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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Baltimore in Flames After Freddie Gray Funeral; Rescue & Aid Workers Struggle In Nepal; Boston Bombing Trial: Life or Death. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired April 28, 2015 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:13] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: State of emergency in Maryland. Baltimore burning. Riots breaking out over the death of Freddie Gray, a man who died after being mysteriously injured after an arrest earlier this month.

Protests turned violent. Buildings set on fire. Stores looted. Stores vandalized. Police officers attacked.

Breaking news coverage begins right now.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. It is Tuesday, April 28th, 4:00 a.m. in the East.

Breaking news this morning, West Baltimore may be described as a war zone after 12 hours of rioting. New fires this morning. New stores being looted. And overnight, police officers under attack from rioters.

The governor declaring a state of emergency. Baltimore schools are closed today in the interest of student safety. A 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew begins tonight.

National correspondent Jason Carroll is out in the middle of it all. He has the very latest for us.

Good morning, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Christine.

If you take a look behind me, this is where much of the rioting broke out here last night. You can still see state police. They are still out here in riot gear standing there holding that position there. Also, a Bobcat, an armored vehicle right there next to them.

Such a sad day, sad night for Baltimore, 15 officers injured. Businesses burned. Cars looted. Cars set on fire.

A lot of people questioning how this could have happened. A lot of people not expecting to see the images that you saw, that I'm sure you saw, Christine, that a lot of people of saw, the country saw and the world saw last night and throughout the day.

Police in riot gear throughout the afternoon. State troopers out here as well for hours yesterday as the city was basically under siege. The police commissioner saying that perhaps saying they were outflanked and outnumbered for a time.

Groups of rioters basically looted a local CVS, not far from where we're standing now. That's how it started. Then, it spread to a liquor store, then a check cashing store. They threw rocks, they threw bottles at police.

Fire crews were challenged, Christine, as you know as they came out and trying to put out fires. Some of the looters and rioters cut their water hoses, making it difficult fore them to even do their jobs to put out fires.

The mayor finally coming out to speak out to say how disappointed she was to see it all happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE (D), BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: This is one of our darkest days as a city. I know that we're much better than this. We know that the world is watching. We cannot allow our city to evolve into chaos because of a small group of criminals that are moving throughout our city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Up to 5,000 national guard troops are now on stand by, ready to be property in if necessary.

Also, an additional number of support of officers from around the region will be here as well. The hope, Christine, is that today as the daylight hours are upon us, this city does not see a repeat of what they saw out here yesterday and last night.

ROMANS: Jason, you hear the mayor say it is a small group of criminals operating among them. You hear the other officials and others on the ground saying there are a lot of young people who don't know how to react. They don't have the tools to react to the death of Freddie Gray.

What was the volatile mix last night that started all this? Do we even know?

CARROLL: Well, yes. First of all, it wasn't just young people out on the streets of Baltimore last night and into the early morning. Yes, a lot of young people. Yes, the young people started it according to police.

Over the weekend, through social media, there was talk of a purge named after the movie which talks about -- thematically, the movie is about a night of lawlessness. So, that started going out over the weekend. When some of the local high schools got out, some of the local high school students started to come out and cause trouble. That's how it started.

But it started to spread after that. So, it wasn't just young people out here. When we were out here early this morning, even just two ours ago, we saw a Rite-Aid set afire, the results of that. It is not just young people out on the streets. Old people out here too.

And I think as light comes up here in Baltimore, I think people are going to start to realize that it was not just young people, but a number of people -- Christine.

[04:05:07] ROMANS: All right. Jason Carroll, thank you so much for that.

A long night for you and a long night the people of those neighborhoods.

Now, let's talk about what was the spark of all of this. Officials say Monday's riots started with the message that spread on social media about a purge. Now, that's a reference to a 2013 thriller, a movie in which crime was temporarily legalized, 24 hours of lawlessness. It was legal.

Baltimore police responded by sending hundreds of police officers to a local mall and a transit hub heavily used by high school students.

Police Commissioner Anthony Batts says the students started throwing bricks and stones at the officers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BATTS, BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER: We had information yesterday that the Mondawmin Mall, we're going to have a large purge of high school students from across the city move to Mondawmin Mall. We had pretty close to about 250 to 300 police officers staged in and around the mall at the time the youth got out of school. Stones been thrown at them. The officers proceed northbound to push the youth in the northerly direction. The officers were caught on an incline to which a number of officers got injured. One officer knocked out, hit in the head, he was taken to the hospital.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Now, Freddie Gray's family called for calm. This all happened on the day of his funeral, who was quick to speak out against the violence. Family members say Freddie Gray would never have wanted this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD SHIPLEY, FREDDIE GRAY'S STEPFATHER: Earlier today and we had a beautiful home service and to see that it turned into all this violence and destruction I am really appalled. Family, I love you. We are supposed to be in this for justice. But is it just us?

FREDERICKA GRAY, FREDDIE GRAY'S SISTER: I think the violence is wrong, and Freddie Gray wasn't a person for violence. Freddie Gray wasn't that type of person who break into no stores or none of that. I don't like it at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Just 40 miles away in Washington, Attorney General Loretta Lynch faced a crisis in Baltimore, just hours after her swearing in Monday. After an evening meeting with President Obama, Lynch issued a statement saying, "I condemn the senseless acts by some individuals in Baltimore that have resulted in harm to law enforcement officers, destruction of property and a shattering of the peace in the city of Baltimore. I will bring the full resources of the Department of Justice to bear and protecting those under threat and investigating wrongdoing, and securing an end to violence."

White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski has more on the administration's reaction to the riot.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine.

Well, so far, we have seen a restrained, pretty low key response from the White House on this. And that's similar to what we have seen in some prior incidents where police abuse has been alleged and there have been big demonstrations. I mean, in those prior incidents, what we heard behind the scenes here at the White House were things like, well, if the president, you know, these questions if he will go there or if he will deliver a specific statement. What good would that do at this point? And might it even inflate the situation or escalate it in some way?

So, right now, the White House is putting this firmly in the hands of the Department of Justice, this brand new -- I mean, hours into her swearing in Attorney General Loretta Lynch. And the president met with her. She updated him. They talked about DOJ resources that could be used there in Baltimore.

It was Loretta Lynch who delivered the statement to the public condemning what she called senseless act of violence, and talking a little bit about the kind of federal resources that at this point, in addition to the investigation, could be used in Baltimore, people on the ground, community relations, community policing, people from the civil rights division.

But we're also seeing outreach from the president. I mean, he had a phone call with the Baltimore mayor yesterday. The White House is not saying if that was pre- or post riots. And he also had a call with the Maryland governor.

I think what's interesting is that the White House is that reading out, or putting out a summary of the call with the mayor, but not the one from the governor. It seems like what we're hearing from other sources is they talked about some planning, maybe some logistical things that the White House doesn't want to talk about at this point. What the Maryland governor said, though, is the president supported what they are doing at this point, and that he may even send the attorney general herself there to Baltimore.

Other than that, that's where the White House is standing right now. The president isn't speaking directly on this, but they definitely want to get the message out that they are engaged through the Department of Justice -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Michelle Kosinski, thanks for that. We'll get back to that story in a moment.

But turning now to the earthquake in Nepal. The death toll from the huge 7.8 quake now stands at more than 4,400. Most of them in Nepal. Officials say at least 8,000 people were hurt.

[04:10:01] Rescue and aid workers in Nepal struggling, struggling this morning with the scale of this disaster. There are supply shortages, power blackouts, widespread devastation, and that's just in the capital of Kathmandu. In the countryside, the death and damage have yet to be tallied.

Standing by live for us with the very latest, CNN's Ravi Agrawal is in New Delhi -- Ravi.

RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine.

Well, right from the start of this crisis, experts have been saying that the first 72 hours are the most crucial to find any survivors. Well, we're now past 72 hours, and what we do know is that we're witnessing that this crisis in two separate fronts, in Kathmandu, the capital, we know the worst. Cramped cities, buildings that have been collapsing, but we know what's going on there, and the army seems to be on the ground and knows what it needs to do.

The problem is, Christine, we don't now know the extent of the damage in all of Nepal's villages, all those rural areas that are very hard to get. The roads -- every time the army tries to get to those parts of Nepal, there are more landslides. So, lot of trouble of there and the worst may not be over.

ROMANS: We're looking at some pictures, Ravi, from Reuters just a moment ago, the drone pictures, pictures that were taken with a camera in a drone, that sort of show the devastation along some of these roads and some of these really priceless, priceless temples there. You can see that.

What kind of resources are being deployed to get out to the countryside and assess things there? I know the first three steps are major, rescues first, then first aid, getting people to hospitals, and then restoring communication. There isn't communication restored yet, is there?

AGRAWAL: No, not everywhere. I mean, the bold reality here is that Nepal is not very well equipped to deal with this. Its entire army, its army is only 90,000 strong. Nepal only had 12 working helicopters at the start of this crisis.

Now, where I am here in India, India has been a huge source of support for Nepal. It sent in 10 planes yesterday with 187 tons of aid, food, water, medical supplies. They're also sending in helicopters and they sent in many rescue and research teams to help things get back on track there.

But really, Nepal needs a lot more help, from India, from China and even from the U.S.

ROMANS: All right. Thank you so much for that, Ravi Agrawal, in New Delhi for us this morning.

Twelve minutes past the hour.

Happening now, a daring rescue operation at the top of the world. Helicopter pilots risking their lives at the peak of Mt. Everest, trying to rescue stranded climbers from the highest point on the planet.

Let's go live to London and I want to bring in CNN's Eric McLaughlin.

Erin, do we know how many people are still stranded on top of that mountain?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL: Hi, Christine.

Well, and this is immense tragedy, some good news on Mt. Everest this morning. I have been speaking to several climbers who tell me the last of the stranded climbers have been evacuated from the areas above base camp this morning. They were brought down by chopper yesterday. We saw this really incredible rescue operation underway as choppers were zipping up the mountain side to bring about 100, to 200 climbers down, back to the base camp.

They were having to do that because an area known as the Khumbu Icefall was completely devastated. As for the base camp, which as we know, was devastated in that aftermath of that devastating earthquake. It was rendered impassable. Meaning that the choppers were really the only way at that point that the climbers could get back down.

As for the base camp itself, which as we know was devastated by the avalanche, I was speaking to a 17-year-old climber this morning, Matthew Moniz (ph) from Boulder, Colorado. He was telling me of the panic. When that avalanche commenced, he said he hid behind a rock as the ice was whizzing by. He managed to escaped unscathed and he described to me just this incredible scene of chaos and camaraderie as the base camp came together to rescue the injured and look for the missing and to find tragically the dead, at least 17 killed.

He said a makeshift clinic was set up. He said, right now, all is calm at the base camp. And right now, what they are doing is waiting for international airport to open at Kathmandu to international flights so they can leave.

ROMANS: We are showing the pictures the moment of the avalanche hit the base camp just unbelievable to watch, everyone scurried into their tents, trying to find safety and sadly not of all of them did.

Thank you so much, Erin McLaughlin.

We are following the latest now on the Baltimore riots all morning long. A pastor, pastor who watched his church burn down, he is speaking out ahead.

But, first, the Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's attorneys try to save him from the death penalty. Dramatic courtroom testimony, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:17:55] ROMANS: We're following the breaking news out of Baltimore.

Baltimore erupting into violence shortly after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a young man who died in mysterious police custody. Rioters setting fires and throwing rocks at police and firefighters, 15 officers injured in what was mayhem. More than two dozen people arrested. A state of emergency is now in effect. The National Guard is being deployed to the city.

A pastor who saw his church burn down spoke to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANTE HICKMAN, PASTOR, SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH: I haven't lost my focus. I haven't lost my sense of resiliency. I haven't lost my hope. I've been a little heartbroken. My eyes are filled with tears because someone didn't understand that we exist in the community to help to revitalize it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Watching his church burn down. Public schools in Baltimore are closed down today. The mayor announcing a citywide curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. which begins tonight.

The defense calling the witnesses on the first day of their case in the penalty phase of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's trial. Tsarnaev's attorney trying to spare his client the death penalty, told jurors the convicted marathon bomber was the product of a dysfunctional family and easily fell under the spell of his brother Tamerlan.

We get more this morning from CNN's Deborah Feyerick in Boston for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's defense team really trying persuade the jury that life in prison is in their words the better choice. They are trying to show the jury that sentencing him to a maximum security facility where he will be with other terrorists -- well, he will become irrelevant, he will be largely forgotten.

The defense case centered not on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, so much as his older brother Tamerlan. And this is very crucial for the defense. They are trying to show that if it were not for Tamerlan, in fact, the Boston marathon bombing would never have happened.

And they called many witnesses, some of them testifying against their will.

[04:20:00] They actually had to be subpoenaed to show up in court, testifying that it was Tamerlan who was the one who was increasingly religious and belligerent. At one point, an outburst in a local mosque, he called the imam a hypocrite because the imam suggested that Muslims in the U.S. should be involved in holidays like Thanksgiving, should revere Martin Luther King. That did not go over well with Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

One of the key witnesses was Tamerlan Tsarnaev's mother-in-law, Judith. And she testified that she was not in favor of the relationship. Her daughter Katherine marrying Tamerlan after the couple became pregnant with their first and only child.

Now as for the rest, the defense really set out to show that Tsarnaev's family was dysfunctional. The Tsarnaev parents had psychiatric disorders, and that when they returned to Dagestan separately, that, in fact, Tamerlan was the one who was left in charge and it was Tamerlan who really took Dzhokhar under his wing and led him down the path to that bombing -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROAMNS: All right. Deborah Feyerick for us in Boston.

We are following breaking news in Baltimore. Riots breaking out over the death of man mysteriously injured during an arrest, frustrated residents speaking out this morning. We have that and all the latest on what's happening on Baltimore ahead.

Plus, we are learning new information this morning about the student tackled by a teacher when he opened fire inside his high school, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:25:14] ROMANS: A state of emergency now in effect in Baltimore. The city boiling over after the funeral of Freddie Gray. More than two dozen arrests. Rioters setting fires to stores and looting stores, throwing rocks at police and firefighters.

Fifteen officers injured in the mayhem. The National Guard has been called in to restore order.

Emotions running high right now on the city streets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This right here is not relevant. They need to have their butts at home. They need to be in their home units with their families, studying and doing something with their life. Not out here protesting about something that's not really about nothing. They do not respect this young man's death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope all of the kids and everybody stays off the streets. Maybe we can calm down. If we don't get justice, we're not going to calm down, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The Baltimore Orioles baseball game had to be postponed last night. Public schools in the city, public schools in Baltimore closed today. The mayor announcing a week long citywide curfew from 10:00 p.m. at night to 5:00 a.m. That begins tonight.

All right. Twenty-six minutes past the hour.

Police say a teenager who opened fire inside a high school in Washington state told them he never intended to harm students. The 16-year-old fired two shots Monday inside North Thurston High School in Lacey, Washington, before he was tackled by a teacher-turned-hero.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COURTNEY SCHRIEVE, NORTH THURSTON SCHOOL DISTRICT: I think staff and students are always thinking what if, what I do. In this case, the teacher reacted in a very brave way. Reportedly, he is an AP government teacher. He's a rather large guy and very popular teacher. I'm just glad and everybody is glad that he had the wherewithal he reacted the way he did, and that he's safe as well as everybody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The 16-year-old gunman now in custody. His motives still not clear. Police say he had some issues and personal relationships. It is possible, police say, possible the teen was attempting suicide by cop.

Breaking news this morning: those riots spreading through the streets of Baltimore all night. We are live with what is happening this hour, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)