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New Day Saturday
Record Number Of New Cases Reported To WHO In 24 Hours; CDC: Early Reports Suggest Kids Less Likely Than Adults To Spread Virus, Generally Have A Less Serious Illness; Virginia School To Be Renamed After Representative John Lewis; Colorado Restaurant Group Sues Governor Over "Last Call" Order; CNN: Miscalculation By Police Led To Breonna Taylor's Death. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired July 25, 2020 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better.
DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE RESPONSE COORDINATOR: We're already starting to see some plateauing in these critically four states.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're drowning. We're absolutely drowning here. It's just an overwhelming number of cases.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's just so much uncertainty. And I think nobody really knows what's going on? It's kind of like almost like downwards spiral.
TRUMP: Being at the school. Being on the campus is very, very important.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I think we still need to learn a lot about children getting infected and whether they either spread or not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not how I want to go back. And I want to go back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Oxford vaccine produces a strong immunity response in patients.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first time we've had an anti-vaccine movement before we've had the vaccine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour now. It is a beautiful Saturday morning. It's good to be with you, I'm Victor Blackwell.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for being with us this morning. I'm Abby Phillip in for Christi Paul.
BLACKWELL: Of course, we're going to talk this morning about reopening schools and which cities are moving in which direction. Some are deciding to delay or to just go full virtual but we know the numbers around the country, some records being set. It's not making it easy to make that decision.
PHILLIP: Not at all. And the World Health Organization is saying that a record number of new cases were reported in a 24-hour period yesterday. 284,000 cases and for the fourth straight day, the U.S. reported more than 1,000 daily Coronavirus deaths.
The CDC says reopening schools for in-person learning in most of the country is safe. But the agency also says schools in the areas where more than 5 percent of COVID-19 tests are coming back positive should consider staying closed.
BLACKWELL: And we've got this from the Food and Drug Administration it's giving emergency use authorization to the first Coronavirus test for cases without symptoms. The FDA calls it a possible game-changer in helping to reopen schools and businesses. And to keep them open.
PHILLIP: Let's bring in CNN's Polo Sandoval in New York City for a look at where we sand nationwide? Polo, experts are saying they're seeing a plateau in some states. That's good news. But in other states we're seeing new records for cases and deaths.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Abby, consider, California, for example, now added to the list of the three states hardest hit since the start of the pandemic. Florida and New York, the others have seen well over 400,000 cases.
But then speaking of Texas, they're close behind, with at least 280,000 cases. And, yes, there are parts of the lone star state that according to officials seem to be experiencing a plateau, albeit a high one. But you have other parts of Texas where health officials are making very difficult life and death decisions.
Six months into the pandemic and some of the nation's Coronavirus stats are going from bad to worse as the nation surpassed 4 million COVID cases and over 145,000 deaths this week, California beat out New York as the state with the most infections to date.
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GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): When we began to reopen our economy, we focused so much on when. But we didn't focus enough on how. To not only do it, but to educate individuals.
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SANDOVAL: On Friday, California recorded its highest number of COVID deaths. In hard-hit L.A. County, health officials are warning the virus may soon become a leading cause of death among residents. COVID cases seem to be plateauing in some of Texas' largest cities. But in one small South Texas Border County patients may be sent home to die. The Hospital Ethnics and Triage Committee deem them too sick to recover. The local County Judge says their hospital is at capacity.
That's also a common struggle for health facilities in Florida which saw a nearly 84 percent increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations since July 4th. As statistics hit record-breaking highs in the south and west, parts of the northeast are experiencing lows not seen since March.
On Friday, New York recorded its lowest number of hospitalizations in nearly four months. And with the approaching school year, just weeks away, parents and teachers facing uncertainty about when or if in- person classes will resume, amid a push to open schools.
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MAYOR LENNY CURRY (R), JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: Kids ought to have the option to learn in person and virtually. I believe they ought to have choices. If teachers have vulnerable immune systems, they ought to have options as well. But we have to get our kids back into a school in a safe way.
DR. FAUCI: If you are going to bring the children back--
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SANDOVAL: Dr. Anthony Fauci the nation's leading infectious disease expert urging school districts not to rush to any decisions.
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DR. FAUCI: There are a lot of people with underlying conditions out there, so I think when you talk about forcing teachers to come back to school, you better be careful about that. And make sure you pay attention to, A., keeping them safe, and keeping them healthy.
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SANDOVAL: Fauci not ruling out outdoor teaching as a way to get students back to school.
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DR. FAUCI: I wear this all the time.
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SANDOVAL: And recommending face coverings been worn in the classroom. Here in New York, though, hospitalization infection rates are trending fairly well. There is a concern that was highlighted by officials just yesterday Governor Cuomo saying that they have noticed what he described as a significant increase in COVID cases especially among those 21 to 30 years old. The Governor directly linking that to some bars and restaurants in the
area, throughout New York, many of them here in Manhattan that, according to him, have not adhered to social distancing and mask- wearing mandates.
So what we expect to see this weekend, Victor, is a task force has been established by the Governor to actually enforce these kinds of regulations so it is certainly a warning to many people as they go out and enjoy their weekend.
BLACKWELL: Enforcement is certainly an important part of this equation. Polo Sandoval for us thank you so much. White House is up next, and Sarah Westwood is there live. The President now says its patriotic to wear a mask a significant change.
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right, Victor, the shift in tone from the President this week when talking about Coronavirus was pretty significant. It was very clear in the way the President for one started holding his daily briefings again and started appearing before reporters and talking about the fight against the pandemic.
The White House had phased those out, as the President had tried to pivot away from that and spent weeks trying to paint a much rosier picture of how cases were doing throughout the United States? The President's admission that this is going to get worse before it gets better was another significant shift from the President this week.
As was this decision to cancel portions of the GOP Convention, the ones that would have taken place in Jacksonville, Florida where cases and infection rates are continuing to climb. That would have been the largest night of the Convention.
The President had at one point wanted thousands of people to gather, wanted that big enthusiastic crowd. But the situation on the ground just wouldn't allow for that. So the President conceding that this weekend also acknowledging that some school districts are going to need to remain closed in the fall.
That was a move away from what the President and other administration officials have sort of pushed as a one size fits all strategy to reopening schools. Now there is an admission that some of those districts just cannot reopen their classrooms for in-person learning in just about a month's time.
But despite all of that, the White House is arguing that the President has been consistent on the virus. That his tone has not changed.
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KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The President has been consistent on this. He wore a mask back at the Ford facility. He carries around in his pocket. He showed it to you multiple times. He hasn't changed. In fact, just speaking on COVID generally the way I've heard him talk privately in the Oval Office is the way he's talked out here. The only thing that has changed is the President taking dozens and dozens of your questions each and every day because he felt the best way to get information to the American people was for him to be out here on answering your questions and providing this directly.
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WESTWOOD: Sources telling CNN that it was the President's plunging poll numbers that finally convinced him to start pivoting back to the Coronavirus, to start bringing back those briefings.
Aides and allies of the President had been pushing him for weeks to more forcefully endorse masks. And to pay more attention to the Coronavirus as polls had shown that there was a deep disapproval of the way the President has handled the pandemic so far Abby and Victor.
PHILLIP: Thanks Sarah Westwood. One of the greatest unknowns of the Coronavirus is its impact on children. Officials in Dallas County, Texas, say a 5-year-old boy just died from the virus. A local judge says they've seen a sharp uptick in kids infected with COVID-19.
BLACKWELL: Yes, in Florida we - I know that at least 5 children have died the youngest there 9-years-old. Let's bring in Dr. Keith Meyer, Medical Director at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami.
Doctor, good morning to you, I want to start here with what a reaction to what we heard late this week from Education Secretary Betsy Devos about children and Coronavirus. Let's listen together.
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BETSY DEVOS, SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: Kids are actually stoppers of the disease. And they don't get it and transmit it themselves. So we should be in a posture of the default should be getting back to school, kids in person, in the classroom.
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BLACKWELL: She is not a medical professional, you are. What's your reaction to what you heard there?
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DR. KEITH MEYER, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, NICKLAUS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: Well, good morning, I think there's obviously still a lot that we don't know about who spreads it? How it affects the different age groups?
I think everybody supports the children to return to school when it's safe. But again, I think we have to be patient. This is really a moving target and we have to be patient at least for the next two few weeks to see what happens in August?
PHILLIP: Yes. I mean, you did hear her say children are stoppers of this virus. But I'm looking at these numbers. The positivity rate for kids, where you are in Florida, it's in the double digits. What does that suggest about what might be happening to cause these children to become infected?
And do you think we know enough to know whether or not they are transmitting the virus to other people, to their parents, to people that they encounter in their day-to-day lives?
DR. MEYER: You know that's a great point. We don't know, right. We don't know who spreads it. We don't know which populations of children are more likely to spread it than others? You know quite frankly, the other risk too is that if children do spread it, what happens to the older family members at home?
So there are a lot of things that are uncertain right now. And hopefully, in the next month or two, we'll be able to work some of this out. But there are a lot of very smart people working on this. I'm hopeful that we'll get some answers soon.
BLACKWELL: So, we heard from the CDC with the supportive documents about how to reopen schools? One of the recommendations that were not listed was universal screening for temperature, for any symptoms at schools. We know some districts, some schools are implementing that.
Do you think that that would be effective, considering that there are so many who are a symptomatic to screen kids when they come into the school building every day?
DR. MEYER: So, I know the CDC recently updated some guidelines on school screening. And I don't know to your point, I don't know if taking the temperature would be a stopgap. As you said, a lot of the kids are going to be symptomatic. They likely will not have a temperature. You may pick up some of them but that's probably not going to be a very useful way to screen kids.
PHILLIP: When do you see kids in the hospital, you know where you are what are you seeing in their condition? I know that there's a concern about this very rare multisystem in inflammatory syndrome that we've seen globally, five cases in Miami-Dade as of our last checking of that.
But when you see people day to day these kids coming in, what are you presenting with, what can parents be on the for?
DR. MEYER: That's a great question. There's two real buckets of conditions. There are the children and adults that get the acute COVID infection and then there are these children that get this multisystem inflammatory syndrome. You know it usually meets after - older or infection.
Those children usually present with high fever for a few days without any complaints, they may have rashes. They may have headaches. So I would encourage parents if you have a child that has a high fever for a few days or a new rash or abdominal pain or diarrhea, don't delay in calling your pediatrician or your health care provider.
BLACKWELL: We were having a conversation about the impending vaccine development and distribution and I think we often have that conversation in the context of adults. Is there a specific conversation, specific considerations that we should be discussing when talking about vaccines for children?
DR. MEYER: Are you referring to the COVID vaccine? I'm sorry.
BLACKWELL: Yes, the COVID vaccine, the COVID vaccine that will eventually come.
DR. MEYER: Well again, there are so much that we don't know right now. I think you know everybody is trying their best to get some answers. Hopefully, when more information comes out about the vaccine that will be easier to answer that question, I'm sorry.
BLACKWELL: All right, Dr. Keith Meyer, thanks so much for being with us. And, of course, there are so many questions we still have about Coronavirus and how that will impact potentially getting back to the classroom? Thanks for being a part of the conversation.
DR. MEYER: Thanks guys.
BLACKWELL: We now have our first hurricane - breaking news now of the hurricane season Hannah. In just the last two minutes, it's been upgraded to a category 1. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking the storm. She'll be back with us to talk about the expected land fall today.
PHILLIP: Plus, remembering an icon. This morning marks the start of the six days of serious of events celebrating the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis. You're looking at live pictures from outside of the Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama where the service for Lewis is being held later today, more on that ahead when we come back.
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BLACKWELL: Well, today is the first of six days of events to celebrate the life of Congressman John Lewis. His body is now en route from Atlanta, to Troy, Alabama. That's where he was born and raised. And later this morning there will be a public service there at Troy University.
The celebration is "The boy from Troy". It's expected to include several of his siblings. They will be speaking. And he'll lie in repose there in Troy University until this afternoon.
PHILLIP: And following those services a motorcade will take Lewis' body to Selma, Alabama, a private ceremony will be at Brown Chapel AME Church starting at 7:00 pm. He'll lie in repose there from 9:00 pm until midnight and then on Monday Lewis will lie in state in the United States' Capitol Rotunda here in Washington, D.C.
BLACKWELL: We'll have more on that in just a moment. We brought you breaking news just a couple moments ago. Hurricane Hannah now is moving towards the Texas Coast and could make landfall later this afternoon.
PHILLIP: Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking all of this for us from the CNN Weather Center. We just spoke to you a few minutes ago now we have got Hurricane Hannah on our hands Allison.
[08:20:00]
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we knew this was going to happen. And we were waiting for the Hurricane Hannah mission that was out there to really send that data back and let us know if it had already intensified into a hurricane or it if still needed a few more hours.
But it did go through a strengthening process overnight with sustained winds now at 75 miles per hour so it does make this officially the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic Season. Forward movement a still vested about 9 miles per hour so that really didn't change much.
But the central pressure did drop and that's really one of the signs that let us know that this storm is still continuing to strength. You have hurricane warnings in place basically stretching from around the Corpus Christie area down towards Port Mansfield and then tropical storm warnings surrounding that implying that those winds are going to be very gusty at times today.
So power outages are going to be possible along this whole stretch here. Now, in terms of rain, you're starting to see some of those outer bands already begin to push back in not just in Texas, but also even across portions of Louisiana.
Widespread rain fall, three to five inches but there will be some spots that could pick up eight, nine, even ten inches of rain before this system finally pushes out. Storm surge is also going to be a factor that target point again around Corpus Christi in Rockport, three to five feet there. The surrounding areas could be about, one, two maybe even three feet of storm surge.
And very much we often see this with these Gulf storms you also have the potential for some isolated tornadoes and even some water spouts. We've already had tornado warning so far this morning. Those will likely continue into the afternoon.
And again as we mentioned, Abby and Victor, this is one of four systems that we're continuing to watch. We're starting to get closer and closer to the peak hurricane season now so it's going to likely stay active for at least the next couple of months.
BLACKWELL: All right. We'll watch for it. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.
PHILLIP: Now, a group of restaurants are suing Colorado's Governor over new Coronavirus restrictions. We will speak to the owner of a bar who says the measures will put hundreds of bars and restaurants out of business.
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[08:25:00]
PHILLIP: You are looking at live pictures from outside the Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama. This is where the service for Congressman John Lewis is going to be held later this morning. This morning marks the start of six days of events celebrating the life and legacy of the late Congressman.
BLACKWELL: Here now with us to reflect on the late Congressman in Mississippi is Representative Bennie Thompson also Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Mr. Chairman. Thank you for being with us this morning.
REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): Thank you for having me.
BLACKWELL: You met John Lewis more than 50 years ago, I read. And you told "The Jackson Reporter" that you knew that then he was destined to be great. Tell me about the man you met there in the early '60s.
THOMPSON: Well, there's no question, John Lewis, when you meet him, you were quite struck about his humility. You were awestruck about his commitment to justice and fair play but as important, he never met a stranger.
He was always focused, he was always engaging. And as a student I met him at - College, and was absolutely awestruck by such a young person being so focused. And so, from that point on, John Lewis became the man and so, for all of the years after he continued to be the man.
PHILLIP: And I think the entire country really got to know him. He became a beloved figure in our politics and our sort of national understanding. But one of his legacies could be that he kind of touches off some of this reckoning on race, we saw, Fairfax area high school this week being renamed from a Confederate General to John Lewis.
There are some talks of the Edmund Pettus Bridge being renamed for John Lewis. What does it mean to you, to see some of these changes, and I mean, what do you think John Lewis would think of all of this?
THOMPSON: Well, this would be John Lewis' definition of good trouble. The fact that you change evil and make good out of it, the fact that he could demonstrate America how difficult it's been to talk about race? How difficult it's been for people of different backgrounds to come and speak as one?
So, for all of us, to see after John's death, these monumental discussions and certain actions taken place is feeding improper. John was that kind of that individual. John Lewis was a person you could disagree with and not fall out with.
And so it was - it was so heartening last week, to see Democrats and Republicans on the floor of the House, giving John Lewis his accolades but also to look at the tears being shed on behalf of John Lewis and his life and legacy.
So, he will be missed. His legacy will live on. But more importantly, we still have good trouble to do. We have the voting rights facing up.
[08:30:00] THOMPSON: We have the Black Lives Matter movement engaging us all over the country. So, we have this pandemic that's having significant impact on people of color. So, there are a lot of things that John Lewis if he were with us today would be actively engaged in it.
BLACKWELL: You know, you mentioned the Black Lives Matter movement. And I want to transition now to those protests in Portland. I mentioned at the top that you're Chair of House Homeland Security. And you're holding a hearing next Friday, this upcoming Friday, about the DHS officials, police going to Portland, we know they're heading to other cities.
Has Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf accepted your invitation? And tell me what you're trying to learn, what you're trying to deduce in these hearings coming up on Friday?
THOMPSON: Well, you know I Chair the House of Homeland Security. We have oversight on the Department of Homeland Security. And so when we see things happening, it's our job to look and make sure they're doing it correctly.
So what we see happening in courtrooms, specifically, is the fact that when local officials have indicated that your presence is not wanted. Your presence creates a more volatile situation that should be considered.
Historically, DHS has gone in and worked with state and locals when they were requested. This is a unique situation we're faced with in Portland, where we remain uninvited, unmarked cars, strange uniforms picking up citizens off the streets in those unmarked cars.
Releasing them hours later with no charges. So, we're concerned about it. We want to get an understanding. And so part of how we do our business is conduct hearings?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
THOMPSON: So, next, we will have the Governor of Oregon, as well as the Attorney General, but we also invited the Homeland Security Acting Director.
BLACKWELL: Has he accepted that invitation?
THOMPSON: No, he has not.
BLACKWELL: Okay.
THOMPSON: But we've issued it. We hope that - I think it's in his best interest to accept it. Because too many people are saying is this that we are as a nation? That we're now showing up in military-style uniforms with not the proper markings, not the proper cooperation? And so, we need to talk about that and that's why we called this hearing.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PHILLIP: Well, we'll be keeping a close eye what happens in Portland and what happens potentially in your Committee? Congressman Bennie Thompson, thank you for being with us and sharing your memories of your friend Congressman John Lewis.
THOMPSON: Thank you.
PHILLIP: And stay with CNN for our special coverage of Congressman John Lewis' Memorial Service all week. We'll be right back.
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[08:35:00]
BLACKWELL: A group that represents more than 200 bars and restaurants in Colorado is suing the state's Governor over an order aimed at slowing the spread of Coronavirus. It limits businesses to 50 percent capacity, or 50 persons, whichever is fewer and sets last call on alcoholic drinks at 10:00 pm.
With me now to talk about the concerns, Chris Fuselier the owner of Blake Street Tavern in Denver Chris, good morning to you.
CHRIS FUSELIER, OWNER, BLAKE STREET TAVERN: Good morning, Victor.
BLACKWELL: So let start here, I want to first hear about Colorado Governor Jared Polis and then we'll get your response and why you're filing suit on behalf of your group. So first, let's hear from the Governor.
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GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): The state of inebriation in a public place is inconsistent with social distancing. People can stay out as long as they like but if you do want to get inebriated please do it at home with just few other people and don't let your judgment lapse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: So the Governor in that news conference went on to say that if you're drinking and you want to get drunk, do so at home with four people. But as you drink later into the evening, socially distant groups of four start to mingle, and that could lead to spread in the 20 to 29-year-old age group. You filed suit, why?
FUSELIER: Well, first of all, the Governor doesn't drink, so, I'm not sure exactly what he's talking about? He believes that restaurants and bars that are to blame for positive cases in Colorado. It's just - there is just no proof of that. Here in Colorado, we have 414 outbreaks as of Tuesday. 17 of them are attributed to full-service restaurants.
So, I'm not a math major, but I believe that comes out to be 4.8 percent. So, we're being blamed for all of the outbreaks. Meanwhile, liquor stores are able to stay open until midnight. Dispensaries are able to stay open until midnight.
But the restaurant/bars in Colorado, hundreds of us are to blame and this rule about COVID cases stop after midnight or at 10:00 pm or whatever, we're the good guys in all of this. We're the ones that are triple-regulating. We're the ones that are making people wear masks.
They're six feet distancing whereas private parties you know that age group, they're not social distancing, they're not wearing their masks. They're gathering together, and they're not, obviously, following any so COVID protocol, unlike us.
[08:40:00]
BLACKWELL: So, in watching that news conference and what we heard from the Health Director, their argument would be that a house party wouldn't be as many people as you would be allowed to be in your facility.
I saw you've got the rooftop set up with socially distant tables for six and eight. But his argument is if you're at a house with four people and you're drinking, that's four people instead of the potential 40 that could mingle in or around your facility. And you say to that, what?
FUSELIER: You know that brings me back to my days at the University of Colorado. Okay. So, I'm going to invite three people over and I'm going to stop - give me a break. I mean, at that age group, no one is going to count the members.
You're going to invite, 10 or 15 of your buddies over. And you're not going to check and say, hey, did you sanitize your hands? Did you put your mask on? Keep your mask on at all times expect when you're drinking your beer.
At my place, Blake Street Tavern, we make people wear their masks when they walk into the door until there are seated at their table. If they get up to go to the restroom they must put on their mask and when they leave the rest room they must put on their masks.
I mean, we're the mask police but we embrace them. We don't mind doing that. And we make sure that people are six-feet distancing. My place can hold 900 people - occupancy. Right now, we're limited to 100. That's another part of the lawsuit.
But the point on the matter is that I have great managers, great staff, we distance everybody apart from each other and make sure that there are only groups of eight or fewer. And that's the regulation in Colorado. Eight or fewer and I doubt our young friends are not adhering to that.
BLACKWELL: Yes, I will say that the setup you've got on the roof is very impressive. Let me go here to what we saw this letter from nonprofit U.S. public interest group. They're in Denver, based there U.S. There is a letter from 150 medical professionals and they say this. Let's put it up on the screen.
They say it's time to just shut down and start over. In many states people can drink in bars, get a haircut, eat inside a restaurant, get a tattoo, get a massage and do a myriad of others normal places but nonessential activities. Nonessential business should be closed. Restaurant service should be limited to take out. If you don't take these measures the consequences will be measured in widespread suffering and death.
These are not politicians, these are health experts and scientist, to these doctors and scientist do you say what about shutting down and starting over?
FUSELIER: We have asked the Governor and the Colorado Department of Public Health for the science and data and when we go to court on Wednesday, we will find out about that because we have just not seen that data.
BLACKWELL: All right, we will be following it. Chris Fuselier, thank you so much for your time this morning. And maybe we'll check in next weekend to see how the hearing went on Wednesday, how about that?
FUSELIER: Thank you, very good sir. Have a good day.
BLACKWELL: You too, Abby?
PHILLIP: When we come back, authorities in Kentucky have been slow to release more information about the killing of Breonna Taylor. But a CNN investigation finds key miscalculations by police may have contributed to her death, details coming up.
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[08:45:00]
PHILLIP: More than four months have passed since the police officers in Louisville, Kentucky, shot and killed Breonna Taylor.
BLACKWELL: You know, there was video in the killing of George Floyd, also in Rayshard Brooks, but there is none here. But we are getting a better understanding of what happened the night that she was killed? CNN's Senior Investigative Correspondent Drew Griffin has those details.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: For Breonna Taylor's family, the entire tragic story boils down to one question, why were police breaking down her door in the middle of the night?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIANCA AUSTIN, BREONNA TAYLOR'S AUNT: They should have never been there in the first place. It should have never happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: A CNN analysis finds key miscalculations including using months old information led Louisville police to include Breonna Taylor in a high risk operation targeting drug houses. Some facts are in dispute, these are not.
Police raided Taylor's apartment under the suspicion she was involved with handling money and drugs for an alleged Louisville drug dealer her ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover. When it was over, police found no drugs, no money in her apartment.
Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician who worked two jobs, who had never been convicted of a crime, was dead. Shot five times by police.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911 operator, what is your emergency?
KENNETH WALKER, BREONNA TAYLOR'S BOY FRIEND: I don't - I don't what happened. Somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: To understand how this tragedy unfolded that night you have to come here to the door where it began just before 1:00 am March 13th. Officers from the Louisville Police Department arrived with a no-knock warrant but say they did knock way. Sergeant John Mattingly recorded in this police interview admits he had limited information.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEANT JONATHAN MATTINGLY, LOUISVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT: They said she was probably there alone. So we predetermined to give her plenty of time to come to the door, banged on the door. No response, banged on it again, no response. At that point, we started announcing ourselves, police, please come to the door. We have a search warrant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Inside, Breonna Taylor was not alone. She had just dozed off next to her boyfriend Kenneth Walker. Walker telling police the knocking, banging at the door scared them thinking it was Taylor's ex- boyfriend breaking in.
[08:50:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: She is like who is it? Loud at top of her lungs. No response. So I'm like what the heck? So then I grab by gun, which is legal like I'm licensed to carry, I never even fired my gun outside of the range, I'm scared to death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Walker says he never heard anyone say police, neither did multiple neighbors who spoke with CNN including a neighbor whose door is just inches away. What they heard was shouting, banging and gunshots.
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WALKER: The door like comes like off the hinges. So I just let off one shot. Then all of a sudden, there's a whole lot of shots. There's just shooting, like we're both on the ground, and when all the shots stop. I'm panicking. She's right there on the ground like bleeding.
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GRIFFIN: Walker said he purposely aimed his gun towards the ground. Sergeant John Mattingly was struck in the leg and was one of the three officers who returned fire.
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MATTINGLY: As soon as the shot hit, I could feel the heat in my leg. And so I just returned fire. I got four rounds off. And it was simultaneously like, boom, boom, boom, boom.
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GRIFFIN: Mattingly is on administrative reassignment, along with a second officer who fired shots that night, Myles Cosgrove. The third police officer to fire his weapon, Detective Brett Hankison was standing outside and fired ten rounds through a closed and curtained patio door. He has been fired is appealing. But according to Louisville's Police Chief, his blind shooting displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life which his lawyers deny.
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RENEE PRUITT, NEIGHBOR: I was asleep. I woke up to gunshot. It scared me as soon as I woke up and they were just going off.
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GRIFFIN: The gunshots went through walls, windows, bullet holes were found everywhere in the kitchen, bedrooms, in a neighbor's apartment with small children nearby. Multiple neighbors called 911 asking for police, only to finding out later it was the police.
One of the neighbors recorded this video of Taylor's boyfriend being arrested while pleading with police to help his girlfriend bleeding inside. All charges against the boyfriend Kenneth Walker would be dropped.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could tell it was brutal.
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GRIFFIN: Breonna Taylor's sister Ju"Niyah who police apparently did not know also lived in the apartment was out of town that night. Returning to find her bedroom covered in bullets and a pool of her sister's blood.
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JU"NIYAH PALMER, BREONNA TAYLOR'S SISTER: When we had to clean up, when if I could show you what it look like in there, you will be like wow, that is very horrific.
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GRIFFIN: Attorneys for Breonna Taylor's family say the police mistakes began well before they knocked down her door.
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LONITA BAKER, ATTORNEY FOR TAYLOR'S FAMILY: Sloppy, intelligence getting a no-knock warrant when it was not necessary to have a no- knock warrant.
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GRIFFIN: Police got five warrants approved. Four were for suspected drug dealers and suspected drug houses lumped into that with similar language was the warrant for Breonna Taylor's apartment.
According to a source police told the Judge Taylor was Jamarcus Glover's current girlfriend. And the warrant suggests Glover was having drugs delivered to Taylor's apartment by male to be shuttled to the crack houses. Her family says the information police had on Taylor was outdated or incorrect.
She hadn't dated Glover in months. A package police say they saw Glover picking up at Taylor's apartment was likely a pair of shoes according to the family attorney. And despite what officers were told before the raid, Breonna Taylor certainly did not live alone. The family lawsuit against police summed it up as the incredibly stale nature of this intelligence.
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AUSTIN: We just want the truth to come out. And we don't want to rush anything. And we know it's complicated.
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GRIFFIN: Circuit Court Judge Mary Shaw who signed the warrants tells CNN in a statement, she spent more than 30 minutes considering the warrant application. And subsequently made the probable cause determination required of me by law.
Breonna Taylor's death was a tragedy, the judge told CNN. Her death will stay with me forever. Taylor's family wants more than sympathy and understanding. They want police officers charged with murder.
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GRIFFIN: I'm sure your attorneys have told you that is hard to do in the United States.
AUSTIN: Oh - we don't expect it to be easy. We don't expect the truth to be easy to know because it is not easy to us. But we know the truth. And we're willing - we're going to fight this to the end, you know what I mean. So, I mean, she's just that Breonna Taylor - this is our family. This is our bay and she's going to get the justice she deserves.
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GRIFFIN: Of the three officers involved in the shooting that night, only one has responded to CNN's request for comment. Sergeant John Mattingly through his attorney says he was not involved in the planning, was just following orders.
And at all times, followed established police procedures, Louisville remains on edge, waiting to see if any of those officers will be charged in Breonna Taylor's death. Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
[08:55:00]
BLACKWELL: Drew, thank you for the report. Thank you for watching.
PHILLIP: "SMERCONISH" is up next. We'll see you again in an hour from now.
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MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN HOST: Does perception match reality? I'm Michael Smerconish in Philadelphia.
