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21 Killed In Deadliest U.S. School Shooting In A Decade; Steve Kerr On Texas School Shooting: "I've Had Enough." Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired May 25, 2022 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Nation, calling on the country to turn its collective pain into political action following this deadliest elementary school shooting since Sandy Hook a decade ago.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And what's happening now is that family members are having to give DNA samples to try to help identify the children who were murdered here so that they can identify which child is which.

With us now is CNN law enforcement analyst Anthony Barksdale. He's the former acting Baltimore police commissioner. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

When you look at what happened here what are the questions that you have?

ANTHONY BARKSDALE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST, FORMER ACTING BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER (via Webex by Cisco): Motive -- really want to establish the motive of what would make this person do this to these beautiful children. So we need to -- law enforcement has to establish, if they can, what was this about? Is this a -- is he a copycat? Was he trying to be like the other young killer in Buffalo that slaughtered people inside of a supermarket? So, it's motive.

You also want to look for any connections. Is there anything else that we can figure out is going on? Who else is involved, maybe? We've got to be sure about the gun purchases, the ammo -- everything.

We need to interview people who know him -- maybe know the trigger for this. What really got him to say this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to take innocent lives and I'm going to shoot it out with the police.

So, that's what I'm thinking right now with the investigation.

BERMAN: How concerned are you that people see this? That 18-year-olds see these shootings and then might seek to emulate it? There was -- you know, is that something that you worry about?

BARKSDALE: Absolutely. Yes, I do. In such a short span of time, we've seen two very young shooters in possession of weapons -- very lethal weapons they should not be able to put their hands on -- kill people. And they do it -- it happens so fast.

I've shot a lot of weapons in my life. These weapons fire quickly, they are lethal, and once someone gets going with one they have to be accountable for every round that's fired. They have to do this. But these individuals aren't accountable. They don't care about life. And this is the second time -- so quickly.

So as I am concerned, everyone in the United States should be concerned. The politicians need to be concerned because we're all vulnerable. We're all vulnerable and this issue has to be addressed.

BERMAN: Anthony, I can hear the frustration, if not exasperation and anger in your voice.

BARKSDALE: Yes.

BERMAN: What is it specifically that's getting you this morning?

BARKSDALE: It's how many? How many innocent lives does it take for our leadership that we put into office, that we trust with our lives to say OK, this is an issue. This is an issue and no matter what side you're on we're losing innocent citizens, and we've got to do something. That's the frustration because I keep coming on now. These are -- I keep coming on and now it's mass shooting after mass shooting and we get a lot of talk and nothing is being done.

And now, we've had grandmothers slaughtered just trying to pick up some food for their family to do some good home cooking.

We've got little kids so close to graduation. I don't know if you remember but when I was a kid that ended a school year and thinking I'm going to be in the next grade next year, it matters. And this -- and he comes in and he guns down these little kids -- little kids -- with a weapon designed to take a life, and he takes kids' lives. That's frustrating. I'm -- and -- that's it.

[05:35:05]

BERMAN: It's second, third, and fourth-graders. It's second, third, and fourth-graders -- 19 of them killed. And as I said, people are having to give DNA samples to identify these murdered children this morning.

BARKSDALE: And that --

BERMAN: Anthony, if -- go ahead.

BARKSDALE: That speaks to the power of the rounds coming out of these weapons. I've seen adults hit by these weapons -- significant damage. Now imagine that with a little kid, 60 pounds -- maybe 40 pounds, 80 pounds. To take that type of -- and then the parents have to figure out if that's their kid because that's what's left?

This is -- this is the alarm. If the politicians don't sort it out from here, then there's a huge problem with our humanity in the U.S. We've got to do better than this. President Biden -- I see him trying and -- but it's still not moving. It's not moving fast enough and we're still seeing victim after victim, incident after incident, and we have to get tired of this.

And it's enough talk. We need action. We need the action at this point.

BERMAN: You know, Anthony, I find myself wanting to not let myself consider or process the images that you're --

BARKSDALE: Yes.

BERMAN: -- talking about, but I think we have to. I think we have to. People have to think about it. People have to think about what it would look like and what it will feel like. And if people put themselves in that position then maybe then -- maybe then they'll have the discussions.

BARKSDALE: Yes, I agree with you. And this isn't a place that I want to go on -- you know, here on CNN. I don't want to go there. But we're to the point where we have to face reality of what is happening. We have to face these individuals. We have to face that we do have a problem with weapons falling into the wrong hands in the United States, and we have to do something about it.

BERMAN: Anthony Barksdale, you're speaking from the perspective of a lifetime in law enforcement, and also speaking from the perspective of a kind human being. And I appreciate your words this morning and I appreciate you being with us. And I appreciate allowing yourself to have these feelings. Thank you.

BARKSDALE: Thank you, John. Thank you.

BERMAN: So we are learning more this morning about a fourth-grade teacher who was killed here in Uvalde at the Robb Elementary School. She spent 17 years as an educator and now this town will bury her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:43:10]

KEILAR: An impassioned plea for gun reform after the Texas school shooting from Steve Kerr, the head coach of the NBA's Golden State Warriors. His father was a victim of gun violence and he has been outspoken about the need for common-sense gun laws.

Before his team's playoff game last night in Dallas, he made it clear to reporters basketball didn't matter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE KERR, HEAD COACH, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: I'm not going to talk about basketball. Nothing's happened with our team in the last six hours. We're going to start the same way tonight. Any basketball questions don't matter.

Since we left shootaround, 14 children were killed 400 miles from here, and a teacher. And in the last 10 days, we've had elderly Black people killed in a supermarket in Buffalo. We've had Asian churchgoers killed in Southern California. And now we have children murdered at school. When are we going to do something?

I'm tired -- I'm so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there. I'm so tired of the -- excuse me -- I'm sorry. I'm tired of the moments of silence. Enough.

There's 50 senators, right now, who refuse to vote on HR8, which is a background check rule that the House passed a couple of years ago. It's been sitting there for two years. And there's a reason they won't vote on it -- to hold onto power.

So I ask you, Mitch McConnell -- I ask all of you senators who refuse to do anything about the violence and school shootings, and supermarket shootings -- I ask you are you going to put your own desire for power ahead of the lives of our children, and our elderly, and our churchgoers because that's what it looks like?

[05:45:13]

It's what we do every week. So, I'm fed up. I've had enough.

We're going to play the game tonight, but I want every person here and every person listening to this to think about your own child or grandchild, or mother or father, or sister/brother how would you feel if this happened to you today? We can't get numb to this. We can't sit here and just read about it and go well, let's have a moment of silence.

Yes, go dubs, you know? Come on Mavs, let's go. That's what we're going to do. We're going to go play a basketball game.

And 50 senators in Washington are going to hold us hostage. Do you realize that 90% of Americans, regardless of political party, want background check -- universal background check -- 90% of us.

We are being held hostage by 50 senators in Washington who refuse to even put it to a vote despite what we, the American people, want. They won't vote on it because they want to hold onto their own power. It's pathetic. I've had enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:50:10]

BERMAN: I'm John Berman live in Uvalde, Texas as the nation mourns the 21 lives taken at the Robb Elementary School right behind me. That was the school where, yesterday, a gunman walked in, killed 19 students -- second, third, and fourth-graders. Two adults were also killed.

And this morning, just like so many mornings we've been in the last year, five years, 10 years, Americans are asking what can be done realistically to stop this.

Joining me now is Kris Brown. He is the president of Brady. It's one of America's oldest gun violence prevention groups. Kris, thank you so much for being with us this morning. I really appreciate your time.

One of the questions that's asked after a shooting like this is well, what gun law would have prevented this shooting? So, is there an answer to that?

KRIS BROWN, PRESIDENT, BRADY (via Skype): I'm not even sure that's the right question to ask, to be honest. We know that gun laws work but certainly -- but we hear, and we're still going to learn reports, is that on or about his 18th birthday this shooter purchased a long gun -- what is reported to be an assault-style weapon. And reportedly -- again, we don't know for sure, but that's what he used among other weapons to mow down children at school.

We have to ask ourselves why do we make it so easy for individuals -- 18-year-olds and other Americans to acquire what are weapons of war? Why do we see these kinds of weapons used over and over and over again in mass shootings?

It's a combination of the fact that the bullet velocity is especially lethal coming from these assault-style weapons, and that there's rapid-fire often capable of having high-capacity magazines. In some cases, 100 bullets in those high-capacity magazines, meaning shoot as many people as possible as quickly as possible, not having to reload.

Why we as a country haven't said enough and reinstituted the assault weapons ban that Brady -- Jim and Sarah Brady got through in 1994 that was sunsetted in 2004 and that worked, I don't know. But I think it's long past time we renew that ban.

I also think we need to have expanded Brady laws in this country. As Coach Kerr said so passionately yesterday, 50 members of the United States Senate right now are holding that up. But we can get a vote on that, and we should.

Chuck Schumer needs to push that forward. We know Sen. Murphy wants this to happen. And there's a bill to expand Brady background checks pending in the Senate right now. Let's get a vote on this. Let's hold politicians accountable who won't vote to expand a law that stands for the basic proposition that you need a background check before you buy a gun. Ninety percent of Americans support this.

So the solutions -- and you hear my frustration -- are sitting right before us that will save lives. We need it to happen. And no more hypocrisy from lawmakers like Ted Cruz, who tweet out thoughts and prayers when they actually have the capability to fix this. Frankly, I don't know how he looks at himself in the mirror.

BERMAN: I can hear your frustration. And when I asked you what law would prevent this you said you're not sure that's the right question. What is the right question, then, this morning?

BROWN: Well, I answered your question even though I'm not sure it's the right question, which is we need an assault weapons ban, clearly, based on the information. We actually think that would have made a difference here because that's the weapon, reportedly, this young person used to kill all of these innocent people.

We need to look at this as a public health epidemic. No other country -- no other industrialized country in the nation has this level of gun violence. We lost more than 45,000 people to gun violence in 2020.

If we look at it as a public health epidemic, we need enhanced policy, expanded background checks. Yes, an assault weapons ban, restrictions on high-capacity magazines, better permitting systems in the state. These are things that work. In states that have these laws, they have less gun violence than in states that don't.

[05:55:00]

And we need a federal standard because right now, the strongest state laws are subject and victim -- fall victim to the weakest. And states like Texas need to reconsider their love affair with an insurrectionist (INAUDIBLE) of the Second Amendment, which basically dictates that everyone's going to have a gun everywhere at every time. And even then, that version of the world, quite frankly, does not work. You had an 18-year-old outgunning the school resource officer.

The solution -- let's just face it -- is the guns. And we need to get a handle on that and have proper regulation. And responsible gun owners -- there are so many of us. Responsible gun owners need to raise their voices on this issue and make these demands as well.

BERMAN: Kris Brown, I do appreciate your time this morning. Thank you for answering my questions. I really do appreciate it.

BROWN: Thank you.

BERMAN: We have new details coming in on the investigation into the massacre behind me, including what parents are being told. And the possible red flags missed.

This is CNN's special live coverage from Uvalde, Texas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:00]