Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom With Brooke Baldwin 20141024

We do know that she is ebolafree and she spoke to us a little while ago. Take a listen. Id first and foremost like to tlank god, my family, and friends. Throughout this ordeal, i have put my trust in god and my medical team. I am on my way back to recovery even as i reflect on how many others have not been so fortunate. Of course i am so incredibly thankful for everyone involved in my care from the moment i became ill and was admitted to Texas Health Presbyterian hospital, dallas, up to today, my discharge from the Clinical Research center of nih. I would especially like to thank dr. Kent brandtly for his selfless act of donating plasma to me. As a nurse, i have a special appreciation for the care ive received from so many people, not just doctors and nurses, but the entire support team. I believe in the power of prayer because i know so many people all over the world have been praying for me. I do not know how i can ever thank you, everyone, enough for their prays and their expressions of concern, hope and love. I join you in prayer now for the recovery of others, including my colleague and friend amber vinson and dr. Craig spencer. I hope that people understand that this illness and this whole experience has been very stressful and challenging for me and for my family. Although i no longer have ebola, i know that it may be a while before i have my strength back. So with gratitude and respect for everyones concern, i ask for my privacy and for my familys privacy betobe respected as i return to texas and try to get back to a normal life and reunite with my dog bentley. [ laughter ] eliciting some laugh there is, that was nina pham, and this is amber vinson. She mentioned her colleague amber vinson, that was second nurse there in dallas. She is also ebolafree but she is still in that hospital at emory in atlanta, though i can tell you she mentioned dr. Craig spencer, well take you back to that story, thats the big story in new york city and what crews are doing to his apartment, Health Department. Well take you through all of that first. Let me bring in senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen whos been covering this treatment for weeks and weeks in dallas. I know youre here in new york but can we just at least its a pretty awesome picture, i think, seeing the president of the United States and nina pham hugging. And what we heard from the white house was, you know, no extra precaution was taken, medical before he saw her. Right, because she doesnt have ebola anymore so theres no need to take precaution. So theyre just like anybody else. Its amazing to see this. This is testament to what can happen. Nina caught her disease very quickly, the minute she saw that elevated temperature she called the authorities. 90 minutes later she was in isolation. Thats the way its supposed to work. So now that we say she is ebolafree, and we mentioned amber vinson is ebolafree although shes in atlanta at that hospital, what does that mean . When will she feel back to quote unquote normal . L she be able to travel . Will she be able to return to the dallas hospital and work . You know, i think the big question is when will she feel as she put it back to her full strength. And we dont know exactly. But i think it can be weeks or even months, perhaps. Kent brantly, who recovered back in august, i think it was, or Early September he got out of the hospital, he still talks about getting his strength back. But, yes, eventually she will be able to go back to work at the hospital. Theres no safety reason why she cant. Its really just all about when she feels up to it. Elizabeth cohen, ill let you go, theres sirens drowning out a bit in new york city. Well talk to you next hour about why youre in new york and about the patient here. Lets focus on that right now. All of this developing here, nina phams news as new york city deals with its first ebola diagnosis. Dr. Craig spencer, a volunteer for Doctors Without Borders testing positive after treating ebola patients over in west africa in guinea. Feeling sluggish and reporting a fever yesterday, on wednesday he was out and about in the countrys most denselypopulated city hanging out at a Brooklyn Bowling alley, going for a threemile run, he was dining out, he was riding the citys crowded subway system. But we ha just heard this afternoon from the mayor of new york city, from bill de blasio, hes urging new yorkers to remain calm. The patient is now being held in isolation at bellevue and poses no threat to others. We have the finest Public Health system not only anywhere in this country but anywhere in the world. Its a Public Health system that has been developed over decades. It is ready for extraordinary challenges and its proving it has we speak. We are fully prepared to handle ebola. Despite assurances without that without symptoms the chance of a contagion is low, three contacts of dr. Spencers are quarantined, including his fiance. And an Obama Administration official says the u. S. Is considering a mandatory quarantine for all Health Care Workers returning from west africa. Now, outside contractors are right this very minute at craig spencers apartment working to sanitize it. Here are pictures we have for you. Theyre taking anything that may have spencers bodily fluids on it, you name it. Looks like a suitcase here but obviously theyre thinking sheets and towels and toothbrushes. With all of this happening, you have to wonder how are spencers neighbors dealing with this . So we have one, Ricardo Lawrence lives just across the hall from dr. Spencer. Ricardo, thank you so much for taking a minute with me. Youre welcome. A couple quick questions for you as i can only naj Media Presence all around you there. You shared a photo of dr. Spencers door just a couple feet across the hallway from you and i believe this was taken before the Health Department arrived . Here it is just in halloween decorations. Tell me, has the Death Department knocked on your door, spoken with you yet . Im sorry. Could you repeat that . Im wondering if the Health Department has knocked on your door and spoken with you yet . Well, theyre getting ready to go in and do the sanitizing, they havent, as far as i know, gone in yet, theyre just gathering their equipment outside in the hallway right now. When did you first learn this was happening in the apartment across the hall from you . Im having difficulty hearing you. Were having a tough time. Let me just repeat that and if it doesnt work were just going to have to bail. But let me try again, sir. When did you learn of the news that it was dr. Craig spencer who has ebola who lives across the hallway from you . No dice. Okay. Were going to pull away. Thats unfortunate because we were looking forward to talking to him. As hes been in contact with us through the day we do know and as he just mentioned the Health Department either are on the scene and certainly talking to people in the building including ricardo. Just ahead, should medical workers be quarantined after caring for ebola patients . Plus, ill talk live with someone who says there is no way this doctor should have gone outside if he was feeling sluggish. And any moment now police in new york holding a News Conference about this hatchet attack that injured multiple Police Officers. Was this attacker a socalled lone wolf. We now have more answers. Stay with me. Youre watching cnns special coverage. Ot of things great. But parallel parking isnt one of them. Youre either too far from the curb. Or too close to other cars. Its just a matter of time until you rip some guys bumper off. So, here are your choices take the bus. Or get Liberty Mutual insurance. For drivers with accident forgiveness, Liberty Mutual wont raise your rates due to your first accident. See Car Insurance in a whole new light. Call Liberty Mutual insurance. I won this 55 inch tv for less than 30 on dealdash. Com. Visit dealdash. Com for great deals. And start bidding today were reviewing the selfmonitoring practices of Health Care Workers who may have been exposed to ebola. Nbcs chief medical editor dr. Nancy snyderman who covered the epidemic in liberia was forced into mandatory quarantine after she violated a voluntary agreement to stay put once she returned to the states. Remember, she was spotted outside that new jersey restaurant. Then you have dallas nurse amber vinson who was just reported, thank goodness, as ebolafree. But shes still at emory hospital. She traveled out of state after treating patient thomas eric duncan. And even spanish nurse treresa ramos went on vacation before she felt ill. This is what we have from Doctors Without Borders. Extremely strict procedures are in place for staff dispatched to ebolaaffected countries before, during, and after their assignments. Despite strict protocols, risk cannot be completely eliminated. So joining me now to discuss, dr. Alexander garza, former chief medical officer for the department of Homeland Security. Dr. Garza, welcome. Good afternoon, how are you . Im okay. Im hoping ill be better once i talk to you and we can fill in blanks. Its assuring reading this from Doctors Without Borders. I know they are best of the best, just talking to doctors theyve taken incredible precautions, especially africa. But let me quote one more thing from request Doctors Without Borders. As long as a return staff member does not experience any symptoms, normal life can proceed. Family, friends, and neighbors can be assured that a returned staff person who does not present symptoms is not contagious and does not put them at risk. So quarantine is neither warranted more to recommended when a person is not displaying ebolalike symptom which is, doc, brings me to the situation we have here in new york city with dr. Spencer. So given the fact that obviously things can happen, should that change . Should that be a mandatory quarantine for any of these doctors who are coming back over here . Well, i think its really worth a discussion to have that, to discuss when they should be quarantined or not. You mean not just between the two of us on cnn. Exactly. So clearly Doctors Without Borders has been doing this for decades and have a good track record with protecting their Health Care Workers. With that being said, in the current ebola outbreak, theres been over 400 Health Care Workers that have contracted ebola with half of them dying. And thats part of the big problem in west africa is the Health Care Workers are contracting the virus and they are dying and therefore its really tough to get care to these people over there. And so Health Care Workers are at a very high risk for contracting the virus. These patients are still very sick. They have a lot of virus circulating in their body. That increases the probability that theyre going to have some sort of exposure. How does that translate now into a proactive quarantine issue . So, you know, thats really a tough one to call because until they become systematic, theyre at no risk to anybody. So the question is, really, whos going to become systematic . But thats a catch22 dr. Gar a. Because i can be fine, fine, fine, walking, going to the Bowling Alley and then wham, im not fine. But the majority of people are going to be doing fine. The majority of Health Care Workers dont contract ebola. And so i think we have to balance that somehow. With that being said, i think the other part of it, though, is its very easy to talk quarantine strategy but we really is to talk about logistically how that happens. So if we are going to say well, we need to quarantine all of these Health Care People that come back from these countries, we really need to work through how is that logistically going to work. Are they going to be holed up in their apartments . A Public Health person checking them dally. I mean, a 21day incubation period, ive never spent 21 Straight Days in my house but i can imagine that would be a really tough thing to do. So i think its just not as simple as saying, well, lets quarantine everybody. I think we have to have a very robust discussion, see exactly what the parameters are and then make a really educated decision about the way forward. I think youre exactly right. I dont think its a practicality issue but i hope thats a discussion happening beyond the two of us here because it seems like a serious issue. Let me ask you from your perspective of someone who has been in government. We know this morning during a House Oversight Committee Hearing the Inspector General of the department of Homeland Security said this. Dhs did not manage its inventory of drugs or equipment. As a result, dhs did not know how many drugs it had on hand or where it was being stored. Drugs and equipment have gone missing and conversely our audit has found drugs in the dhs inventory that the department thought had been destroyed. We visited multiple sites and found drugs that were not being stored in a temperaturecontrolled environment. Because dhs cannot be assured that they were properly stored, they are in the process of recalling a significant quantity of them because they may not be safe or effective. So that makes me nervous and im wondering if i should feel that way. Our Health Care Workers, is Homeland Security ready for Something Like that . Right. And so i think its a valuable question that needs to be asked and so what i used to say when i was the chief medical officer there is part of our job isnt necessarily the Public Health issue, its really the security issue. And taking care of our workers is paramount to maintaining national security. The majority of the dhs work force is operational. Its a 70 in the field, manning coast guard cutters, manning the borders and the air force and in order for us to have a Strong Security posture doctor, forgive me. I need to interrupt you. Dr. Gaza, thank you so much. We have to pull away from from that. Were now hearing here at cnn of a possible School Shooting just north of seattle. We are gathering the facts here. These are pictures thanks to our affiliate komo. Reports of a School Shooting north of seattle. Stay with me. Were getting information. Quick break, back with the breaking news after this. This is kathleen. 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Side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach and abnormal vision. To avoid longterm injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. Stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. Ask your doctor if viagra is right for you. Its a fresh approach on education superintendent of public instruction Tom Torlaksons blueprint for great schools. Torlaksons blueprint outlines how investing in our schools will reduce class sizes, bring back music and art, and provide a wellrounded education. And torlaksons plan calls for more parental involvement. Spending decisions about our education dollars should be made by parents and teachers, not by politicians. Tell Tom Torlakson to keep fighting for a plan that invests in our public schools. Breaking news as we are looking at pictures of a high school, this is just outside of seattle, north of seattle. Marysville, washington. Let me read for you what we have as far as this reported School Shooting. This is an active situation according to investigators here. This is what we have from our affiliate komo out of seattle. As you can see what looks to be students just sort of huddled outside. Police Squadron Unit there is swarming this school right now. As i can tell you, this is marysville high school. There have been reports of an active shooter opening fire inside of the school. Im looking, im reading as im looking with one eye, the pictures, it looks to be at least one ambulance there. According to this report, heres the lay of the land of the school, according to this report at least two students were shot. Depending on what youre seeing and reading, this is a fluid situation and happening as i speak. There could be more. We just cannot confirm that are for you. So according to seattle tv affiliate komo, at least two students have been shot. They are being airlifted to Harborview Medical Center, this is in seattle. There was no immediate word on their condition so you know were working on getting that information for you. As far as the where. Affording to this affiliate this shooting happened inside of the school cafeteria. So this individual dont know if its a student, dont know if theyre even affiliated with this school opened fire inside of the cafeteria and heres the thing, and this is what were trying to confirm, that the shooter is still believed to be at large. At least 20 police cars, multiple ambulances. You see people walking away here. They are responding to the incident. The school is on lockdown. Ive been trying to get through here on my internet just to see within this Marysville School district if theres any information for parents but presumably, sadly, having covered a number of these, what theyre doing right now is they are trying to the priority of the students and the safety of the students and keeping these students away from and cordoned off from wherever this shooter may be if this situation is still active. Again, according to recent reports, and i am not getting ahead of myself, this is still an active situation. Looks like Law Enforcement presence there in that white suv as this helicopter pilot with our affiliate out of seattle is trying to see, it looks like that Police Walking around this school, were working to get more information and talk to Law Enforcement to try to walk us through what exactly is going on. A lot of times theyre going to try to keep parents i cant imagine being a mother or father and hearing about this on the news but theyre going to tell parents eventually to go to a location to pick up the students. When the students are safe. But for right now they are cordoning off this entire area. Theyre trying to find the shooter and theyre obviously going to try to take that shooter down, to stop the shooter. Steve cardian is on the phone with me, he is a former new york police detective. Steve, in situations like this, i know students are safety priority number one. Tell me what Law Enforcement is doing right now considering, according to reports, the shooter is active. Well, right now theyre having everyone lock in place. So theyre going to be securing themselves in classrooms or wherever they might be. Law enforcement is going to send in an active shooter team. If he is active, theyll go to him. If not, theyll go do a meticulous search but the priority is to get to him, keep the students safe and getting the students that are injured tended to and out of there. I dont know if youre in front of the tv, steve, but were looking at what looks to be perhaps students, some of whom appear to be in wheelchairs being wheeled across this lawn out of the school. So how would this work . If, for example, steve, the reports are true that the shooting happened within the cafeteria, this looks like a pretty large school, multiple buildings when that helicopter would pull out and we could really get a better vantage. Would they try to get the students who are nowhere near the cafeteria out . If they can confirm that the shooter is not in their immediate vicinity but theyre not going to take any chances so its going to have to be a certain thing. Ive got to keep them in place looked down so that the shooter gets from them so they can actively pursue the shooter if, in fact, hes still live. If hes still alive. I think its a point worth making because if you are we dont know, again, if this is a child, if this is a student, or an adult. But if you are a Police Officer and youre confronting this shooter, what do you do . Well, we always presume certainly that hes alive and active and lying in wait but we also know that its possible he could have committed suicide. But those two factors, considering theyre going into the school, handing the situation 100 as if he is still there and still potentially dangerous. You can see the very slow, very careful groupings of these students of these classes are they are leaving the main buildings area. If you are just joining us, let me pull up my information so i have this precise for you. If you are just joining us, there are reports of an active shooting situation at marysville pill chuck high school, at least two students have been injured. We know those two students have been airlifted, so serious enough to be airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in seattle and, again, witnesses saying the shoot thing happened inside of the cafeteria. I know i have Alexander Field to my right, she is working on getting information. I have steve cardian on the line. We also have the phone, thank you, tom shamshack, a former police chief currently a private investigator. Tom, let me bring your voice into this whole conversation as we are all watching this together. Tom, are you with me . Can, we dont have tom. Steve cardian, i still have you. I am getting handed information so i am bear with me as i read this cold. Local Law Enforcement under the direction of the Marysville Police department will be holding swat training this was actually yesterday. This was yesterday. They held swat training yesterday in the area around the School District. So take a look at this as were watching people running. Just gives you chills seeing these students running one after another after another out of this school, steve. Can you see what im seeing . No but im on a land line. Were seeing students run so i think to your point earlier theyre trying to clear out the perimeter, the classes the classes to keep the students safe and theyre likely trying to somehow communicate. Often via text message or email to parents of these students to go to x location. As soon as we get that information for you, parents, well pass it to you. But steve, again, the priority of the Law Enforcement as we saw them walking back and forth, theyre trying, potentially, to find the shooter. Its a priority at this point. We already have two injured and certainly they dont want any more casualties so theyll be very meticulous and if they have him secure ord separated or Additional Information we dont know of, their priority is to remove those students and ensure their safety. How are these police offic officers, how are they approaching this tactically within the school if, in fact, the shooter has not been located . Without getting into specific detail, the the shooter is active were going directly to him to neutralize his activity. If not, if we dont have him active at the time were going we go through that school, lock it down, clear it down, remove those that we know we can without further injury but theyll do in the a very safe and slow meticulous manner. Steve, let me read you, we have a little more if youre joining us here and were reporting on this School Shooting in this High School North of seattle and we have a this is according to phone caw calls we have been making, a School Inside marysvillepilchuck high school is telling cnn a shooting happened. This is a second corroboration, happening inside the cafeteria. Initially the students thought it was a fire drill until teachers told everyone to run into the classrooms because of an active shooting. This student is currently on lockdown inside of a classroom with other students and all of these students are unharmed you can see a number of students outside the school but for some students, they are on lockdown in individual classrooms. The student says at least one victim has been airlifted via helicopter. We saw it was too two students. This is way too early to know concretely how many, to be honest. But according to this one student, she saw one student airlifted via helicopter to a hospital. She believes multiple people have been shot. I have steve cardian on the line with me, a former new york police detective, alexandra field, do you have anything . Im just looking with you at people leaving the school. It seems like we see them out there walking. Incredibly tense moments for anyone watching this and may know someone, a student, a teacher, a parent inside that school whats interesting is that weve seen people well, you see them running now. For la a while we saw larger groups walking, didnt seem to be running. But we are under the impression from our affiliates, from komo . Seattle that this is an active situation so it would make sense to see people running. You can see more people there on the side of the screen. Obviously we know in these situations that the first thing they want to do is evacuate anyone theyre able to evacuate but given what the student is reporting to us we know there are people still locked down inside this school. Youve been on the scene with these kinds of shootings as have i and we know this is a process that can take hours. First of all, in an active shooter situation you have to find and subdue the shooter even when it appears that a shooter has been subdued we know Law Enforcement has to guard against the possibility of whether or not this student was working somewhere someone else and weve seen them time, after time, devastatingly having to take hours sweeping the school going room to room looking in closets and classrooms. You have to picture kids inside the classrooms right now, you know so many of them have their cell phones on them, very likely they might be trying to reach their parents right now, send emails. Text messages. Im there are teachers, authorities in that building who are doing everything in the interest of their safety to help them not identify their location. We dont know. Its a fluid situation. Let me jump in as we look at these pictures and welcoming our viewers in the United States and around the world. We are dealing with an active shooter situation, according to the most recent reports, an active shooting situation at a High School Just north of seattle washington, multiple students shot according to a student . Lockdown in one of these classrooms, though you can see a number of students being evacuated to get to safety away from the school and according to these reports it was a shooter, we dont know if it was a male, female, a student not affiliated with the school. This is all happening, this is all fluid and i dont want to get ahead of myself but this happened inside of the cafeteria. Braden eulor attended this high school in marysville, washington. Lives just around the corner. Can you hear me, this is brooke, youre live on cnn. Yeah, i can hear you. Braden, i understand you actually tell me how close you are to the school right now. Im about probably like ten houses away. Ten houses away. So close enough to you actually heard the shooting . I didnt hear any shots but i went out into my backyard and i saw a bunch of kids running away from the school and i heard somebody yell get away from campus. Can you tell me a little bit about the school . Here we have the school buses picking up students who have been evacuated, braydon. How big is this high school . This high school is pretty big. Its a pretty large campus. If they are evacuating people its going to be kind of hard. When we say pretty big several hundred Students Per Class . No, not several hundred per class but probably 40. Its really large campus. And, you know, in the wake of what happened in newtown and even really shootings before then we all, of course, go back to columbine, so much has changed as far as school security, the way you can enter a school after a certain time in the morning. How recently did you graduate, braydon . I graduated this past june but i didnt go to pilchuck i went to another school. Im sorry, i was told you went to this school. So you would not know, i am assuming the security the security precautions one would take to enter or exit this school . Not familiar with that, i assume. No, i dont know them but in my neighborhood there is a gate that leads right into the school thats not locked or anything. You can basically just walk on to campus. Its so big that theres a lot of ways you can enter it and honestly people wouldnt really know. Are you still seeing students from where you are braydon . I can go check. No, i dont see students anymore but i see a school bus, actually. You do. Yeah. Theres a bus, i think kids are getting on it. Braydon, stay with me. Tom fuentez, let me bring you in, Law Enforcement analyst, former fbi. Talking to braydon, he sees a school bus, were looking at affiliate pictures, im looking at three school buses. In situations like these when its an active situation, i dont know if the shooter is still active, if they have located the shooter or anything like that. You know they are trying to get students to safety as quickly but as carefully as possible. Thats right, brooke. They have to learn as quickly as possible if theres one shooter, more than one. What are the weapons involved police will be facing . How many wubded people are in the school and need to be evacuated and given medical attention. So theres a lot of questions that have to be the other neighboring buildings need to be locked down. Try to evacuate Federal Reserve that campus as quickly and efficiently as they can. So theres a lot going on right now and a lot that the the authorities dont know and therefore a lot that that we dont know. If you are a member of Law Enforcement and we saw some pictures just a little bit ago of Police Officers walking presumably, perhaps, i should say, i cant assume anything at this point, but perhaps trying to locate this individual. If we know, tom, according to these reports this was an active shooting situation in the cafeteria, what are members of Law Enforcement doing right now . Well, the first thing youre trying to do is ensure the safety of every student that may still be in that building and need to be evacuated. Everybody thats wounded and needs to be evacuated and given medical attention. Once theyve accomplished that, they have to search every nook and cranny of that building. That could take hours. Make sure they have everybody that might have been involved in this shooting, often times the shooter kills himself before the police get there so even finding one person with a selfinflicted wound doesnt mean that there arent more running around or hiding. Plus you have students that may have gone into hiding if they heard shots fired, hiding in a closet or boiler room or in the gymnasium. Theres all kinds of places that people would go and bunker down in place and they need to be located and take on the safety. Exactly right. Now make a good point. I think its worth reiterating not only whats happening at this school which, by the way, 2,500 students. 2,500. So a sizable high school here north of seattle in marysville, washington. Grades 9 through 12. Given the fact that this is happening now we dont know, we cant say if this is one individual with a gun, multiple individuals with guns so is it fair to say, tom, that not only are police in the school but in the surrounding area, maybe creating a perimeter around the area in case someone tries to run . Well, thats true also but the problem with the perimeter is that a person could have fired these shots and left the building and be out somewhere else in the neighborhood a long way away going out the back door before the Police Arrive and come in the front door. So it will be difficult for them to determine whether or not theyve contained the active shooting premises there that building and as your last guest mentioned, if theres opening gates that lead to neighboring buildings this wont be one single building search, theyll have a massive effort to go through every building and clear it then you have to possibility that the shooter could have broken into a house and be Holding Hostages or carjacked somebody and has left the area. There are so many possibilities, many of which are not good in a situation like this. So security around the area and thats obviously an issue as we were discussing. Hang with me tom fuentes, alexandra field, do you have something . We want to bring you a statement from the School District were getting in now. From the Marysville School district. They are saying the Marysville Pilchuck high school is in lock down. Police and Emergency Services have responded. The Marysville School district lockdown procedures will remain in effect at Marysville Pilchuck. We will continue in cooperation with Law Enforcement. So this is the first that were hearing from the School District. Obviously trying to get this message out to parents, the emergency situation which were seeing unfold here 11,000 students in the School District, 2,000 students in this high school. So theyre trying to get this communication out there. Some of our affiliates have also been reporting theyre sharing that statement, theyre also letting us know that they were first getting tweets indicating that the shooting happened. At 10 45 pacific time. Just about an hour, a little less than that, a mother who spoke to one of our affiliates, kiro, confirming early reports we heard. Shes being told the shooter may have opened fire near the cafeteria. Thats something were hearing from affiliate komo that the shootings may have taken place in the cafeteria. Komo reporting two students shot, another affiliate of ours now suggesting that the number of injured is higher than that. They are saying as many as six people may be injured. We want to be really clear at this point, brooke, these are early preliminary reports, unconfirmed independently by cnn. This is what were hearing from our affiliates on the ground. They are trying to get their arms around this situation, get a clear understanding of what is going on in that school, whats very much being called an active situation. As you were looking at that Law Enforcement officer perhaps with a gun drawn, were not looking at live pictures, for obvious reasons but we are looking at different pictures from moments ago from different affiliates covering this in if the area. Again, marysvillepilchuck high school. We saw a number of school buses. Heres a heads up. If you are in the area, if you have children at the school, this is according to komo they have lets see here. Students are being evacuated from the school, taken by bus to a church at 51st avenue and grove street. 51st avenue and grove street. A lot of questions at this hour. Youre just joining us, it is just about 11 45 in Washington State as we are reporting on an active high School Shooting situation marysvillepilchuck high school in marysville, washington. What we know is not entirely clear at this point because this is a fluid situation, an active situation but according to multiple reports, there is at least one shooter who had a gun in the cafeteria and just started shooting. Different people reporting different numbers as far as those injured. Hearing anything from one to six. We know at least one, perhaps two of those students were airlifted to a hospital in seattle. We dont know the conditions of any injured students but thats the latest were hearing here. We have been watching what appears to be different classes, different groups of students walking across the lawns and parking lots to then get on the school buses. Those who were able to get out safely because you know safe city the priority number one for these students to get them out and safe to their parents we have also been hearing specifically from one student who is in lockdown in one of these classrooms. Let me pull that out. This is, again, according to a student currently sitting in a classroom inside of this high school telling cnn that, in fact, a shooting happened in the cafeteria and initially students thought it was a fire drill. They thought it was a fire drill until they realized it wasnt until teachers told them run into their classrooms because it was an active shooting and, again, that student is currently inside of a classroom with other students, all unharmed but she says at least one victim has been airlifted to a hospital. I dont know if she saw the helicopter through the classroom window or what exactly she saw. Were working hard to get more people on the phone to talk to us as far as what is happening. Is the shooter still in the school . Active . Has the shooter been taken down . These are all questions we simply dont have answers to. I have tom fuentes on the phone with me, a Law Enforcement analyst at cnn, former fbi. Tom, as we reset and continue telling our viewers whats happening, as we see these students, those who can leave, leave what whats happening inside the classes when the students are on lockdown. Right now the Police Inside are still trying to look for the shooter make sure they have that person or persons and in order to verify that, even if they find one person that maybe killed himself after shooting at other people, that doesnt mean there isnt other shooters. Of course the lesson of columbine is that there could be more than one and it could still be a very dangerous situation and, as you mentioned, youll have students who are going to be still hiding in their classrooms all over that building or in closets or the boiler room or anywhere they can hide and may not come out until a uniformed Police Officer says its safe, please come with me. So that will go on and on. I would think that takes hours. Tom, im with you, im just checking to see if i have anything new to pass along. Stay with me. Again, this is from komo news. Were attributing to a lot of affiliates in the area in the seattle area reporting us and helping us in this coverage. Again they are saying theyre still reporting that two students injured with this active shooting situation inside the cafeteria. Again, no immediate word on conditions. Several shots were fired. Some witnesses reported hearing anything from four to six shots so thats new for us right now. Four the six shots. You have police cars, you have ambulances on the scene. Students are being evacuated. Weve seen multiple school buses taking these students. According to komo to a church at 51st avenue and grove street. In situations like this you know that the School District is trying to communicate with these parents. Sometimes its text message, sometimes its email trying to let them know their children are okay. But obviously theyre a number of students still inside of the school on lockdown. Evan perez, one of our justice correspondents, is joining me now. Youre talking to your sources, what are you hear . Brooke, in these times you have the federal officials rushing to the scene to try to help the local authorities. Im not hearing anything yet of what they are find iing this is obviously still a developing situation. We know the fbi did a recent study on these active shootings and they find theyre happening more frequently. Its not just our imagination. This is happening more frequently and, frankly, its because people see the way how these have an impact and you have kids who spend their time online studying these shootings and they found that its a remarkable relationship between what these kids are studying online and what they end up doing. We dont know who the shooter is right now. I think there is a student in there who toll us its believed to be another student but its very early the process and thats one of the things theyre probably looking at right now. Evan, stay with me. This is a tweet from a head coach. Thoughts and prayers go out to marysvillepilchuck high school and all affected by 24 tragedy. So evan perez is with me, one of our justice correspondents, alexandra field is with me. Just passing along any new information we have. We are only going on what we know and that is it. This is an active situation and we will presume it is until told otherwise. There was a shot shooter according to multiple reports who opened fire inside of the schools cafeteria just before lunchtime today. Multiple students have been shot. Two students, according to komo news out of seattle have been airlifted to a hospital in seattle. Do you have anything . At this point, the district trying to communicate with the parents. Youve seen students leaving the school. The students are being taken to a Community Church. Were being told from there buses will take the students home. District is also asking parents not to come to the high school campus. That is the initial inclination youre going to have if you know your child is inside the building. The district is directing parents to being to that church location, the schultz Community Church. Thats where they want parents to go. They can locate their child and check them out with a Law Enforcement officer. The schools have the procedures put in place for an event like this. Its something you dont want to imagine will happen. They have contingency plans. The priority, get as many students out as safely as possible. Youve soon some of them walking out of the building, some of them running out of the building and getting them to a safe location and in this case its a churn mu church where they can regroup. This is a campus with 2500 students. The number of parents were concerned and trying to reach their parents is a huge number. Got to get them away from the presumably active situation and reunite them. Tom fuentes, lets talk about security. School security, safety. Certainly it has changed. It has evolved since we talked about columbine but in the wake of newtown, you know, for someone to have to get into school, if someone were to carry a weapon into a school. Feel free to get into my ear if there are metal detectors in this school, perhaps not, what is what are the steps typically . The problem, brooke, even if you had metal detectors at the front door, a high school or any major school especially one with 2500 students, it will have side doors, doors that lead from the gymnasium, practice field. A student earlier said theres a gate between that building and the next door building and its unlocked so you have multiple access. None of these schools have the resources, if youve got two or three big buildings and each one has five to ten entrances, they dont have the facilities to have magnatometers. You have to house a small airport to do that. They dont have that level of security. If you have somebody show up with an assault rifle, even if you have two or three Police Officers with a magnatometer machine, they are no match. They will be out gunned. Youre so right. Tom fuentes, thank you so much. I apologize. We dont have a lot of information. I dont want to tell you anything we cannot confirm. Multiple reports north of seattle area, mary school washington, grades 9 through 12. Weve been on this for the last 20 minutes or so. The pictures showing us getting ahead of them waiting outside of the school, waiting for the school buses to arrive to take them to the locations as assigned by the school and the School District. If you go to the website of the Marysville School, they are clear that the school is in lockdown as we can see with our own eyes, Law Enforcement is there, ambulances have arrived. There have been several students who have been shot, two of whom, at least two according to reports were air lifted to a hospital in the seattle area but the big question is has this shooter, i say shooter, has the shooter been taken down . According to them we have our affiliate cairo who spoke to the mother of a boy at the high school. She tells our affiliate that her son said that a boy opened fire near the cafeteria. These are unconfirmed reports. This is what a mother is reporting. That a boy opened fire. Her son was supposed to be in the cafeteria. Stopped, didnt go in. Parents who have talked to our affiliates, another student said she was hiding in another classroom with students, all unharmed. A lot of people trying to reach out and have more understand in. We cant stress enough. None of it can be confirmed by us. Well talk to the kids inside the building to review the videos. This is anecdotally at least one report were getting through our affiliate that a boy reports seeing a boy he dauls opening fire. Responsibility. Alexander, thank you. Tom fuentes, as were locking at groups of students, something i noticed as we saw the pictures of these school buses, theyre obviously waiting to take these young people who were safe enough to get out of the school away so they could be reunited with their parents, but i have yet to see any of these school buses roll out. Do you think theres a reason for that . Theyll need to be escorted by the police. One of the concerns would be also the shooter could throw down his gun and then mingle in with other students and just, you know, be driven from the site that way. They have to be cautious that the person could be on their way out of there on a bus with students. Thats another possibility. Another concern in a case like this, oftentimes as soon as gunfire begins in school, the kids run out every open window and door they can and often flee out into the neighborhood. Neighbors will report seeing kids running through their backyard. We had that at sandy hook where you had fiveyearold kids running through peoples backyards and that makes it very difficult to find them because they may go into hiding in a neighbors garden shed or something. They have to find them and bring them back because the parents will be gathering at the school looking for their child, in this case at that church, and the childs not there, they may jump to the conclusion that their child is a victim inside that school. It may not be the case. So there is going to be so much difficulty in trying to track down all 2500 students, how many were there that day, how many teachers, where are they now, did they go out, are they getting on buses . Have they run into the neighborhoods . Did they have their own cars in the lot and drive away in fear . All these things make it all the more difficult for the authorities to figure out whos who and where are they. Youre exactly right. I think in situations like these weve seen in the past, this will take hours. It will take hours and hours given the sheer size of this particular high school in marysville, washington. Theyve switched over pictures. This is a local church so this is a location, i cant tell you, your guess is as good as mine as were looking at this together, whether these are parents waiting at the church, waiting for the arrival of their students once the students are escorted on school buses and taken to safety or not. Presumably this could be one location where students and parents are united. The question right now, where is the shooter . Where is the shooter that apparently opened fire in or near this cafeteria in Washington State . The bigger question is why, but we cant even begin to do that right now. Its where is the shooter . Whats the status of the shooter . Is there more than one . Did this individual have help according to the student which Alexander Field was speaking, that individual who had the gun was described as a boy. Is that individual a student . We dont know. We cant confirm. This is all happening as you are joining us on cnn, breaking news of this active School Shooting situation at the marysvillepilchuck high school in marysville, washington. We do know multiple students have been shot as were all looking at these pictures here as these students are being taken to safety. Multiple students have been shot according to komo. Two of the students were air lifted to a hospital in Washington State. Trying to get some information on their conditions but knowing that they were air lifted, you know, just listening to my executive producer in my ear. Were going to dip in. This is k. I. N. G. Lets take a listen to their live air. This could be the church. The Community Church at 116th and 54th avenue northeast a couple of blocks away from the school where the parents are being told to meet. Parents, do not go to the high school. Go instead to this church where the students will be brought and this is where youll be able to meet up with them. Lets check in with cindy wise. She works at king 5 on the assignment desk. Cindy, i know youre from that area in marysville. Where are you and what are you seeing . Reporter im actually right in front of the high school. Theyve allowed parents to go to the fire station thats on 61st near the high school. Still parents are gathering near the entrance to the school and are trying to console one another. Theyre not getting any news from inside, just rumors, and they dont want to believe the rumors. Theres a lot of hugging, a lot of tears. A lot of people asking questions, what do you know . What did you see . What have your kids told you . They are being told by police on the scene that they need to go to the church at 116th and 51st and thats where they will be connected with their children. So far weve seen a lot of empty buses but no buses with kids on them yet. I happened to be at home today with my daughter. We live a couple of miles from the high school. I first learned of it when i got a message from someone saying, y,