Transcripts For MSNBC Andrea Mitchell Reports 20240905

Im Peter Alexander here in for Andrea Mitchell. We are following that Breaking News from georgia where we are monitoring an incident. Its 40 miles outside of atlanta. As you just heard, the Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is directing all available resources to that Schools Campus right now. You can see the pictures we are getting. The Chopper View from above. A lot of Police Presence and other Emergency Vehicles on scene right now. We want to get to nbc News Correspondent Anne Thompson joining us alongside Jim Kavanaugh and former Fbi Assistant Director Frank Figliuzzi right now. Anne, acknowledging we are learning little bits of information, trying to get a better understanding, whats the best information you have been able to gather at this point . Reporter right now, we know that the High School has about 1,900 students. They are from grades 9 through 12. We have seen many of them come out of that building, the building is said to be on a hard lockdown. The governor put out this statement saying he is directed all available state resources. You can see many of them a great number of police at the High School to respond to the incident. He urges all georgians to join his family in praying for the safety of those in those classrooms, both there and across the state. He promises that the state will continue to work with local, state and federal partners as they gather information and further respond to this situation. We are you are watching this in real time. You can see the traffic stopped. You can see the police out there. We just saw, i believe, two ambulances leave the scene. These are certainly terrifying but all too familiar moments at an american school today. Peter . As we are speaking to you, we are seeing pictures from the campus. Just shy of 2,000 students there. Many of them have been directed to the track and the Football Field there where they appear to be wandering around, though in a restricted area, freely at this point. Jim, i want to get to you right now. Obviously, what we are seeing is an evacuation. We are waiting for better information about exactly what this scene is. No specific detail about whether, in fact, there has been a shooting thats taken place or what other incident may have occurred there. Based on your Law Enforcement expertise, tell us what you are seeing and the way the Police Presence is addressing whatever the situation is. Right. That large number of officers that i see there, i see the sheriff and i saw the State Patrol and multiple s. W. A. T. Teams, the command vehicles, they have had violence at this school it looks like. This is not a report of someone with a gun that fizzled out. This looks like something happened seriously. They have evacuated a large number of people to what they have determined to be a safe zone back over by the Football Field. Officers are between them and the main school building. Jim, i want to interrupt you. We are getting information as you and i are speaking. My producer in my ear, repeat what you said. What im being told from the local Law Enforcement, Sheriffs Department says that they are responding to what they describe as a School Shooting. No more details yet from this one student at least one individual has been taken into custody right now. Does not make clear whether there were other individuals who were involved in this. We dont know whether anybody has been hurt at this point. Now its continuing to come in. There have been reports of the Sheriffs Department says there are multiple injuries there. We dont know the conditions of those individuals. To be clear, just to reset this at the top of the Noon Hour eastern time, we are looking at a georgia High School. Apalachee High School, between atlanta and athens. You can see the Evacuation Taking place. The Sheriffs Department is telling us that one individual has been taken into custody. No specific details on that individual or whether they are looking for others who may have been involved in the School Shooting that the Sheriffs Department has taken place there. We know there are multiple injuries. Lets get back to Jim Kavanaugh for more details you can share with us. Right. Building on our discussion im sorry. Let me get to Anne Thompson. Reporter peter, we have more details about how this unfolded from the Sheriffs Office. The incident happened at 10 23 this morning. Officers, it says, from multiple Law Enforcement agenies were dispatched to the High School to a reported active shooting. At the time, one suspect is in custody. It does not identify that suspect as a Student Or Anyone else. It just says one suspect is in custody. There are casualties. However, details on the number of casualties or their conditions are not available at this time. I can also tell you that the Fbi Office in atlanta says it is aware of the situation and its agents are on the Scene Coordinating with local and state officials. As we said earlier, and as jim noted, theres a very major Police Presence at this incident as we watch students and i assume Faculty Members there gather on the Athletic Field outside apalachee High School. Jim, Back To You. Based on the new information from Anne Thompson about this active shooter reported first at 10 23, just shy of two hours ago, about an hour and 45 minutes ago, again, we are told that one suspect is in custody. Im struck as we look at this, its clear the individuals who are on that field there and on the track are allowed to be free. Its obvious that this incident is believed to have taken place elsewhere, perhaps inside The School itself. Again, your reaction as you see what we are witnessing happening in real time right now. The on Scene Commanders have faith that thats a Safe Area for the people they have evacuated there. They believe that they have the situation theres a line of Police Cars between that stadium and The School building. There are officers there. They believe thats a Safe Area. They have violence as anne reported. There are injuries. The initial report is a Man Way Gun person with a gun. They have some injuries. They have got violence. Now they have got to determine one in custody. Is he alone . Secondly, did he plan or place any Improvised Explosive Devices at The School or at other places in the city . His home, his vehicle, these are not uncommon things. We saw it in butler, pennsylvania, where the shooter had two bombs in his car. We have seen it in columbine with multiple bombs. Its not quite over. Although, most of the students look safe. We dont know the extent of injuries yet. Hopefully, the commanders will come out and tell the public and the families. They will establish a Family Center where families will go to get notified if their children have been injured or killed. They should announce that pretty soon. Jim, as we are speaking, i have been going online looking at the School District. Based on reporting, the School Year in that county began on the first day of august. They are in the beginning of a second month of school. Many american families, many americans are sending their kids off to the first week of School Post Labor day, others starting just before that. This district has been in session for at least a month so far right now, which is striking to me, given the fact that at least for my children and many others among the first things that happen at a new School Year, given the state of our society and fears of School Shootings, are the preparations that take place, drills, that among the first things they did was have some of these School Shooting drills taking place right now. We should note according to education week, its analysis says in advance of today, there had been 22 School Shootings this year to date that had resulted in injuries or death. You can compare that to 38 School Shootings with injuries or death last year, which would appear to make you think we are on a better pace this year. But, of course, school has been out most of the last several months. Now several months of school to go. This has become a real part of The American experience. Sadly, The American educational experience as well. We are looking at live pictures from georgia. You can see apalachee High School, the Chopper View giving us a sense of the Emergency Vehicles on scene. Jim, i want to ask you about this right now. Clearly, its too early for us to know what the Security Precautions exist at that school. Certainly, High Schools in particular around this country have taken unique precautions given the fear of School Shootings taking place. As we speak to you, you can see officers walking not with the same type of urgency you would expect if they thought there was still an active shooter on scene. Thats a great observation. You are right. At least in the area we are observing, the on Scene Commanders have determined that thats safe. They posted officers there. They dont believe those officers are in any danger of taking Rifle Fire or anything like that. I think the fact that they have this one person in custody has given them some sense of they are able to now sweep the buildings the way they want. Theres a large indoor facility here. S. W. A. T. Teams have to sweep every corner. There could be students and teachers barricaded safely in their rooms. They should stay there until they can verify its the police coming to their door. They should be able to hear the radio. They should be able to see the badge through the window or slid under the door or something. It has slowed down. You are right. I was going to say, as we look at this, we cant identify exactly where this took place, but it does appear that these students appear that they are lining up with some anticipation they may be allowed to depart at some point. The officers walking, as you indicated, without the same type of urgency. They are not hiding behind vehicles, with their backs to walls preparing to enter other parts of the building. It looks from this view that whatever situation existed there is under control in some form. I want to get to Frank Figliuzzi about what we are witnessing here, frank, right now. A lot of this is based on what we see right now. Its a real reminder about a challenge that campuses across this country are facing. Law enforcement across this country has been forced to grapple with. Frank, im going to get to you. Im told Anne Thompson has new information. Reporter this comes from our investigative reporters tom Winter And Jonathan deintz. They say that the initial information on scene i would remind you that this is preliminary and subject to change. Their sources are telling them that at least two people have been killed and at least four others have been injured as a result of the shooting at The School. We have no other information than that on the identities of the two who are supposedly dead and the four who are injured. We dont know if they are students or teachers. At this point, we do know the Georgia Bureau of investigations has confirmed this in the last five minutes that there is one suspect in custody. We do not know if he or she is among those killed or injured. At this point, both jonathan and Tom Report that there is no initial word on motive. From jonathan and tom, our investigative reporters, their sources telling them that at least two people are dead and at least four people have been injured in this School Shooting. Thats what we have got at this moment. Sadly, another fact of life coming true for another community being forced to grapple with the loss of Life Due to a School Shooting, a shooting on campus. Anne thompson sharing the details reported by our investigative team of two people killed, at least four other individuals injured. We know as we have reported, one suspect is believed to be in custody right now. No further detail about whether there are other suspects who are involved in the shooting that took place there. Whether the shooter was among those who whether he or she was injured. Whether there was exchange of gunfire at this point. Frank figliuzzi, going Back To You right now, now that its been confirmed by Law Enforcement through our teams that there are deaths in this School Shooting, its another devastating reminder as a new School Season a new School Year begins in this country. Yeah. Parents around the country this week are sending their children back to school for what is often the first week of school, depending on where you live. Communities continue to have to wrestle with the issue of how much security do we truly need . How much is realistic for us . Do we need magnatometers . They want to know if it entered the building itself and could that have been prevented . Right now, in the immediate aftermath, as jim said, have to clear the building. You have to let people know inside that its okay to come out. The Sheriffs Office said they do have one in custody. We see scenes of students milling about the Football Field in an open area tells us, of course, that the sheriffs are convinced that theres not a threat to that area. Thats really good new. Next step, reunite those students with their parents, within a designated Family Reunification area. Then comes the hard work of investigation. Why . Whats the motive . What triggered this . Were the victims of the shooting specifically targeted . If so, why . Were they administrators, students . Who was the shooter . An employee that was fired . A parent who is upset . A juvenile who is a student at the High School . That will help us learn more about prevention and what maybe could have happened. I said after the Parkland Shooting in florida, the eyes and ears, the best Warning Signs and indicators of trouble will come from fellow students and teachers and Guidance Counselors who in the Parkland Case were absolutely waving their arm saying, something bad is going to happen with this young man. We will learn more about this and the access to the gun. Was it legally purchased . Did it come from a parent . We simply dont know. I know this, georgia does not have Red Flag Laws, extreme Risk Laws that would permit a concerned Family Member to say or even a teacher to say, this child or this person has a weapon and i think we need to figure this out. Georgia doesnt have that capability. Frank, its interesting as you raise the topic of Red Flag Warnings and the desire right now by the current president , President Biden, Kamala Harris who is the top of the democratic ticket, that this has been an issue that has been a major motivator certainly over the course of the last several years. Its a reminder about the inability of american government, of congress alongside the White House, to be able to create the progress and the protocols necessary nationwide to help avoid incidents of this type from occurring right now. Jim kavanaugh, to you. As you talk about Red Flag Warnings are one way to communicate this. There are desires to have further Background Checks sometimes. To limit access that younger people have to weapons, obviously, whether they should be locked up in homes and beyond right now. As you look at this, we can based on what we are seeing, no weapons are drawn, officers are walking freely alongside others who do not appear to be in body armor. It looks like this is now the beginning of the investigative process as they try to go in and help clear the scene. So those who may have been trapped inside classrooms, locked inside, terrified right now, can begin to resume their day, likely to be questioned and reunited with families. What more are we not doing . What is not yet done in this country that we can do to better avoid moments like what we are witnessing from happening . Common Sense Gun Safety laws and good Red Flag Laws help to stop Gun Violence. Thats approven fact. Many of these can be stopped if leaders from the White House down to the sheriffs and chiefs of police, State Trooper commanders, federal agent commanders, District Attorneys, in each area of a county, a city, a few small Counties Band together, they should have a Task Force of designated lieutenant from the police, Sheriffs Department, a state investigative agency, atf, fbi representatives, d. A. , u. S. Attorney, local psychologists, School Board psychologists, and dependent on the level of activity in the area, meet once a week, once every two weeks, once every day, but they need a Core Group that is trained to recognize the leakage that comes out of 70 of these killers. The Fbi Study said, 70 of these guys leak their intentions prior to their violence. When that comes out, instead of the way we have it now, who do you call, who am i going to call, i will call a Patrol Officer . What happened to that information . He writes a report. Maybe Somebody Acts on it. Maybe somebody doesnt. Its a mishmash in 50 states and hundreds of counties. It should go to the Core Group trained in it and say, this looks like a leakage to me. This looks like a person on the edge to me. Lets talk to the psychologist who is on our team. Lets talk to the negotiator. Bring in the d. A. Can we stop this . Can we talk to the kid . Lets interview the family. A proactive group in every jurisdiction that can manage the level of activity. We dont do it. Why . That doesnt cost money. The people are employed. They can be assigned to it. If leaders around the country would stand up and do that, i think we would reduce the number. Were not going to eliminate them totally. That coupled with good Red Flag Laws and Gun Safety legislation would help a lot. Its proactive. Security at the buildings is another issue and should be addressed as well. I guarantee that this kid probably leaked something to another student. If they reported it to a teacher. Where does it go . To the principal . It should go every Stake Hold Holder when you get this stuff, it goes to the special Task Force thats formed in our area. If it does, they will know somebody on it. It is their lieutenant, their trooper, their agent, their assistant d. A. It will go right into that spot. You train those people up. Train them up. Send them to training. Get them smart. Give them the tool. They will stop more of these. You can see the prayers for victims. Concern for those four individuals who have been injured as a result of the shooting taking place just outside of atlanta. Apalachee High School. I want to ask you if i can, jim, a bit more about this. Frank, perhaps you can help us understand this. It relates to the drills and what schools do. Im struck as a parent myself, i remember i will never forget bringing our child when she was a kindergartner to school, her first experience in an elementary school. She came back from one of her first days and said, today we learned how to hibernate. They learned how to be like a bear, being as silent as they could in the corner of the classroom behind their desks. Not old enough to understand why they would be doing this. Not only enough to understand the threat that exists in this country right now. These are High School students. They have spent most of their School Years now with this type of fear. What do they do in these drills . What are they doing to try to better fortify or change the way schools address this threat going forward . We now sadly have a generation that has been raised on some form of active shooter lockdown drill. Thats the first time in our Nations History that we have that group in our society, raised that way. You mentioned age appropriate drills, which is really essential. The purpose is not to scare young children. The drills have to be very age appropriate. Yes, its popular to use the animal that got loose on campus. Its fun. It can be whimsical. Who is the best hider . Who can stay more quiet so the bear doesnt hear us or the tiger doesnt hear us . I have seen that work very effectively. You need not scare young ildren. Once you reach the High School population, they are attuned to the issue. That drill does have to happen, does have to include some smart concepts like, do we run . Very often that barricade, of course, is the first response. We need to take that to the next step and give teachers some guidance beyond that. I have seen some successful programs where the students actually help barricade doors, push desks up against the doors. The Window Shades is turned down. Cellphones go down. Thats very, very important. The other thing i cannot emphasize enough what jim said. I had the privilege as head of an Fbi Field Office to bring School Resource officers together with school nurses, with Guidance Counselors and principals of schools. Sometimes for the first time in the same room, which was to my amazement. Have them create these Response Teams so a concern might be raised by a school nurse, by a teacher, a counselor and would go immediately to this group for assessment on what to do. That should be one of the first things that parents through their pta and School Board interactions say, do we have such an Assessment Group . Can they meet in a quick Phone Call to assess a concern about a student . Even a parent or a teacher or a janitor. Whatever it is, do we have that mechanism here . Thats essential. Frank figliuzzi, Jim Kavanaugh, anne tthompson, stay with us. We will take a short break. Before we do, very quickly, an update on what we are witnessing. At least two people we are told by Law Enforcement officials there in georgia have been killed. Its at the apalachee high School Campus, 45 miles outside of atlanta. Four others injured as a result of this shooting. We are told that at least one person one individual is currently in custody. You are watching live coverage of the shooting at apalachee High School. We will take a short break and be right back. Th verizon, get nfl Sunday Ticket from Youtube Tv on us. And a great deal on galaxy z fold6. For a total value of Twelve Hundred And Fifty dollars. Only on verizon. Jalen Hurts see you sunday there are some feelings you can get with any sportsbook. Ohhh the highs no, no, no. The no, no, Noooos Oooooooo the oh, oh, ohhhhs now whatcha wanna do with this . But the feeling that, no matter what, youre taken care of. Ohhh, i just earned a Hotel Suite Hee you only get that here. At the sportsbook born in vegas, where they know how to treat you right. Who you talking to Jamie Foxx . Bonus bets. Exclusive offers. Real world rewards. Betmgm. Download and bet today. Ugh, when is my Allergy Spray going to kick in . You need astepro. Astepro . Its faster, bro. 8x faster than flonase. Its faster, bro its faster, bro its faster, bro its mom to you. Astepro starts working in 30 minutes. Astepro and go we are back now with more Breaking News. From georgia, where a shooting at a High School, apalachee High School, two people dead and four others injured. We know one person right now, one suspect is in custody according to Law Enforcement. Joining us is nbcs tom winter, national Law Enforcement and intelligence correspondent, Anne Thompson and Jim Kavanaugh and Frank Figliuzzi. I want to tell our audience in the commercial break, we had a chance to watch more of the live pictures feeding in from the scene. We did see an ambulance where an individual was on a stretcher taken into the ambulance. That individual setting upright, appearing to be conscious. Tom winter, part of our investigative team, has been speaking to sources. As we look at live pictures it appears the situation has been resolved, even as they try to clear the scene there. What specifically are you learning at this time . Reporter thats right. The initial indication its difficult when these School Shootings happen for the reason that you are looking at on screen. You are looking at a large number of students who are fleeing a scene, what is going on, leaving The School. It can sometimes be a little difficult as investigators and Law Enforcement officials get on scene to try to determine who may have been injured, what type of scene they are looking at. The information they are reporting is preliminary. Its subject to change. We hope that the numbers come down, because any time we are talking about a School Shooting, its tragic. We are told at this hour, as of 12 30 eastern time, theres initial indications of two dead and perhaps four injured. Those numbers, of course, may change. One thing that is certain, according to the Georgia Bureau of investigation, they are saying that the suspect is in custody. Whether that suspect is part of those casualties or not is still a little unclear. Thats information that we are trying to get. We dont have an identity of that individual or any particular motive for this shooting. Thats the initial indications that we are getting from the scene is that this has been a fatal shooting. Of course, peter, as you well know, because we have done this unfortunately so many times, that come early august, Mid August into early september, we kind of wait for some of the first School Shootings of the year, because its been something that we have continued to report on over the last decade plus or so as these have been unfortunately more common. What officials are doing on the ground is they are going through The School, getting the students out, making sure they have everybody accounted for that they need to and conduct any searches they might need to after that point. Once they have a tally of the students and can put together who is in good condition and who is ready go home, they will be able to make that determination. I think the most important thing that we have learned, unfortunately, from School Shootings where the Law Enforcement response has been critical or criticized, i should say, is the sooner you can get students out the better. We will need to do more reporting and learn more about what happened today and the response to this. Thats what we have so far. Tom winter, one of our lead investigators here at Nbc News. Thank you. While you were speaking, we have heard from the White House confirming that President Biden has been briefed on the shooting having taken place there at apalachee High School in winder, georgia. Anne thompson has been keeping a close eye on what we are hearing from leaders and the governor. The Georgia Bureau of investigation. Anne, Anything Else . Reporter we are getting information from the Trauma Center in atlanta. It received one Gunshot Victim from the shooting at apalachee High School. You mentioned governor kemp. He is the governor of georgia. He tweeted that they are he has authorized all resources to go out to Barrow County to help. He is urging georgians to join his family in praying for those at The School. We do know the Georgia Bureau of investigation is also on the scene. We know from bother Barrow County sheriffs and the gbi that one suspect is in custody. The latest is that at least one victim has been taken to grady hospital in atlanta, a level i Trauma Center. That would indicate that that person is in pretty serious condition at this point. Peter . Anne thompson with the latest. We will monitor the situation there throughout not just the community of winder but the wider Atlanta Area where at least four were injured in the shooting are being cared for right now. We get more information on their conditions, we will share that with you. We spoke a moment ago about how President Biden has been briefed. We are learning more details from a senior white House Official who tells Nbc News that the president has been briefed by his Homeland Security Advisor on this tragic shooting as they describe it at apalachee High School. The biden administration will continue coordinating with federal, state and local officials as we receive more information. Frank figliuzzi, Jim Kavanaugh still with us right now. Frank and jim, im struck by the fact as we watch this this is as much a rite of The American fall, start of the new School Year as is the photo before the first day of school on the doorstep. Send your student off and within days and sometimes weeks, there are then these headlines about School Shootings. The Surgeon General, of course, taking the unprecedented step earlier this year of declaring Gun Violence a public Health Crisis in this country. That, of course, is not unique to what happens on School Campuses. Obviously, those shootings get so much attention given the privilege in this country. Four in ten americans say that they have live in a household with a gun. 32 of americans say they own one. Of course, the right to ear arms is protected. The challenge is how to keep it out of the hands of those individuals, for whatever reason, may be dangerous and make the decision to use this on a School Campus or anywhere else in their community where innocent victims are killed. Frank, to you right now, about the effort and the recalcitrance of republicans in particular to allow for more efforts, more actions to be taken to restrict access to guns, particularly as it relates to those individuals who may have violent motivations. Yeah. I know after every one of these shootings, Theres Criticism that you shouldnt be turning this into a political discussion. Its too soon. We hear that criticism. Look, this is not political. Common Sense Gun laws and Safety Measures go way beyond politics. They have now become a national security issue. We need to come to common agreement on certain things. If you talk to reasonable Gun Owners, they will tell you, bad Guys Shouldnt have guns. People who are making violent threats and showing Warning Signs and indicators of Violence Shouldnt have guns. Kids shouldnt be able to get their parents guns and bring them outside. They should be locked up safely. Many states have such laws about not permitting access to juveniles of the guns in your home. Its easy to get Gun Locks. Go to the state fair, county fair. You will see a booth set up. It says, free Gun Locks. Get one. Its not hard. We should be able to come to agreement on that. Yet, we seem to be politicizing virtually everything. I feel the same way about Red Flag Laws. People paint that as, my god, its the government coming to take your gun away. No. Its your family and or Law Enfocement and or Mental Health professionals saying, this guy scares me, and until we figure it out we need to temporarily take the gun away until Due Process can take place and a judge can say, i have a valid Threat Concern here or i dont, give the gun back. That seems to be highly politicized as well. People think its a Slippery Slope for the government taking your gun away. If you are okay with this happening every School Year, its fine with you or you want to say, well, just arm every teacher, lets put s. W. A. T. Teams in schools. You are kidding me. Theres other ways we can do that. We just seem incapable of getting to that point. I want to bring in dr. Annie andrews. Shes a pediatrician, a pediatric Firearm Injury Expert and for this conversation, a senior advisor. As we witness and learn details about the situation taking place there in winder, georgia, at apalachee High School, you know guns have become the leading killer for young people, leading killer of young people in this country. What are we not doing to avoid these headlines from the Wall To wall coverage and the attention as they happen again at the start of another School Year . Thank you for having me. My heart is with the families in georgia that were affected by this tragedy. We are still learning what happened in georgia today. You are right, this is a public Health Crisis that should transcend our divisive politics. Where we sit today, georgia has the 46th Weakest Gun Laws in the country. There are solutions to this public Health Crisis that the Surgeon General outlined. Those include common Sense Gun laws like secure storage laws, that require that adult Gun Owners keep their guns securely stored so they can prevent child access. Laws like universal Background Checks and Red Flag are extreme risk orders, all of these laws are supported by the vast majority of americans and reduce unintentional shootings, Youth Suicide and the tragedy that occurs when guns show up on school grounds. Im a pediatrician but im a mom of three schoolchildren. My heart breaks every time i see these headlines. The reality in america, back to School Season is School Shooting season. Until we elect lawmakers who have the moral fortitude to act in conjunction with what the majority of americans want, we are going to continue to see Headlines Day after day in america. Back to School Season is School Shooting season, let that sink in for so many americans as we watch this headline here. I want to ask you about the trauma. Obviously, there are those physically injured in a shooting like what took place today. There are so many other students at this school alone, 1,900 students go to school on that campus, many of them obviously wont have been directly affected but they will have been mentally affected as they have to marinate in the mads than they saw or experienced or are learning about on their own campus. What is that trauma . What is the impact on this generation of students . The Ripple Affect of these tragedies is truly immeasurable. Every child in that building, every family of every child in that building, every child in the district, every child in the state and all 73 Million children in this country are affected by this preventable public Health Crisis. We have robbed our children of a sense of physical and psychological safety this one of the places where they should feel the most secure. Just last week, when my 12yearold went back to middle school, she told me her Number One fear is School Shootings. We have failed our children so deeply and devastatingly on this issue. We have a chance to change course. If we start electing leaders who care more about americas children than they care about the Gun Industry and the Gun Lobby, we could right this wrong. We can pass common Sense Gun laws. We can protect americas children in every community in this country. We talked about how georgia has the 46th Weakest set of Gun Laws in this country right now. What in particular, if you can identify, are they not doing in georgia that some states are doing that have helped better protect those communities . The top three things are they have not expanded Background Checks. They dont have a secure storage law. They dont have an extreme Risk Protection Order or Red Flag law. These laws we know reduce the incidence of Gun Violence in communities. Theres a link between a States Gun Law strength and the rate of Firearm Injury and mortality in that state. We need leaders in georgia and across this country to show moral Courage And Act in a way that will protect americas children and all americans in every community in this country. About 15 minutes shy of 1 00 on the East Coast right now. We are watching the situation as it continues to play out in winder, georgia, where at least two people have been killed. At least four others injured as a result of a School Shooting that took place on this campus of nearly 2,000 students. We are told one suspect is in custody based on the situation of what we are seeing, as an ambulance clears the scene. It appears the situation has been if not completely, largely resolved right now. Not the same urgency from the Law Enforcement i fishls when we came on the air a short time ago. Anne to you, we talk about what more can be done in these different places and the impact this does have on students right now. Im struck about what families what this conversation among families is supposed to sound like. You talk about how we have failed our students right now. I remember being at the Democratic National Convention a matter of weeks ago. They had a moment where there were many individuals who had been impacted by Gun Violence in this country. Among them, the now very wellknown Congresswoman Gabby giffordses. I was in the crowd near the california delegation. I saw a woman wipe atear away from her eye. I introduced myself to her. She shared with our live audience her experience as a schoolteacher and a mom. The real fear she has right now. I was reading as you were speaking that a majority of k to 12 teachers, 59 of kindergarten to 12th Grade teachers in this country say they are worried about the possibility of a School Shooting taking place on their campus. Nearly one in five say they are deeply worried, very concerned about this. This is, at this point, a forgone conclusion that there will be more shootings, that we will see dozens more before the end of this School Year. Thats right. Until we change our Gun Laws, this is the reality we are facing. The reality that we have designed with Gun Laws written by the Gun Lobby in this country for americas children. Americas teachers are concerned about this. In my School District, there south carolina, we have stopped the bleed kids hanging on the wall. We struggle to allow the district to distribute Gun Locks to our patients to the students in the district. I remember growing up as a student in california where our drills, what are School Shooting drills was an earthquake drill. A flashlight and you hid under the desk. Now these classrooms have stop the Bleed Kits and other preparations taking place. What exists in campuses . What is that . Is that some way to physically to wrap an arm if its Shot Or Something like that until paramedics can arrive . Yes. Its a Bleeding Control Kit that hangs on every elementary School Classroom Wall in Charleston County School District. It was in my kindergarten daughters classroom. Thats a reactive approach to this public Health Crisis. If we were to take a comprehensive public Health Address to addressing this, that would include preventative, proactive measures like passing common Sense Gun laws, like public education campaigns about the importance of secure Firearm Storage in the home as a means to reduce the incidents of guns showing up on school grounds. Instead, its easier to hang stop the Bleed Kits will do nothing to stop bleeding from an assault weapon injury. It makes some people feel better. Its not addressing the root cause. As a pediatrician who works very every day in preventative measures to protect the children of this country, its infuriating that politics has deeply infiltrated this conversation that we have lost the thread. As a result, our children are suffering. Children are being shot across this country every day. School shootings make the headline. Its the daily Community Violence that affects more children in this country. Its unintentional shooting. Children as young as 2 can find an unsecured firearm and shoot themselves or someone else. This is a public Health Crisis. We need to act with the urgency it requires. We appreciate your perspective and expertise. I want to get back to tom winter. As we speak to you, you can see on Screen One of the mobile Incident Command centers. This belongs to the county. This didnt occur there, but its a situation where they bring all resources possible from within that community and the neighboring communities, from across the state as necessary to try to address the situation like this. Walk us through what information you have learned and what the questions are you are still trying to get answers to right now. Reporter right. We are trying to get answers as to who the suspect is or was. We dont know their condition. We dont know whether they are alive in Police Custody or deceased. All we know from the Georgia Gur raw of investigation, they said on the record and have put on their Social Media accounts that this person . Custody. That is good news that at least one person is in custody. We know that this school is on lockdown. We have been looking at the video from our affiliate in atlanta, wxia and their helicopter. They will go through and talk to each one of the students if theres any direct witnesses, be able to speak with them. Thats very important to their efforts. As you noted, theres a number of resources that are there from other counties in georgia. On top of that, the fbi is sending members of that agency to assist. They will be there to help out in play way. We are not hearing that they are taking over the investigation. That would mean a lot with respect to motive. We have had no indication of that so far. The Georgia Bureau of investigation is the statewide investigative resource agency, i should say, that has at built to conduct these types of large investigations and does this quite often on a number of different crimes in georgia. Thats what we know as far as the state of the investigation. We dont have a motive. We dont have an identity on this individual. As you can imagine, and as we look at right now on screen, its a very chaotic scene. The initial indications are that theres at least four injured and perhaps as many as two dead. We will see where these numbers go from here. If theres ever a time that we would like to be wrong, it would be nice to be wrong and the numbers would come down. Thats the initial indication from folks that we are talking to, briefed on what they found on the ground so far in georgia. Thats what we know, peter. We will continue to wait to get more from authorities there, from the people we talk to on a daily basis. Obviously, at some point Law Enforcement will brief us on camera. Tom on camera. We appreciate your reporting on this. I know you need to make more calls. Please update us as you learn any more information. I want to get back to frank in this conversation. Specifically to you, walk us through what the process is like after an arrest, after a suspect is detained, taken into custody. What Law Enforcement needs to do, what their immediate reactions are. They try to find out if there is any larger plot. They try to get to the bottom of what motivated this individual. Going into their computers, their cell phones, going into their homes. Walk us through what that investigative process is like. Yep, there will be two different groups that we set up. An investigative group and an intelligence group. The investigative group has the task right now of doing interviews, determining, for example, who the witnesses were to this. So if the word is out that this happened on the second Floor Classroom Number 247, theyre going to pull a list of students who were in room 247 at the time. Theyll reach out to them. It might even start happening on the Football Field. It will be a little bit of work to backtrack and say who was there. Who saw it . We need names. We need phone numbers. Get everybody individually in a room so theyre not hearing each others statements and start figuring out what happened. Similarly to figuring out Security Camera footage. Can we at least see the shooter entering The School . Where did he come in . Was The School properly locked . Did Someone Prop a door open . Was there a backpack . Some package that the person was carrying that probably was the gun . Theyll be doing that on the investigative team. On the intel team, here comes the background, the motive. Why did this happen . Lets get a Search Warrant . Right now, the District Attorney or the state Attorneys Office in georgia is working with investigators to say, lets get a Search Warrant for subjects home, if they have a vehicle, if they have a public storage locker, all of that will require a Search Warrant. That will have to be done very safely because a lot of times, and Jim Cavanagh mentioned this, there is a booby trap, a device that is waiting for Law Enforcement to show up. So interview, friends, family, witnesses, teachers, guidance counsellors, plus all the work going into Search Warrants right now. What are some of the questions specifically that americans watching right now, parents should be asking their School District . Their school as they return back to teacher night, back to School Night is coming. Meet the teacher, back to School Nights are coming. What are some things parents can ask schools to do to make sure there are precautions in place to best protect the campus as they can. The Number One question i would be asking as a parent, does this school have a Threat Assessment Team and who is on it . I want to hear the guidance downers, The School nurse, maybe the Assistant Principal is on this team that can assemble very quickly to assess a concern. Maybe a student as weve seen before has written an essay that is really troubling about maybe violence that is imminent. Maybe there is talk that has been reported to a fellow student. That team should come together and have professional training. Its not enough to say we have a team. What training have they received and what triggers a Law Enforcement action . Question Number One. Question number two, what do we, what is the policy with regard to drills and how often theyre conducted and how effective they really are and are they done in a way that threatens students or in a way that truly offers protection to the students . I appreciate your perspective and expertise. Before we close this hour, i want to get a take from you about the investigation. As you can see from the situation on the ground, Law Enforcement, two responsibilities. One, the deal with the students to try to clear the classrooms. To gather any evidence and get a better understanding of what was behind this and how it came to be. Well, theyre already interviewing the shooter. We dont know his age. We dont know if hes a student or an adult. These guys are generally spent after these activities. Hes probably in there singing like hes on The Voice telling why he did it, all his rationale for wanting to get everyone, get revenge or become infamous. It becomes nonsensical. Like frank said, half of these result in the death of the shooter by Suicide Or Police action or a citizen intervening. Half will have a prosecution. For this one well have a prosecution for murder in a state court. All the witnesses in the classroom, witnesses who saw him come in, witnesses about where the gun was obtained, any prior statements, leakage. So you have a Murder Case here that will have to be prosecuted in the courts. You can imagine a campus of this size, there could be a lot of witnesses. Nearly 1,900 students go to school there. Were grateful for your expertise. That will do it for this edition of Andrea Mitchell reports. Youve been watching coverage of the School Shooting at apalachee High School. Chris jansing will have much more on the Breaking News after a short break. T break. Option chain, easytouse tools and Paper Trading to help sharpen your skills, you can stay on top of the market from wherever you are. E trade from Morgan Stanley Power E trades easy touse tools make complex trading less complicated. Custom scans can help you find new trading opportunities, while an Earnings Tool helps you plan your trades and stay on top of the market. 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