tv Reliable Sources CNN December 16, 2012 8:00am-9:00am PST
8:00 am
8:01 am
town that has now been forever change changed. i'm soledad o'brien with wolf blitzer this morning. trying to make sense of something that is frankly impossible to understand. friday's tragedy. today may mark the very first day of healing for people who will be facing a very, very long process. the entire community that are directly affected and for the entire nation, family, friends, neighbors all gathering at places of worship in this small southwestern connecticut town. a candlelight vigil being scheduled for this evening. president obama expected to fly in this afternoon and after meeting with the families of victims and after meeting with the first responders he will take part in that candlelight vigil. officials who have been giving us information ever since friday afternoon. we're enxpecting to hear from te state police and the medical
8:02 am
examiner who told us he was going to wrap up the autopsies on the shooter and the shooter's mother and also the focus of their investigation would now be the weaponry. we're expecting an update in the next few minutes. they have already set up, as you can see, cameras standing by and just waiting for them to arrive and, of course, we'll take that press conference for you live when it happens. first right to howard kurtz and "reliable sources" for a critical look at how the news media has been covering the events here in connecticut. wolf blitzer, as well. he's been here reporting on this, the very latest on what we learned about this story. wolf? >> howie going to be joining us in a little while, soledad. expecting as you pointed out the news conference to begin momentarily. they're getting ready for that. among other things, we expect to learn the results of the autopsies, as you say, were performed on the bodies of the gunman and his mother. already this morning we learned a horrifying new details about friday's school massacre. the gunman used his assault
8:03 am
weapon literally to shoot his own entry way into the school building. connecticut's medical examiner said the semiautomatic rifle found at the scene was the primary weapon used in this massacre. susan candiotti reports that investigators are now trying to piece together the gunman's actions in the days before the shootings. looking at surveillance video from places he may have visited. all of this unfolding, even as we speak right now. meanwhile, the connecticut governor dan malloy a familiar face. this morning, he spoke to our own candy crowley on cnn's "state of the union." candy joining us with more on that. candy? >> wolf, the governor did say, in fact, that the shooter did blast his way into that building, as we know, by now. there was a bell. you had to be rung into the
8:04 am
building from the inside. but he, instead, used that semiautomatic to blast his way into the building. he also talked about how investigators are looking at how these guns are purchased. they know they were purchased by the mother. he mentioned that -- did she allow her son use of them even prior to the day he took them and went into that elementary school. but there's also very personal side of this interview and saw the governor very much with tears his eyes when i asked him about that time when he had to tell those parents gathered at the firehouse near the building that their children were gone and would not be coming back. take a listen to this exchange. >> candy, i was with the vast majority of the families friday morning and, ultimately, i had to break it to all the folks that were assembled at the firehouse that their children or their loved one, in the case of the adults, were not coming
8:05 am
home. and that's an exercise that i will live with for the rest of my life. it's not something you're prepared for and, you know, go on. but, listen, i'm the governor of the state of connecticut, we have a job to do. we have to protect people, we have to help people recover, we have to move on and get children back to school as quickly as possible in the broader system. and hopefully these children, at this school, back to school, a school as quickly as possible. >> make sure i understood you corre correctly. you had to tell the families in that room that some feared or had known at a gut level, you were the one that finalized for them. >> yes. >> tell me about that moment. >> it's a very difficult thing to do. these parents had been gathered for a number of hours clinging to hope. news reports were swirling around them outside the
8:06 am
building. and someone had to decide how to handle that situation. and, utimaltimately, it fell upe to do that. you could never be prepared to tell 18 or 20 folks or, actually, families, that their loved one would not be returning to them that day or in the future is a tough assignment. >> so, you heard the governor there, wolf, talk about. you know, it's something you live with and so much talk now is going to be about moving on and moving through the grief. and the fact is, we all know these families will never be the same and neither will those who have been closest to this, including the governor. we talked later in the hour to jim hicken looper who was the governor of colorado and was there for the aurora shooting earlier this year and he talked about how he almost became
8:07 am
friends with those families because you have to be there for the most difficult time in their life and that's definitely how the connecticut governor feels, wolf. >> so hard, so painful. but they're the governors and that's what they have to do in a situation, a horrifying situation like this. candy is going to be back at the top of the hour with "state of the union." we'll see you then. meanwhile, cnn is making it possible to help the families of the victims in connecticut, you can impact your world. it's available by going to cnn.com/impact. after the break, soledad and i will speak with howard kurtz of cnn's "reliable sources" about the experience of covering tragedy like this. ♪ ooh baby, looks like you need a little help there ♪ ♪ ooh baby, can i do for you today? ♪ [ female announcer ] need help keeping your digestive balance? align can help. only align has bifantis, a patented probiotic
8:08 am
that naturally helps maintain your digestive balance. try align to help retain a balanced digestive system. try the #1 gastroenterologist recommended probiotic. align. a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem, that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce the risk of an afib-related stroke. there is limited data on how these drugs compare
8:09 am
when warfarin is well managed. no routine blood monitoring means bob can spend his extra time however he likes. new zealand! xarelto® is just one pill a day, taken with the evening meal. and with no dietary restrictions, bob can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto® rivaroxaban without talking to the doctor who prescribes it for you. stopping may increase your risk of having a stroke. get medical help right away if you develop any signs or symptoms of bleeding, like unusual bruising or tingling. you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you currently have abnormal bleeding. xarelto® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto®, and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions, such as kidney, liver or bleeding problems.
8:10 am
8:11 am
welcome back. we're standing by for a news conference. connecticut state police. you see the microphones there. they're getting ready to brief us on the latest on this investigation. this horrible, horrible disaster that happened in this small town here in connecticut. soledad o'brien is joining us. howard kurtz is also joining us
8:12 am
now from cnn's "reliable sources" in washington, d.c. howie, a tremendous, enormous amount of media presence here in newtown. what is your impression of how this story unfolded in the news so far? >> wolf, unlike any tragedy that we have collectively lived through, this one has sear under to america's soul. everyone is talking about, everyone is consumed about it and every online conversation on social media sites is about what happened in newtown. i have to tell you for all of the coverage there for you and others, there are times when i have to turn off the tv and other journalists told me this before. the feelings are so raw it is hard to watch. journalists are trained to be objective, but how can any human being be dispassionate about what happened there. >> howie, i'll answer that for you, if i can. >> go ahead, soledad. >> i was going to say the same thing that wolf was going to say. i don't know if you can have no compassion or being passionate
8:13 am
about it. sort of focusing on doing a job. i look at all the law enforcement officials here. i can't even imagine what they've been through. many talking about carrying children, you know, out of that school. i guess, for me, i think we try to focus on just getting information out and even if you have to interview grieving parents or parents who are grieving, but relieved because their children have survived but grieving for the community. i think you just focus on trying to ask the questions that need to be asked in thoughtful and in a compassionate way. >> right, soledad, journalists are trained to do their jobs even in most awful circumstances like this. you get the call, run out to newtown, what is the emotional impact on you or do you have to put that aside while you're doing the job of a correspondent? >> yeah, you know, i don't even think about it, honestly. i haven't talked to my children. my daughter, i called her last night and that is the first time
8:14 am
i talked to the kids. i let my husband deal with that. my daughter said to me, i said, how are you? she said, mom, how are you? i so appreciated that and i think that's what a lot of people in this community are feeling. so many people are just worried about them. i won't even think about it until i'm home in a couple weeks from now. right now we have a job to do and that job is as we're waiting for this press conference to get the most information we can from the law enforcement, medical examiner and piece together this story because that's what people are interested in trying to find out what happened here. >> wolf, do you have any feeling as this whole town is in a state of grief that because we come with a big footprint and the camera crews that perhaps we collectively are intruding at a very, at the worst moment of these people's lives? >> you know, i've been here now all day yesterday, all day today. got here late, late friday night from washington. and there have been a few, i can count them really on one hand a
8:15 am
few people have said to me, get out. leave us alone. stuff like that. but overwhelmingly, howie, most of the people here in newtown in danbury and else where in connecticut, they have been very, very grateful because they want this, the world to understand what they are going through right now here in connecticut. overwhelmingly, the people, sure there's a huge media footprint in newtown right now, but i think the folks understand that we have a job to do and they want the world to see what's going on. it's not just here in connecticut or the united states even. we're being seen around the world -- >> around the world. >> people are reaching out, people are appreciative of what's going on and we're trying to bring that story and maybe we will learn some lessons. maybe i'm overly optimistic. prevent this kind of disaster down the road. >> i think television can help with the healing process at a moment when we have the nation's attention tranfixed on the town that you're in. wolf? >> howie, all right, stand by.
8:16 am
i want everyone to stand by. soledad is going to be with us, we're going to continue our coverage. we're waiting, we're waiting for this news conference to take place. connecticut state police are getting ready to brief us on the latest information that they have from this investigation. we'll have live coverage of that more with howie and soledad, when we come back. [ male announcer ] when ziggy the cat appeared at their door, he opened up jake's very private world. at first, jake's family thought they saved ziggy, but his connection with jake has been a lifesaver. for a love this strong, his family only feeds him iams. compared to other leading brands, it has 50% more animal protein... ...to help keep ziggy's body as strong as a love that reaches further than anyone's words. iams. keep love strong. can your moisturizer do that? [ female announcer ] dermatologist recommended aveeno has an oat formula,
8:17 am
now proven to build a moisture reserve, so skin can replenish itself. that's healthy skin for life. only from aveeno. anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you one-to-one. together for your future. ♪
8:19 am
8:20 am
welcome back, everybody. you're taking a look at the makings of a press conference. you can see there, there are roughly two dozen camera set up and we're waiting for the state police, lieutenant paul vance has been updating us in these press conferences. he is going to be joined this morning by the medical examiner of the state of connecticut, wain carver. where the investigation stands and they are now focusing on ballistics and weapons and they said that they'll be able to answer a lot of the questions
8:21 am
that we had over the last couple days that have gone unanswered. also the medical examiner has wrapped up his autopsy of the shooter and the shooter's mother. he said that would be done this morning and we are expecting he will give us some information about any information that they have been able to determine out of that. that's the press conference we're waiting for and we'll bring that to you live when that happens. right now we want to get to howie curts from "reliable sources" for howie? >> the journalists are facing many challenges, no more daunting than in the first few hours as some range from incomplete to just plain wrong. >> this may have been, may have been the father of a student. >> the shooter has been identified to me by a source as ryan lanza. ryan lanza in his 20s. apparently we're told from the source from this area. >> we have just now confirmed the shooter is identified. he is 20-year-old ryan lanza.
8:22 am
>> it may turn out at the end of the day the person who fired the shots was ryan lanza's brother, adam. >> contrary to conflicting information that they had passed on, we can now tell you according to several sources that the name of the shooter in this case is adam lanza. >> joining us now to examine the coverage of what unfolded in connecticut. lauren ashburn editor and chief of daily download.com and frank sesno and a former cnn washington bureau chief. frank, you have been here when tragedy erupted and you had to go on the air when information is hard to come by. why is it so hard when the brother was inaccurately identified to keep that information off the air? >> it's what i call the language of live. we report something as it's happening and quite often you're
8:23 am
following law enforcement or anybody else down the wrong path or dead end information. why it was so important when you heard there susan candiotti told us sources are building into the language that journalists use this language of uncertainty because things do change. >> but law enforcement sources sometimes provide information that turns out to be wrong. this is a classic example, laura ashburn. how often are journalists' credibility. >> how could you wrongly identify the victim, but, now, i think people believe that this is the way journalism is. they're going to get it wrong and you don't always have to believe everything that a journalist tells you and i think that's sad. >> i don't know, i wrote a column really critical of this. this guy was identified for
8:24 am
hours. no one went to try to independently verify the law enforcement official did. >> you accept the notion because somebody reported it and then it changes because this is a moving story this is just the way it is. can we do better? >> of course we can do better. in one part, i agree with lauren about people accepting this more because of all the proliferation of new kinds of media. but, howie, it's awful. you know, they put ryan lanza's picture out there and it was shared on facebook 1,000 times in a minute. it's a nightmare. this guy is sitting on a bus identified as a mass mufrderer for hours. slate said look like that facebook page of ryan lanza we linked to was incorrect. >> gee. >> thanks. >> no, looks like -- it's either incorrect, frank, or it's not. this lack of precision in
8:25 am
journalism is wrong. >> when stuff is happening as fast as it happens here and you live in the instant information world, this stuff will happen. it can be for days, come on. >> they're going to get the wrong person and identify him as a mass murderer. >> what i'm saying is that information, right or wrong, travels much faster than cooperation sometimes. and the fact of the matter is that the suspect was carrying a bad i.d., that information came from law enforcement. law enforcement was the only form of information that the media had at the time. >> why? >> they're not going to be able to go into the school -- >> post it on facebook who they said was dead. that was a source of information. >> it's happening in real-time. the fog of war on the battlefield. >> that's a nice term. >> let me jump in. a lot of emotion here at this table. lauren, when you watched the coverage, admittedly, it's hard to watch. see anchors and correspondents having to deal with this unspeakable tragedy, it seems like they're trying to keep
8:26 am
their emotions out of it, doesn't it? >> of course. when i covered 9/1 1, that's exactly what i did. i had the picture of the pentagon behind me and smoke coming up and you can't think about it, as soledad o'brien said earlier. you can't call your children, you can't get into that emotional mindset. however, looking at it yesterday from my kitchen table where i was writing christmas cards in front of a fire, i couldn't help but realize the dispassion that the journalists did have and i question in "the daily beast" piece that i wrote whether or not we couldn't do a little bit better. maybe it would serve the audience a little bit more to inject a little bit of emotion. i'm not saying let's start crying and doing all of that. >> it's humanity. >> that's what you're talking about. it's humanity. >> i need to know, i need to see that it is affecting them the way it is affecting the people at home. >> let me ask you a related question which we've seen from many of the networks, interviews with some of the young elementary school children and
8:27 am
basically eyewitnesses to what happened. sometimes they were accompanied by parents. cnn policy parents have to give permission. >> i do not want to see it. i do not want to see it. look. you make that decision on a case-by-case basis but to have an 8-year-old or 6-year-old describe this scene, i feel like it's ludicrous to put that on television. get an adult. you know, leave that poor child alone. >> what about the whole question of, starting to hear rumblings about a gun control debate. you have the partisans come on and they take their shot. it's the fault of guns, it's not the fault of guns. when it comes to straight reporting, congress is not going to act in this, even democrats don't want to do it. even president obama shied away from it. are the media shying away from, as they have in the past, a real, honest, candid debate about guns in this country? >> right now, no. right now, all the focus -- >> a week from now? >> that's the question.
8:28 am
that's why i think there needs to be a real media agenda here. not a media agenda to take sides, but keep a very sensitive in the -- >> the media did put -- >> ted koppel had "nightline" built around the hostage crisis. much of the violence that results from guns are guns purbfectly legally obtained. what do we know? where does it come from? all sides of the debate. great piece in "the atlantic" the case for all guns. come at this, the media need to come on this on a sustained basis putting the facts in there and putting the difficult issue in front of the american people so that we can have a grown-up conversation. >> they won't. >> why? >> because we move on to the next thing. >> i am saying we shouldn't. >> i agree with you 100%, but we will. >> and i agree with both of you,
8:29 am
as well. lauren is right. the problem with this, howie, on msnbc i saw friday afternoon, they were already in talking about, i hope we have the political capital now to change -- that's not the time on friday, saturday and sunday. no, i totally -- >> why do you disagree? >> i disagree, because when else are you going to have it? this is the moment when you have people who are emotionally distraught looking for or interested. >> they are emotionally distraught and if you're going to have a serious case with attention span, you're going to have to do over time and when they're not emotional. >> we don't do it. >> that's what i'm saying. we in the media have a job, to give voice to the voiceless. no one more voiceless than a 6, 7, 14, 16 or 18-year-old kid who has had their life taken away. >> frank, also beyond the media, i think the academic world that you're part of can play a really important role in this in terms
8:30 am
of framing it and pushing it and having forums and the people who fund these kinds of things. people should try to have this kind of -- >> can i say one thing, howie, that is really important. when i talk about this agenda, i'm not talking about the media -- >> i think the media shy away from this because there is a fear of alienating a broad swath of the leadership and viewership who may disagree on either side of this volatile issue but i agree -- >> if you look at this as a public health emergency, you go for the data. >> we have to have the debate when people are thinking about gun control because in a week they're going to be thinking about some other tragedy. some volcano erupting or bus crash -- the fiscal cliff. and they're not going to be thinking about gun control. do it now. >> it's not just about gun control, first of all. let me say that. it is about the gun issue, the mental health issue and the access issue. >> fascinating debate that i hope continues not just here but else where.
8:31 am
thanks very much. next, we'll go back to connecticut with wolf blitzer and dr. sanjay gupta for more coverage of this tragedy in connecticut. [ female announcer ] imagine skin so healthy, it never gets dry again. can your moisturizer do that? [ female announcer ] dermatologist recommended aveeno has an oat formula, now proven to build a moisture reserve, so skin can replenish itself. that's healthy skin for life. only from aveeno. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ breathes deeply ] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth!
8:32 am
[ male announcer ] jill and her mouth have lived a great life. but she has some dental issues she's not happy about. so i introduced jill to crest pro-health for life. selected for people over 50. pro-health for life is a toothpaste that defends against tender, inflamed gums, sensitivity and weak enamel. conditions people over 50 experience. crest pro-health for life. so jill can keep living the good life. crest. life opens up when you do.
8:35 am
so sad. people are emotional, understandably, here in newtown, connecticut. they're walking past these memorials and just reflecting on what is going on. so many questions remain unanswered. we might get some answers at a news conference. we're awaiting the connecticut state police, they're going to be speaking shortly, we're told. we've been expecting them for a while. you see the microphones are all set up. we'll have live coverage once the connecticut state police show up there. in the meantime, much of the attention in the news media has focused in on the mental health of adam lanza, the 20-year-old who committed this mass murder here at this elementary school in newtown. our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta is joining us. sanjay, i want you to put in
8:36 am
perspective. there have been these reports that adam lanza had autism. some people are jumping to conclusions inappropriately. give us some perspective on what this means. >> there are two important points here. first of all, when you talk about autism or anything on the autism spectrum. you're talking about a neural disorder. i think the terms do matter here. second of all, just this whole idea that it's linked with violence in some way and specifically preplanned violence, i think we can dispense with that. >> there's no evidence that autism would generate a mass murder like this? >> absolutely not. we talked about this yesterday, but even since then i talked to a few more experts. i looked at the definitive study on this, wolf, the study everyone quotes when looking at this exact issue. 132 people were studied in that particular study. of those, 3 people had some evidence of violence, small number, but none of them had what was thought of as
8:37 am
preplanned violence. those are, in fact, reactionary violence and outburst, not something that required any sort of planning. >> are there any other mental illnesses that could cause this kind of violence? >> sure. other sorts of things that you think about with regard to some sort of manic thing. some sort of loss of judgment and inhibition of judgment. we talk about depression. obviously, anger issues here. but in association with mental illness, not because of autism, asperger or anything else alone. >> sometimes you hear about these atrocities and sometimes people say, you know, he just snapped. so, medically speaking, what does that mean? >> when someone -- again, that does refer to some sort of reaction to something, usually. or some sort of somebody was predisposed to something and something pushed somebody over the edge. the difference, again, wolf, investigators always think about this and also in my field, forensic medical examiners look at this and sometimes you don't
8:38 am
know the answer exactly. one of the things you want to know, was there evidence of planning? some sort of evidence of planning? because if there was, it really changes the discussion completely. changes it from a law enforcement standpoint which is where people focus their attention but also from a medical standpoint. forensic medical examination. >> correct me if i'm wrong, at least anecdotally in covering these stories, it's usually a male who commits this kind of mass murder, not a female. is there a gender -related issue here? >> you're absolutely right. again, the numbers do bear that out. if you look, again, not just at, obviously, the study that i talked about but all sorts of these sort of violent attacks and mass murder type of attacks, they're generally male. what to make of that is unclear. when you talk about neural disorder, we don't know for sure what was going on in his mind or what his background is, that is
8:39 am
something you typically have since birth. it is something that is inherited. it's an inherited component to it and even while you're developing as a human being. again, i say that to distinguish it from many other forms of mental illness. also with regard to gender, you know, if there is a male preponderance of this and a genetic link, you can put the two and two together. we don't know for sure, but, again, i think that's what people -- >> the video games. you know, these kind of violent video games, boys do it a lot more than girls. is there a connection potentially? >> i think there's no doubt there is a connection. wolf, let me say, they have known about a connection, not with video games but violent programming for 40 years. wrote about this in 1972 and wrote about it and over the last 40 years, back then it was television but different sorts of avenues have happened now. pretty good scientific evidence to show some kind of connection between video gaming and violence. most people who play video games aren't violent, but there is a
quote
8:40 am
8:42 am
8:43 am
us on some of the details that they have been telling us that they will focus on in this next press conference. for example, we'll know about the weaponry, the caliber of the weapons that were used and exactly what happened, the timeline of the events on this terrible, terrible massacre that happened on friday morning. we're also expected to hear some more information about the autopsies that should, by now, have been performed on the shooter and his mother. those were the last two they were waiting to complete. roughly two dozen journalists who are gathered here. we're expecting some more to come, as well. they told us this press conference would happen in the next few minutes. we've heard they're on their way. as soon as it happens, we will, obviously, bring that to you live. this morning, connecticut's governor told cnn that the gunman got into the school literally by using the assault weapon to shoot the entrance into the building. he blew out a whole big enough that he could walk through. the medical examiner said the semi-automatic rifle found at the scene was the primary weapon
8:44 am
in the massacre that every single person had been shot by that rifle and, in fact, the seven that he had done autopsies on had been shot multiple times, in some cases three times and in some cases 11 times. we're expecting president obama here in newtown later this afternoon. he's going to thank families, first responders and then meet with the victims' family members. he's also going to speak at an interfaith vigil that will be held later this evening. some of the things we're monitoring here for you from newtown, connecticut. also fake a look at how some of the details here in newtown played out on facebook and twitter as the media had conflicting stories. a critical look at how that was handled, straight ahead. wooohooo....hahaahahaha! oh...there you go.
8:45 am
wooohooo....hahaahahaha! i'm gonna stand up to her! no you're not. i know. you know ronny folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico sure are happy. how happy are they jimmy? happier than a witch in a broom factory. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. this is another! ta-daa! try charmin ultra strong. it cleans so well and you can use up to four times less than the leading value brand. oh! there it is. thanks son. hey! [ female announcer ] charmin ultra strong has a duraclean texture that can help you get clean while still using less. and it's four times stronger versus the leading value brand. charmin ultra strong helps keep you and your underwear clean. we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra strong?
8:46 am
8:47 am
go to soledad o'brien with breaking news out of connecticut. >> thanks, i appreciate that. let's listen in as they're getting ready to start this press conference. i'm about ten yards away and looks like lieutenant vance is about to speak. here he goes. >> crime detectives are still at the scenes of the school and at the secondary scene. we're still actively working those areas. there's nothing new to report relative to the investigation. suffice to say that it is moving forward. as i said yesterday and i will not and cannot detail pieces of the investigation, but i can tell you that we have recovered evidence, contrary to some of the news reports that have been out there. we have recovered some evidence. it is being analyzed and it is being processed. the weaponry involved, we are tracing them historically all the way back to when they were on the work bench being assembled and being examined and looked at with our federal
8:48 am
partners. in addition, the post-mortem examination by the chief medical examiner is ongoing. hopefully earlier this afternoon we'll be able to release factual information on the last two deceased in this case. as you know, there is presidential business scheduled this afternoon. i don't have details on that. i know that's being put out via washington, so, we'll leave that as is. we are in the process, i'm sure you've seen, as i explained to you, we have multiple crime scenes but sticking specifically with the school, the school crime scene, the building itself is still being worked on. remember i told you we had a secondary crime scene and that was all the vehicles on the exterior of the school. our detectives have examined each and every one of them, searched each and every one of them and we're beginning to release those back to their owners. so, slowly but surely we're beginning to complete the exterior part of the crime
8:49 am
scene. the governor and lieutenant governor are on site and have been actively involved today. one thing that's becoming somewhat of a concern and that is misinformation is being posted on social media sites. there has been misinformation coming from people posing as the shooter in this case, posing using other i.d.s, mimicking this crime and crime scene and criminal activity that took place in this community. there's been some things and somewhat of a threatening manner. it is important to note that we have discussed with federal authorities that these, these issues are crimes, they will be investigated statewide and federally, and prosecution will take place when people perpetrating this information are identified. again, all information relative
8:50 am
to this case is coming from these microphones and any information coming from other sources cannot be confirmed and, in many cases, it has been found as inaccurate. so, i simply, that's the newest twist today that we want to make sure that's perfectly clear that social media websites that contain information relative to this case are not being posted by the connecticut state police, are not being posted by the newtown police, are not being posted by any authorities in this case. so, any of that information and people that are that are puttin information up there in any manner all right, can be construed as a violation of state or federal law will be prosecuted. will be investigated and prosecuted. questions, i can take a few, understanding we still are active in this case. okay. >> has a very specific timeline of how this event happened. i'm wondering if you can, in
8:51 am
fact, confirm that timeline that is being reported in great detail by the "hartford courant." >> very good question. i'm the only one speaking about this case to every member of the mediap. i cannot state heavily enough i have not and will not put out a timeline in this criminal investigation as it is under way. it is inappropriate. we will not do that. any sources that are putting out any kind of information like that does not come from the official investigating agency, the connecticut state police assisted by the newtown police department. we will not put that out as the investigation is ongoing. >> i have not read it. i can tell you that. we have not put out any timeline information. >> you have said there were two places inside the school. can you confirm that the
8:52 am
principal and the psychologist was shot near the front door and the children and the teachers and other workers were in classrooms? >> again, what i stated relative to the interior crime scene, was that the shooting took place in a singular section of the school, that involved two classrooms and a hallway. that's as much as we said about that. we cannot and will not describe the location of the deceased in this investigation. we won't do that. >> yes, sir. >> sir? >> said your investigation of firearms. >> yes, sir. >> the shooter was taken by his family member to a shooting range [ inaudible ]. gone shooting with his mother? >> i don't know that, quite frankly. and that's what i'm trying to get people to understand is that we can't take segments of an investigation and discuss that publicly because something taken out of context could be misinterpreted, it could be
8:53 am
misinterpreted and not factual once it's misinterpreted. therefore, i don't, number one, i don't know anything about that particular statement you just made and number two, even if i did, i would say let us put it into the contents of the investigation so that we can manage it and you can get a whole complete picture of exa exactly what's going on. >> do i know anything more? the four firearms working with our federal partners and as i said in my statement we are analyzing, examining, we'll trace them back to their origin, we'll trace every step of the way, and every time that we can, where they were used, how they were used will be examined for renically. a great deal of work must be done on those weapons. >> [ inaudible ]. >> any evidence that any of the other weapons -- >> i can't answer that question. i do not know. our detectives will be able to answer that question at the conclusion of the investigation. >> yes, sir. >> i know you can't go into detail about what you're finding but how confident do you feel
8:54 am
you will eventually get a good picture? >> i am confident that we will put every single resource that we have into this investigation and that we will answer every single question that is humanly possible at the conclusion of this case. we'll examine every piece of evidence, we'll speak to every single witness that can have any impact on this case and our goal, our goal is to answer every single question. >> do you think no note, no alive shooter, how confident do you feel that you'll eventually be able it to put together something people would consider -- >> just to say, we have not stated what evidence we have and have not collected. i want to make that perfectly clear. how confident am i? we have the best of the best working on this case. we have our major crime detectives, we have federal authorities, newtown investigators, we have everything and everybody focusing on this case as everyone knows it's a huge case, it's a huge case. we're using every single resource and our goal is to
8:55 am
paint a complete picture so that we all know and the public knows exactly what happened here. couple more folks. >> [ inaudible ]. >> magazines on the gun? >> i cannot. i cannot. >> social media what do you make of that? >> well, best i can explain, i'm not a social media expert, i'm not going to claim to be, but there have been indications that there have been quotes by people who are posing as the shooter. you can go on different facebook pages and find this information out. i know members of the press have. and suffice it to say that the information can, in fact, be -- has, in fact, been deemed as threatening, it's been inaccurate, people posing as other people, and discussing with federal authorities they believe it's a violation of state or federal law and warrants an investigation. anyone perpetrating that information, could, in fact, be subject to arrest and be
8:56 am
prosecuted federally. >> has anyone been identified, questioned? >> they're working on that right now. this is brand new information, we got it as we were coming to this press conference. couple more quick questions. yes, ma'am. >> [ inaudible ] any more information on the other two bodies? >> the minute i have that we'll reduce it to writing and bring it up to you, bring more copies of the names from yesterday if anyone needs it. certainly the minute we have that we'll bring that up to you. >> yes, ma'am. >> do you know when the bodies will be released to the families? >> they have already started that process. >> yes, ma'am. >> is there any idea of when the students can return to class and what can you say to parents about safety in schools? >> what's important to note about safety in school is from the educational commissioner in the state of connecticut working with the governor's office it's being examined on a local and statewide basis. there are many plans in place for emergency purposes in all the schools in connecticut. all of them are being reexamined and certainly parents should, in
8:57 am
fact, be confident that law enforcement in every community, state police, local police, the educators, the leaders of the school systems are doing everything they can to make sure that the schools in connecticut are safe. i would like the lieutenant to talk about the schools in newtown. one second. >> yes. we've been working closely with the superintendent of schools here. obviously we're still very sensitive to the family in this situation. we want to move forward very slowly and respectfully. they have some tentative plans as far as moving forward with the school and the school system will be putting those out in the near future. >> do you imagine that children will ever return to class in that building? >> you know, at this time it's too early to say. but i would find it very difficult for them to do that. but certainly that's one of the things that they're going to have to look into, yes. >> they are going to transport kids to monroe starting later this week, right? >> that's one of the plans that we're looking into. it's tentative plans right now.
8:58 am
but as we said, we're trying to be as respectful as we can. we want to keep these kids together. we need support of each other. >> couple more quick questions. yes, sir. >> without revealing a timeline can you say more about [ inaudible ] breaks a window, turns left, right? give us a general sense of his movements and how -- >> the most general i could be is it has to be very general was that the school was -- forcibly entered the school facility itself. okay. encountered just encountered staff, students and the tragedy occurred. that's as much as i want to go. >> can you tell us -- >> is survivors, been able to talk to them? >> our people are talking with everybody. slowly but surely. but methodically too. this is not something that -- this is something where people's hearts are broken and as we all well know and we have to be sensitive and we are moving as quickly and efficiently as we can. the people we can talk to, yes,
8:59 am
we have. we have spoken to many, many witnesses. there are many more witnesses to speak to, including and not limited to maybe even speaking with youngsters. >> what about the wounded? >> we have spoken, yes, with the wounded. >> lieutenant, can you tell us what -- >> we won't discuss what witnesses have put forth. taking out of context, we'll include that in the report and final summary of what took place. >> all right. one more yes, sir. >> [ inaudible ] everyone keeps asking that question and i have to say to you, that for us to be able to give you a summary of the motive we have to complete the investigation and have the whole picture before we can say hopefully how and why this occurred. that's not going to come quickly. >> left any writings or notes behind? >> again, i cannot detail evidence. we don't do that. it's simply stated we have a great deal of evidence that we're analyzing and that's a
318 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
CNN (San Francisco)Uploaded by TV Archive on
![](http://athena.archive.org/0.gif?kind=track_js&track_js_case=control&cache_bust=754142977)