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Police: 12 Killed, More Than a Dozen Hurt in California Mass Shooting. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired November 8, 2018 - 07:00   ET

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


ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: There has been another mass shooting in America. Let's get to the new developments.

[07:00:05] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. And it is a dark day.

The breaking news this morning, a deadly mass shooting. The deadliest mass shooting in this country in 12 days.

Twelve people murdered, including a sheriff's deputy, when a gunman opened fire inside a Southern California bar that was filled with college students. They were line dancing. More than a dozen others were injured. The suspected gunman, as of now, we have learned, is dead.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Police say that there were hundreds of people inside the bar, which was hosting a weekly college country music night, so you can imagine the age range of the folks inside there. Witnesses describe a scene of sheer panic. People were ordered to get down on the ground once the gunshots rang out. Many were breaking windows, throwing chairs through windows in order to escape. Many were hiding.

CNN's Nick Watt is live at the scene in Thousand Oaks, California, with all of the breaking details. What's the latest at this hour, Nick?

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, now as you say, 11 people there confirmed dead from inside that bar. And a number of the people who we've been speaking to outside here had black X's on their hands, which means that they were below drinking age.

Now, one young man that I spoke to said that he heard the gunshots ring out. He didn't hear the gunman say anything either before he opened fire or during his volley of shots, but then there was an opening volley, and then there was a pause. And during that time, this young man and others got out from under the pool tables and bar tables they were hiding under, threw bar stools through the windows. Some people escaped through those windows; others through the kitchen; others through the loading dock; others into a sort of attic area in that club. Now, in terms of the gunman himself, he is also now confirmed dead,

found dead inside of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. We do not have an identification on him, so we do not have a motive.

He was described as wearing dark clothing, perhaps some sort of hat and glasses. He had a beard. He was carrying a short barreled hand gun, and we hear from the sheriff that they have found one firearm inside that club.

Now, another victim, the 12th victim, was a sheriff's sergeant who arrived on the scene within two or three minutes or the first calls coming in. He and a California Highway Patrolman tried to enter the club, and they were met with a hail of gunfire. The sergeant was hit. The California Highway Patrolman managed to drag him out of the line of fire. But that sergeant died in the hospital nearly two hours ago.

Now, let's hear a little bit from some eyewitnesses who saw what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEYLOR WHITTLER, SURVIVED SHOOTING: I heard the gunshot. I turned around, and I saw him shoot a couple more times. And within a split second, everyone yelled, "Get down."

So I ran to the left of the dance floor where the back door is and everyone pretty much dog piled on top of each other. And then it was silent for a couple seconds. And then all of a sudden, a couple guys that were closer to the bar, they got up and started running towards the back door and said, "Get up. He's coming."

It was huge panic. Everyone tried getting up, and then I was trampled a couple times. Some guy came behind me, lifted me up and said, "Let's go." And then I got a barstool thrown at my head, because they were trying to break a window to get out.

TIM, SURVIVED SHOOTING: I just started yelling, "John, John, let's go. Let's go." And so we ran to the car and we -- that's when we saw the sheriff pulling up. And I believe that's the sheriff that lost his life.

And I want to say I'm so sorry for his family. He was a brave man to come into those shots, because it was a scary situation for everyone. It really was. And the young kids, they were just having a good time, you know, enjoying themselves. None of them deserved this at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: Now, authorities, the FBI is here. The ATF is here, of course, the sheriff's department. They are trying to identify this gunman so they can have some idea of the motive.

They say that, of course, in this day and age, they are looking at the possibility this could be terror. There are no -- there's no indication that it is terror. And the scene inside that club described by the sheriff as an horrific scene, blood everywhere. Twelve people dead at college country music night at a bar in Southern California.

John, back to you.

BERMAN: Nick Watt for us in Thousand Oaks, California.

One of those killed was Sergeant Ron Helus, 29 years on the force. He was the first to confront the shooter, and he lost his life, died at the hospital about an hour after that attack.

Joining us now is Madeleine Carr, news editor for "The Pepperdine Graphic." She knows people who were in the Borderline Bar during the shooting.

[07:05:07] Madeleine, I understand you were actually going to go with them, but you decided to stay in and do homework. Are all your friends OK?

MADELEINE CARR, NEWS EDITOR, "THE PEPPERDINE GRAPHIC": We haven't heard back from everyone. It was a -- it was a group of girls that went, and some of them we have not been able to reach still. Some of them have gotten back to campus, but we're still not sure about the status of at least one or two individuals.

BERMAN: And the Borderline Bar and Grill, you know, a country music bar, a large dancing venue. The mother of someone who was inside told us this is the type of place that students like you go to to feel safe. This is a fun place. Explain the venue.

CARR: So it's -- it is a bar, but on Wednesdays, they open it up to anybody 18 and up. And it's a fun spot for dancing. And it's line dancing, so they teach you how to dance, do the different dances. I know people at my university, we do have, like, a lot of people who come from the South where they know these line dances, so they bring their friends to learn. And so it's a really, like, relaxed, fun atmosphere.

BERMAN: Now, you are reporting on this. I know you've been reaching out, trying to find out what you can. What have you heard from witnesses?

CARR: Right now, so a lot of my friends that were there, a large majority of them are part of our HRL staff, so they're R.A.'s, and they're in charge of freshman. And so the people they've talked to, really, their No. 1 priority has really been caring for these freshmen who are obviously shaken from it and trying to organize amidst the chaos.

So we haven't heard full statements on what -- what they saw or what they experienced. It's been a lot of scrambling at this point to reach people, so it's definitely been a hectic -- hectic night/morning for us.

BERMAN: Any information that you've picked up on the shooter?

CARR: We haven't heard anything yet about the shooter. We're waiting to hear more. And we haven't -- our -- the people that we know haven't told us what -- if they saw anything from him. It was -- it is a packed venue on these nights, so I -- I don't know if it would have been possible for everyone to have seen when it occurred. But --

BERMAN: How does this feel for you this morning? You know, one of the things -- again, we've heard is this is the type to go where you can feel safe. But I suppose we heard that about a synagogue in Pittsburgh two weeks ago or a high school in Parkland last year. How do you make sense of that?

CARR: It's definitely, I think -- it's -- it's thrown everyone -- it's thrown everybody off. Because I think at least Pepperdine is a pretty small community, a pretty sheltered community living in the quiet city of Malibu. And so it's one of these -- it's one of these events that you just -- it's hard to rationalize it happening here. It's just -- granted, it's not in Malibu. It's in Thousand Oaks, but still, Thousand Oaks is one of those cities that people go to for shopping and they go to grab dinner because Malibu is such a quiet city.

And so it's crazy to think that the place where you're going to have fun and the place where you're going to destress after your week is now someplace that is a source of even more stress and even more, just, tragic memories.

BERMAN: Is there any process in place for you now to find out about your friends?

CARR: So there is a hotline. We did call earlier. We'll be calling again soon for people that are trying to reach other individuals. So we called and, obviously, there's a lot of people, a lot of traffic going through that.

But they also do have a center where they're having people meet that you can go and try to physically meet up with people you're trying to find.

So I think some of the individuals that were at the shooting that made it out are right now trying to find their way there. Some of those students did come back or did go home if they lived locally, but there is processes that they're putting in place. And I think people right now are working to connect people with their loved ones.

BERMAN: The scene that we have heard witnesses describe, you know, barstools being thrown, windows broken so people could jump out and run away. Again, you are reporting on this. What you have heard there?

CARR: I -- all that I really know is that it was quite chaotic. The friends that we -- that did make it out got out, ran and were picked up by family members that live in the area that were able to pick them up and take them away.

So I think my friends that did make it out, it was a scramble. We actually -- so we actually didn't hear from them until a good few minutes after it had occurred, because I think it took them that long to establish where they were and grabbing all these girls, because it was such a busy spot. And when you're going in with, like, ten girls trying to grab those people and find it amidst the chaos, I think, was a challenge.

BERMAN: Any thoughts on Sergeant Ron Helus, who we understand is the deputy who ran into the building to confront the shooter? And we learned 29 years on the force. He lost his life a couple hours ago.

CARR: Yes, my -- I mean, our hearts really go out to him and his -- his family. I know everyone that has ties to this right now is kind -- is in that state of worry. But I think it's -- you hear about these shootings and the people that -- that are the first responders and that really lay down their lives to help other people. And you can't -- I mean, I think that it's remarkable what these people do. And I think -- I can't say enough for individuals like him. So I think it's -- it's heartbreaking. And I know that the community will definitely be rallying together for -- for the sergeant and for other individuals, the 11 that have already been marked as deceased.

BERMAN: Madeleine Carr from Pepperdine University, the "Pepperdine Graphic" news editor, we'll let you go back to reporting. I really wish I could just let you go back to being a student and doing the things that students are supposed to do, like going to a club to line dance.

CARR: Yes.

BERMAN: Appreciate you being with us, Madeleine.

CARR: Thank you.

BERMAN: We have much more breaking news coverage coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:15:44] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CAMEROTA: If you're just waking up, we are following horrible breaking news. Twelve people have been killed in a mass shooting inside a bar in Southern California.

One of the victims is a 29-year sheriff's deputy. His name is Ron Helus. He is from Ventura County. Here is the first picture of him. he was killed, because he rushed in, trying to save the young people who were inside this bar.

More than -- we understand dozens others are injured. Police say the suspected gunman is dead.

Joining us now on the phone is Taylor Von Molt. She was inside the Borderline Bar when the shots rang out.

Taylor, thank you very much. Where are you right now?

TAYLOR VON MOLT, SURVIVED SHOOTING (via phone): Driving home right now. It's been a long night. I'm coming home from the hospital.

CAMEROTA: And are you injured?

VON MOLT: No, I fell trying to run out. And I was bruised and scraped up from people running on top of me. So we were just making sure everything was OK.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh, Taylor. It sounds like chaos, obviously. People -- we heard it, like, described as a dog pile: people trying to get out of the exits, people running over top of other people. And it sounds like that's what you experienced. So tell us where you were in the bar and what you saw.

VON MOLT: I was at -- I was on the dance floor just dancing. It's a country bar, so we were line dancing. And I was just dancing normally, and I heard what I thought was a balloon -- a balloon pop. And I was confused, because we didn't have any balloons at the time.

And then I heard it a couple more times, and I turned around and I saw him and I saw him fire his weapon one more time. And I ran to the nearest exit and tripped and fell on the way; and people kept running on top of me. I kept trying to get up, but it took me a little while to get up.

And I finally got out and ran up the hill to an apartment, knocked on as many doors as I could to try and get somebody to answer me. And yes, finally somebody did and they let us in.

CAMEROTA: That sounds terrifying, Taylor.

VON MOLT: Yes. Yes, it was awful.

CAMEROTA: Taylor, what did the gunman look like?

VON MOLT: He had a black mask. What looked like a bandana on the bottom of his face, sunglasses, a back hoodie, dark jeans. Yes. And he's kind of bigger. But kind of more burly. Yes. Scary.

CAMEROTA: It sounds terrifying, Taylor, I mean, just terrifying. Did you see the sheriff's deputy come in?

VON MOLT: I actually -- we think that he was the person that we talked to. Because I think he was -- well, there was a police officer that was patrolling the apartments, and we flagged him down and told him about what was going on; and he went down there. I'm not sure if it was him, but someone was there right away. So I'm not sure if I actually saw him or not.

CAMEROTA: But when you ran out, you found a police officer and told him what was happening?

VON MOLT: Yes, we told him that there was just a shooting at Borderline and that he needed to go down there and help them as quick as he could.

CAMEROTA: Taylor, how old are you?

VON MOLT: I'm 21. CAMEROTA: And how often do you go to this bar?

VON MOLT: I'm a promoter there, so I go at least once a week. I've been going there for a couple years now.

CAMEROTA: And what does that mean? What's your relationship with the bar? Tell us more about what that bar is like and what it means to the, you know, campus community.

VON MOLT: Well, I mean, when I -- when we go it's college night, so it's all focused on the younger crowd. And to come every Wednesday and have a good time and dance together. People -- we all have a line dancing club from Cal Lutheran that a lot of participants go, and then they go to Borderline.

So we're all a really close group of people. Just -- because we go every week, because college country night is a constant weekly thing. We always go and talk to them and hangout with everyone. And it's just our normal routine. This is something that I do every Wednesday.

CAMEROTA: And Taylor, do you know where all of your friends are at this hour?

VON MOLT: I know where most are.

CAMEROTA: But are some missing?

VON MOLT: Sorry?

CAMEROTA: Are there still friends that you're looking for?

VON MOLT: Yes. But I don't want to say -- I don't want to say who, because I'm not sure if it's true or not.

CAMEROTA: I understand.

Taylor Von Molt, we are very, very sorry that you had to experience this. Thank you very much for giving us your eyewitness act of what happened when you were line dancing with your friends last night. Take care of yourself.

VOL MOLT: Thank you. Have a good one.

CAMEROTA: You, too.

BERMAN: Incredible poise, incredible poise that she should not have to display at a moment like this.

CAMEROTA: I mean, obviously, they are in shock. This was their weekly routine. Twenty-one years old. You could even be underaged. They would put a black "X" on your hand so that you couldn't drink. And people were there dancing.

BERMAN: All right. Joining us now to talk about the investigation, CNN law enforcement analyst James Gagliano; also CNN law enforcement contributor Steven Moore. He's out there in Thousand Oaks. James, I want to start with you here. What we know is 11 people

killed inside, a sheriff's sergeant killed confronting. All we know is that a handgun has been found on the scene; nothing more than that at this point. What questions do you have at this stage?

JAMES GAGLIANO, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: John, it's looking at the modality of police responses and how they change. We talk about it all the time, going back to 1966, University of Texas clock tower incident. Forward 19 years ago to Columbine. We mentioned the Pulse shooting this morning. Law enforcement response. How are we going to get better at that?

We understand that law enforcement now goes to the sound of the guns. There is no more -- we don't use the modality of contain and negotiate, of "let's be patient, let's talk to these people," because in most of these instances, there is somebody that is looking to kill and harm as many people as possible and then either die by suicide by cop or taking their own life.

So our responses are absolutely getting better in this. How do we prevent these in the future? What is it going to take to do that? I'm telling you, law enforcement is looking at that and asking some hard questions this morning.

CAMEROTA: Steve Moore, you are a former FBI supervisory special agent. You also are, I think, are a resident of Thousand Oaks. You have been to this bar yourself before this incident?

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, I have. In fact, I've dated my wife there years ago. This is a familiar place to me. My daughter went to dance school in the building.

First call I made this morning when I got the call from CNN was to call my daughter and find out if she -- you know, where she was. So yes, this is a very familiar place for me.

CAMEROTA: Because you thought your daughter might have been in there?

MOORE: My daughter's been -- my daughter goes there for line dancing, yes. And so my first thought was to find exactly where she was when that -- when I got the call from CNN.

CAMEROTA: And on Wednesday nights, that's the college -- we've understood that's college night there. And as you've heard all of the witnesses, they say they were line dancing. They loved this night. They felt very safe there. They were there with their community of other college kids, all of their friends. Does your daughter go there for that?

MOORE: She goes there probably once, twice a month, I believe. Yes. It's where her friends go. It's a very popular place. It's generally -- I know how ironic this sounds to say, but it's generally a safe place. It's not a -- it's not a bad crowd. That's where they go.

BERMAN: And that's what one of the mothers of the people who was inside said to you, Alisyn: "This is where my son goes, because it's safe."

CAMEROTA: He feels safest.

BERMAN: This is a place to go where you can be near friends whom you know, to line dance, as young at 18 years old. We're hearing from all kinds of witnesses that there were people with "X's" on their hands, because those are the kids who were too young to drink. So we're talking people 18 to 26 years old.

And James, back to you, again, the handgun, if it is just a handgun that was recovered, what does that tell you about the shooter?

GAGLIANO: Again, we always talk about action verses reaction. Even if somebody had been armed, if they're surprised by somebody who's got a handgun and bent on doing harm, there's not a lot you can do.

Look, it could have been a lot worse. If this had been -- we've seen in many of these instances, an AR-style weapon. It could have been worse.

But, again, police have to go to the sound of the guns. They can no longer sit back and wait. They've got to go to interdict or distract the shooter and try to provide, again, somebody to focus on so that people could get away.

[07:25:06] And remember, we heard a couple of the witnesses talk about it. People were injured trying to escape, breaking glass. 1979, a Who concert --

CAMEROTA: Being trampled, yes.

GAGLIANO: -- 11 people were killed by being trampled. In an instance like this, crowded venue, people desperate to get out. It's remarkable that there weren't more casualties.

CAMEROTA: Well, look, thank God that police do run towards the gunfire, but that's what Sergeant Ron Helus did, and he lost his life. You know, 29-year veteran on that force. Lost his life last night, because he was the first responder and ran in to try to save those kids.

BERMAN: The sheriff, Sheriff Geoff Dean, says he died a hero.

All right. Again, the deadliest mass shooting in the country in 11 days. We have much more to discuss, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: The fate of Robert Mueller's Russia investigation hangs in the balance. Why? President Trump fired the attorney general, Jeff Sessions. Sessions's chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, is now the acting attorney general. He supplants Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein is no longer overseeing the Russia investigation. It's Matt Whitaker, who has been openly hostile toward the Mueller investigation on TV and social media.