronted by police, and they were shot. One suspect killed, another now in custody, having been shot. Nine members of the public dead here, Victor, after this horrific incident on Sunday afternoon at Bondi Beach.

BLACKWELL: So, this IED, an improvised explosive device, still being investigated. Obviously, police are working on the assumption that this was potentially a broader, more coordinated attack, if this is paired with the shooting. This is not something that we hear from Australia often. I mean, tragically, a shooting like the one we're covering in Rhode Island is far more common in the U.S. than a shooting of the style that you're covering in Australia, right?

WATSON: That's right. Gun ownership here is extremely low. Guns are banned here by law. Only very few members of the population have them, and those are under license and very strictly monitored.

What I can say, though, is that police have responded to more organized crime shootings here in Sydney over the past months and years. That's something that police are trying to crack down on, and something that -- that has grown as a threat in recent times.

Of course, our viewers might remember the deadly stabbing attack at the Westfield Shopping Mall just over a year ago here. Multiple people there killed, as well, by a man with a knife. This time, Victor, it's a gun, which is very unusual for Australia, indeed.

BLACKWELL: Yeah, you know, and we're approaching winter here in the U.S., about a week out from the start, as people can probably glean from your attire and the video of people on the beach. It's summer there in Australia. Just set the scene for us. Bondi Beach, a very popular location. What's typical there? What was there before this -- this chaos?

WATSON: Victor, today, thousands upon thousands of people were here enjoying a day on the sun, enjoying the water. Beautiful temperatures here in Sydney. It was a hot day, a blue sky, perfect beach weather. It was extremely busy down at the beach. I live really quite close to here. My parents actually came down and were on the beach today themselves, Victor. This is a community that I grew up in that I know extremely well.

As police haven't yet been able to identify any of the victims, I'm extremely nervous about who they might be, of course, as is the entire community down here at Bondi. Some people, members of the public down here in front of police lines, trying to get a little bit more information, a little bit more sense about what's happened, trying to make sense of this horrific shooting that's occurred down here at Bondi Beach as we get into summer, as we get into the festive season.

Now, I should also say, Victor, that there's a very strong concern here in the community that these two men, we don't know their motive yet, but we do know that there was a Hanukkah event. The Jewish community is extremely concerned that this may become identified as an antisemitic incident. We'll have to wait and see what police say. They'll be updating us at the bottom of this hour, Victor.

[05:30:09]

BLACKWELL: All right, Angus Watson doing some great reporting there from Sydney, Australia, nine people killed plus one of the alleged shooters. We'll get back to that breaking news throughout the morning.

But more now on Brown University. That community will be waking up to a campus lockdown. Police are searching for the gunman who killed two students, injured nine more. This is video of a person of interest. And for a lot of students, this is the first time they've ever gone through something like this.

After the break, though, we'll hear from a Brown student who remembers what she went through after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. You'll remember that one in Florida in 2018.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOE WEISSMAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SOPHOMORE: It feels like I'm 12 again, and I think it feels like it's 2018 again for my family as well. We're going through the exact same emotions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: More for you now on the breaking news out of Providence, Rhode Island. Brown University confirms two students have been killed, nine more students injured in a campus shooting. This happened yesterday during a final exam review session. Police say that suspect is still on the run. This is video from police of a person of interest described as a man, possibly in his 30s, wearing dark clothing. A video shows police appearing to escort students.

Look at this. This is at Brown University outside a building after the shooting at the university. The president, Christina Paxson, calls this an unimaginably tragic day. She says one student has already been released from the hospital. Others are in critical but stable condition.

[05:35:09]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ETHAN SCHENKER, BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT, PROVIDENCE, RI: I was in the basement of the library studying for finals with some friends and I got -- at about 4:15, I got a text from a friend saying their mom saw something on Facebook. And I looked it up on Twitter. I saw, and then kind of two minutes later, I got a text from Brown saying to go on lockdown and lock the doors, stay away from windows, all of those things.

And I immediately just called my parents and my brother to make sure -- to let them know that I was OK and to make sure my friends were OK. And it just was a little bit -- it didn't kind of seem real. I think that's what a lot of people experienced and that's what I did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And the campus right now is on lockdown. We know that more than 400 officers from local, state, federal agencies, they're sweeping that area. The FBI, Providence Police, they're asking for tips.

Police are still evacuating some students from campus buildings. I mean, at this time, it was the middle of the afternoon. Some were in athletic buildings, as we know that this happened at a student building where students were studying. Exams scheduled for today are postponed as the search for that shooter continues.

Now, one of the students who experienced this firsthand is Zoe Weissman. She's a sophomore at Brown, also survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen people were killed, dozens more injured in that shooting. And Weissman told my colleague, Jim Sciutto, that this moment is filled with anger and shock. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEISSMAN: I'm numb, but I'm also really angry. I think the sadness will set in when we -- you know, get all the victims identified and find out who we lost as a community. But right now, I'm just angry that there's kids like me in this country who have had to go through this not once, but twice.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: No question. You remember that after Parkland, as has happened after some school shootings, there's a moment of expectation that there might be change, there might be actual action. And too often it fades, right? It just disappears. I mean, we've had that after Sandy Hook, after Parkland, we had it after Uvalde. Occasionally some incremental progress, but nothing seemingly consequential. That has to be frustrating as a victim of this.

WEISSMAN: It's -- I can't even put into words how frustrating it is. And I think that the common denominator around all of that is inaction on the part of Congress. I think that we've seen time and time again, Congress has failed to show that they actually care about their constituents. And if they did, it would immediately pass comprehensive gun violence prevention bills.

SCIUTTO: Tell me how you're doing right now, because I've been speaking to students on campus and as we understand it, and as the mayor has described it, there's still a shelter in place. Are you still in a shelter in place, under a shelter in place order?

WEISSMAN: Yeah, so I'm safe in my dorm, but we can't leave our dorms, we can't leave our buildings. So, physically I'm safe. And I've had lots of friends and family reaching out to me.

SCIUTTO: How is your family doing with this? Because of course they went through this with you once before. They must be concerned about you tonight.

WEISSMAN: Yeah, I -- the first person I called was my mom, which was the same thing that happened with Parkland. And just seeing her go through those emotions all over again makes me feel so bad for her. And I think it feels like I'm 12 again. And I think it feels like it's 2018 again for my family as well. We're going through the exact same emotions.

SCIUTTO: Goodness, I'm certain she's concerned about you. And as a parent, I can only imagine going through that twice. No one should have to go through it once. Tell me how you're -- as you reach out to friends there on campus, fellow classmates, how the student community is taking care of each other tonight.

WEISSMAN: Yeah, so -- so far, thankfully all of the friends that I've reached out to and have reached out to me have been safe. I know a lot of them have actually been reaching out to me for advice on how to deal with something like this, which is crazy that I have that experience, the ability to do that. But you know, everyone's been checking in with each other, making sure everyone's physically safe. And I think that the aftermath is going to come soon after this comes over.

SCIUTTO: Well, Zoe, I'm glad you're safe tonight. I'm sorry you've had to go through this trauma yet again. And please do continue to stay safe, because as you know, there's still -- there's still a shelter in place, and that's for a reason. So -- so, take care of yourself. And thanks so much for joining.

WEISSMAN: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:40:07]

BLACKWELL: A massive and growing search for that suspect. We will continue to bring you updates as we receive those, and we'll have more coming up from Brown, including the search for the shooter. There's this video of the person of interest, 11 students in total shot, two of them dead. We're told one released from the hospital, and officials are asking for help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRETT SMILEY: We are encouraging anyone who was a witness to today's action to please contact the police as the investigation is ongoing and they may have critical information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: We'll get you the latest on our two breaking news stories. Of course, throughout the morning, every moment we get something in and we'll bring it to you. There's the hunt for the shooter in the Brown University shooting.

Also, this deadly shooting, nine dead at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. We're expecting a news conference there soon. But for now, let's get you caught up on some of the other major stories that we're following this morning.

President Trump is threatening very serious retaliation after two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in an ambush in Syria on Saturday. Now, after the attack, a U.S. F-18 fighter jet was spotted flying over the city of Palmyra. U.S. Central Command says that the ambush there was carried out by a single ISIS gunman.

CNN's Julia Benbrook has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BENBROOK: While speaking with reporters here at the White House, President Donald Trump said that he is mourning the lives lost in this attack. Two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed. Trump referred to this attack as an ambush.

He said that it was an ISIS attack against both the United States and Syria. He also promised retaliation. Take a listen. TRUMP: So, we mourn the loss of three great patriots in Syria. You know how it happened. It was an ambush, terrible. We also have three wounded. They seem to be doing pretty well, but we mourn the loss. These are great, three great people, and just a terrible thing.

[05:45:15]

BENBROOK: Just moments after he made those remarks, Trump reiterated that point. He said that there would be, quote, "very serious retaliation." He also said that this attack took place in a dangerous part of Syria, a part that is not fully controlled by them, and that the Syrian president was angered by this attack.

Now, according to Syria's official national news agency, the U.S. soldiers came under fire during a joint patrol with Syrian forces, and a U.S. helicopter intervened to help evacuate the wounded.

Now, I want to pull up a statement. This is from Sean Parnell, he's the chief spokesperson at the Pentagon, to add some more context. He said, quote, "The attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement. Their mission was in support of ongoing counter-ISIS, counterterrorism operations in the region. The soldiers' names, as well as identifying information about their units, are being withheld until 24 hours after the next-of-kin notification. This attack is currently under active investigation."

In another post, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the attacker was killed by partner forces. He went on to say, "Let it be known, if you target Americans anywhere in the world, you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you down, find you, and ruthlessly kill you."

So, you have the president of the United States, as well as the secretary of defense, promising some form of action in response to this.

Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in Berlin today. He'll suit meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders for peace talks. Just days ago, Zelenskyy offered a revised proposal to the White House after objecting to several elements of President Trump's initial plan.

On Saturday, Russia targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure with a massive missile and drone attack. CNN's Clare Sebastian is tracking the latest developments. She joins us live now from London. So, top two questions here. Who will be at the table and what is on the table in Berlin?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Victor, we're seeing another big uptick in activity as we head into another week of this frenzied moment of diplomacy that we are in. In terms of who is at the table today in Berlin, we understand that Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, has now arrived in Berlin. We've not had a confirmed sighting of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, yet, but he was, as you say, expected to go as well.

And we understand from Germany that the meetings today will be between the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations, and then we expect that tomorrow will be a wider summit involving European leaders and President Zelenskyy as well, but that could change. There's no firm timeline as of now. But what we do know, of course, is that activity is very much at fever pitch.

Everyone, certainly the Europeans and Ukrainians, trying to deliver Donald Trump some kind of progress, some kind of clear understanding of what could be done, at least by Christmas, as he has spoken about.

As to what is on the table at this point, I think it's pretty clear that while President Zelenskyy is talking about perhaps significant progress, he said the chance is considerable at this moment. There is considerable distance not only between, of course, Ukraine and Russia, but between Ukraine and its European allies and the U.S. We heard from the French presidency, which hosted talks on Friday. They said that while the Americans insist on the issue of territories, the Ukrainians and Europeans insist on the issue of security guarantees, and the two have to be balanced.

We know that at serious question is this part of Donetsk, of the Donbas region, that Ukraine still controls, that Russia is demanding. The American side appears, according to Zelenskyy, to have proposed some kind of demilitarized zone, free economic zone perhaps.

But the Ukrainians and their European allies say that security guarantees have to come before any decision on territory. So, that is where we stand. The Russian side, meanwhile, signaling that they are primed to reject any new proposal.

Victor?

BLACKWELL: Clare Sebastian in London for us. Thank you.

More on the Brown University shooting. We have that coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:53:08]

BLACKWELL: Shelter in place order in effect right now after that deadly shooting at Brown University Saturday afternoon. Police have released this video. It isn't very long, but they say it shows a person of interest near the scene. Doesn't show the person's face. Two people were killed, nine others injured. They're all students. The suspect still on the run. Massive manhunt happening right now.

Now earlier we spoke to Brown University students on the emergency response and the Brown University community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AJ SHAMJJI, BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT: We as Brown University students very much enjoy the amount of efforts that Brown's, you know, management puts into creating facilities that not only we can use, but that the public can use as well. And, you know, that's certainly something I think we'd all like to be maintained. But I think that there can be a sort of balance between that and still having rigorous security that prevents things like this from happening.

You know, how many how many cameras do we have? How many people do we have at the doors? You know, what is the process for members of the public to get into these spaces? Those are all questions that I'd like to see answered to make sure that we can continue to enjoy the places and that the public continues to enjoy them as well.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I wanted to give each one of you just a few seconds, perhaps just a final thought as we still wait to see the outcome of this manhunt and still wait to learn more about the victims of Saturday's tragic shooting. What do you want viewers around the world to know about the Brown University community? How will it overcome this?

And Jaden, AJ, Pavlos, you can each take turns.

PAVLOS MELAS, STUDENT AT BROWN UNIVERSITY: Definitely, I can start with this one. So, I mean, I want to first kind of, you know, we want to thank the police, everyone that's helping out, all the support we're getting. And, you know, kind of mentioned how, you know, it's sad to have this in our campus and, you know, have two fellow students, you know, tragically pass away.

[05:55:03]

But, you know, Brown, you know, what I've noticed, I'm a senior, you know, I've had some time here, is a very strong community. It's a community that comes together in times of need. And I think that's something very important for, you know, what we're going through now. This is something, you know, we've seen in the headlines happening in other places, but you would never expect this to happen in your own, you know, school, your campus, your backyard.

So, I feel that's, you know, something that's definitely going to bring everyone together. You know, we're a strong community here, and I feel we're going to be able to overcome this. But, you know, this is tragic, and, you know, this day will always be remembered. You know, it's a very harsh day for us.

JADEN ANSELMO, BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Yeah, for me as well, I think, first of all, AJ and I were at lunch when this unfolded, and we saw the rapid effort by law enforcement the second this happened. I mean, there was cop cars flying down the street, out of every side street.

You know, we walked by this incident as it was unfolding, and, you know, the police response was immense. And, you know, the notifications we've been getting and the assistance from law enforcement has been nothing short of incredible. So, I think we all, you know, at the Brown community really thank them.

And, you know, we're all, you know, grateful to be together, and it's a -- it's a horrible thing that's happened to this community. But, as Pavlos was saying, you know, we -- we all love each other, and -- and, you know, we hope that the families that are -- that are affected by this -- this horrible, you know, tragic event that's happened are OK. And our thoughts and our prayers and our heart are with all the affected, you know, people from tonight.

SHAMJJI: Yeah. And very much to echo the sentiments of Pavlos and Jaden, the prayers and thoughts of everyone outside of Brown's campus to everyone inside of Brown's campus are being received to a very tight-knit, appreciative community that, you know, are doing everything they can to stay safe. And very much that we just appreciate all the positive and warm wishes that are coming from all over the world to us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: CNN THIS MORNING continues after a break. More from Brown University and the shooting that killed two students, injured nine other students. Officials say the students were preparing for final exams when those gunshots started.

And our other breaking story, this is what happened in Sydney, Australia. We're standing by for a news conference. Updates there, at least nine people killed there on Bondi Beach. A live shot of where we're expecting that update. We'll get it to you as it happens, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)