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Community Searching for Answers After Shooting of Praying Children; Minneapolis in Mourning After Two Children Killed in School Shooting; Camp Mystic Families Call for Safety Law After Deadly Texas Floods. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired August 28, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, rage and heartbreak and a search for answers, a mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis. 2 children are dead, 17 people injured, the community shattered.

We will speak to the Minneapolis police chief just ahead.

And chaos at the CDC, the director ousted and a mass exodus by other key officials.

Empty within days, new reporting about the highly controversial Florida Detention Center of the Trump administration has named Alligator Alcatraz.

And Kyiv bombarded, Russia is pummeling Ukraine's capital city, and the second largest aerosol of this entire war, killing 18 people.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Pamela Brown. Wolf Blitzer is off today, and you are in The Situation Room.

And we begin this hour in Minneapolis, where another American community is grappling with the horror and heartbreak of a deadly mass shooting. This morning's headline of the hometown paper, The Minnesota Star Tribune, with this headline, this is evil. The shooter target school kids at church. Two students are killed, eight and ten years old, 14 other children injured along with three parishioners all in their 80s.

And this morning right outside the Annunciation Catholic Church, a memorial is taking shape as people bring flowers and stuffed animals to remember so many lives changed forever. The community is coming together and an amazing show of support, people lining up at one of last night's vigils, the line almost as endless as the sorrow.

The shooter opened fire through stained glass windows as children at the Catholic school filled the pews to celebrate their first mass of the school year. As word of the shooting spread, frantic parents racing to the school in a panic, they were met with the terrifying sight of police and ambulances, and the parents' desperate attempt to comfort facing the unspeakable trauma of a government targeting children right inside that church.

We're going to go to Minneapolis in just a few minutes, but, first, we want to take a step back, get out of the way, and let the people of Minneapolis tell their own story this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAVEN WILLIS, EIGHTH GRADER AT ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL: Well, right when I heard the shots, I knew something was off. I didn't think that they would have -- a lot of my classmates thought it was confetti and fireworks, but I didn't think they would have that during the middle of the church service. So, honestly, it was just at that point, I was like I want to try to keep as everybody as safe as possible. So, I told me and my two buddies to get down and to get under the pew. And right when I told them that, it was like a state of shock for me, and I knew that I had to try to keep as many people around me as I could save.

I prayed, I said my few prayers, and then I realized like I can't just sit here and focus on myself, knowing that with God on my side, I would be fine. So, I tried to just go and help out my fellow classmates, try to keep them calm and safe and let them know that they'll be okay.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just cried. I just thanked God and cried and held him and, you know, just -- thankfully, I was one of the ones who did get to see my kid when I got there.

WESTON HALSNE, FIFTH GRADER AT ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC CHURCH: It was like shots fired and then he kind of like got under the pews. It kind of -- they shot through the stained glass windows, I think, and it was really scary.

REPORTER: What did you do after then?

HALSNE: Well, we waited like ten to five minutes. I don't really know. And then we went to the gym and then the door was locked just to make sure he didn't come. And we waited in the gym for more news and everyone was okay. Most people were okay.

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) your friend?

HALSNE: My friend got hit in the back.

REPORTER: And did he go to the hospital?

HALSNE: Yes, he went to the hospital.

REPORTER: What went through your mind when you saw that?

HALSNE: I was super scared for him, but I think now he's okay.

[10:05:01]

REPORTER: Yes.

HALSNE: Yes.

REPORTER: And then did you get reunited with your parents and --

HALSNE: Yes. My mom was waiting outside of the church when it happened.

REPORTER: Yes. And then what was it like seeing her?

HALSNE: I was super happy, because like I was scared that I wasn't going to see her, because I didn't know what was happening, really. I was just in shock.

REPORTER: And was it kind of -- was it behind you where it was happening or in front of you just kind of --

HALSNE: It was like right beside me. I was like two seats away from the stained glass windows. So, they were like -- the shots were like right next to me.

REPORTER: That's scary.

HALSNE: Yes.

REPORTER: You went under the pew after that happened?

HALSNE: Yes. And then I got --

REPORTER: Is that what everyone tried to do?

HALSNE: I think I got the gun powder on my neck, yes.

REPORTER: When you heard the shots, what went through your head?

HALSNE: I was like -- the first one, I was like, what is that? I thought it was just something. Then when I heard it again, I just ran under the pew and then I covered my head.

My friend, Victor, like saved me though because he laid on top of me, but he got hit.

REPORTER: Your friend laid on top of you?

HALSNE: Yes, and he got hit.

REPORTER: Is this something that you practiced before?

HALSNE: Yes. We practice it like every month, or, I don't know, but, yes, we've never practiced it in the in the church though, only in school. So, it was way different.

REPORTER: Was your mom super happy to see you?

HALSNE: Yes.

REPORTER: Gave you a big hug?

HALSNE: Mm-hmm.

REPORTER: What was that hug like?

HALSNE: I just felt like relieved, kind of. I was very happy.

REPORTER: You're really brave, you know that?

HALSNE: Yes.

REPORTER: Did you have any brothers and sisters there, or was it just you?

HALSNE: Oh, my brothers in the sophomore year of DSL. He used to go to Annunciation. He got out early because of it.

REPORTER: And you guys were at like the mass that they do at the beginning of school?

HALSNE: Yes. And then it was like maybe like three minutes in, the first shot fired. And then the police were really good because they showed up really quick.

REPORTER: And then did everybody try to make you feel safe?

HALSNE: Yes.

REPORTER: But it has to be probably the scariest thing of your life.

HALSNE: Yes, it was super scary.

REPORTER: What do you want to say to your friend who helped protect you?

HALSNE: He's really brave and I hope he is good in the hospital.

REPORTER: And what do you want to say to everyone that had to go to the hospital?

HALSNE: I hope you're okay and I'm praying for you.

CARLA MALDONADO, MOTHER OF STUDENTS AT ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL: I have such mixed feelings right now, so many of them. But I am just incredibly grateful that the school did and had been preparing and also just incredibly sad and angry that this has to be a thing in any school, that we have to like prepare our kids to protect themselves like from an assault, from a firearm assault at school.

And my mind is going everywhere. Like this is not the first time. I'm not the first parent to express these concerns. I'm not the first mom to say, how many more kids have to get killed? And so it's a little bit like this is feeling like a broken record and it's not okay.

One is too much and it's just -- it's not okay. SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): These stories are the most horrific things. This was a young girl, seventh, eighth grader. She was there with her siblings. There were three kids from this one family. But she witnessed two of her friends get shot, one in the stomach, one in the neck. The kids were crawling under the pews. And then she ran out and she was the one that told the dad of one of the kids that his child had been shot.

MADEE BRANDT, WORKED NEAR ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC CHURCH: I was thankful to see kids coming out unharmed, safe, but just I'm -- the looks on some of their faces, just the screams coming from the moms who didn't know where their kids are, I just -- I don't even -- it was just --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gut-wrenching.

BRANDT: Yes. You see the videos online, but it does not compare to seeing it and witnessing it.

ANDERS HOLINE, FATHER OF STUDENTS AT ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL: It's devastating for my daughters to correlate a place of worship with a horrible event like this. So, it's not something I've wanted to think about much, but as a Christian myself, I think it's something that -- I mean, it's just tough, just is senseless.

[10:10:03]

When I first heard those shots, I think I knew pretty immediately that those were gunshots and I thought through what would happen, what would I do? And so I just immediately said, I got to get out there. And so I hopped in my car.

My windows were down as I was trying to place the shots. And I pulled into the parking lot, the shots were still going off. I saw a dad who works at the school and I said, is the school locked down? And he said. there's a shooting at the church. And he said, and all the kids are in there. And I just felt like I was going to throw up. And so I parked and I ran up there.

The principal was standing center of the sanctuary. And I ran up to him and I said, is June and Olive here? And he goes, I don't know. And I said, are they down? Because I could see a couple kids down bloodied. And he said, they're not down. And so that was my first sense of relief.

I think I feel a sense of rage. I was -- when we were huddled in the gym on lockdown, I just felt this immediate sense of like rage. I was feeling overwhelmed and I just felt like I got to help these kids so I can get my mind out of a panic mode. And there were a lot of kids really struggling, a lot of like cuts, I think, because of the glass.

And I was just trying to focus on something because this is -- you know, growing up experiencing Columbine, you know, it's like you're seeing these images on screens, and then the reality of it in your backyard, it just doesn't compute.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Every parent's worst nightmare. We want to thank the members of the Minneapolis community for sharing their stories, especially those brave children, unbelievable, the strength and courage that they had to share what they had just been through with, that little boy saying that his friend, Victor, laid on top of him to protect him. It is just incredible these stories coming out there from this horrific shooting at Annunciation School.

I'm going to go live now to CNN Correspondent Whitney Wild in Minneapolis. And, Whitney, you just think about these young victims and what they have to go through now as they process what they went through, right? I mean, no child, no one should have to experience that. And then at the same time, there are still victims in the hospital, and we know two children died as well. What more can you tell us about the victims?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, these victims range in age. Some of them were parishioners in their 80s. Most of them were children. This is a preschool through eighth grade school. There were 14 children who were sent to the hospital. Six were in critical condition. What we know now is that among the others, four have been released from the hospital. So, that is just a glimmer of good news here.

Pamela, according to the Minneapolis Police chief, Brian O'Hara, the injuries range from, you know, grazed wounds to more serious injuries. There was one witness who told CNN that he saw a girl who had been shot in the neck. He also rendered aid to a girl who had been grazed by a bullet in her head. That witness told CNN that his understanding was that the girl who had gotten the bullet graze wound was out of surgery and that she was okay. Law enforcement has said that everybody who is in the hospital is expected to survive.

This community is just reeling from the reality that two of their classmates, two students, two angels, as was described by the principal, will no longer be with them. There's a memorial that's growing outside the church, Pamela, and you know, you've got kids, I've got kids too, sorry, when you go over to that memorial, it just wrecks you, Pam, because you see their classmates writing that they're going to miss them, and that they're angels, and it's just an unfathomable moment that a child would have to think about what they would write to their dead classmate. It is impossible to wrap your mind around in this moment.

Let me bring you out up to speed on the investigation. Sorry. Police have -- sorry. It's incredibly hard.

BROWN: It's the loss of innocence and of these, these sweet school children who were just there, their first mass praying, looking at the excitement of the school year, being with one another, and then now trying to process that they lost two of their classmates at school and others are in the hospital. It's something no child should have to experience and no parent should have to experience.

Whitney, you drop your child off at school with the expectation you're going to pick them up at the end of the day safe. And there's no excuse for this.

WILD: Right, absolutely. And law enforcement right now is trying to work through why and how this happened, to bring greater clarity to make sure that we have as much information as we can to stop these crimes before they happen. Law enforcement has executed for search warrants. Three were at residences that were connected to the shooter.

[10:15:00]

At this point, according to law enforcement sources, they have not found any additional firearms, but they have recovered hundreds of pieces of evidence here.

What we know is that the FBI is helping law enforcement work through some of these rambling musings. There were videos that were timed to post around the time of the shooting, and they appear to be connected to the shooter.

And they really bring you inside the twisted mind of someone who would carry out an attack like this, Pamela, because the thoughts are all over the place there. There's illogical writings, some of the information suggested an anti-Semitic, anti-black, anti-religious sentiments. There were, you know, other things written on the magazines, like kill Donald Trump. At this point, law enforcement is reluctant to define specifically a motive, but they're working through an immense volume of evidence here, Pamela.

BROWN: Yes. And actually later in the show, we're going to be interviewing the police chief as well. So, we hope to learn more, but it is just clearly an act of cruelty and there is no excuse as police search for a motive. You know, nothing could ever explain an unspeakable tragedy like this.

Whitney Wild, we appreciate your heartfelt reporting, thank you so much.

We're going to have more on the breaking developments out in Minneapolis. I'm going to speak, as I said to that police chief.

We'll be right back.

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[10:20:00]

BROWN: Well, we're going to have more on the news of the Minneapolis School shooting in just a moment, but we want to turn now to an exclusive interview. Janie Hunt's parents are just one of several grieving families fighting for legislation to enhance safety at camps across Texas after last month's, deadly floods killed dozens of campers, including Janie and counselors. They bravely testified to the Texas Senate last week advocating for the bill to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAVIN HUNT, FATHER OF TEXAS FLOOD VICTIM: At the end of her life, I was not there for her and she was terrified. It is abundantly clear to me and should be to everyone around that Camp Mystic was completely unprepared for the flooding that cost my daughter her life.

CECE WILLIAMS STEWARD, MOTHER OF TEXAS FLOOD VICTIM: Obvious common sense safety measures were absent. Protocols that should have been in place were ignored. As a result, my daughter was stolen from us. Cele's (ph) life ended not because of an unavoidable act of nature, but because of preventable failures.

BRANT DILLON, FATHER OF TEXAS FLOOD VICTIM: The life of our preciously Lucy, who was only eight years old when her life was needlessly taken, our world has been shattered by a tragedy that was 100 percent preventable. Every plan for our future, every dream that included her has been destroyed by unsafe facilities, inadequate preparation, failed planning, and poor execution.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Camp Mystic released a statement after that emotional testimony from the parents reading in part, quote, we are so inspired by the parents who, in their midst of their unimaginable grief, shared their daughter's stories. We join the families in supporting legislation that will make camps and communities along the Guadalupe River safer, especially the creation of detection and warning systems that would have saved lives on July 4th.

And joining us now are Janie's parents Davin and Anne Lindsey Hunt. Thank you all both for coming on and just showing your strength and turning your grief into purpose here, trying to save lives.

Davin, I want to go to you first. You testified, we just heard you, to the Texas legislature that Camp Mystic was unprepared for the flooding event. Tell us more about what you think should have been done and how this legislation will help prevent deaths in the future as a way to honor your daughter's legacy.

D. HUNT: Thank you, Pamela. My daughter, Janie, was an incredible person and what we are doing with the legislation is we're trying to do prevention, detection, training and response. We are trying to hit all the way through to keep people safe, because right now, there is no baseline line of safety for camp. We love camps and I want my other children to go to camp. But right now it's not safe. And we are just trying to, one, create it so cabins aren't built in flood floodplains, two, detection along rivers. And it might not be a flood. There could be other things, so there's detection around. Three, training and emergency counselors and campers need to know what to do. And, four, the proper response when these horrific accidents occur.

BROWN: And, Lindsey, to bring you in are you satisfied with the speed at which this legislation has progressed through the Texas legislature in hopes of it becoming Texas law?

ANNE LINDSEY HUNT, MOTHER OF TEXAS CAMP MYSTIC FLOOD VICTIM: Yes. The parents, we all feel very united and very proud of the legislation that's been so far passed in the House and the Senate. It's very strong and it addresses all of our concerns. We feel like it covers all the bases so that proper response can keep our kids safe and millions of kids go to camp every summer. So, it's just so important that it happens now.

And we've had unilateral support from the governor, from Dan Patrick, the lit gov, from Speaker Burrows, from Senator Perry, Drew Darby.

[10:25:08]

We've had such great support. We just need -- we just are hopeful for a floor vote on these bills next week and for them to get signed quickly.

BROWN: And, Davin, you know. You say you want kids to go to camp, you want camp to stay open, but there is a sense of urgency here to get this legislation passed. And you told me that the parents are unified in this legislation. Politics aside, everyone is unified, making these camps safer, bringing them up to the same level as schools, for example, in terms of regulations.

If you would, tell us more about Heaven's 27 Group, what that is and how that network has helped you both on a daily basis, Davin.

D. HUNT: Of course, and thank you for pointing out that it is absurd that there are regulations for schools, for daycare, but there's essentially nothing for camps. And it's impossible to get 26 families together to agree on anything, and we are all absolutely unified on camp safety. And it is -- we're in a situation right now that I don't wish upon my worst enemy or anyone, there's 25 other families that know what we're going through right now. And we've just leaned on each other. We have a common cause, a common goal.

It's amazing. Chairman King also deserves thanks, but when we were in Austin, you could not tell who was a Democrat, who was a Republican. It was just human beings recognizing that, you know what, there's been a failure. We have not kept our kids safe. We need to do something about it, because if they do not go ahead and pass it in this special session, the next session that comes up is 2027. So, you're talking about sending kids to camp this next year and just waiting for another disaster.

BROWN: And, Anne Lindsay, the parents in that group all dropped off your precious daughters at Camp Mystic thinking they'd be living their best lives, I know that my parents did when they dropped me off at Mystic 30 years ago, then your worst nightmares happened. If you could just walk us through what happened in the hours and the days following the flooding there.

A. HUNT: Yes. I just -- we got the worst phone call that you could imagine on the morning of July 4th, the one day that Janie really didn't want to miss being home. It was my birthday and her favorite holiday. And we got a phone call that our daughter was missing at about 9:30 in the morning. We dropped everything and raced down to Kerr County, and it was very difficult just getting to where we were supposed to be because the roads were slick and a lot of roads weren't passable.

And at the elementary school, we just saw a lot of parents receiving their children that were alive and we got a phone call. We got a lot of hoax phone calls, but we did get a phone call from the morgue. And it was just something no parents should ever have to go through, seeing their daughter like that and seeing other parents screaming, seeing their girls. And then we got dropped back off at the elementary school, seeing everybody else receive their girls. And it took us forever to get out of there.

And we've slowly been trying to process what we've seen and try to make any sense of it, and we can't. But this is -- we just keep replaying that last hug we gave her and the promises that we made her. And this is the one thing we can do to really honor her and honor what she would want, and that's for kids to love camp and for kids to feel safe.

BROWN: You are honoring her legacy, her spirit lives on. Tell us more, Davin, about what you love most about your daughter and how you were honoring her with the Janie Hunt Foundation.

D. HUNT: My daughter was the best of both of us. We joke that she was the third parent and she -- we truly did not deserve her. She was born with this innate ability to care about others more than herself. And she would want everyone to have joy and be happy and be safe.

I mean, as a parent, I'm an example you don't want to be. We are the family that you want to use as an example to avoid, like we are suffering hell right now missing our daughter.

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