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Grand Jury Convened This Morning
Aired February 26, 2003 - 13:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Now, the nightclub fire blamed for 97 deaths in Warwick, Rhode Island last week. Members of the band Great White have arrived at a National Guard facility where a grand jury is meeting. The band's lead guitarist was lost in the blaze, and surviving members are part of a deepening struggle concerning responsibility. Who is to blame?
With the latest on the story, CNN's Brian Cabell -- Brian.
BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, the grand jury went into session this morning. We expected the first -- among the first witnesses to be members of that band. In fact, they showed up about 8:30 this morning, but were told just in the last half hour -- that they have now left without testifying. They're now at the West Warwick police station. Whether they will testify today or now, we don't know. We are trying to get a hold of their attorney. But again, they are here to testify, after spending about five days in California.
According to authorities, they have been very cooperative so far during these six days or so since the fire, unlike the two owners of the club, according to state authorities.
Jeff and Mike Derderian, they have made a couple of TV appearances -- at least Jeff has, and he's a local reporter, as a matter of fact. But they have not been forthcoming with authorities, according to those authorities. Now, their stage manager at the club has been rather forthcoming. In fact, he has made the rounds for the last day or two. He said he sat down with Mike Derderian about two or three months ago and warned him about the problems of using pyrotechnics on the stage here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just the fact that it was people coming in that I don't know. You know -- I know some guys that do pyro that I've worked with for years, and I know that they run a safe show, and I don't really have any much concerns, but people come in to see that band, they see they're using pyro, so when their band comes in, they want to use it. But I don't know those guys. So it's kind of like -- what do you do -- you do it for one, you're kind of supposed to do it for all. So I was just like, instead of that, why don't we just do it for none kind of thing.
CABELL: So you did it for none after that point?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the way I recollect it. We didn't have any bands that used pyro since that conversation.
CABELL: So he took it to heart at that point?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He took it to heart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABELL: Fire investigators were out at the scene today. In fact, they are out at the scene right now, sifting through the rubble. Yesterday there was heavy equipment out here, there were dogs sniffing around, possibly for human remains, because there was a report of a missing person.
Apparently, they found nothing. But again, they are out here again today, taking photographs. This is, after all, a crime scene. And behind me right now, Anderson, of course, you still see the crowd. You still see the shrine growing. This is a shrine that has grown for the last six days. You've got flowers, you have got teddy bears, you have got balloons, you have got photographs, and you've got people coming at all hours. We had people out here at 10:00 last night when it was 15 degrees outside. We had people this morning, 7:00 this morning, when it was 5 degrees outside, just to come and look -- Anderson.
COOPER: Now, Brian, is it fair to say that the club owners will be called in front of the grand jury to testify, or do we know at this stage?
CABELL: We haven't heard that officially, but certainly you would expect before a grand jury proceeding, they would be among the principals to be called -- yes.
COOPER: All right. Brian Cabell live from West Warwick, Rhode Island.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 26, 2003 - 13:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Now, the nightclub fire blamed for 97 deaths in Warwick, Rhode Island last week. Members of the band Great White have arrived at a National Guard facility where a grand jury is meeting. The band's lead guitarist was lost in the blaze, and surviving members are part of a deepening struggle concerning responsibility. Who is to blame?
With the latest on the story, CNN's Brian Cabell -- Brian.
BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, the grand jury went into session this morning. We expected the first -- among the first witnesses to be members of that band. In fact, they showed up about 8:30 this morning, but were told just in the last half hour -- that they have now left without testifying. They're now at the West Warwick police station. Whether they will testify today or now, we don't know. We are trying to get a hold of their attorney. But again, they are here to testify, after spending about five days in California.
According to authorities, they have been very cooperative so far during these six days or so since the fire, unlike the two owners of the club, according to state authorities.
Jeff and Mike Derderian, they have made a couple of TV appearances -- at least Jeff has, and he's a local reporter, as a matter of fact. But they have not been forthcoming with authorities, according to those authorities. Now, their stage manager at the club has been rather forthcoming. In fact, he has made the rounds for the last day or two. He said he sat down with Mike Derderian about two or three months ago and warned him about the problems of using pyrotechnics on the stage here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just the fact that it was people coming in that I don't know. You know -- I know some guys that do pyro that I've worked with for years, and I know that they run a safe show, and I don't really have any much concerns, but people come in to see that band, they see they're using pyro, so when their band comes in, they want to use it. But I don't know those guys. So it's kind of like -- what do you do -- you do it for one, you're kind of supposed to do it for all. So I was just like, instead of that, why don't we just do it for none kind of thing.
CABELL: So you did it for none after that point?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the way I recollect it. We didn't have any bands that used pyro since that conversation.
CABELL: So he took it to heart at that point?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He took it to heart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABELL: Fire investigators were out at the scene today. In fact, they are out at the scene right now, sifting through the rubble. Yesterday there was heavy equipment out here, there were dogs sniffing around, possibly for human remains, because there was a report of a missing person.
Apparently, they found nothing. But again, they are out here again today, taking photographs. This is, after all, a crime scene. And behind me right now, Anderson, of course, you still see the crowd. You still see the shrine growing. This is a shrine that has grown for the last six days. You've got flowers, you have got teddy bears, you have got balloons, you have got photographs, and you've got people coming at all hours. We had people out here at 10:00 last night when it was 15 degrees outside. We had people this morning, 7:00 this morning, when it was 5 degrees outside, just to come and look -- Anderson.
COOPER: Now, Brian, is it fair to say that the club owners will be called in front of the grand jury to testify, or do we know at this stage?
CABELL: We haven't heard that officially, but certainly you would expect before a grand jury proceeding, they would be among the principals to be called -- yes.
COOPER: All right. Brian Cabell live from West Warwick, Rhode Island.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
