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Eight Dead in U.S. Mass Shooting; Brazil's Catastrophic Death Toll; Cuba's Castro Stepping Down. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired April 16, 2021 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:22]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was firing at any open and I immediately ducked down and got scared.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNNI ANCHOR: Tonight, another mass shooting devastates America. CNN is live at the CNN for you.
A group of mayors representing the 400 largest cities in Brazil plead to the world for help, as COVID deaths there reach catastrophic levels. We
will speak to one of those mayors this hour.
And it's the end of an era in Cuba. After more than 60 years of Castro rule, it's over. We're in Havana.
(MUSIC)
ANDERSON: It is 10:00 a.m. in Indianapolis in the United States. It's 11:00 a.m. in Brazil, 6:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, home to CNN's
Middle East programming hub. I'm Becky Anderson. Hello and welcome to the show.
We have been here before, way too often. A mass shooting in the U.S. the grief hitting families in this fresh horror is new and raw, of course.
Eight people have been killed in Indianapolis, Indiana. We'll bring you more on what has gone on from the scene in just a few moments.
But right now, a lot of people are asking, why is this happening again?
Gun violence in America carries with it the worst kind of history. There is the recent past, just look at this. This is a map of mass shootings across
the U.S. in the past month. CNN's tally is at least 45. That is a lot to take in.
Then go back to this day in 2007, when we were utterly dismayed to hear that dozens of people have been killed in the Virginia Tech attack, one of
the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. And that dismay is real. It was then and it is now.
But with another mass shooting happening overnight Thursday, we are also wondering, what is the state of play for gun control legislation in the
U.S. Senate? Well, that is a very good question. And it is worth pointing out that since the recent rash of deadly shootings started just this year,
the Senate has yet to bring a single measure to the floor on gun laws.
Well, as America faces down its epidemic of gun violence, Brazil buckling under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic. Health experts predicting
that country will face an unimaginable loss of lives.
Right now, Brazil is second only to the United States in the number of COVID deaths. That could soon change. The group Medecins San Frontieres
says just last week, just last week, the country of 212 million people accounted for more than a quarter of the world's COVID-19 deaths.
Health experts globally citing a lack of leadership at the top. Brazil's president has long downplayed the severity of the various and shunned
advice for national containment measures. But it is not a battle that only Brazil is facing. In allowing the virus to flourish there, it can become a
Petri dish for infection in the rest of the world.
And don't they know it, look at this map. You can see just how many countries are starting or extending travel bans to and from Brazil.
Well, countries are -- I'm sorry, conditions are so bad in some of Brazil's biggest cities, hospitals are running out of medicine and equipment to
treat the most seriously ill.
I want to start off with Shasta Darlington, who has more now on what is an increasingly dire situation and predictions about what is to come.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the sixth straight month in Rio de Janeiro, more people are dying than are being born as
hospitals burst at the seams. In at least 10 other Brazilians cities, the trend is the same as a crisis plays out across the nation, a surge in
coronavirus spiraling out of control, killing three people each minute and a record high last week, overwhelmed cemeteries resorting to late at
burials just to keep up with demand.
[10:05:02]
Still, experts warn the pandemic may only get worse. A COVID P1 variant first discovered in Brazil maybe dangerously mutating, scientists say,
becoming more resistant to vaccines as it spread unchecked across the country. If Brazil doesn't contain the variant, it could lead to an
unimaginable loss of lives, writes a team of experts and a report published Wednesday in the journal science.
The federal response has been a dangerous combination of inaction and wrongdoing, they add, pointing to the government of President Jair
Bolsonaro for its handling of the pandemic, as criticism mounts worldwide.
CHRISTOS CHRISTOU, INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: I have to be very clear in this -- the Brazilian authority's negligence is
costing lives.
DARLINGTON: Members of the medical NGO Medecins San Frontieres say Brazil's COVID-19 response has plunged the country into a humanitarian
crisis that they warren is only likely to intensify.
But Brazil's far right leader is bristling at the international alarm as he doubles down on opposing lockdown measures.
JAIR BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I think I'm the only world leader taking all this criticism. It would be easier to just
follow the masses. That way, people don't accuse you of genocide, just because I think differently.
DARLINGTON: Bolsonaro has also lambasted a probe by the country's Senate into his handling of COVID-19 and continues deflecting criticism for a
sputtering vaccine rollout. So far, only about 3 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, after political infighting and repeated delays.
Meanwhile, medical systems across the country begin to collapse as worrying trends emerge.
JEAN GORINCHTEYN, SAO PAULO HEALTH SECRETARY (through translator): In the first wave, we saw mainly older people, but this is not what we are seeing
now. It's a disease that has shown itself to be more aggressive, particularly in young people.
DARLINGTON: A recent report out of Brazil says most ICU patients are 40 years old and younger for the first time since the country's outbreak
began. No one is safe, it seems, from the grip of a deadly pandemic as Brazil's grueling battle with coronavirus rages on.
Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: As we mentioned, health experts are placing an awful lot of blame for Brazil's federal government and President Jair Bolsonaro's lack
of response.
Brazil's national front of mayors issued a global plea for global help. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Recent variants are appearing, mutating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are increasingly transmissible, and widespread throughout the country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hope for better days, despite suffering from so many obstacles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We believe that with the help of other nations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can provide beds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medicines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Free testing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vaccines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oxygen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And aid to the most vulnerable populations.
GROUP: We believe in science.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: One of the mayors that you saw in that video is the mayor of Fortaleza, which is Brazil's fifth largest city.
But Jose Sarto joins me now via Skype.
Sir, in your own words, please just describe how bad things are.
JOSE SARTO, FORTALEZA, BRAZIL MAYOR: Hello, Becky. First, I would like to thank you and CNN for giving us a chance to talk to the world about the
situation in Brazil.
I would simply describe it as a human tragedy, what we're going through here in Brazil. I'm sure you know that the cases of deaths yesterday, they
reach almost 5,000 people in Brazil. We reach the number of 366,000 people dead in Brazil since the beginning of COVID outbreak.
So that's why we decided to get together, all the mayors, that we present over 50 million people to ask for help, to ask for medical supplies, to ask
for vaccines, because as you said in the program, we just vaccinated 3.8 percent president second shot.
ANDERSON: The president blames you, he blames the mayors and he blames those running the country, not his government. To which you say what?
SARTO: What -- what I say is that during this government, we have change in the minister for, four health ministers, just at the beginning of the
crisis, and each one has its own point of view.
[10:10:03]
It's disconnection completely from the politics that governors and mayors, they adopt to fight the COVID-19.
As you see, and I know -- I'm sure you know and all the world is going to follow, his decision is basically -- based a political aspect. And that's
not politics. We're dealing with the lives of people and that's why we're so concerned, the mayors of Brazil, we just created this consortium, to
help people and to try to get -- to try to purchase, to try to buy vaccines and medical supplies.
That's why we're asking for help to the international community to see, to look -- to have a look on Brazil, because we're needing extremely, extreme
extremely desperately help.
ANDERSON: So have you spoken to any international leaders? I want to give you this opportunity to address directly the international community for
help. Who have you spoken to? Who do you need to speak to? And what do you need at this point?
SARTO: Becky, we need to speak to everyone that is abroad, that have authorities deal and yes (ph), but we didn't have the opportunity to talk
directly with these institutions. The National Front of Mayors decided to create this group backed by federal law and by our Supreme Court, and we're
trying to get in the international organizations to ask for help, to give donations to our consortium, to try to buy vaccine supplies, because you
know now what's going on in Brazil. We're having -- just in my city here in Fortaleza, we have average of about 50 deaths per day, and it's very
concerning.
And we as mayors, we have to vaccinate people. We don't have vaccines. The vaccine, as soon as it comes here in our city, Fortaleza, we just quickly,
we may -- we proceed vaccination to the people. In three days, we vaccinate about 90,000 people. And that's what we need.
We need vaccines, we need supplies, we need oxygens, we need intubation kits. And that's why I'm addressing you and thanking CNN again for this
opportunity to call the world's attention to Brazil. Brazil needs to pressure politically to discuss, to debate in the international courts
about the rollout of the pandemic stuff.
ANDERSON: The president has criticized those who are appealing for help and says Brazil shouldn't cry over spilt milk. He's also said, and I quote,
only God can take me from the presidential chair, and obviously, by taking my life.
I just wonder, is this a man who is equipped to do the job? And if not, what should happen next?
SARTO: Well, I think we need to get together all the civil citizens, all the politics that have good intention to do it according to the law. Our
Supreme Court is expressing, our Congress is expressing. I'm sure you know that our president has a political position that he defends, he is the only
leader in the world that does not agree with isolation, with lockdown. He is against the vaccine.
At the beginning of the outbreak, he said that the COVID-19 was just a little flu. Vaccines shouldn't be -- shouldn't be bought. And his position
is making a lot of confusion, misinformation throughout Brazil.
He doesn't wear masks, wherever he goes, he goes without mask. He promotes crowded meetings, and that's, I would say, the behavior that we don't
expect for a leader.
[10:15:03]
What Brazil needs really is a real leader.
ANDERSON: Sir, many average Brazilians agree with you and say that the government is negligent, it's failing them. And the Supreme Court in Brazil
has ruled in favor of a parliamentary probe into the government's handling of this pandemic. We will, of course, monitor that and see what comes of
it.
But I just wonder, many countries have closed their borders to Brazil. They effectively see the country as a potential health risk, a security risk.
It's not the only country that others have closed its borders to. What we are continuing to see, more and more countries close their borders to
flights from -- to and from Brazil.
Do you agree that the potential slippage of this virus from Brazil is a security risk, effectively, to the rest of the world?
SARTO: Well, I think they have their reasons and I don't blame them because the managing of the crisis here is far way beyond what we need. I'm
sure you know that the variants here are spreading with a speed that we can't control and recently, even France make a joke about the treatment
with chloroquine that the president defended at beginning of the outbreak.
So, Brazil, unfortunately, became the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. It's a pity for us to see that, but we have -- we have to see this as it
is. It's the reality.
And that's why we need this consortium of mayors, is trying to get to international organizations, to talk to debate, to ask for help, to promote
-- I would say to pacify, to bring peace and to bring -- it's not politics. We're just trying to save lives. Because it's the obligation of my duty as
a mayor, me and all the others, we represent together, Becky, over 150 million Brazilians and represent all the capitals of Brazil.
So what we're trying to do is not to discuss politics, but discuss health, handling of the outbreak of COVID-19.
ANDERSON: Sir, if we can do nothing else, we have a duty to help the people of Brazil and in the situation they are in. So I'm pleased that
we've been able to provide you an opportunity to speak to the international community. I hope this won't be the last time that you and I speak. I hope
next time we speak, that there will be some improvement.
But if there isn't, we will continue to talk about what is happening until something is done.
Thank you very much, indeed, for joining us today.
Up next --
SARTO: Thank you, again, Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
Well, I thought I was going to get shot, the words of a witness to the mass shooting in the city of Indianapolis. We take you there live as we watch
for the police news conference. That is upcoming.
And the end of an era in Cuba as the reign of the Castro regime fully comes to an end. And a new leader prepares to head the only political party
allowed in the country. We will get you live to our man in Havana, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:21:17]
ANDERSON: Well, the questions keep coming after another mass shooting in America overnight. We have a few more details for you on what happened
Thursday night in Indianapolis in Indiana. Please know that eight people, eight people were killed, and five others were wounded. They also say the
shooting at a FedEx warehouse was fast, very fast.
The deputy police chief says it probably lasted one to two minutes and involved a, quote, rifle of some sort. His colleagues say the families of
the victims are at a nearby hotel and everyone is badly shaken. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENAE COOK, SPOKESWOMAN, INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: It's important to know that emotions are very high here. There are a lot of
people, not just officers, but family members who are still arriving and still learning about this incident. This occurred after many went to bed
and some are just now waking up to this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, let's bring in law enforcement analyst, Peter Licata. He is a former supervisory special agent at the FBI.
I just want our viewers to have a listen to some sound from some witnesses last night and then we'll discuss exactly what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIMOTHY BOILLAT, FEDEX EMPLOYEE: And we heard two metal -- loud metal clangs at first, because they didn't sound like gunshots, at first. And we
heard three more shots, and then my buddy Levi saw someone running out of the building, and then more shots went off, someone went behind their car
to the trunk and got another -- and got another gun and then I saw one body on the floor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: At this stage, do we have any idea who the shooter is, was, and what his or her motives might have been?
PETER LICATA, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Becky, thanks for having me. No, obviously, the shooter hasn't been identified just yet or he was
and he took his own life, and obviously, the motivation comes over time. And that's typical for law enforcement in the United States is no one is
going to release that information right away, because they have to clear many things.
In my 21 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, working some active shooter investigations over my career is, we don't like to release
that information directly and right away, because law enforcement have to do their job. They have to make sure that there are no other collaborators
with this incident. They need to make sure this individual is a lone individual that took part in the incident and no one else assisted him or
her with regard to financing, procurement of the weapon, or it's not a politically motivated aka terrorist event.
So, law enforcement will be slow in releasing that information, and rightly so. It's going to allow them time to get search warrants, it's going to
allow them time to do a deep dive in this individual's devices and resources, to try to figure out to their point that motivation on why he or
her did what they did.
ANDERSON: Yeah, we're waiting for further information from a news conference that our viewers will get to see at the bottom of this hour, as
and when it starts. The deputy chief a the Indianapolis police department did speak earlier to CNN.
Just have a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEPUTY CHIEF CRAIG MCCARTT, INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: It was very short. The suspect came into the parking lot and I believe he
exited his vehicle and quickly began shooting. There didn't -- it wasn't precipitated by any kind of a disturbance or an argument with anyone there,
that he just immediately started shooting so the first shooting occurred in the parking lot and then he went inside.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: As we await more information, Peter, I want to set some context for this shooting.
[10:25:05]
In the past month, there have been some 45 mass shootings in the United States. What is going on?
LICATA: Well, that's a good question. Some people want to use the pandemic excuse for it. I don't want to give these individuals who have done or are
planning to do the same thing an excuse of the pandemic. I don't think it's fair to the victims. I don't think it's fair to law enforcement who are --
have to -- have to wait through these horrific crimes. It's not fair to use the pandemic as an excuse.
It's always a state of mental health. It's always a state of gun control, whether people like to address that or not. I know it's a sensitive issue.
But that's why these things have been happening.
What you can equate to the pandemic is that people have been shuttered in their home for a little over a year in the U.S., for the most part. So, now
that more people are getting out and about and going back to their brick- and-mortar-type places at work, these incidents, now, again, 45, but three major mass shootings, if you will, less than 31 days from today, starting
with Atlanta. Then you move to Boulder, Colorado, and now today in Indianapolis.
And it's -- unfortunately, it's horrific, and it's starting to become too common in the United States is the bottom line.
ANDERSON: And very briefly, it's worth pointing out, since the rash of recent shootings started this year, the Senate has yet to bring a single
measure to the floor on gun laws. It's remarkable.
LICATA: No, that's correct. I know quickly, because we're coming up on that press conference here, but as someone who's worked up active shooter
investigations, unfortunately, we have had experience with my own family, my own godson, who is a part -- who was a witness and my niece to the Sandy
Hook shooting in Connecticut, I'm sorry.
He was a first grader. She was a second grader at the time who survived. I'm frankly tired of it and politicians need to take action.
ANDERSON: I'm so sorry to hear that. You know, there will come a time when every family has a similar story at this rate. Let's hope that never
happens.
Peter, thank you for joining us.
And we're going to take a very short break. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, any minute now, police will give updates on the mass shooting last night in Indianapolis, in Indiana.
[10:30:03]
This is the scene set for that news conference.
Police know eight people were killed, five other were wounded. And they also say the shooting at a FedEx warehouse was fast, very fast. They say
the deputy police chief says it probably lasted one to two minutes. He said it involved a rifle of some sort. His colleague says the families of the
victims are at a nearby hotel and everyone is badly shaken up.
And to set some context for this, this is the 45th mass shooting in America in the past month.
We are waiting for this press conference, and just as soon as it starts in Indianapolis, we'll bring that to you.
Former Cuban President Fidel Castro and his brother Raul on this day in 2011 are celebrating Raul's 80th birthday. The communist party has been
ruling the Caribbean Island for more than six decades, transforming the country into the first communist state in the western hemisphere.
Fidel Castro who stepped down due to illness in 2008 died in 2016. His younger brother, Raul, whom you just saw there, took the reigns, becoming
both president and head of the only political party allowed in the nation, the Cuban Communist Party, a title he is now planning to give up.
A short time ago, the party kicked off at a high-level gathering in Havana. Mr. Castro expected to officially step down from leading the party,
officially handing the baton to Miguel Diaz-Canel who has been running the day-to-day government since 2018.
Our man in Havana is watching all of this and he joins us now -- Patrick.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Becky.
Watching this or reading the tea leaves might be a little bit more accurate, because a lot of this communist party congress, which is expected
to last through Monday is happening behind closed door. The international media, as you'd expect, myself, were not being invited, at least for the
moment, because there are so many different moving pieces to this, this transition that has been ten years in the making, more than ten years.
We've already seen two government ministers this week lose their jobs or get new assignments, as the euphemism is here. And a lot is happening so
that starting next week, you will not have for the first time in decades a Castro in charge. And if Miguel Diaz-Canel or perhaps another official,
because nothing has been decided yet, does get that powerful first secretary of the communist party position, we should really emphasize, that
is where the power is in this country, because there's only one political party, it is the communist party.
And they decide that the leadership of the party, where this island goes. How the economy is designed. What the political outlook will be for Cuba
and then everyone else has to fall into line.
So, certainly, Raul Castro has made his preference very much clear. But these are not normal times. The economy here has been absolutely shattered
by the pandemic. And by sanctions put into by Trump administration. It has just absolutely driven the economy down to some of the worst levels that I
can ever remember. Cubans are really suffering. And, of course, the million dollar question is, with Raul Castro leaving the scene, is this an opening
to the Biden administration, which has been hesitant to deal with Cuba.
They left all of those Trump-era sanctions in place. They say they are not in a rush to try to deal with the phony issue of Cuba, which as you know,
can be a domestic policy minefield. And so, with Raul Castro leaving the scene, with somebody who was born after the Cuban revolution, Miguel Diaz-
Canel coming into more politics --
ANDERSON: All right.
OPPMANN: -- running the show here, will the Biden administration see this as an opportunity and will they take it back?
ANDERSON: Yeah. Let me stop you there. I have to go to Indianapolis. Thank you. Let's get to that press conference now.
JOE HOGSETT, INDIANAPOLIS MAYOR: Last night, Indianapolis was revisited by the scourge of gun violence that has killed far too many in our community
and hour country. Although we will learn more about this case (VIDEO GAP) and in the coming weeks, no piece of information will restore the lives
that were taken, or the peace that was shattered. Nothing we've learned can heal the wounds of those who escaped with their lives, but who will now
bear the scars and endure the memories of this horrific crime.
[10:35:03]
What we are left with this morning is grief. Grief for the families of those killed, grief for the employees who have lost their coworkers. And
grief for the many Americans struggling to understand how tragedies like this continue to occur again and again.
They join the Indianapolis community in trying to understand this senseless violence. And it seems to me that beyond the need of comfort for the
grieving, we must guard against resignation or even despair, the assumption that this is simply how it must be, and that we might as well get used to
it. We need the courage that compels courageous acts, that push past weariness.
I want to thank the first responders who arrived at the scene. The IEMS personnel, who provided medical care to those injured and the brave IMPD
officers who responded and who are now investigating the events of last night.
By all accounts, these women and these men acted heroically, caring for victims and families and bringing order to a tight, chaotic environment.
I'll close by saying this. Indianapolis is a resilient community. Last night was a devastating blow and its impact will be felt by our community
for days and weeks to come.
But in times of despair, I know that (AUDIO GAP). The eyes of the nation, the eyes of the nation are on Indianapolis today, in ways that we would
never have hoped for. And for those who have only know of this city, what they have learned when we are hosting major events on a global stage, they
would be forgiven for simply believing that the people of Indianapolis are known for kindness show to those who come to visit.
What they cannot see in those moments and what is difficult for us who live here to see in these moments is that this spirit of generosity and radical
love is shared not just by our residents, but between our residents. It is what makes this a special place that we are proud to call home, in times of
triumph and in times of tragedy.
It is what gives us the strength to see through the darkness and find the light of love (AUDIO GAP) or act of hate can take that away from us. Not
today, not ever.
I'll turn it over now to the chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Chief Randal Taylor.
CHIEF RANDAL TAYLOR, INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: So, this morning -- so this morning for the third time since January, our community
woke up to news of a senseless crime that will not soon leave our memory. It is unacceptable for Indianapolis. Our IMPD officers went towards danger
as they typically do and when they arrived on the scene, they found something that really no one should see.
[10:40:06]
We've all been shaken by this heinous act. I will tell you, the one thing that drew me to Indianapolis when I first came here in '93 was for such a
big city to have such a small town feel and heart.
Our IMPD chaplains have been on the scene since early this morning, providing care and comfort and support to the families of the victims. My
heart is broken over the lives that were lost. FedEx is a major employer in this city. If you ask around, there's numerous people, myself included,
that had family and friends that worked for this great company and they have built bonds, whether they worked there for a short time or a long
time. I can only imagine what the victims, the surviving victims and their coworkers are going through, who were truly with them.
The crime scene remains active. IMPD along with public safety partners will continue to work at the scene for as long as it takes to ensure a thorough
investigation is complete. You'll soon hear from Deputy Chief Craig McCartt, who will share what we know to this point, but that information
will be limited.
I can share a few things with you, though. I know the first responders did an incredible job. You more than likely will hear stories of their braver
as this develops. (AUDIO GAP) why this occurred, but we'll certainly do our best.
But I know our community stands together, that is evidence through services that were rendered by companies here like Indigo, Holiday Inn, and also
with our law enforcement partners. I would like to thank personally superintendent Doug Carter and the state police for their help and also our
other federal partners, who are always by our side.
Now I'll introduce one of those partners, FBI special agent in charge, Paul Keenan.
PAUL KEENAN, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: Thank you, Chief.
As the chief said, my name is Paul Keenan, I'm the special agent in charge of the FBI, Indianapolis field office.
First and foremost, I offer my sincere condolences on behalf of the FBI, to the family and loved ones of the victims of the senseless violence that
took place last night. While we mourn the devastating loss of their lives, we are dedicated to honoring their memory through a meticulous
investigation. FBI Indianapolis is part of this community and we stand with our friends and our neighbors to condemn this violent act that has impacted
so many.
I stand here today with my partners because wherever there is a tragedy such as this, the FBI surges resources to assist our partners in addressing
those immediate needs. FBI personnel are assisting on the search of the suspect's home and will provide any technically expertise requested by the
IMPD.
Many of you have already asked what the motive of this shooting was and with less than 12 hours since the shooting, it would be premature to
speculate on ma motivation. I can tell you that there is no further threat and updates will continue to be shared as there are more details.
We're grateful for our strong partnerships with the law enforcement in Indiana. As we have done in other cases, the FBI will dedicate all
available resources to follow every lead and use all investigative capabilities to bring closure for the victims' families.
Next up, I would like to introduce deputy chief, Greg McCartt from the IMPD. Thank you.
DEPUTY CHIEF CRAIG MCCARTT, INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: Good morning.
First of all, I would like to reiterate some of what's already been said. Recognize this (AUDIO GAP) go out to the victims, their families, their
friends, their loved ones and our thoughts and prayers are certainly with all of those who were affected by this violence and we know that that's far
reaching. That this violence is far reaching.
And so we keep all of them in our thoughts as we (AUDIO GAP)
[10:45:08]
Bear with me. There's going to be a lot that I am not able -- a lot of questions that you may have after I'm done that I may not be able to
answer. We're still working on those answers. This investigation is very much still in its infancy. But I will answer what I can tell after we're
done.
So late last night, officers received a run of shot fired to the FedEx facility. When officers arrived, they found a very chaotic and active crime
scene. They found several victims injured and several victims deceased, as well as the suspect who was deceased as well, of an apparent self-inflicted
gunshot wound.
Detectives were summoned to the scene. We began interviews with the many witnesses that were on scene. The crime lab responded and we began to
process that crime scene and that continues now and we're still several hours arefro being able to complete that at this time. So there's still a
lot of work to do out there.
Our victims assistance and chaplain's office also responded to the scene to assist with the witnesses, victims' family, and Indigo was at the scene to
help us transport employees, witnesses, and families to the family reunification site, which was a nearby hotel. And so we continue to work
with those employees and families as we work through identification and speaking with those families.
Before I -- before I open anything up for questions, I just want to recognize the work that's being done out there, as we speak, by our
detectives and the help that we have received from other law enforcement agencies.
I would like to also give a thank you to the state police. They were a huge help last night, as their detectives worked right alongside with ours. They
allowed us to use this facility not only for this event, but for interviews last night.
Indigo, I've already said, our federal partners who have been right beside us throughout this investigation, as well, we will now work with the
coroner's office as we work through victim identification. And so we, again, just a big thank you to all of those folks. The victim's assistance
unit, the chaplain's office, we couldn't have done this without the help that we've received today. If there are questions now, we can open it up
for questions and I'll try to answer whatever I can.
(AUDIO GAP)
REPORTER: What can you tell us about the suspect?
MCCARTT: You know, I can really tell you very little. And the reason is, very little. And the reason is, we are still working to identify everybody
that is still on scene there. So we are not able to make positive identification of the suspect, so there's really not much that we can say
about him, until we have made positive identification.
REPORTER: As a follow-up, were any of the eyewitnesses say anything about the suspect? Did they recognize this person?
(AUDIO GAP)
MCCARTT: The interviews that were conducted was that he came to the facility and when he came there, he got out of his car and pretty quickly
started some random shooting outside the facility. There was no confrontation with anyone that was there. There was no disturbance. There
was no argument. He just appeared to randomly start shooting and that began in the parking lot and then he did go into the building, into the facility
for a brief period of time before he took his own life.
REPORTER: What connection, if any, at this point does the shooter have to the facility or its employees?
MCCARTT: We don't know that. Again, that's difficult to determine until we make positive identification. So, we're certainly working with the FedEx
organization in trying to establish all of those connections, but we just can't do that yet.
REPORTER: To be clear, you're saying you don't have a firm identification of the suspect with the special agents (INAUDIBLE)
MCCARTT: And that's -- that's accurate. I mean, we have -- we have an idea. We have some other leads that led us to that location.
But again, until we make positive identification along with the coroner's office, we are not going to obviously identify anybody.
[10:50:09]
REPORTER: There is a search going on with somebody?
MCCARTT: There are all kind of things going on in investigation, but yes, that is one of them.
REPORTER: OK, a search of the individual you think is the shooter --
MCCARTT: Potentially, yes.
REPORTER: How many weapons --
MCCARTT: I can't tell you that yet. We're -- again, the crime lab is still out there collecting all of that evidence and we can't determine those
things until they've completed --
REPORTER: Do your witnesses tell you that perhaps at FedEx, or the security personnel are off-duty, law enforcement personnel at the state
yesterday had any indication that perhaps this trouble was going to occur or somebody was going to come back with a gun?
MCCARTT: No. You know, we're still working with FedEx security for anything that might indicate to us, but right now, we don't -- we don't
have those ties. And again, for us, it's still very early, still in the fantasy. We're still doing those interviews and working closely with FedEx
to find those things -- to find those things out.
REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)
MCCARTT: My understanding is that by the time the officers entered, that the situation was over. That the suspect took his life very shortly before
officers actually entered the facility.
REPORTER: How long do you think the incident lasted?
MCCARTT: You know, it's hard to say exactly, but the estimates that we have heard are just a couple of minutes. That it did not last very long.
REPORTER: And you can't confirm if the suspect is an employee?
MCCARTT: No, we cannot confirm that yet.
REPORTER: How many people were in the building at the time?
MCCARTT: You know what, I can't tell you that. That would be a question that someone from the FedEx organization would have to answer. I don't know
the number. I don't know that number right now.
REPORTER: How many were transported from the hospital?
MCCARTT: So, what we have right now is that there were five that were transported from the scene. Four of those had suffered what appeared to be
nonfatal gunshot wounds and there was another injury of some sort that a person with some sort of injury that was transported, as well.
REPORTER: Several employees have said that the FedEx policy is that employees can't bring cell phones into the facility, and they fear that may
have delayed getting you guys there. Was there any kind of delay --
MCCARTT: No, I think -- I think we were contacted very quickly once things started happening. What I have heard is that, you know, part of the
frustration in family notification has been due to, you know, a lot of these employees did not have cell phones, as they flee the building and got
transported to other places, they were without their cell phones.
And so, they had a hard time getting with families. So that was certainly frustrating for those employees as well as their families.
REPORTER: Is there surveillance video of the incident?
MCCARTT: We're checking for surveillance video and certainly, one would think in a large facility like that that at some point, there's going to be
some video that we're able to obtain.
REPORTER: Did any witnesses indicate to you that they thought maybe that there was another employee who attempted to retrieve a firearm in an
attempt to stop this incident from occurring?
MCCARTT: I heard that kind of anecdotally, but I have not heard that that was reported to law enforcement to this point. Now, we're doing lot of
interviews still, so I'm not going to say that's not accurate, but I have not heard it from within my own organization.
REPORTER: Was there a shift change going on, which is why there would have been folks in the parking lot? I'm trying to understand that time of night.
MCCARTT: We haven't determined that yet, but --
ANDERSON: All right. I want to wrap up what we have heard from what is a police news conference just moments ago on what is another mass shooting in
America, this one in the U.S. city of Indianapolis.
All right. Well, sadly, this is the third mass shooting in that city since the beginning of the year, and the context to this, there have been 45 mass
shootings in America in this past month alone.
Let's bring in CNN law enforcement analyst Peter Licata. He's a former supervisory special agent at the FBI.
What did you make of what you -- what you just heard, Peter?
LICATA: Becky, unfortunately, it's the same press conference we've heard the last three times over the last 30 days, as well as times we've heard
since last year.
So law enforcement and political leaders have become unfortunately all too verbose in these press conferences.
[10:55:10]
And it's very similar situation that we've been dealing with for quite some time here in the United States. I don't take much of it, because it's
always the same press conference and that's unfortunate. It's no disrespect to the politicians or the law enforcement, but they are -- they have to be
so well-trained and to do these press conferences and become standard operating procedure for not only a response, but these press conferences on
what they're supposed to say and what they can't. That's what I took of it.
And the investigation, as the police chief and the special agent in charge of the FBI in Indianapolis, that the motive, the suspect identification
will all come out over time. We're talking about 12 hours. The incident happened approximately 12 hours ago. All of that information will come out,
but unfortunately they become these -- their dialogue has become too commonplace.
ANDERSON: Yeah. I think my colleague and yours, Jim Sciutto in the States, sort of summed up where we are at in a very fitting tweet, I thought, while
this press conference was going on.
Sadly, this is a familiar sequence of events, he says. Shooting, police, FBI and mayor press conference, makeshift memorials, shooter profile,
funerals, calls for change and he end by saying, no change.
Peter?
LICATA: I can't agree anymore. Frankly, again, as a 21-year veteran of the federal bureau of investigation in New Orleans and New York city, having
responded to active shooter investigation, have some of the best friends I've ever had, my peers in the FBI, work Sandy Hook, work Colorado, Aurora,
Colorado shootings, Boulder, Atlanta, all of these shootings, they're tired of it.
We're tired of climbing over bodies. We're tired of processing these crime scenes. Something needs to be done.
We understand -- we understand the verbiage of, it's always time for prayer and reflection and pray for the families and the victims, we understand
that, but we're starting to get tired of, it's action later. It's time for action, and something needs to be done.
ANDERSON: Peter, on that note, I will let you go. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Peter Licata, speaking there.
LICATA: Thank you.
ANDERSON: We're going to take a very short break. Back after this.
[11:00:00]
END
