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Chattanooga Shootings: Gunman Kills 4 Marines in Tennessee; Guilty Verdict in James Holmes Trial; Stocks Higher Right Now. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 17, 2015 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: 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.

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 and injured at least three other people before being killed by officers.

Now, we have new details on the shooting overnight. Law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation tell 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 really is just getting under way now. For more on this, CNN's Victor Blackwell is in Chattanooga with the very 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: And why, Victor, thank you, is the core of the investigation.

High school classmates of Mohammad Abdulazeez are asking the same question. They are stunned. They are shocked this morning. They were calling him as popular, a good student, who was well-liked, someone 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 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: Another acquaintance called him a typical Tennessee country boy. We also know now that Abdulazeez was an athlete. In addition to high school wrestling, he also competed on the local mixed martial arts circuit. After high school, he earned an engineering degree from the University of Tennessee.

We also know the gunman's family was religious. Friends of Abdulazeez say the women in the family wore traditional Muslim garb. And 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.

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.

[04:35:00] 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 Mohammad Abdulazeez, although CNN cannot independently confirm that's the case. This blog consists of two religious fables, one rewarded in the afterlife for devotion, and another, a story of three blind men and an elephant use to make a point about those whose view of Islam is too narrow.

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

With the very latest on the federal government 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, thank you for that from the White House.

Now, federal investigators are so firmly avoiding any comment on the motive, the Chattanooga gunman's motive.

But with Abdulazeez dead, motive has to be a central question in this investigation.

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

Thank you for joining us.

I mean, just the picture that is emerging of this 24-year-old raised in Tennessee, friends shocked. High school friends shocked. College friends shocked. A guy who wore Tennessee orange and tailgated, and then, suddenly, something happened over the past few years. Investigators are saying they're -- this is a terrorism investigation, either international or domestic or could still be a criminal act.

WILL GEDDES, SECURITY EXPERT: It's a curious one and they are increasingly curious. These lone actor attacks as they're determine exactly what were the motivating factors.

Certainly, again, reports coming out and always in the wake of an instance, certainly the most immediate period are always a little bit sketchy. So, one has to be careful how one speculates some of these things. But from what is being led to believe, this individual wasn't on the radar of the intelligence agency. It wasn't someone that is being picked up as being one of those being radicalized remotely.

And we do know the government agencies are trying their best utmost to intercept some of the social media platforms that groups like ISIS are using. But it's again always a concern when you have an individual that's fundamentally is quite normal in every other shape and form and then for them to simply turn around and ultimately carry out something so horrific and unimaginable, one has got to ask how effective are the intelligence agencies succeeding in trying to intercept these radicalizations that are being undertaken perhaps remotely.

ROMANS: They'll be looking for a digital footprint, no question. When you talk to people who knew this man, they do not see that, you know, lost purposeless person who then gets filled with a jihadi narrative. What investigators need to look now is for the digital footprint to see if that jihadi narrative somehow became part of this man's story.

[04:40:06] GEDDES: Absolutely. I think we cannot revert to the cliched assessment which is, you know, you have the individual that becomes a loner within the community that extracts and withdraws from their social circles. In some many recent cases, we've seen individuals even into the perpetrator of the Tunisian attacks, that this person in all shapes and forms seemed to be quite normal within their friends up to the time of the actual attack taking place, which is what's making it so incredibly difficult.

If you think of it as a fuse, it's a very, very long lead-up before the actual attack materializes. And whereas conventionally certainly in the past, where counterterrorism efforts would be placed on trying to pick up the early reconnaissance and certainly when, originally, al Qaeda would carry out the spectacular types of events and plots, there would be a period of planning beforehand.

What we're seeing here is someone that ultimately has obtained a weapon, obtained the ammunition and selected the target and potentially could have gone out that morning and no notice given. ROMANS: Two targets actually here, and I want to get your thoughts on

that. You know, we're just showing pictures of this rented silver Mustang. He shows up to the first location, a recruiting and training facility, and just starts spraying with bullets. Either never leaves or stays in the car, goes to another location seven miles away, another military installation, a naval operations center. And that's where that naval reserve center there.

And that's where he really did a lot of damage, ramming through the security gate on the way in. We are told he had a harrowing, harrowing gun fight with police. What kind of sense do you make of the two different locations? After the first location, he could have -- he could have disappeared. There could have been a manhunt. But he went on to another location.

GEDDES: Well, it would appear and again until we find more information from the investigation, it would appear that he had a fairly finite agenda. He picked two very particular targets, both specifically military. He would no doubt prior to launching his attack, anticipate that he would have some aggressive response and defense by those targets.

So, ultimately, this individual probably went there with an end game that didn't mean it was going to turn into a manhunt. He was probably going to finish his whole act in the process of undertaking these attacks. So, again, it's going to be interesting to see certainly from the further information that the authorities are going to release.

Picking up certainly from CCTV, certainly tracking him back to when he hired the vehicle, looking at some of his actions beforehand, when did he obtain and where did he obtain the firearm and ammunition used for this particular time. There are a lot of component parts that they have to look at over and beyond obviously the digital footprint of what or who or where were influences that drove this individual that seemed quite normal to carry out this horrific attack.

ROMANS: Meanwhile, authorities trying to find a motive, trying to label this either international terror or domestic terror, or criminal act. Four -- the fact is, four families, four marine families are suffering greatly this morning.

Thank you so much, Will Geddes, for that analysis.

We are following latest on the Chattanooga shootings all morning long. But first, the gunman in a Colorado movie massacre found guilty. We tell you what comes next for him after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:47:13] ROMANS: Guilty on all counts. Jurors in the trial of the 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 the death in the trial's sentencing phase that begins next week.

Let's get more on the verdict from CNN's Ana Cabrera 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Ana, thank you.

Severe storms threatening millions this morning. Tornadoes -- look at this video, dramatic video of these tornadoes touching down. Dramatic video. We'll bring it all to you after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Dangerous severe weather in Illinois. Look at that. Storm chasers capturing this tornado touching down near Monmouth, Illinois. A huge twister picking up debris in a field. The same storm system with this twister in the town of Kirkwood, Illinois. A huge black cloud in this video covering almost the entire area like just a dome.

And in nearby Cameron, Illinois, damage from that storm was extensive. Some parts of the town unreachable because of wrecked homes and downed power lines. Illinois governor has dispatched emergency teams to the area now.

More strong thunderstorms in the forecast for today. Let's get to meteorologist Derek Van Dam.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Terrifying video coming out of northern Illinois. We've actually highlighted the exact moment the tornado was spawned out of this super cell thunderstorm across northern Illinois. Notice this little invert across the radar imagery. This is known as a tornado vortex signature. This little area that's actually shown wrapping tightly around the rotating thunderstorm, creating the multi-vortices wedge tornado that moved eastward into the Cameron region that caused significant damage for those two locations.

This is all in a series of storms that produced about eight tornadoes from southern Iowa into northern Illinois. That storm system continues to move eastward. Now, we focus our attention on the cold front that brings the possibility of severe weather again today.

Large hail, damaging winds, can't even rule out the possibility of isolated tornado. Minneapolis, Minnesota, right through the central portions of the Upper Midwest. We have a possibility of severe weather.

That chance of strong storms moves eastward, Milwaukee through Chicago this Saturday and we have week, temperatures feeling like the 100- degree mark in some locations. If you think you are shielded from that warm weather along the Cast Coast, think again. Lower 90s by Sunday in New York.

ROMANS: Stay inside.

All right. Derek Van Dam, thanks so much.

You can't make an omelet, folks, without paying a lot more money. We're going to tell you why egg prices are soaring. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:58:07] ROMANS: All right. Let's get an early start on your money, special Friday edition.

I want to bring in CNN Money correspondent Alison Kosik.

And, Alisyn, yesterday, NASDAQ hitting a record high.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: You said. The NASDAQ hitting that record high. It's up now 9 percent for the year.

Investors reacted to strong shares from Netflix and several others. And this morning, we're seeing shares of Google up before the bell. The company made $3 billion in profits last quarter, better than expectations on Wall Street.

Egg prices climbing thanks to the bird flu outbreak last winter. Prices spiked 85 percent from May to June. That's actually the largest one-month jump in history. Customers shouldn't expect any relief any time soon unfortunately. Demand will likely pick up in the fall while supply remains low. At least 10 percent of the total egg supply has been impacted by the flu.

Is Amazon Prime Day the new Black Friday? Amazon says there were 18 percent more orders placed Wednesday during Prime Day than on last year's Black Friday, which was the biggest ever. The company also said it got more Prime subscribers for the sale than any other day in its 20-year history.

But even as customers bought a lot, ooh, they also complained a lot on social media about the lackluster deals and the quick sellouts. I like the tweet, one of them saying, it's not Black Friday, it's April Fool's Day.

ROMANS: Yes, some of the really clever things people were saying online were pretty about that. But it looks like Amazon is happy with the results.

KOSIK: Yes.

ROMANS: All right. Alison, thank you so much. See you next hour.

EARLY START continues right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

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

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday, July 17th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

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