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Nine Killed in Charleston Church Shooting; FBI Aiding Investigation; The Sad and Tragic Pattern of Places of Worship Under Attack. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired June 18, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, that's the concern. This is an individual that they consider armed and dangerous and is out there.

[06:00:03] We don't if there's a plan to perpetuate other acts. And that is a concerned obviously.

Another part of it, Joseph, is that they'll look at the church itself and find out what the communications, if there had been any threats to the institution, what kind of communications have been coming out of there as well.

JOSEPH GIACALONE, FORMER NYPD DETECTIVE SERGEANT: Sure. They're going to have to go back and dig up all the police record, see if there's any bomb threats or any other types of threats, you know, we're going to harm people in there and maybe be able to backward engineer how they're going to play and figure out where those phone calls were made and what they're going to do about it.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Does it matter to you that you don't see the weapon on this guy as he's walking, because, you know, as Matthew was giving us the context, we are used to seeing long guns in these situations also, and he doesn't appear to have one. Does that suggest that it may have been inside? What are the different questions you start asking?

GIACALONE: Well, more than likely, we are looking at a handgun, you know, a semiautomatic pistol with maybe a couple clips in his pockets, or what have you. For me, that's not the issue. The issue is going to be, that, you know, when he walks in there, was he a member before, was he in there, is this the first time he was there?

So, hopefully, someone be able to identify this guy, said, listen, I saw this kid before.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Matthew, police also put out a picture of the car. They cannot say definitively yet that it's his car, but it's a black four-door sedan and described it as having a distinctive license plate that should help.

But why aren't they saying what's on the license plates? Wouldn't that help the public be able to identify it?

MATTHEW HORACE, FORMER ATF AGENT: Well, I think certain information they want to keep close to the vest to be able to compromise the investigation. But one thing is for sure, they're getting it out to the state patrol, the state police agencies, Amber alerts and the like so that they know and we know what to look for and we hopefully we can bring this guy in very short order.

PEREIRA: One of the things we also heard, disturbing and some of the chilling details out of this story is that the gunman, reportedly there was a young woman that was not injured and was reportedly told by the gunman, I want you to tell other people what happened here and what has been done. What does that say to you?

GIACALONE: Yes, that's very significant in respect. I mean, this is just a cold-blooded murderer, mass murderer, and he just wants to make sure that everyone knows who it is. He's trying to make himself probably a lot more than he used to be.

So, this is, you know --

PEREIRA: Psychology, too?

GIACALONE: Probably, yes. I'm not a psychologist, but, you know, this is something that, you know, as a law enforcement officer, you look at and say, this guy has got some other issues at play and hopefully we'll find something on social media posts and those other things.

PEREIRA: We've got to get the identity, first, right?

GIACALONE: Right. I mean, license plates, it's going to help us. That might another reason why they didn't put out the license plate because they don't want him removing it. But license plate, around the area, bridges, tunnels, whatever it may be, and the police cars have them on there, too, so this might be something that they can get ahead on.

CUOMO: Witness accounts also, you had him walking in there, sitting down for a while before he opened fire. Obviously, whether it was gut check or he was making sure he had as bigger group of targets as he wanted, it's something the authorities felt important to mention to people.

Staging the press conferences, the next one is going to be at 7:00 local time, 7:00 Eastern Time, they are focusing their efforts on finding this guy. That doesn't mean they don't know things. It's just about when they want to tell everybody else.

HORACE: Right. I think it's always important to remember that what we hear is not all the available information. And that's not to compromise, by design, not compromise our ability to follow our leads very quickly, run them down and see this thing to a successful conclusion.

CAMEROTA: We just heard, we just got some word into our newsroom saying that the FBI at the moment is enhancing the photo imagery. Just as you suggested, Matthew, that they are blowing up to try to figure out what's on the shirt, what's on the license plate and they will be releasing whatever information has been revealed to them at this 7:00 presser.

So, that will be more helpful, Joe. However we also heard there are hundreds of tips that have already come in. I mean, somebody knows this person. Somebody knows his guy.

How do they know -- when the tips come in, I saw him at a fast food place. Maybe he just drove by. How do I know which ones to zero in on?

GIACALONE: Well, like law enforcement say, which one has meat on it, which one we can actually go on and say, there is something here to follow up on. And that's calling for all this information, you are going to get bombarded, especially when they did this presser first and I think the reason why they did this is to put this information out there first and will now see what they cultivate and to the next one. I think that was their plan was, give us a little tease, so to speak, and then be able to capitalize on it.

PEREIRA: If this is somebody local, as you mentioned, Alisyn, somebody is going to recognize him, even if the hair or the nose is different, they're counting on that, that maybe a family member, a neighbor, somebody that went to high school with him, this is a man in his early 20s. They are counting on someone to say, wait, I know that man.

CUOMO: And it wasn't off hours, right?

PEREIRA: No, 9:00 on the East.

CUOMO: This was 8:00 to 9:00 at night. Reports came out after 9:00 but no one knows when he went in there and started.

And, also, isn't it relevant, Matthew, that unless this theory about his hair and his nose is right, that he didn't go to a lot of lengths to conceal who he is. That's another element as well?

HORACE: No, from what we're hearing, we didn't hear anything about a mass. We heard about a hoodie. He went into a church, he sat there, he watched things for a while, and then committed this act.

[06:35:00] As long as we have a photo, that gives us a 90 percent chance of identifying the suspect. Keep in mind, while we are doing that, the other investigation is ensuing as well. We're recovering firearm rounds at the scene to determine what type of gun was used, how many guns were used? Go backwards, put that information and to the ATF system, to try to determine if this gun or these guns may have been used in the crime. And that may also lead police back to a suspect.

CAMEROTA: Matthew, Joe, thank you. It's been great to call upon you. We will do so for the rest of the show. Thanks so much for that.

Stick around, we have much more ahead on the breaking news out of South Carolina. That's the hunt, an active hunt right now for this killer who massacred nine people inside a historic black church. Was this a hate crime? What prompted it? We'll go live to the scene, next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are communities trying to survive. Why do we have to deal with issues like this? We have enough issues in Charleston, we don't need more. We need peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: We are following breaking news for you this morning. There was a massacre in a historic South Carolina church. Nine defenseless members were there for a bible study. They were shot dead while they were in worship.

The gunman is still on the loose. There are a lot of leads, though, here. Most importantly what you're looking at right now.

This is who authorities believe is responsible. They are describing him in his 20s. This is supposedly his vehicle.

We're going to get another press conference in about 20 minutes from now with more details on what happened inside. We will carry that live.

Again, if we can put that picture up, this is the best they have to go on right now. As we just heard from a member of the federal authorities, that it gives them a 90 percent chance of finding the person.

So, take a look at the picture. This is the manhunt going on. You see the details right there, about 5'9", slender build. He went in there, supposedly left people alive.

There are reports that he wanted people to know what happened here.

[06:40:02] That's why he left people alive. There's more information coming on. This is the tip line. The FBI is involved here because they are considering this a hate crime and are looking at this individual as well as any group affiliation that may have been here.

So, let's get to CNN's Nick Valencia on the ground.

Nick, what's the latest?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we can tell you right now is the gunman remains at large. Investigators are casting a wide net throughout the city of Charleston and beyond to look for this gunman.

But I wanted to get some new information that we're just hearing from one of the state senators here. Marlon Kimpson telling CNN that one of his colleagues perished in the brutal attack here overnight at the historic Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina. One of the names of the victim is State Senator Clementa Pinckney, who is also the pastor, leading a bible study session Wednesday night. It's a typical night for bible study session in the south. This has confused so many people here as to what would compel somebody to carry out such an unspeakable act like this.

What we can tell you is that nine people are dead right now as a result of this shooting. The gunman at large. We just received a photo of that alleged suspect, with a distinctive haircut described about 5'9", a white male. This is the suspect they are using right now. They have identified the car as well.

So, Chris, you know, a lot of moving parts here on the ground in Charleston. Police have cornered off this intersection where the shooting happened. You can see behind me the steeple of the historic church just in the background.

This, of course, involves the FBI on the ground right now. So many questions left unanswered and we are working towards figuring out exactly what happened here and standing by for a press conference to happen later this morning at about 7:00 a.m. Eastern -- Chris, Alisyn, Michaela.

CAMEROTA: Nick, bring us all the developments that you get on the ground there. We'll check back in.

Meanwhile, we want to bring in cultural critic and writer Michaela Angela Davis.

Michaela, thanks for being here this morning.

MICHAELA ANGELA DAVIS, CULTURAL CRITIC: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: We want to talk about this sad and tragic pattern. There are more houses of worship that have come under attack in the past decade. And this one in particular, this is the historic church, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke there. It is possible this was a random act. This was a targeted --

DAVIS: Oh, it's a strategic.

CAMEROTA: Oh, it's strategic.

DAVIS: It's strategic and I consider the gunman a terrorist, because this is not just a historic church, it's a symbol of American freedom and black freedom. And to know that on Wednesday is a ritual, bible study is a ritual that has been in the AME community for generations.

So, this is not random. This is not -- this is historically connected to a tradition of terrorizing places that are black free spaces, and churches are cornerstones to the community, right? So, I think this is not just a random act. This is very, very calculated.

PEREIRA: Following the terror aspect. The thing that strikes me is the fact that you go to a church for sanctuary from the ills of the world. You go to find solace in this crazy world that we're living in. And those very people were there arguably doing just that.

DAVIS: First off this morning, I'm just glad my grandparents weren't alive from South Carolina. They lived through Jim Crow South. They've been threatened by the KKK.

This is -- this is -- these are the triggers that happened when black Americans that have this heritage experience when these acts of terrorism happen. They're not just -- you know, to be told to, you know, calm down and everyone should be in order. There's a long legacy of these kinds of tragedies often with impunity, right? Often with people that have never brought to justice.

That's what this age is now. We are looking for someone, we've got a suspect, there are police -- this is where we have evolved, because historically, no one knew what to look for, right?

CUOMO: Right, it's not just political. It's factual.

We know the federal authorities make it a hate crime.

DAVIS: That's right.

CUOMO: They believe that because of two main reasons. One, this is not a random church. While there are many AME, African Methodist Episcopal, churches there, this one has historical context not just in the community but nationally.

DAVIS: Absolutely.

CUOMO: Even though bible study is common, you would have to know this is a relevant church. This is a relevant bible study. The pastor is relevant --

PEREIRA: But this would be a relevant story no matter what.

CUOMO: I know. However, they believe that this is a hate crime. It's not just contextually.

And they are chasing on reports that this guy may have kept someone alive to say, tell people that this happened, which, of course, leads to the intentionality of this potential target.

[06:45:00] DAVIS: It gets more gruesome with these kind of details. This is not just any church. These weren't just any act. This wasn't just any day.

In this environment, right, we are still -- Walter Scott is a case happening in South Carolina.

CUOMO: Walter Scott is the man who was shot by a police officer while running away. The tape came out from someone's self-video and now, there's a prosecution.

DAVIS: That's right. And the pastor and senator who was murdered was advocating for body cameras on police. So, that also, this seems very specific that he was also killed, right, because his advocacy in the Walter Scott case.

CAMEROTA: That's interesting.

Michaela Angela Davis, thanks for all the context. You'll be with us for the next couple of hours, as we call this breaking news.

And we do continue to follow what's happening outside of this church in Charleston, South Carolina. Hate crimes there, that's what this is being called. So, we will speak with the pastor from a neighboring church about this tragedy and who's been killed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: We do have breaking news this morning. Nine people have been shot and killed inside a historic South Carolina church overnight. We have learned from a local lawmaker that the pastor is a state senator. His name is Clementa Pinckney and he's believed among those who lost their lives.

Right now, there is an intense manhunt underway for the man who's going to be on your screen right now. This is what they believe to be his car. This is the person they believe responsible.

They describe him as -- in his 20s, slender in build, wearing a distinctive sweatshirt that you see what he looks like for yourself.

[06:50:01] Please look at your screen right now if you can. The FBI is involved as well. We understand that they are enhancing the video images of this man's shirt to see if that insignia is relevant and of his license plate. We're going to get more from local authorities in a live presser that we will cover.

CUOMO: But this church is not just any church, it is important in this community and may have been important to the shooter.

So, let's bring in someone who could tell us more about that, John Paul Brown. He's the pastor of Mt. Zion AME Church, a neighboring church of the one that was attacked.

Pastor, thank you very much for joining us. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances.

What can you tell us about what this church means in this community and what was going on there last night?

JOHN PAUL BROWN, PASTOR, MT. ZION AME CHURCH: This church, along with other AME church, this is mother Emanuel AME church, the heart and soul of the churches that were born out of it. My church is a daughter church out of Mt. Zion AME church. And it's a statement in the community. It's led to a fight for the civil rights movement.

And it's a church just south side of the city limits of Charleston during the time of slavery where slaves were running for freedom came. They gave us a message of freedom and hope, which AME churches spread. And also Bishop Richard Franklin Norris who is the seventh district of American Methodist Church in Charleston continue to urge us to carry on the work and galvanize the community in the same spirit of Richard Allen, bringing people together, instead of making the tragedy worse.

CUOMO: And the pastor involved in that church, Clementa Pinckney, he is a state representative. What can you tell us about him?

BROWN: In 1971, I became the pastor of St. John AME Church (INAUDIBLE), a young man I met there, Clementa Pinckney, I was there about seven years, he was so studios and smart. We had him to be in such thing with other teachers and the church goal. He also through the AME church and the young people department led the group of young people in the AME church, under the young people department, grew up in the church.

His demeanor was always helping people. It never changed. Even as he got older and met older folk and folks of his age, it was always yes, sir, no, sir, for the rights of others, out of Jasper County, an area is tremendous. He has a mark on the area and the community and the state of South Carolina.

CUOMO: The authorities are calling this a hate crime. They believe this young man who went in there intended to do exactly this. Has the community, the church community receiving threats? Is this something that makes any sense to you in terms of what's been going on in this part of South Carolina?

BROWN: Well, number on, it makes sense. But number two, it shows that is not just a problem in South Carolina. America somehow welcomed violence, everybody gets to carry a gun, whether they are deranged, whether they are loving people.

And so, at some point, the nation has to address this issue of senseless violence, especially when guns are involved. There's no way that in Christians and believers in the faith can lock every church door. That would defeat the purpose of the message of Jesus --

CUOMO: But you haven't been receiving threats?

BROWN: -- to be open to the world.

No, we have not received any threats. It's not been tied to any threat. From this information that I have, this young man came and sat in with the group this night and stayed with him until he erupted and spewed out some of the violence by word before he committed the act he did.

It wasn't something that was able to be prepared for. It happened as a shock. Still, we have not gotten our heads around it yet. The impact of it hasn't fully met with us.

The AME Church is calling for a prayer vigil today at 12:00 noon at Morris Brown AME Church in Charleston, called by the bishop here, in order that we may start a process of healing, and as Chief Mullen and the mayor stated, we have to lean on each other to stop this senseless violence that's around.

CUOMO: Understood.

BROWN: We just got to deal with the murder -- you see, it is one thing after another. But it's up to us as a community.

[06:55:01] That's the only thing that's going to change.

CUOMO: Understood. Pastor John Paul Brown, thank you very much. Good luck in helping the community heal. We'll stay on this story to keep it relevant. Thank you, sir.

Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: OK, Chris.

Of course, we will have continuing coverage of the massacre at a church. We expect five minutes from now to have new information. There will be a press conference held by all the local authorities, law enforcement, giving us new information of what they found from the surveillance video that they have and will bring that to you at the top of the hour. Don't go anywhere.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A white man walked into an African-American church and opened fire while people were praying, having bible study. That's unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CAMEROTA: And we do want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY.

And we do have breaking news for you this morning. Police in South Carolina hunting for a shooter whose rampage left nine people dead at a historic AME church in Charleston overnight.

The police chief releasing this image of the suspected shooter. Officials called this a hate crime.

CUOMO: This all happened during a bible study class, somewhere between 8:00 and 9:00 local time last night. It was at an Episcopal Church, an African Methodist Episcopal Church in the south. It's also a very historically church there.

We are waiting on a briefing from officials at any moment. We already heard from them once this morning where they put out the picture of the man that they believe responsible for this and what may be his vehicle. They said they would come back to us with enhanced imaging that we understand the FBI is doing.