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Man Killed in Exchange of Gunfire With Border Patrol in Texas; Interview With Kerrville, Texas, Mayor Joe Herring Jr.; At Least 89 Killed in Texas Flooding. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired July 07, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): People can come up with all sorts of crazy theories.

What I know as a reality is that a whole lot of Texans are grieving right now. I will tell you, I was visiting with one parent who was talking about, online, being harassed online because their information was public that they had a little girl who was missing at Mystic.

And, look, there are a lot of people who are messed up. And my call for everyone, there's a time to have political fights, there's a time to disagree. This is not that time. This is a time just to reach out, support each other, go volunteer at the Salvation Army, give them money, go volunteer at your church.

Go -- you know what I did when this happened? Just go hug your kids, because I got to tell you, I hugged my girls with tears in my eyes because every one of us who's a parent, there but for the grace of God go I.

And nothing will fill the void in these moms and dads' hearts, but they will make it through it. And every one of us, we have an obligation to come through and help them make it through it. And, look, Texas will come through, and let me say, Kerr County, the Hill Country is incredible, it is beautiful.

And these summer camps -- Camp Mystic is an incredible Texas institution. For a century, it has made a profound difference helping young girls become strong women in Texas and across the country. And so, for me, at least, I'm praying for these camps, I'm praying for all the campers, everyone implicated, everyone impacted.

And I hope we come together and stand as one doing that.

(CROSSTALK)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: All right, so there you have the latest briefing coming in from the authorities there, state, local, and other officials who are monitoring this horrible, horrible, heartbreaking situation in Texas that has unfolded with these flash floods.

We did hear from the city manager, Dalton Rice, say that the search- and-rescue operation continues, but he pointed out it's a massive field that they have to go through right now looking for potential bodies. There's a lot of technical challenges, he said, including the weather, the bad weather that is approaching as well, including more rain.

And there are enormous power outages, he said. The Kerrville mayor, Joe Herring Jr., said specifically, we need your prayers. And then we heard very emotional statements from Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, who says this is not a time for partisan finger-pointing. It is a time, he did say, to learn lessons.

We need to have a careful examination of what happened, learn lessons to make sure, if there were mistakes that were made, they are not repeated down the road, because this area is potentially an area that will have more flash floods that will develop.

I want to go back to CNN's Isabel Rosales, who's on the ground in Kerr County for us right now.

Isabel, tell our viewers what you're seeing, what you're hearing right now.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I'm in Center Point. This is a very hard-hit area, just southeast of hunt, where Camp Mystic is located.

And take a look right behind me here. This goes to show you. This dump truck just folded into this cypress street goes to show you the force of these floodwaters. And you can still see these rapids going by. First responders told me it's just not safe for them to go out there right now in boats.

This is one way that they're being challenged and hampered in their search-and-rescue efforts. And we heard in that press conference there are still people missing. This is why hundreds of volunteers we have seen out here, coming out here donating their time, their bare hands, or even heavy machinery to help clear out this debris.

Now, moments ago, I did see over here on the left, where you see the people with the vests and the hard hats, the Texas A&M task force, they were over there with a cadaver dog named Finn checking underneath the bridge there. You can see a drone in the air right now.

Checking underneath the bridge, checking around all of this downed limbs and footage, every nook and cranny to see if there's anyone that might have been swept away that could be stuck in there. They gave this construction crew a thumbs up. They cleared the area. Nobody was found there.

So now they can go ahead into their work of inspecting this bridge, making sure that that's OK, and then removing all of these trees that are underneath the bridge. This is so challenging. We heard that in the press conference too, how challenging this is for professionals, for the volunteers, but the work, Wolf, so important.

BLITZER: So heartbreaking, indeed. [11:35:00]

Isabel Rosales, thank you very much for that update.

Right now, I want to bring in CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell.

Josh, you grew up in this area in Texas. You lived near Camp Mystic. What are you hearing about the responses that we're getting from authorities?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, I mean, this is just so tragic, the more and more that we learn.

And what viewers can't see is off camera I have a brace on an injured leg here. Otherwise, I would be there with our colleagues. And I want them to know that I have been hearing from family and friends who are thanking our CNN colleagues there on the ground for giving them information, for telling these important stories.

When people think about the Hill Country and the word community, that doesn't mean that it's a place in the Hill Country. It's a state of mind. As one friend just texted me from the Hill Country, we are a way of life, which means that people wrap their arms around each other on any given day, and including visitors that come in to enjoy the beautiful scenery, but specifically on a day of tragedy.

And so we have seen that happening. One other thing I will note is, we have heard about these camps. I know that, for example, our colleague Pam brown had attended Camp Mystic, the girls camp there that suffered such tragedy. I lived on -- I had the blessed childhood of actually living on a camp nearby there. My mother was an administrator.

And I don't think people fully understand unless you have sent your children to these camps that this isn't just a place for vacation. I mean, the things that these camps do to teach the young boys and girls about leadership, about sportsmanship, about interpersonal skills, a love of nature, but also a respect of nature.

And so I mentioned that to say that it's not just the people that were impacted there right now, but indeed people around the country, people around the world who have connections to these camps are certainly grieving.

And then the final point I will make is that, as warm as the Hill Country Texans are, that's not -- that is shouldn't be a sign of weakness. What I'm hearing from family and friends is that they want answers. Were there missed warnings here? Officials have talked about an alert system.

No one I know received any alert. No one I know knows anyone else who actually received one of those alerts. And so, for them, this isn't just a reflexive way to blame someone. They really want answers. And, for them, time is of the essence, because they want to ensure that, if additional inclement weather systems move in, that the systems are working the way that they should. And so they're not looking for long-term reflections. They want

officials to know right now, did something go wrong?

BLITZER: Yes. If there were failures, they want to learn from those failures to make sure they are never again repeated.

Josh Campbell, thank you very, very much.

I want to go back to my co-anchor, Pamela Brown.

Pamela, you're there. This is very personal for you. As Josh just mentioned, you went to Camp Mystic when you were a little girl, when you were, what, 9 10 years old, and you spent a summer there, and it was very influential on you.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: It absolutely was. It was a defining time in my life, and it left an indelible mark.

So I just can't stop thinking about these families who are grieving, those who have lost their loved ones. We know Camp Mystic is saying that it is grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors.

But, Wolf, I'm also here to try to get some answers, to press and ask those important questions, could anything more have been done? How was everyone caught off guard so late when this is a flood-prone area? And I was just in this press conference with top officials here in Texas, including Senator Ted Cruz and the city manager and the mayor.

And I asked them, what was the coordination like between the National Weather Service and the city managers, the emergency managers, the city officials? Those alerts were escalating throughout the day, starting at 1:15, and then you had the dire river report at 6:30 p.m. And then, of course, we know the devastation happened overnight.

So I pressed the city manager on that question, and he said basically they were in touch, they were in communication with the National Weather Service. They were seeing the alerts, but that they were having discussions, that the camps were having discussions, he said. He didn't provide specifics on what those discussions entailed.

And I said, well, what about evacuating? Was there any discussion about evacuating before it was too late, before they really could have been in harm's way? Because that's what officials keep pointing to. Well, in the past in 1987, when we did that, kids died.

And so I asked, well, then with these alerts coming so early on, why not evacuate then? Were there discussions to activate? Here's some of the exchange I had with that city manager.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: To evacuate earlier, when it wasn't too late, was there any discussion about that among the officials?

Sorry. Repeat your question.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Was there any discussion to evacuate or activate any emergency plans before it was too late, where it would be very dangerous (OFF- MIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, so, again, just like disasters in Texas everywhere, it's very tough to make those calls, because what we also don't want to do is cry wolf. We don't want to make sure that we -- we activate it at the right time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And, of course, the family members of those who have been lost would say, well, I wish you had cried wolf. Perhaps my loved one would still be here.

[11:40:00]

Those are the realities that people here in this community are grappling with. And it is a community that is coming together and grieving. But also there is discussion among these officials here, Wolf, about what more could be done in the future, because this continues to be one of the most flood-prone areas in the country.

And there was discussion during this press conference about strengthening the cell signal, perhaps putting in a warning system for flooding, which had been discussed over the years, even nine years ago discussed doing here. So I think this unfortunately was a wakeup call from any of the officials here in Kerr County, Texas -- Wolf.

BLITZER: You know, Pamela, I know you grew up in Kentucky, but your mom was from Texas and she was the one who wanted you to go to Camp Mystic, is that right?

BROWN: Yes, actually, Wolf, I went to Camp Mystic and I went to Heart O' the Hills Camp just down the road from Camp Mystic. Fortunately, Heart O' the Hills Camp was out of session during the flooding, but the director there was killed.

So it's sort of a double whammy for me, having been to both of those camps. And it's not about me, but I do -- I can't help but see myself in those little campers and know the joy that the camps bring to them. Camp Mystic, in particular, as Josh was saying, you learn good sportsmanship, you learn to be selfless, you learn about being in the outdoors and you learn about adventure and God.

And it was a profound experience for me, and so it's just -- my heart breaks for those campers, especially all the loss of innocence, not just the loss of lies, but the loss of innocence here, Wolf.

And I think we might have an official here. We have the mayor, who's going to join me right now, if we have some time.

The mayor was one of the officials who just spoke in this press conference.

Mayor, I know it's been such a tough time for you. What message do you want to get out there to the public?

JOE HERRING JR., MAYOR OF KERRVILLE, TEXAS: First off, there are a lot of grieving families. And I grieve with them.

But the thing I think people need to know is, it's not just Kerrville working on this. It's not just Kerr County. It's the state and the nation. And we have experts in emergency management that are here and guiding, helping us guide this entire process.

But, as I said earlier, we're still hopeful. I mean, we're still hopeful for every inch, every mile, every bend of the river that we're going to have a miracle and find someone to save.

BROWN: So this is still very much a search-and-rescue mission?

HERRING: Indeed.

BROWN: When do you think it will transfer to recovery?

HERRING: I'm not the expert on that.

BROWN: I -- you heard me in the press conference, was asking about the coordination between county officials, emergency managers, and National Weather Service.

Were you involved in any discussions leading up to the deadly flooding about the concerns with the weather and potential evacuations or activating any plans?

HERRING: I am not an emergency manager. I did check the weather that night. I went to the National Weather Service Web site. It said we had a slight chance of about two to four inches in the morning of July 4.

BROWN: Five to 7:00, right?

HERRING: My memory is 2:00 to 4:00, but I'm an older person.

And being a Hill Country boy, I went outside and looked at the sky. Partly cloudy. The sky was not angry. And I thought to myself, someone's going to get rain, but it's probably not going to be us. And I was wrong. I was awakened in the middle of the night by thunder. I looked outside. We had a light rain.

In fact, the city of Kerrville really didn't have a lot of rain until later in the day. It all happened upriver at the worst possible place. And I think everyone in Kerrville, everyone in Kerr County wishes to God we'd had some way to warn them, to warn those people.

I have lost two friends. We loved them. And they're gone. They're gone. Everyone here, if we could have warned them, we would have done so. And we didn't even have a warning. We did not know.

BROWN: You didn't know how severe...

HERRING: No.

BROWN: I'm so sorry for the loss of your friends.

HERRING: We did not know. There was no -- when I checked it about 8:00 that night, there's a chance of rain. I did not see a flood warning. I did not receive a flood notification. I did not know.

BROWN: There was -- around 6:30 p.m., the National Weather Service gave a dire river forecast.

But I wonder how common...

HERRING: But the map was all the way from Kerr County to Val Verde County, hundreds of miles. And we were on the very edge of that map. And even if we were on the edge of the map, if it hit five miles to the west, you would be in Real County right now, because the water would have all rushed to Real County. Yes.

[11:45:07]

BROWN: How common are those types of alerts and the weather warnings and the flood warnings? Because there has been discussion too about whether there's alert fatigue.

HERRING: Oh, no. We get alerts on floods fairly often because of the terrain here.

But I look at every one of them. Even not -- even before I was elected mayor, I look at every one of them, because it's critical to know and to share.

BROWN: And did you get an alert on your phone in those overnight hours?

HERRING: I did not.

BROWN: Does that concern you?

HERRING: Yes, of course it does.

BROWN: What are you going to do as mayor to get to the bottom of this?

HERRING: Well, thank you for asking.

As mayor, I have fairly limited authority within the city of Kerrville. I don't have authority outside the city of Kerrville. I am sure our community, the city government and the county government are going to focus on what can be done to prevent this from happening again.

And because -- because, honestly, I individually did not receive a warning in time. When I woke up, I got a call from the city manager. I got up.

BROWN: What time was that?

HERRING: Oh, goodness, 5:30-ish. I can look on my phone, about 5:30- ish. I went downtown and I looked at the river and it was already -- our Louise Hays Park was already inundated. That was the first time I knew.

BROWN: This is still one of the most flood-prone areas in the country. What are the biggest questions you have moving forward to keep your residents safe?

HERRING: Well, I'm an older person, and I was born here, and I have seen many floods. And if the conditions are right, like this one was, they're devastating.

But floods are common here. And people who are from here have learned to be aware and to be vigilant. The problem, of course, July 4 weekend, we had a lot of visitors, a lot of visitors. And, of course, we have the summer camps. I guarantee you, I can guarantee you that my friend Jane Ragsdale at Heart O' the Hills Camp for girls...

BROWN: I was a camper there many years.

HERRING: My daughter was too.

And Dick Eastland at Camp Mystic, they checked the weather too that night. I'm sure they did. They did every night. And they both passed away helping others.

BROWN: And I know, as a former camper at both those camps, how much they cared about the campers. And had they known how severe it would have been, they would have done anything.

Mayor, I'm so sorry for the loss of your friends and the community at large. This is an unbearable tragedy that you're experiencing.

I just have one more quick question. There had been talk over the years about employing a siren system if there's flooding. Do you think now that should come into play?

HERRING: I have read reporting that said, in 2017, the county investigating having a flood warning system, and that FEMA turned down their grant request. I was -- that was before I was in government, but I...

BROWN: There was a state request that was denied, and then there were discussions after that, according to our Curt Devine, about employing some sort of warning system.

But now, given this horrific flooding event, you have to wonder whether that will now be put into place.

HERRING: Well, you don't have to wonder. It will -- we're going to -- our community is going to talk about that. We're going to try to figure this out.

BROWN: Mayor, best of luck. I know you have been up around the clock helping your residents. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

And we will be right back after this break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:53:29]

BLITZER: We will certainly have much more coming up on the deadly flooding in Texas that's now left at least 89 people dead.

But there's other breaking news we're following right now as well, including this, the U.S. Homeland Security Department now telling CNN a man opened fire on law enforcement officers this morning in McAllen, Texas. He was then shot and killed during exchange of fire with Border Patrol and local police.

Let's go to CNN. Senior national correspondent Ryan Young.

He's got details. What are you learning, Ryan?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, if we got multiple teams working this story as we learn more about this breaking news, but apparently a man showed up to this facility this morning with tactical gear and a rifle, opening fire on those agents at the front.

Fire was returned. Dozens of shots was fired. And we have confirmed that man was killed in this. He's a bit identified as Ryan Louis, 27 years old. But as we show you these images, obviously, very concerning this man with a rifle and that tactical gear showing up. You can see the image of him down right there, multiple shots fired.

We have a confirmed statement this morning. An individual opened fire at the entrance of the United States border sector annex in McAllen, Texas. That was according to the Department of Homeland Security spokesman. We do know this is an ongoing investigation. One of the officers involved in this was shot in the knee. So that officer will need medical attention, but we're told we will be in stable condition and OK.

But, right now, a very concerning situation with this man, Ryan Louis, 27, apparently with a Michigan address, several other weapons and backpacks and gear inside his car, showing up and opening fire this morning. No news yet, Wolf, of whether or not there was any sort of manifesto or any kind of message left behind, but this shooting did happen in the last few hours -- Wolf.

[11:55:12]

BLITZER: All right, we will continue to monitor this breaking news story as well.

Ryan Young, thank you very, very much.

And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning.

Dana Bash picks up CNN's breaking news coverage of the catastrophic Texas floods right after a short break. And you can find out how you can help Texas flood victims at

CNN.com/Impact or text flood to 707070. This is important, flood to 707070.