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Gunman Kills 4 Marines in Tennessee; Guilty Verdict in James Holmes Trial. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired July 17, 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: Breaking news this morning: new information on the gunman who murdered four marines and shot several others in Chattanooga, Tennessee -- from his religious family to his recent trip overseas. Complete coverage on the big story begins right now.

Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday, July 17th. It's 4:00 a.m. in the East. John Berman has the morning off.

Breaking news this morning: FBI and ATF investigators in Chattanooga, Tennessee, working Thursday's shooting rampage, combing through two crime scenes. One where officials say 24-year-old Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez sprayed bullets at a military recruiting station, and another, a naval installation seven miles away where officials say he shot and killed four marines, injured at least three other people before being killed by officers.

We have new details on the shooting overnight. A law enforcement source briefed on the investigation tells CNN Abdulazeez was armed with an AK-47 style weapon. He was carrying 30-round clips. One source tells CNN the gunman was able to keep police at bay for some time in a, quote, "harrowing gun fight with the amount of ammunition he had."

The federal investigation is really just getting under way now.

CNN's Victor Blackwell is in Chattanooga with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, investigators at both scenes worked late into the night trying to collect the physical evidence. But, of course, the most difficult part of this investigation is answering that the single question: Why? Why 24- year-old Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez would start out by peppering military recruitment center with bullets, injuring one, and then drive seven miles to a naval reserve center and kill four marines. Right after interaction with police, Abdulazeez himself died.

Here's what we know about the investigation: the feds have taken over. FBI, the ATF leading this investigation. One special agent telling CNN that they have not determined if what happened here is an act of domestic or international terrorism or if it was just a criminal act.

But they say that they will treat this as a terrorism investigation until it's determined that it is not.

Now, what do we know about Abdulazeez? Well, he was born in Kuwait, was a Jordanian citizen, but most recently was a naturalized U.S. citizen. A former wrestling coach called him humble and smart.

So, as this investigation continues, Christine, they, too, would like an answer to the question: why?

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Victor, thank you for that.

Now, high school classmates of Mohammod Abdulazeez stunned. They recall him and popular. A good student who was well-liked and who fit in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN WAGNER, WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH ALLEGED SHOOTER (via telephone): He was kind. He was funny. He always had the witty comment. He liked to laugh. But he's really smart even though he was kind of like a jokester. He did not let it affect his grades at all.

I distinctly remember in the sixth grade, we studied bible history together in middle school. He had one of the highest grades in the class. He just -- he was a good guy. He just -- you wouldn't think that he would do something like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: That classmate also remembers his yearbook, quote, "my name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?" She said it was only a joke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAGNER: It's ironic now, morbidly so. But at that time, we didn't think anything of it. We thought it was just -- it was just a joke. You know, a stab at, you know, being named Mohammad Abdulazeez and living in the South, you know? That's not something that is really going unnoticed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: We also now know that Abdulazeez was an athlete. In addition to high school wrestling, he also completed on the local mixed martial arts circuit. After high school, he earned an engineering degree from the University of Tennessee, where, by all accounts, he was your average typical tailgating Tennessee fan. We also know that the gunman's family was very religious. Friends of

all Abdulazeez say all of the women wore traditional garb. His mixed martial arts coach says he was told Abdulazeez had moved back home to the Middle East for a time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALMIR DIZDAREVIC, SUSPECT'S FORMER MIXD MARTIAL ARTS COACH: His demeanor was nothing on him that would show me that he was upset about something. You know, I know he moved out of the country a year or two ago and went back home and stayed overseas. I asked his dad where's Mohammad? You know, I didn't see him. He said he moved back home. But I saw him a couple times when he visited.

[04:05:00] Now, I'm not the one to speculate. But what happens overseas in a certain different environments, I don't know.

REPORTER: Where was overseas? When was he overseas?

DIZDAREVIC: You would have to ask his family about that. I mean --

REPORTER: You say he went overseas for two years?

DIZDAREVIC: A year or two ago when he actually went back, I think after he graduated at UTC or so.

REPORTER: He went back where?

DIZDAREVIC: Jordan, Yemen? I'm not sure.

REPORTER: You're sure he was in the Middle East?

DIZDAREVIC: Well, that's what I was told.

REPORTER: His family told you that?

DIZDAREVIC: So, that's what I was told and that's what I went by.

REPORTER: Did you ever talk to him about being in the Middle East?

DIZDAREVIC: I asked how is everything, what you're doing? He said he's teaching kids. He's teaching wrestling and doing, you know, just -- so how you're doing? Is everything OK? He said, I'm doing well. I'm doing well and good.

REPORTER: When -- so, what year are we talking about?

DIZDAREVIC: You mean when I talked to him?

REPORTER: No, when you think he was in the Middle East? About what time? About what time period?

DIZDAREVIC: I'm telling you when I talked to his dad, a year or two ago is when he went back. But he -- I have seen him several times when he came back here. So, in the last two years, I'm sure that he was overseas somewhere. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Also, we are learning that investigators are looking into a blog that seems to belong to Mohammod Abdulazeez, although CNN that cannot independently confirm that's the case. This blog consists of just two really just fables. One that alludes to even rewarded in the afterlife for devotion, and another, the familiar story of the blind men and the elephant, use to make a point about those whose view of Islam is too narrow.

Thursday's attack heightening terrorism concerns around the country. Authorities say they have no reason to believe there's any further danger connected to the Tennessee attack. But even so, security is being tightened at sensitive locations in New York and federal facilities around the country.

With the latest on the federal government's response, senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Christine, President Obama vowed the FBI will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of the shootings down in Tennessee that left four marines dead. Just as he returned from a trip in Oklahoma, the president rushed to the Oval Office for a statement to the country about the attack. He said he received a briefing from FBI Director James Comey.

At this point, the president said it appears this was a work of a lone gunman, but that it is too early to say what the motive was behind these shootings. He added he had been in contact with the Pentagon to make sure all facilities run by the Defense Department are being vigilant as investigators sort out what happened, and the president expressed his sympathies to the families of the fallen marines.

Here's what he had to say.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My main message right now is, obviously, the deepest sympathies of the American people to the four marines that have been killed. It is a heartbreaking circumstance for these individuals who have served our country with great valor to be killed in this fashion. And although the families are still in the process of being contacted, I want them to know that I speak for the American people and expressing our deepest condolences and knowing that they their full -- they have our full support as they try to overcome the grief that's involved here.

ACOSTA: The president stressed that because this was an attack on a military facility, he wants his administration to have all of the information necessary to make an assessment about any motives. In the meantime, he is asking the entire country to pray for the marines and their families -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right, Jim Acosta.

Federal investigators are so firmly avoiding any comment on the Chattanooga gunman's motive. But with Abdulazeez dead, motive has to be a central question in the investigation.

Joining us now to talk about that and other aspects of the case, Will Geddes, managing director of International Corporate Protection.

Thank you for joining us.

You know, I got to tell you, I talked to somebody who -- who was acquainted of his at tailgate parties for Tennessee, where he worse baseball caps and drank beer, just a normal and smart Tennessee country boy. This acquaintance described him. No red flags along the way. No red flags that people who knew this man can see.

That's very, very challenging for authorities, isn't it? Because there's no footprint at least we know of yet of this guy and now you've got fatalities in his wake.

WILL GEDDES, SECURITY EXPERT: Absolutely. I mean, this seems to be a common theme that is appearing. Certainly, if this does turn out, and it seems certainly all of the component parts draw towards this being a terrorist event.

The biggest concern is this insidious warfare that we're facing in terms of the radicalization. And time and time again, when we're having these types of instances, we're finding that the individuals perpetrating these horrific acts have been in many shapes and forms within their community and their close associates very normal, very regular type of people. These are not the individuals that are immediately sending off the warning signals that could alert their colleagues or their friends or their family to then notify the authorities.

So, you have this insidious warfare as I mentioned that is working behind the scenes. We know that certainly if this has been motivated or IS take a claim for this particular instant, that we know their measures of indoctrinating and certainly socially engineering recruits through social media, through the Internet is highly effective. But it's undertaken over very extensive period of time.

ROMANS: What should be the reaction? Should there be a reaction from federal law enforcement for more security potentially at locations like these two locations that were attacked yesterday? I mean, these are -- I mean, technically I guess hard targets, but these are places where people do business every single day, people coming in and out. You know, a training center, a recruitment center, an operational support center.

Should there be more security? Is that the response?

GEDDES: Well, absolutely. I think unfortunately in these days and times that we live in and recognized. Unfortunately, we're not treating terrorism on a conventional level anymore. We are dealing with individuals that can be radicalized as lone actors, and these individuals could literally turn up on any spontaneous moments. They are difficult to detect obviously in the planning stages as we used to have with groups like al Qaeda.

And therefore, military targets such as recruitment officers and strip malls as we saw here, certainly training bases where in many respects, a lot of the officers that are manning those posts aren't necessarily armed. There has to be questions in they need to be now purely if for nothing else, their own personal protection.

ROMANS: Well, there was so much over the Fourth of July holiday in this country. There was so much intense coverage and concern about a lone actor or lone wolf doing something just like this, authorities telling us it is still a terrorism investigation until they find something otherwise. But they are treating it as a terrorism investigation, domestic terrorism or just a criminal act. All of that's going to become very clear once they get more information.

What do you think authorities are zeroing in right now? Because, again, people who know him, acquaintances, friends say they don't see any signs of radicalization. So, where do you think authorities are going to be zeroing in here?

GEDDES: Well, I think, forensically, they're going to be looking at his digital footprint. In the lead-up article, you mentioned obviously a blog that's been identified that he made a couple of postings on. The authorities will be looking intrinsically at any kind of social media interaction, his e-mail accounts, looking at who he's been speaking with not only over the last few months, but possibly even over the last couple of years.

We know some of the processes certainly by groups like IS. They will take often maybe in excess a year or almost two years, where they will gently coerce the individual into the doctrine. So, it's going to be important for the authorities to see where has this originated, what have been the motivating factors, what has he been visiting in terms of Web sites, if there had been any influences, certainly in terms of any kind of tactics that he has undertaken.

They're no doubt also be looking at any kind of CCTV captured that they have from both the training camp and also possibly if it's available at the recruitment station. And they'll be looking to see if there is any advanced reconnaissance undertaken by the perpetrator obviously before carrying this horrific act.

ROMANS: Will Geddes, thank you for your insight into this. Just certainly a troubling story and a lot of concerns this morning. Managing director of International Corporate Protection in London. Thank you, sir.

We are covering the latest on the Chattanooga shootings all morning long.

But, first, the Colorado movie massacre gunman found guilty. What comes next for James Holmes? After the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMANS: Here's the latest on our breaking news this morning. An attack on two military facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The gunman identified by the FBI as this man, 24-year-old Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez. With an AK-47 type assault weapon and 30-round magazines, he peppered a recruiting station with bullets, then drove a rented car -- a rented a Mustang convertible seven miles to a naval reserve center where he killed four and wounded at least three more people. Police then shot and killed Abdulazeez.

Now, friends and high school classmates and people who knew him during college, they describe him as a nice guy, a good student who was kind, who was funny, smart. A former mixed martial arts coach is shocked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT SCHRAEDER, FORMER MIXED MARTIAL ARTS COACH: I mean, he seemed like the all American kid. I mean, he -- you know, never loud, never boisterous, never got out of line, hard worker, you know, seemed to enjoy the training and got along with everybody.

He's a smart kid. He was in high school at the time. And I believe he went on from there to get an engineering degree from UTC, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Abdulazeez was born in Kuwait. He had Jordanian citizenship. He was a naturalized U.S. citizen. No word so far on motive, but it is being investigated as a terrorism investigation -- treated as a terrorism investigation.

All right. Guilty on all counts. Jurors in the trial of Colorado movie theater gunman James Holmes rejecting his insanity defense and reaching their verdict in less than two days. They'll now decide whether Holmes gets life in prison or death in the trial sentencing phase. That begins next week.

Let's get more on the verdict this morning from CNN's Ana Cabrera. She is in Centennial, Colorado.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, the jury of nine women and three men deliberated for about 12 hours before returning a guilty verdict, guilty on all 165 charges, including first degree murder, as well as attempted murder charges. They did not buy the defense's claim that James Holmes was insane at the time he opened fire inside that packed movie theater almost three years ago, killing 12 people and wounding 70 others.

Now, the jury sat there about 11.5 weeks of testimony. They heard from 250 plus witnesses, including dozens of victims, college professors, as well as mental health experts. And they considered thousands of pieces of evidence before reaching this verdict. It was the moment victims' loved ones and survivors have been waiting for, for years. TOM SULLIVAN, FATHER OF VICTIM ALEX SULLIVAN: As soon as you heard

the first, you know, guilty, we knew, you know, the dominoes were all, you know, going to fall. That was just what we needed to hear.

SANDY PHILLIPS, MOTHER OF VICTIM : We are happy this animal, this monster, will never see the light of day.

CABRERA: Now because Holmes was found guilty, this all moves in to the sentencing phase which we're told could take about another month. The prosecution has said it push for the death penalty -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Ana Cabrera in Centennial, thank you for that.

Time for an early start on your money this morning. Asian stocks are higher. China stocks getting more of a boost from government aid trying to stop that market from collapsing. Chinese government is active in trying to prevent a pop in that bubble.

EurGreas China stocks getting a boost from government aid trying to stop the market from collapsing.

[04:20:00] The Chinese government has been very active trying to prevent a pop in that bubble.

European shares are down a bit right now, even as Greece is getting two financial lifelines. Greece gets an interim loan worth $7.6 billion to pay its most urgent debt and emergency funding for Greek banks. Banks, by the way, they have been shut for nearly three weeks. They will stay shut now through Sunday. According to one source, banks are ready to resume limited operations Monday. But the government has yet to make that decision.

Here in the U.S., stock futures are barely moving. Yesterday was a record day. The NASDAQ closing record highs. Investors reacted to good news from Greece and some strong earnings. NASDAQ up almost 8 percent this year.

Severe storms threatening millions this morning. Tornadoes touching down overnight. The damage done. Whoa! What you need to know for today, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Dangerous severe weather in Illinois. Storm chasers capturing this, whoa, massive tornado touching down near Monmouth, Illinois. A huge twister picking up debris in this field.

The same storm system spawning this twister in a town of Kirkwood, Illinois. Huge black cloud in this video covering almost an entire are like a dome. And nearby Cameron, Illinois, damage from that storm was extensive. Some parts of the town were unreachable because of wrecked homes and downed power lines. Illinois governor has dispatched emergency teams to the area.

More strong thunderstorms in the forecast today. Let's get to meteorologist Derek Van Dam. [04:25:00] DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The tornado you just saw

on that video is refer to as a multi-vortices wedge tornado. That can be sometimes the most dangerous tornado that Mother Nature can produce. You can see the line of severe weather that move through southern Iowa and northern Illinois. In fact, this is the very moment the tornado struck down east of the Monmouth region moving through Cameron, Illinois.

This storm continues to move eastward, at least the storm complex. There's another round of severe weather across the Upper Midwest today, anywhere from Sioux Falls through Minneapolis-St. Paul. We have the possibility of large hail, damaging winds and an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. Also, some stronger thunderstorms moving east across Cleveland and into Columbus, Ohio.

On Saturday, another round of severe weather. This time from Milwaukee to Des Moines, Iowa, Chicago, you are on the edges of the severe weather as well. We are talking about heat. Look at the heat building across the southern portions of the U.S. that eventually moves to the East Coast. New York hits 92 by the end of the weekend.

Back to you.

ROMANS: All right. Derek, thank you.

Breaking news this morning: new information about the gunmen who murdered four people and shot several others in Chattanooga, Tennessee, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ROMANS: Breaking news this morning: new information on the gunman who murdered four marines in Chattanooga, Tennessee, from his religious upbringing to his time spent overseas. Complete coverage on our big story of the morning begins right now.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. Thirty minutes past the hour. John Berman has the morning off this morning.

Breaking news: FBI and ATF investigators in Chattanooga, Tennessee, they're working Thursday's shooting rampage. They are combing at this hour through two crime scenes.