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Gunman Opens Fire in Louisiana Movie Theater; Clinton Facing Possible Criminal Probe; Obama Heads to Kenya; "Deflategate" Hasn't Hurt Tom Brady. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 24, 2015 - 04:30   ET

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


CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news this morning: a gunman opening fire inside this crowded movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, killing two and wounding at least seven others, three critically, before taking his own life.

[04:30:05] Now, the bomb squad on the scene overnight detonating a suspicious package in the shooter's vehicle. About 100 people were inside the Grand Theatre 16 Multiplex for the screening of "Trainwreck" when shots rang out. Witnesses describe a surreal chaotic scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't expect it at first. I saw people running out. Maybe they were caught watching a movie they were not supposed to. Then the next thing I see is a lady full of blood in her dress, and then there's a gun. I said (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Oh, I'm sorry.

Then I just ran. And she was telling me go. The people she was with, they were telling me go. They were looking at me. Everyone was running and I was just sitting there. I had no idea what's going on. I thought it was great (ph). I didn't even understand what's happening at the moment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Buying popcorn at the concession stand when the whole group of people, teenagers mainly, running out telling everybody to run for their life. I thought it was teenagers playing like a little prank, you know? Then, I see a whole another bigger group coming out screaming the same thing.

And my reaction was -- and we saw a lady with blood all over her leg. I just grabbed my child and we just all ran.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whenever a bunch of girls started screaming and they came out of the movie theater saying that someone got shot.

REPORTER: And after that, what did you do?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't know what happened yet. So, then, we -- the guards or something came and told everybody to get out and we ran outside. And they had a lady right there and she's on a dress and there was blood everywhere. That's when I realized what was going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Police describe the suspect as 58-year-old white male who acted alone. They say he appeared to be firing and handgun randomly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM CRAFT, LAFAYETTE POLICE CHIEF: We know the identity of shooter. We are not releasing it at this time. We are right in the middle of the vehicles. We don't want to affect the integrity or the investigators' ability to do their jobs or ability to get information on the shooter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Four police officers who entered the theater found the gunman dead.

Governor Bobby Jindal describing the tragedy as, quote, "an awful night for Louisiana and the United States."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA: It's both shocking and frustrating and horrified at the same time. You are both saddened and frustrated and angry. You read about these incidents across our country, you don't think it will happen in Louisiana. You don't think it will happen in Lafayette.

I got three young kids. They go to movies all the time. It's summer break. It's something we do routinely. And it's something you don't think twice about as a parent. You don't think when your child goes to a movie they could be in harm's way.

This was a regular Thursday night. When this evening started, it was a regular Thursday night for a lot of families. A lot of them were just -- the teachers, one last movie before they go back to school. So, for a lot of families, this was last outing before school starts in just several days, in a couple of weeks. You never think that this could be a scene of a horrific shooting.

So, I was angry and upset at the same time. It shouldn't happen in our country anywhere. You certainly don't expect it to happen in your back yard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Just last week, mass murderer James Holmes was found the guilty of killing 12 and wounding 70 others inside an Aurora, Colorado movie theater. Now it is happening again, a lot of people are wondering if movie theater are safe.

I want to bring in CNN's senior media correspondent, host of "RELIABLE SOURCES", Brian Stelter.

When you go to the media about -- when you go to the movies, rather, it is about escapism. It's -- this is one of those places where people in the movie are really sitting ducks for someone who has a gun.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Thank goodness, this rarely, rarely ever happens. You are safe when you're in a theater, but moments like Aurora in 2012 bring up the issues of the responsibility of a theater owner to ensure the safety of the people in their theater and bring up issues about whether guns should be allowed in theaters, whether law abiding citizens should be allowed to have their guns in theaters and all of those sorts of questions.

There is something unique about movie theaters that people do go there to escape. Even when you are watching terrible violence on the screen, you are watching in a controlled environment. You're able to be entertained about it. And then, once in a while, you have this shattering moment.

We reached out to the association of theater owners that represents companies like AMC and Regal, and all the big movie theater chains. They have not had comment yet. Maybe they're going to wait until later today before they say anything about security measures.

ROMANS: When you talk about the changes in the past three years since Aurora, there really haven't been any. I noticed decals that say no firearms in the movie theater that I go to. But there aren't bag screenings, there aren't metal detectors.

STELTER: Right, right.

ROMANS: I'm not sure movie goers want that necessarily. But I do know I have seen security guards at exits in movie theaters because the Aurora shooter came in through an exit.

[04:35:02] STELTER: That's right.

ROMANS: Do you expect to be visible changes?

STELTER: You're right. There were small changes in the wake of Aurora massacre, but they were not fundamental changes. The way people go to the movies did not change, nor do I think it will change.

This is after all a movie industry. In the industry, it's not in their interests to have that security unless people are concerned about going to the theaters. We did know see that in the wake of the Aurora massacre. Maybe it's notable that we didn't see people fearful of going to the movies, we didn't see a downturn in ticket sales.

You know, we talk about this with the back drop of people dying in the theater last night. It is horrific thing to imagine. And yet, most people at home know that these acts of violence are very rare.

You know, we just learned the president was briefed on this on the way to his trip on the way to Africa. The idea that it has to be on the president's radar once again yet another mass shooting, only a week after the tragedy in Chattanooga. This puts this back on the front burner. It is like gun control and gun violence and gun rights never gets off the front burner. It never gets on the backburner. It's always front and center.

ROMANS: We know that the gun issues in the country is something the president privately and publicly has spoken about. Newtown where children were killed, something that affected him very deeply. He just gave an interview with the BBC, Brian.

Let's listen to what -- this happened -- this interview was just before the most recent movie theater shooting. But let's see what the president had to say about guns to the BBC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The one area where I feel that I have been most frustrated and most stymied, it is the fact that the United States of America is the one advanced nation on earth in which we do not have sufficient common sense gun safety laws, even in the face of repeated mass killings.

And, you know, if you look at the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism, it's less than 100. If you look at the number have been killed by gun violence, it's in the tens of thousands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Remarkable. A president in his own hometown, he is outraged by what happens in Chicago on a daily basis, but also these mass shootings. And we've seen, you know, a school, a church, a movie theater. And then, a school, a church, a movie theater. This is the drum beat of the American life.

STELTER: Rather predictable at a certain point. You know how the stories evolve. You know the trajectory of them. It gets down to the same debates about gun violence and what can be done about it, if anything.

ROMANS: And people's right to have a gun for their own safety. There will be those who will say if you are allowed to have a gun in that movie theater, maybe somebody could have prevented this violence, too.

STELTER: It's notable that police officers were so close, that they were able to arrive and enter the theater when the shooting was still happening. By the time they got to the doors, the gunman apparently had taken his life.

That indicates to me that there was security around and present. You would think the police officers were close to the complex if not there already when the violence broke out. I thought that was noteworthy.

What made me sad in all of the coverage and attention as this happened was that hearing from one of the mothers of the victims of the Aurora movie theater shooting. Sandy Phillips. She wrote on Twitter. Here we go again, America.

And she said, this is freedom?

ROMANS: Amy Schumer is the writer of the screenplay. This was a 7:00 p.m. showing of the movie "Trainwreck." She has responded. And Judd Apatow, another, the director of this film, he also has spoken out about gun control.

STELTER: Yes, he sure has. He has been outspoken about trying to enact new measures in order to reach and stop moments like this, instance like this from happening. I thought it was noteworthy and frankly kind of tricky for someone like Amy Schumer. What do you do? You're a star of the movie and getting attention across the country, suddenly getting attention for all the wrong reasons, gets associated with tragedy.

So, it made sense that she weighed in with a simple message saying that she was feeling for the folks in Louisiana.

We also saw Governor Jindal quickly get to the scene, presidential candidate, someone who has been out traveling and campaigning recently. He was in his home state and he got to the scene quickly and had a very commanding presence and speaking to reporters and speaking to some of the wounded at the hospital.

ROMANS: All right. Brian Stelter, and again, just to get you up to speed everybody, we are waiting to find out the identity of this person, this 58-year-old shooter. Police think they know who it is. He has had a criminal record, but a long time ago, not recently.

The shooter is dead. Three of the wounded are in very serious condition. So, we are following all the latest on that movie theater shooting all morning long.

[04:40:01] But, first, Donald Trump on the border answering questions about the possibility of a third party run. We've got that for you, too. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right. We are following the breaking news from Lafayette, Louisiana. Three people dead, including a gunman, at a shooting at a movie theater Thursday night. Seven others wounded.

Now, police say the shooter is a 58-year-old white male. He opened fire inside the crowded theater before turning the gun on himself.

This happened during a screening of the film "Trainwreck." The film's star, Amy Schumer, tweeted, "My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana."

Witnesses described a scene of chaos and horror. We're also hearing some stories of bravery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAIGE BEARB, WITNESS (via telephone): We heard them screaming before the alarm went off. We didn't know what was going on. And the lady sitting, asked if we had a weapon to protect ourselves because of a shooting. And I said, no, and I said how did she know? She was like her friend was at the door and they were not letting her in.

She said I can't deal with this. I'm leaving. So, I stepped down and went to see if I can hear or see anything. I can just hear people screaming.

So, the alarm went off. We took off running outside. And as I'm running outside, I see people bleeding on the leg or shot and I thought wow.

JINDAL: Out of tonight's tragedy, you are beginning to hear stories of heroism and self sacrifice.

[04:45:01] A couple of the teachers at a movie together. One of the teachers literally jumped on top of the other, may have saved a life, and literally took a bullet that could have hit the second teacher in the head, the second teacher was injured, was shot, but not life threatening. She's one of the ones being discharged.

Despite being injured, the second teacher was able to pull a fire alarm and help to save other lives. When you think about it, two friends together, one jumps in the way of the other to save the other's life. The other one, even she's shot, pulls the fire alarm and saves other people's lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The seven people injured in the shootings are said to range from their late teens to their 60s. And again, three of the wounded are in very serious condition.

Breaking overnight: Hillary Clinton facing a possible criminal investigation. Two State Department inspectors general asking the Justice Department to open a case to find out whether Clinton mishandled sensitive government information on a private e-mail account she used when she was secretary of state. The Democratic front runner denies having any classified information in that account. But those inspectors have already determined the account contained hundreds of potentially classified e-mails.

A spokesman for Clinton releasing this statement, "Contrary to the initial story which has already been significantly revised, she followed appropriate practices in dealing with classified materials. It has been reported in multiple occasions, any e-mails deemed classified by the administration have been done so after the fact and not at the time of transmitted.

Things didn't go as planned when Donald Trump got to the Texas/Mexico border. The GOP front runner was invited to visit Thursday by the Border Patrol Union, but uninvited him at the last minute. Trump forged ahead anyway, fielding questions about his plans for the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants and whether a wall should be built along the border with Mexico. He didn't offer a lot of specifics, other than to say that he would make Mexico pay for that wall. But he did address whether he plans to run as a third party candidate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm a Republican. I'm conservative. I'm running.

I'm in first place by a lot, it seems, according to all the polls. I want to run as Republican. I think I'll get the nomination. We will see soon enough, but I think I'll get the nomination.

The best way to win is for me to get the nomination and run probably against Hillary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Trump insisted a wall is needed to protect some parts of the border with Mexico. He did not offer a specific plan for reform, telling reporters a secured border is the first priority.

All right. It's Friday. Let's get an early start on your money this morning. Alison Kosik is here with me this morning.

And, Alison, the Dow dropped 119 points yesterday. It's been kind of a rough week.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: It has been. Corporate earnings has been the focus and because of the earnings, we are seeing the Dow back in negative territory for the year after yesterday's losses. Lousy earnings from American Express and 3M weighed on the index.

Now, those disappointing reports overshadowed positive news we got on the job front. First time claims for unemployment benefits are at the lowest level in 42 years. As for today, we are seeing European markets higher. U.S. stock futures are also following their lead.

You know that $15 minimum wage. The CEO of Dunkin' Donuts is calling it outrageous. New York state wage board recommended fast food workers make at least $15 per hour. The executive says that plan will do more harm than good because he says his company will have to hire fewer people. Instead, what he does support is a wage near $12 an hour. Now, he is not against minimum wage.

ROMANS: $12 is still higher.

KOSIK: He's against raising it too quickly and impacting jobs.

ROMANS: Interesting. All right. Thank you so much for that, Alison.

We are following latest on the Louisiana movie theater shooting all morning long. Three dead. Seven injured. What police are now saying ahead.

Plus, the president briefed on that shooting. He is arriving in Kenya today. We are live Nairobi, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:52:34] ROMANS: The latest now on the breaking news from the shooting at a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana. Two people killed. Seven others wounded, three of them very serious condition right now. The 58-year-old shooter taking his own life. We do not know a motive at this hour. Now, police are also withholding the gunman's name.

But here's what we know about him so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAFT: He does have a criminal history. It looks like it's pretty old. Nothing recent we found thus far.

But one of the things we have to do is make sure that the person we are looking at is positively identified as the person whose identity we found. So, that's going to take some time. I know there's a lot of speculation right now on social media and we ask, please don't put out any information that could put our officers in harm's way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The wounded victims range in age from their late teens to their 60s. One patient has been released and one in surgery and not doing well.

The president has been briefed on this. He is on his way to Kenya, his father's homeland. He arrives this afternoon, but he will not visiting his father's village because of logistical and security issues we're told. The president will get a chance to meet privately with his relatives there. And there's more to this visit than just a man in search of his roots. Kenya is a country facing many challenges.

I want to bring in CNN's Nima Elbagir live from Nairobi for us this morning.

What's on the president's agenda, Nima?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have, of course, the global entrepreneurship summit and a big improvement on entrepreneurship.

But, of course, underpinning all of this, the hope for greater commercial ties, the hope for encourage from those looking to boost this already growing middle class is security. Kenya is a key player in the regional security fight against the al Qaeda group al Shabaab.

They are beginning to feel the impact of the Kenyan youth to head out to join ISIS. They are looking for a greater package of support and cooperation with the U.S. And the U.S. is looking for a stronger partnership. The president is going to need to see more results in that fight against al Qaeda and al Shabaab, but also support to stop the drain that we're seeing of young men leaving not just Kenya, but other countries, Uganda and Sudan across East and North Africa and heading to bolster those ISIS ranks, Christine.

[04:55:06] ROMANS: All right. Nima Elbagir for us in Nairobi, we know you'll be following the president's visit and keep us up to date on all of those developments. Thank you.

We are still following the latest on the Louisiana movie theater shooting all morning long. Three dead and seven injured.

But first, Tom Brady may have taken a hit, but Deflategate hasn't hit his bottom line. And early start on your money, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right. It is Friday. Let's get an early start on your money. Alison Kosik is joining me.

Alison, the Dow dropped 119 yesterday. Not stabilizing here.

KOSIK: No, a little more volatility these days because of corporate earnings season. You know, the Dow is back in negative territory for the year because of losses because of some lousy earnings from American Express and 3M. Those weighed on the index. The corporate report cards overshadowed positive news on the job front. First time claims are at their lowest level in 42 years.

At the moment, U.S. futures, they're looking higher, European markets are also in the green.

Deflategate, it hasn't hurt Tom Brady merchandise sales. The NFL Players Association says the New England Patriots quarterback is number one when it comes to sales of jerseys, hats, posters and other paraphernalia. Sales of Brady gear jumped in March, April and May.

It's the first time he topped that list despite the league's conclusion that Brady either tampered with the game balls or at least knew of, quote, inappropriate activity surrounding their air pressure. But never mind that.

We'll buy all that stuff.

ROMANS: Yes. John Berman single-handedly holding up the Tom Brady legacy.

KOSIK: Absolutely.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks so much. Nice to see you, Alison.

EARLY START continues right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.