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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Gunman Kills 7 on Oakland Campus; Trayvon Martin Shooting; Concerns Over Chemical In Plastic
Aired April 03, 2012 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. And welcome to EARLY START. I'm Ashleigh Banfield.
ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Zoraida Sambolin. We are very happy you're with us this morning. We're bringing you the news from A to Z.
It's 5:00 a.m. in the East. We start with your top story.
BANFIELD: And what set him off? We are learning more about the man accused of shooting seven innocent people at a Christian college in California yesterday and a possible motive. He's a he a former student.
And witnesses talking about what they saw during the terrifying rampage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DECHEN WANGZOM, WITNESS: You hear the firework, it's boom, boom. You know, something like that -- three or four times I hear that. If I didn't lock the door, I think we might be dead today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: And we have a closer look. Enhanced video of George Zimmerman. You're taking a look at it there, minutes after he shot and killed Trayvon Martin. Showing a possible head wound -- something that may support his side of the story.
BANFIELD: A small plane sputtering and spiraling into a grocery store in Florida, injuring people and sending frightened shoppers running to the exits.
SAMBOLIN: Did you hear the Wildcats cut down the net. Kentucky beating Kansas for their eighth national title, capping off one of the most dominant runs in NCAA history.
BANFIELD: It's one minute now past 5:00 on the East Coast.
And up first on the newscast: a possible motive for the deadly shooting spree that left seven people dead in a quiet Christian college in Oakland, California. It happened yesterday morning, local time, at Oikos University. Former student apparently opening fire on former classmates.
The shooter has been identified as 43-year-old One Goh of Oakland. It's alleged that he carried out this terrible spree. He's been taken into custody. This after an hour after the shooting and he was found five miles away at a shopping center.
"The San Francisco Chronicle" is reporting that Goh may have had a dispute with campus officials that got him kicked out of class.
Listen how police described the scene on campus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD JORDAN, OAKLAND POLICE CHIEF: There were several people hiding in locked buildings, locked doors, behind desks, as you can imagine, very frightened, very scared. Some of them were injured, so we had to rescue them out.
We haven't put together the actual shooting incident in terms of where he went, what direction he went, and how (ph) he did it because those are -- that's information we will get later on as we comb through the evidence, talk to witnesses and hopefully talk to the suspect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Thelma Gutierrez is live with us in Oakland this morning.
So, Thelma, there have been so many varied reports about how this played out, what happened inside that school, and just what relationship this suspect has with the students. How much more can you piece together for us this morning?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is exactly what police are trying to figure out, Ashleigh, is exactly what kind of a relationship he had to the students here. Did he know them? Did he have any kind of a grudge with these students?
We still don't know those answers, but I can tell you that the community here is in shock. Oikos College is a small Christian school. It's a very quiet area. It caters to the Korean-American community. People hearsay this kind of thing just doesn't happen at schools like this.
But police say that yesterday, this quiet school turned into the scene of a very terrible tragedy, a terrible massacre where seven people were killed. Police say that 43-year-old One Goh was in a nursing classroom. They heard witnesses say somebody yell out, "He has a gun," and then soon after they heard this string of gunfire, rapid gunfire, and people screaming. They started taking cover, running, hiding under their desks, anything to get away from him.
At one point, one student in the nearby classroom actually went to the door. She turned off the lights, locked that door. Goh reportedly came, started firing in that door but then left when he thought that that classroom was empty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DECHEN WANGZOM, WITNESS: It's so hard to remember the scene that we have saw today. It's like unforgettable. You know sometimes you hear the fire work, it's boom, boom. You know, something like that -- three or four times I hear that. If I didn't lock the door, I think we might be dead today. We were just praying for the God just to save us today. Hear the noise. She was asking for help again and again, like there was nothing we could do about that thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTIERREZ: After the shooting, police say that Goh then stole one of the victim's car, a student who was here at the school, and then drove about five miles away to the community of Alameda. He was in a Safeway store where he surrendered to police.
Just a terrible situation in Oikos.
BANFIELD: So, Thelma, there are some reports from an unnamed police source that the victims included six women and one man. Do we know at this point if there was any kind of targeting, if this was random, or what any motive might have been?
GUTIERREZ: That's what they're looking at, Ashleigh, exactly what relationship he may have had to these people. But they say he was just firing at anybody who was in that classroom. In terms of a motive, Goh lived with his father who was living in an assisted living facility for senior citizens. He had lost his mother and a brother just last year and was reportedly undergoing financial difficulties.
But there's a lot to sort out here, Ashleigh. Police say that this scene was so chaotic and there are so many witnesses and victims that they say it'll be a while before they can figure out exactly what went down here and at this point have not yet filed charges.
BANFIELD: All right. Thelma Gutierrez, live for us in California today -- thank you.
SAMBOLIN: It is six minutes past the hour.
Now to the Trayvon Martin shooting -- and a new look at a key piece of evidence. CNN enhanced the police surveillance video of George Zimmerman on the night of the shooting. Take a look at that there.
So, it appears to show a gash on the back of Zimmerman's head, which could support Zimmerman's claim he was attacked by Trayvon Martin and killed him in self-defense.
On last night's "A.C. 360," the Martin family attorney had this reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN CRUMP, MARTIN FAMILY ATTORNEY: Is that enough to justify deadly use of force to kill an unarmed teen? And more importantly, the crux of the matter that we keep harping on, if he does not get out of that car, if he does what a neighborhood watch person is supposed to do, report it to the proper authorities and let them deal with this matter, then Trayvon Martin is here living and breathing and we're not here dealing with this with his parents saying why is my son in the ground and nobody's been arrested for killing him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAMBOLIN: Meantime, the Florida state attorney says he is outraged at Crump's claim he conspired with the Sanford police chief to not charge George Zimmerman.
The Martin family is asking the Justice Department to investigate now.
CNN's Martin Savidge is live in Sanford, Florida.
And, Martin, is there an affidavit from the detective saying he did not believe George Zimmerman to be credible?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Zoraida.
Well, there has been talk of such an affidavit, but we have not seen it. And we have made numerous attempts to try to get ahold of it if it does exist. It was reported by another network, but so far, that has not been seen by anybody else -- which raises a lot of questions here because that seems to go to the heart of the matter of this letter that was written by the attorney for Trayvon Martin.
And that attorney has asked the Justice Department to investigate the events of the night of the shooting, specifically what he said was a meeting that took place between Chief Bill Lee, that's of the Sanford Police Department, and with the state attorney, either at this police station, maybe at the crime scene. But it sort of implies there was kind of a collusion. And what they mean by that is after that meeting it was determined that no charges would be filed even though you had the lead investigator that apparently did want to charge George Zimmerman.
So, they want the Justice Department to investigate that. Well, only a few minutes after that was announced, then you get an angry response from Norman Wolfinger, who is the state attorney and he said, "I am outraged by the outright lies contained in the letter by Benjamin Crump to Deputy Assistant Attorney General Roy Austin dated April 2nd, 2012. I encourage the Justice Department to investigate and document that no such meeting occurred."
So there you have the response and then the counter. It's a real war of words that has broken out down here.
SAMBOLIN: You know, we were just showing some video now of Zimmerman and that gash that he allegedly has on the back of his head. How is that changing the dialogue this morning?
SAVIDGE: Well -- I mean, of course when that video first came out when we all saw it last week, the first thing you noticed was that you didn't seem to see the injuries that George Zimmerman claimed he had suffered as a result of this life and death struggle with Trayvon Martin. But now after the enhancement that you see via CNN, you can see some indications of marks on the back of his head.
Is it significant or is it just backing up his story? It's really hard to say. But it does seem to lend some credence to what George Zimmerman has said, he was attacked.
SAMBOLIN: Certainly raises some questions.
Martin Savidge -- live in Sanford, Florida -- thank you very much.
BANFIELD: Now nine minutes past 5:00 on the East Coast.
And there are three big Republican primaries that are on tap for later today. Did you know that we're still in the primary race, by the way?
Just about 100 delegates, not quite 100, are on the line tonight for the voters in three states, Wisconsin, Maryland, D.C. -- Washington, D.C., when they head to the polls this evening.
Wisconsin is the big prize out of all of them because there's 42 winner-take-all delegates there. Mitt Romney is sitting pretty. He's really ahead in all of the polls in three contests for tonight.
But Rick Santorum doesn't seem to matter. He doesn't seem to think that's an issue. He says he's pressing on even if he loses all three of the contests tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's rich with delegates and are strong states for us -- states like Texas and Arkansas and Kentucky and Indiana, West Virginia, North Carolina, those are the states that we know we can get this right back to where it is right now, which is a lot closer than what Mitt Romney and the pundits are spinning. It's a very close race and by the end of May, we expect this race to be very close to even.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Well, you'd have to win a lot of contests if that's going to be a reality. That's just the math in it. And certainly Mitt Romney doesn't see what Rick Santorum sees.
Instead, Romney says a win in Wisconsin could mean the campaign is effectively over, not just for Santorum, but for his other Republican rivalries as well.
SAMBOLIN: It is 11 minutes past the hour. So you know what time it is. This just in, the new national average for a gallon of gas, $3.92.
BANFIELD: What?
SAMBOLIN: It's dropping slightly.
BANFIELD: No.
SAMBOLIN: It's down two-tenths of a cent. That's the first drop in more than three weeks.
Gas prices are still very high. You know that. We're only about 19 cents shy of the all time high of $4.11. That was from July of 2008.
BANFIELD: Do you think that's a fake-out? Like we'll give you a little teaser. We'll drop it two-tenths.
SAMBOLIN: Maybe it will become a trend.
BANFIELD: No, that's not what I'm asking about. Something tells me no. If Christine Romans is right, she tells us -- get used to it, gas prices are staying high. I hope you're right. I hope it's a --
SAMBOLIN: I do, too.
BANFIELD: I hope it's a trend.
All right. So, number one, wire to wire, that's apparently how the sports announcers say it. The University of Kentucky beat Kansas last night and the score was 67 to 59.
SAMBOLIN: I love those moments.
BANFIELD: Look how excited -- all that ticker tape.
So, this would be the eighth national championship.
SAMBOLIN: Love that.
BANFIELD: Second all time, behind UCLA too.
Kentucky's Anthony Davis was named the Final Four's most outstanding player even though he only scored six points in the final game. But if you look at his record, he was a defensive force with six blocked shots.
SAMBOLIN: Somebody in our newsroom said they don't watch basketball because it's no fun to watch. Take a look at this! The highlights are incredible. Look at that.
BANFIELD: I always hear people say that about hockey. And I think, you know what, if you go to an area --
SAMBOLIN: Oh my gosh! Are you kidding? It is a lot of fun to watch.
BANFIELD: Yes. You go to an arena it's like you go to a fight and a hockey game breaks out. It's pretty exciting stuff.
(LAUGHTER)
SAMBOLIN: Well said. Twelve minutes past the hour.
Still ahead, a small plane sputtering and crashing into a super market in Florida. Have you seen the pictures here? It injures several people who were just out getting their groceries.
BANFIELD: And the head of the General Services Administration, you've heard it, called GSA, well, she's out, resigning, after some serious, embarrassing records came out showing that her staff was livin la vida loca in Las Vegas. The total cost of their trip, oh, my Lord, not that far off a million. Eke.
You're watching EARLY START.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: It is now 16 minutes past 5:00 on the East Coast. Time to check the stories making news this morning.
And here's Christine Romans.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
A 43-year-old former student has been identified as the suspected gunman who shot and killed seven former classmates yesterday at Oikos University in Oakland. Three other people were wounded at the small Christian college. "The San Francisco Chronicle" reporting suspect One Goh left behind a string of deaths and was evicted from apartment complex in Virginia. He also kept hunting and fishing licenses there for several years.
Police say there are multiple injuries after a small plane crashed into a public super market in Deland, Florida. That's near Orlando. Witnesses say the plane's engine was sputtering before it crashed into the roof of the building last night. Customers and employees were safely evacuated. Two people treated for severe burns.
Two injured sailors rescued from a crippled Australian racing yacht off the California coast. They're now recovering in a San Francisco hospital. Their boat was damaged by a monster wave over the weekend. The two were part of a crew competing in an around the world race.
For an expanded look at all of these top stories, head to our blog, CNN.com/EarlyStart -- Zoraida and Ashleigh.
SAMBOLIN: I think we got a thumbs-up there. It seemed to be in good shape. Thank you.
ROMANS: That's right.
SAMBOLIN: Alexander Steele is in for Rob Marciano this morning with a look at your travel weather. Good morning.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Good morning to you, guys.
All right. A couple interesting things weather-wise. One, I love the Denver story. Eighties in Denver over the weekend. Temperatures have now dropped to 30. Snow -- three to five inches today, maybe another one to two inches tonight.
And, of course, watching this line of severe weather potentially from Oklahoma City down to Texas.
But in terms of Denver, so the 80-degree warmth over the weekend. Second warmest March in record in Denver, and the least snowiest in Denver in March.
New York, Philadelphia also the second warmest. Ample records of course because of all the warmth. That warmth played a role and will continue to.
These are the heat records from yesterday. Look at Nashville and Memphis, upper 80s, 87. It should be at 70 this time of year. So, the heat certainly the biggest story and will continue to be. Acts of the heat a little bit farther eastward -- places like Atlanta, Georgia, should be 69, in the low to mid-80s. Birmingham, same scenario.
And even farther north, into the mid-Atlantic, New York -- warm today, only warmer tomorrow. But with all of that warmth and the moisture coming in, potential for severe weather. Oklahoma City to Dallas. And right around this quadrant from Cinci to St. Louis, isolated tornado, more just some hail, some gusty winds potentially -- really the scenario there today.
But the wet weather staying here in the Southeast. New Orleans unfortunately all those spring breakers down there, New Orleans morning rain, pretty much the balance of the day dry, but then seaside, got some wet weather, kind of line of storms moving through. Not a total washout or spring breakers, but certainly not the best day.
BANFIELD: People in Denver don't like to hear that they don't have a lot of snow because that's kind of their bread and butter, isn't it? All those ski resorts?
STEELE: Oh, absolutely. And certainly paltry winter for sure. But, you know, the Mile High City of Denver has incredible vacillations in temperature that's kind of part and parcel to living there. So, 80s to 40s.
Bigger news for us certainly in the East than what they have. They see that a lot of. But that's a big temperature swing, 80s, and record heat to the snow, three to five inches.
SAMBOLIN: Unbelievable. Thank you for that.
BANFIELD: Thanks, Alexandra.
It's 19 minutes now past 5:00 on the East Coast.
And this is the time that we get an early read on some of the local news that's making national headlines. And we got papers from Vegas and Chicago.
Let's start with Vegas, shall we? Because this one will blow your top.
It comes from "Las Vegas Sun". And it's all about the General Services Administration. The head of that organization quitting after investigators reveal that she and her team of about 300 staffers blew about $820,000 on a trip to Vegas. Now, this was a team building trip to Vegas, it wasn't just a vacation. But holy molly did they spend money at the M Resort.
This happened back in 2010. Are you ready for the things they did?
SAMBOLIN: Yes.
BANFIELD: They had a clown, a mind reader. Apparently, the mind reader according to PBS costs $3,200. They bought a thousand sushi rolls at about 7 bucks a roll. I love sushi, but please.
SAMBOLIN: Wow.
BANFIELD: Three hundred people at $95 a plate. Some of those dinners and some breakfasts, that cost 50 bucks a plate.
SAMBOLIN: Fifty bucks a plate for breakfast?
BANFIELD: I know -- $75,000 on team building exercises, $6,000 on commemorative coins, $6,000 on canteens, key chains, t-shirts. Take something home to the kids. More than $100,000 just to scout the location.
Scout the location. It's Vegas. I could tell you what's in Vegas. Take in a show at Cirque du Soleil. It's cheaper than all of that.
SAMBOLIN: Wow.
BANFIELD: Amazing. Two of her top deputies are fired. If you're getting mad at this, you should be. And they have taken action. Four of the managers at the GSA have also been placed on leave.
SAMBOLIN: That is incredible that they would have the gallon to do that.
BANFIELD: Makes me want to work for the GSA, right?
SAMBOLIN: Yes.
All right. Onto the "Chicago Tribune" now. A man rushed to look at a newly revealed census data from the 1940s. It crashed the government Web site servers -- 22.5 million hits in the first three hours after the records were released. The census director couldn't get on to search his own family history.
So, the National Archives spokesperson says, "We're a victim of our own success." And she says she didn't expect such a high demand for this.
Officials are working now to fix the Web site problems so you can search through. A new release is a big deal because a new census only becomes public every 10 years after a 72-year waiting period.
BANFIELD: I know that, but for some reason when I heard that that was all becoming public I didn't think there would be that much interest. I don't know why. Yes, I sort of thought, it's the 1940s. I'm not sure who many people are going to be that thrilled about census data, but wow.
SAMBOLIN: Yes, you know those ancestry Web sites also, you know --
BANFIELD: I guess they do well.
SAMBOLIN: Yes, they're well populated.
BANFIELD: How much do you want --
SAMBOLIN: They're fixing it so you can go on there and take a look.
BANFIELD: I mean, would you want to find out about my family?
SAMBOLIN: Actually, I would, Ashleigh. I've got lots of questions for your family.
BANFIELD: Wrong question.
(LAUGHTER)
SAMBOLIN: Twenty-two minutes past the hour folks.
BANFIELD: Boring story. Long ago.
SAMBOLIN: Oh, I don't think so.
BANFIELD: All right. So we've got a lot of questions coming.
Still ahead, what is fueling car sales? Less fuel? Probably. What about the electric car?
Minding your business, we're taking a look at today's big auto sales report stories.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAMBOLIN: Minding your business this morning.
(CROSSTALK)
SAMBOLIN: U.S. markets --
BANFIELD: Singing at the same time (ph).
SAMBOLIN: I do like it. I may be the only one.
So, U.S. markets kick off the second quarter with a nice rally. The Dow, NASDAQ, S&P 500 all closed higher yesterday after a positive report on manufacturing here in the United States.
BANFIELD: Let's bring in Christine Romans now to talk about what's happening today because we're expecting a new report on how many cars were sold in March. And I think that might be the ziekgieber (ph) --
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Here we go.
BANFIELD: I know you'd spot that right away.
ROMANS: I know. What does ziekgieber (ph) mean?
BANFIELD: According to Joe, who's in our studio who supplies me with the word of the day every day, I think I've completely misused it. The most prominent -- sorry -- it's an environmental que as the length of daylight that helps regulate the cycles of organism's biological --
ROMANS: You know what?
SAMBOLIN: It doesn't matter what it means anymore.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: You used it, girl.
BANFIELD: Talk about wedging it in.
ROMANS: Let me get this car back on the highway. I'm going to drive the car back on the highway. I'm talking about it --
SAMBOLIN: Fuel efficient.
ROMANS: Fuel efficient cars, with economy that's recovering. And today, we're going to learn more about how many fuel efficient cars these companies are selling and how many cars are selling in general.
The economy is recovering. People have been holding on to old cars and higher gas prices mean people who are finally looking out there to buy something are more interested in buying something fuel efficient.
Right now, 30 miles to the gallon is considered fuel efficient. Keep in mind, by 2025, it's going to be more like 55 miles to the gallon. So, you're still going to be seeing a lot of changes in the cars we're driving.
I want to show you the most fuel efficient cars out there right now in case these high gas prices are making you crazy. This is according to fueleconomy.gov.
The most fuel efficient, the 2012 Mitsubishi i which is called MiEV or the Meev (ph). I don't know, I haven't driven it -- 112 miles per gallon. I guess it's an electric car.
BANFIELD: Wow.
SAMBOLIN: Do you have a picture?
ROMANS: I don't have a picture.
SAMBOLIN: Oh, no picture.
ROMANS: OK. Anyway, the next one is the Ford Focus. This one is 105 miles to the gallon. There you go. You do have a picture of this one, $39,000.
And then there's also the Nissan Leaf. You've heard a lot of this one. A lot of us around here have actually driven this one, too -- 99 miles per gallon, $27,000. It's available --
SAMBOLIN: Twenty-seven thousand dollars?
ROMANS: Yes. Well, here's the thing. When you start talking about some of these fuel efficient cars, you know, buy a brand new one. Some places there's a wait for them. You know, you're probably buying a new one, probably not buying a used one.
So, it's one of those things where people have been waiting a long time to buy a car. You got to have money to buy a car, right?
BANFIELD: Yes. But then you hear about the Volt slowing production because they don't sell enough.
ROMANS: They're expensive. They're expensive, you know?
Look, we're going to be watching a lot about the car sales today. We'll find out what kinds of cars are doing well. Supposed to be good for Detroit and for not electric but regular small cars.
BANFIELD: The sales of these cars is a ziekgieber (ph) in terms of what we think as a nation of how much fuel we want to consume.
ROMANS: You took the car back into the ditch.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: I think you're (INAUDIBLE).
BANFIELD: You are amazing.
Thank you, Christine.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
BANFIELD: All right. Twenty-nine minutes now past 5:00.
And environmentalists are pretty upset these days because the FDA is refusing to ban something they don't like. It's called BPA. It's used in a lot of food packaging. But you know what? They're saying the fight is not over.
You're wondering if it affects you? It more than likely does.
You'll find out more in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: It is 32 minutes now past 5:00 on the east coast. Nice to have you back with us. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Ashleigh Banfield.
SAMBOLIN: And I'm Zoraida Sambolin. It is time to check stories making news this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMBOLIN (voice-over): A memorial service is planned today for seven people who were shot and killed at a small Christian college in Northern California. That was yesterday. A former student is in custody now. We are hearing he got kicked out of a class. We're going to talk to the police chief in just a few moments from now.
Nervous residents can be heard begging for help as flames swept over the mountains southwest of Denver. The 911 calls are now out from last week's deadly controlled burn that spread out of control. And some of the calls are from people who did not survive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there any fire around you right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes, there's fire all around me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: The lower north fort fire almost is fully contained at this point. Residents are returning home.
SAMBOLIN: What a charred mess.
BANFIELD: May be responsible for the deaths of three people. You're right, an absolute charred mess.
SAMBOLIN: And over the edge. Incredible video of an 18 wheeler busting through a divider. Oh!
BANFIELD: My gosh!
BANFIELD: Look at the tow truck going over a snowy cliff rolling down a hill. Oh, my goodness. The tow truck tried to rescue it, goes down with it. This happened in Norway. Police say the driver went down with the rig. He survived but has several broken bones. The tow truck driver bailed out just in the nick of time.
BANFIELD: Terrifying.
SAMBOLIN: Oh, my goodness!
BANFIELD: The water down below. Take a look at that. Just remarkable.
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was my life not enough of a cautionary tale for you. We are close to getting a record deal.
BANFIELD: It's Whitney Houston's final performance. The trailer for her new film, "Sparkle" has now been released. Her character with a haunting message. She plays an aging singer who warns her daughter about the pitfalls of success. We're going to play more of it for you later this hour.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAMBOLIN (on-camera): It would be a tough watch for her family, huh.
Thirty-four minutes past the hour here. Former student is in custody for a shooting rampage at a quiet Christian college campus in Oakland that has left seven people dead, that chaotic scene yesterday morning at Oikos University. A former student who allegedly opened fire on his classmates identified as 43-year-old One Goh (ph) of Oakland.
The "Oakland Tribune" says the victims are six women, one man ranging in age from their 20s to their 40s.
BANFIELD (on-camera): Mr. Goh was taken into custody an hour after the shooting, but he was five miles away from the campus at a shopping center. He was reportedly in a dispute with campus officials that may have gotten him kicked out of class. Listen as a witness describes what was seen on campus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Noticed there was a girl coming out of the bushes, you know, looked scared. She came out and she was approached me and another individual and said, I've been shot. And she showed us her arm and a piece of her arm was literally, you know, a chunk was gone. And she said, he's in there. He's shooting up everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: The chief of the Oakland Police is Howard Jordan, and he joins us live by telephone. Chief Jordan, can you hear me?
CHIEF HOWARD JORDAN, OAKLAND POLICE CHIEF (on the phone): Yes, I can. Good morning.
BANFIELD: Good morning. Is there anything you can shed in terms of any new details with regard to this suspect? Has he been talking at all overnight to police?
JORDAN: He has been talking to our investigators and provided us details about what happened. So far, we know that the motive is he had been upset with the members or the administration of the school, and we're trying to confirm some of the things that he's told us.
Whatever the reason is, it's really a senseless act, and our hearts and souls go out to the families of all the victims from yesterday. It's something that we wish on no one at all.
BANFIELD: So, if I understand you correctly, what he has said to the police officers while in custody at this point was that he's upset with the administration of the school, but why were the students targeted?
JORDAN: He just felt a certain urge to inflict pain on them. He gave us no exact reason why he did that. He just wanted to get back at the administration for dismissing him earlier in the year.
BANFIELD: And did he choose his victims or were these random victims?
JORDAN: From what we can tell, these were random victims, and we're still trying to put this whole piece together. As you know, this occurred less than 24 hours ago.
BANFIELD: Was he in the classroom at the time that the shots rang out? There are varied reports that there were victims mostly concentrated in a classroom, one in an administration office, but can you shed more light on exactly how this crime played out?
JORDAN: Yes. Well, he entered the building, and he took one of the receptionist's, entered the room, was looking for one person in particular and I can't reveal that person's name because that person, we don't want to jeopardize their safety, and he lined up all the victims and began shooting at them and left for a short period of time, came back, went through other parts of the school just shooting, what we call a shooting rampage throughout the school.
Then, he casually walked out and left in one of the victim's vehicles and was subsequently -- he subsequently surrendered to the authorities in a neighboring city of Alameda.
BANFIELD: If you could just go back for a moment. You said he entered the school, he took a hostage, and then, correct me if I'm wrong, he went to the classroom and lined up the students from the classroom?
JORDAN: Yes. He lined them up just like I said and started shooting them one by one.
BANFIELD: Where did he line them up?
JORDAN: In the classroom against the wall.
BANFIELD: And did he shoot all of the students that he'd lined up and how large was that classroom?
JORDAN: We don't know the exact size, but that's where the majority of our victims were shot. We assume most of the students in that classroom were shot at that moment.
BANFIELD: How long did this terror play out? I mean, did this happen fairly quickly or were these people tormented before they were shot?
JORDAN: No, this happened fairly quickly, within minutes. We received the first call at 10:33 yesterday, and our first officers arrived on the scene about three minutes later. So, it was about a three-minute response time for our officers. One of our officers was actually around the corner when he was flagged down and dispatched by our dispatch as well.
BANFIELD: Chief Jordan, do you know if anyone in that classroom had time or even the inclination to try to stop him? Did anyone leap at him, try to wrestle the gun away?
JORDAN: Not to our knowledge, and we don't believe that the victims had any opportunity to resist, any opportunity to surrender. This was a calculated, cold blooded execution in the classroom that led to these victims, all seven of the ten of them, being deceased at this point.
BANFIELD: He had a 45 millimeter handgun, as I understand. Did he have a chance to reload or did he just empty what he had and leave?
JORDAN: We're told that he had an opportunity to reload and came back in and fired multiple rounds again.
BANFIELD: And if you would please just take me outside of the classroom. Once he had lined up the students and shot them and left the classroom, what happened in the interim before he came back and did he continue the carnage inside that classroom a second time?
JORDAN: Yes. He came back into the classroom after he left, went to another location, and began shooting again because he realized that there were other students hiding in the adjacent classroom. So, he began shooting into that classroom again, then left out the back, not through the same entrance that he came in, and he left out the back and drove away in the car.
And I just want to correct a report that came out yesterday that I made at my press conference. We have not been able to locate the weapon, but we do have enough ballistics evidence to determine that it was a semi-automatic caliber handgun.
BANFIELD: And just quickly, I'd like you to clarify, if you could for me, before I let you go, you said he came into the school, took the hostage, and was looking for someone in particular?
JORDAN: Yes.
BANFIELD: What -- what -- I know that you're being very cautious in terms of the details that you release, and if you can't release the name, I understand, but what kind of a person? An administrator, a student?
JORDAN: It was a -- it was a -- one of the administrators from the school. I can't release her name or tell you anything more about her.
BANFIELD: Was this to exact vengeance on the administrator who had, perhaps, let him know that he was no longer welcome at the school?
JORDAN: We don't know that. We just know that he was upset at the school, and he was looking for this one particular administrator that he wanted to seek revenge on.
BANFIELD: Where was that administrator at that moment?
JORDAN: I can't -- I can't reveal that.
BANFIELD: Was the administrator on site?
JORDAN: I can't reveal that.
BANFIELD: Does this administrator know this at this point?
JORDAN: We are trying to confirm that with them.
BANFIELD: And what about charges? I know that we haven't heard of any charges formally being filed in this case at this point, but what's the update?
JORDAN: The D.A. will be presented the case probably within the next day, and it will be up to her to decide what charges will be levied against him.
BANFIELD: Is he in any kind of protective custody at this point or on any sort of, as they say, in the colloquial terms, suicide watch?
JORDAN: Not that I'm aware of, but that's something that the sheriff's department (INAUDIBLE).
BANFIELD: Chief Jordan, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you joining us at this very early hour out on the west coast and certainly with the amount of detail that you've been able to provide for us. We really appreciate it. Thank you.
JORDAN: You're welcome. Take care.
BANFIELD: Chief Howard Jordan of the Oakland Police Department, the chief of the Oakland Police Department joining us with details this morning.
SAMBOLIN: Incredible details.
BANFIELD: Unbelievable. Unbelievable. I think this is the first that we've heard anything about students being lined up and shot.
SAMBOLIN: Execution style as he said.
BANFIELD: Execution style
SAMBOLIN: Unreal.
BANFIELD: And that there was a specific target that may have been intended. If the allegations are true, that this suspect was looking for the administrator potentially who may have somewhat been involved in his dismissal from this school.
SAMBOLIN: He did say it was a female administrator but no name.
BANFIELD: Right, right.
SAMBOLIN Just incredible. All right. We're going to take a quick break here, and we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAMBOLIN: Welcome back to EARLY START. It's 46 minutes past the hour.
Some companies have already changed the way they manufacture Sippy cups and baby bottles. But this morning, advocates are regrouping after the FDA rejected a petition to ban a controversial chemical in all food packaging. The chemical is BPA or bisphenol A, and there are concerns it causes reproductive problems, diabetes, and other health issues.
The Natural Resources Defense Council had sought the ban, but the FDA says, quote, "It did not have the scientific data needed for the FDA to change current regulations." Eleven states ban BPA in children's products. Jennifer Sass is the senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
She is in Washington, D.C., and she is joining us this morning. Thank you so much for being with us. And just for full disclosure here, can you explain your organization's opposition to BPA?
JENNIFER SASS, SENIOR SCIENTIST, NRDC: Sure. NRDC filed a petition in 2008. And what we did was asked FDA to ban or take out BPA from food, contact material so that it wouldn't get into people's food.
SAMBOLIN: And what are the effects that you suggest BPA has on the human body?
SASS: Well, dozens of studies in laboratories done in whole animals and in cells in laboratories have shown that BPA affects important tissues that are vulnerable to hormones. So, for example, breast tissue and prostate tissue, prostate glands as well as developing brain tissues.
So, scientists are especially concerned about exposures to infants and young children, but not only adults as well are a concern.
SAMBOLIN: Well, I know that you're not the only organization that is concerned about BPA. There are several organizations that are concerned. But the FDA says that the testing is actually flawed because you're using more amounts or higher levels of BPA than is actually consumed by a human body. So, how do you respond to that?
SASS: Right. So, that's what the FDA has suggested, but in fact, what we know is that the levels that are being given to animals in labs to do these kinds of studies are fairly similar to the levels we find in people's bodies right now. The government has tested it and found it in over 95 percent of the population in our bodies.
And what FDA is saying is, well, the chemical is metabolized in a different way in animals than in humans, and that would mean that humans are safer or less vulnerable to the chemical, but that evidence isn't sure right now.
And what we do know for sure is that it's causing harm in animals, and we have it in our bodies. And NRDC doesn't believe that's the kind of chemical that we should be eating in our food.
SAMBOLIN: All right. So, let's talk about those percentages of exposure. Scientists from the FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research say they've been investigating BPA since 2008. As part of this, exposure to BPA in babies is actually 84 to 92 percent less than in previous estimates. So, how do we know who to believe here?
SASS: Well, I think it's possible that the levels are starting to go down because people are changing their food and eating habits, but also, even though FDA has failed to take protective action, a number of companies have removed BPA from their cans and their bottles voluntarily. And that's because of consumer pressure.
I mean, consumers have basically said we don't want to eat toxic chemicals in our food. And, a number of retailers and producers have responded.
SAMBOLIN: Yes. In fact, this is a $60 billion business, right? And Campbell's Soup and Heinz say that they're making changes to their cans right now, because it's actually lined with BPA. So, tell us how do we know -- let's say that you are right and we're the consumer. How do we know which products we should be avoiding?
SASS: Well, a lot of them are labeled so that's one way you can try and learn, although unfortunately, because FDA has failed to take action, there's not mandatory labeling. So, we don't really know if we can trust that. But a number of companies have made important statements. Campbell's and Heinz, Eden Foods is another one.
So, you can look for those labels. And as well, I think asking the companies because that tells them that, as a consumer, you care and that will push the market, and they will respond and make safer food packaging materials.
SAMBOLIN: In fact, isn't it moms being in an uproar over the baby bottles that caused some changes?
SASS: Definitely. Yes. Moms and dads who are protecting their kids have really made a big difference. They've really been a turning point in this.
SAMBOLIN: Yes. I know that it's not -- is it banned in all states now or is it just 11 states -- particularly the baby bottles. I want people to be informed just in case they're buying baby bottles that they know whether they can feel safe with what they're giving their children.
SASS: Right. It's 11 states, and they've basically done bans for things that are children's infants' products. So, baby bottles, formula containers for babies, and also soothers and teethers, and baby toys. And it's really in certain kinds of plastics. So, one thing you could do, for example, with bottles is move to glass bottles.
And actually, there's been a lot more glass bottle production and manufacturing in the country and new jobs created because of this.
SAMBOLIN: All right. Jennifer Sass, senior scientist at the NRDC. Thank you for joining us this morning. We appreciate the information.
SASS: Thank you.
SAMBOLIN: All right. Ashleigh, back to you.
BANFIELD: It's now 52 minutes past 5:00 on the east coast. And still ahead, we're getting our first look at Whitney Houston's final performance, and it wasn't a concert. It was a movie called "Sparkle," and the trailer is out now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAMBOLIN: Welcome back to EARLY START. It's 55 minutes past the hour here.
BANFIELD: Which is a good time to look at what's trending on the?
SAMBOLIN: Interwebs.
BANFIELD: Interwebs.
(LAUGHTER) BANFIELD: Let's take a look. First of all, this is something we've been waiting for for awhile. It's Whitney Houston's final performance. Not a song, not a concert. It's a film. And the trailer for her film, it's called "Sparkle," and it's finally out. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was my life not enough of a cautionary tale for you. We are close to getting a record deal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, if I had any sense, I'd be living off of you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He did that to you, didn't he?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you still going to be part of the group?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- destroy what we do. You and me, we started this thing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would the lord give me this gift if I wasn't supposed to use it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It takes a lot of faith to do the "sparkle."
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Whitney Houston plays a character called Emma who is a singer who once tasted success, but it was a cautionary tale to offer her daughters who also want to hit it big. By the way, Whitney had just finished filming "Sparkle" when she died. It is scheduled now to hit theaters on August 17th.
SAMBOLIN: That is quite a cast in that film.
BANFIELD: I know. Some serious talent.
SAMBOLIN: All right. Ahead on EARLY START, new exclusive information about the gunman who killed seven people at a private college in Oakland. Police telling CNN how he lined up his victims execution style before shooting them, and that he was looking for one school official in particular. All the exclusive details ahead on EARLY START.
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