Transcripts For KGO Good Morning America 20160614 : vimarsan

Transcripts For KGO Good Morning America 20160614

Shot this dramatic video of the attack speaking out. The first thing you notice is the fear in her eyes. The Terror Threat at home. The focus now on both president ial candidates. We cannot continue to allow thousands upon thousands of people to pour into our country. As the world unites in solidarity with orlando, tributes pouring in around the globe. Announcer live in times square and orlando, florida, this is a special edition of Good Morning America. And good morning, america. We have all the latest on the fallout from that Orlando Attack this morning. The world standing in solidarity with those victims and youre looking live at the growing memorial in orlando remembering those lost in the massacre. Amy is there right now. Good morning, amy. Thats right, george. Good morning to you. And we are learning so much more now about the 49 victims who have now all been identified and theyre from all walks of life ranging in age from 18 to 50. Leaving behind mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and friends and, yes, i am speaking with that survivor who hid in a crowded bathroom stall. He was shot, the gunman came in. He is revealing what got him through those incredibly terrifying moments. But first, abcs gio benitez is starting us off this morning with new details about the attack. Good morning, gio. Reporter amy, good morning to you. From new york to california, to hawaii, hundreds of thousands are gathering at these vigils across the country. 10,000 at the one here in orlando overnight. All to remember the victims. 21yearold cory connell dreamed of being a firefighter. Tevin crosby owned a Marketing Firm and akyra murray was just 18 years old, a recent high school graduate. Three of those 49 killed in the sunday morning massacre. As we learn more details about those terrifying hours inside pulse nightclub. At 2 00 a. M. Offduty Police Officer adam gruley working at the club in full uniform, responds to shots fired. A gun battle immediately ensues. Additional officers arriving on the scene forcing omar mateen to retreat to a bathroom where it is believed he takes four to five hostages. As many as 20 more people huddled in another bathroom. At 2 30 a. M. Mateen calls 911 hanging up twice before a dispatcher calls him back. He then pledges his allegiance to isis. After nearly three hours of failed negotiations, Police Report omar mateen threatens to put bomb vests on hostages. The s. W. A. T. Team moving in setting up an explosive breach on the wall of the bathroom where a large group was gathered. When the explosion set off by police did not fully penetrate the wall an Armored Vehicle was used to punch a hole in the wall. We were able to rescue dozens and dozens of people that came out of that hole. The suspect came out of that hole himself armed with a handgun and a long gun. Reporter engaging in another gunfight officer Michael Napolitano saved by his helmet. Sharing this image overnight of his injury. When it was over, mateen dead inside, along with a Staggering Number of victims. This photo of Jeff Rodriguez taken just 30 minutes before the attack unfolded. As the horrific scene took place jeff who miraculously survived texted his brother santos who recounted their exchange with david muir. Ive been shot at a club. Im dying. I love you. Dead bodies on top of me. Tell everyone i love them. Reporter and back here live in orlando, i can tell you that all 49 families have now learned the fate of their loved one. 34 other victims are still in the hospital right now recovering, amy. So many sad stories, so many stories of bravery, gio, thank you very much. And, george, well send it back to you now in new york. More on the investigation now, amy. Officials learning much more about the gunman and his motivations as they scour his background to determine if others helped carry out that deadly rampage. Our chief investigative correspondent brian ross here with the latest. Good morning, brian. Reporter good morning. Some surprising developments this morning as the fbi delves into mateens background. Witness say hes been a regular at gay clubs in florida for years. At the same time federal authorities are capitalizing on two major breaks in the investigation, the full exploitation of omar mateens cell phone and the cooperation of a key witness, his wife. Overnight fbi agents brought mateens wife hiding her face back to her apartment to pack up her things. The 30yearold mother of the couples young son is now providing key details about her husbands activities according to a senior counterterrorism official and the fbi has been able to open mateens cell phone and learn who he was in touch with and where he traveled. Were going through the killers life as i said, especially his electronics, to understand as much as we can about his path and whether there was anyone else involved either in directing him or in assisting him. Reporter fbi agents also tore apart mateens apartment in ft. Pierce, florida and after they left we got a first look at how he lived. [ speaking a Foreign Language ] provided to abc news by a univision tv crew. With the reporter describing the messy aftermath of the fbis raid. [ speaking a Foreign Language ] reporter otherwise, a portrait of a normal life. Family photos on the dining table and walls. On the kitchen counter, an expired florida firearms license and the room of the killers 3yearold son filled with toys and a bike with a spiderman helmet. No sign of the devotion to isis mateen professed during his attacks sunday on the gay nightclub and now fbi agents are hearing accounts that mateen himself has been frequented gay clubs in florida for years and using gay dating apps to make contact with men including kevin west, who talked with abc station ktrk. When he first contacted me he was saying, like asking what club in his words like what clubs are popping and things of that sort and what good places are to go. Reporter employees and patrons at the pulse club in orlando told abc news overnight they recognized mateen as a regular there. The shooter used to come into the bar on a regular basis. Sometimes he would be there for a few weeks at a time. Maybe on the weekends. Reporter one florida man told us that mateen was a regular at gay clubs going back at least ten years when he was at a Police Training academy in florida. George. My goodness. Okay, brian, thanks very much. Were going to go back to amy in orlando and there is another terror attack overseas. Thats right, george. A developing story there, two Police Officers, a husband and a wife, stabbed to death in france by a man isis claims is their fighter, and abcs Alex Marquardt is in paris now with the latest details for us. Good morning to you, alex. Reporter good morning, amy. Thats right, this morning, french officials are calling this a despicable act of terrorism. Confirmed the attacker is a 25yearold. He targeted this couple in their home, 30 miles outside of paris. The husband was a police xhabder. The wife an executive assistant. During the standoff, he said hes an Observant Muslim pledged allegiance to isis just three weeks ago. He even broadcast a 15minute facebook video live. He was well known to the authorities, he had been sentenced in 2013 to three years in prison for recruiting fighters for jihad in pakistan. But he was released immediately for time served. He was also under investigation this year, but there wasnt enough to arrest him. This is the holy month of ramadan. Appeared to be responding to calls for isis before ramadan for its supporters to carry out attacks around the world. George. Lets more from homeland secretary jeh johnson. Mr. Secretary, thank you for joining us. George, thanks for having me. We just hear another attack in paris. The french president saying there is a largescale threat there now, especially during this month of ramadan. Do we have any Credible Threats of more attacks to come here in the United States . George, not at this stage. The president s number one priority as is mine is the protection of the homeland, protection of the American People as you know, were doing a number of things to do that both militarily and through aggressive Law Enforcement and Homeland Security and were going to continue and were going to keep at this in this environment of homegrown violent extremism and thats what orlando is looking more and more like. There is a role for the public to play. There is a role for us to play in building bridges with american muslim communities. Thats what weve been doing and were going to keep doing that and were going to encourage the public to be vigilant and aware. You say this is looking more like homegrown extremism. Any new signs that the shooter might have been directed in any way by isis or had help . At this point, no. Theres no indication at this point that it was terrorist directed as we say in washington, this appears to be yet another tragic terroristinspired attack and it reflects the environment were in right now. Accomplices . At this point we know of no accomplices but the investigation continues. Its barely 48 hours after the attack. And youre talking about this new threat environment. How do we deal with this, san bernardino, to some extent, boston, as well as orlando, individuals who seem to be inspired by isis ideology in some fashion. The special twist here, though, is that this person was clearly on the radar screen, two different fbi investigations, three different interviews, being watched for more than 11 months yet still able to buy a gun. How do you explain that . Good question. Were taking the fight to isil militarily in places where they recruit, where they train, where they direct, weve made Good Progress in taking out some of the leaders in taking out those focused on external attacks. There is obviously the Law Enforcement role but were in an environment now of selfradicalization, its almost always the case that when someone selfradicalizes someone close to them sees the sign which is why we continue to encourage public awareness, public vigilance. This shooter was under investigation in 2013 as jim comey said yesterday, he was interviewed several times. At that point the fbi had nothing further to continue its investigation with. Yet, he was on a watch list. Should that information have gone to various gun shops when someone goes in to buy a gun . When someone is on a watch list, when someone is under investigation, there are a number of us in federal government, in Law Enforcement, in the intelligence community, in Homeland Security who know about that, who are aware. Investigations eventually do close when theres nothing further to investigate because the matter has been thoroughly investigated. We continually evaluate our Security Posture and whether we should be doing something differently and well continue to do that. Finally, this has been interconnected in the debate. Donald trump seeming to question the president s sympathies and his commitment to fighting al qaeda and also saying its time to double down on this idea of banning immigration of muslims and he wants to expand it to banning immigration for a time from any country with a proven history of terrorism against the u. S. Your response. Number one, i know from working with him for seven years the president s number one priority is the protection of the American People, protection of the homeland. I know that from my Defense Department experience and now my Homeland Security experience. I wont comment on what the candidates say running for president. I will say that overly simplistic suggestions that we ban people from entering this country based on religion or ban people from an entire region of the world is counterproductive. It will not work and we need to build bridges to communities, to americanmuslim communities right now to encourage them to help us in our Homeland Security efforts. Secretary johnson, thanks for your time this morning. Thank you. Amy. Well, george, more now on the political response. The orlando terror attack looming large, of course, over the president ial race, both donald trump and Hillary Clinton speaking out about the massacre clashing with their responses. And Abcs Cecilia Vega has the very latest now from pittsburgh. Good morning, cecilia. Reporter amy, good morning to you. Two candidates, two very different messages about terrorism, about muslims in this country, even about who is best for the Gay Community. The one thing that is clear, what happened in orlando now looms front and center over this race for the white house. This morning, donald trump not just doubling down on his controversial muslim ban, he now wants to expand it saying people from any country with a history of terrorism should not be allowed into the u. S. We cannot continue to allow thousands upon thousands of people to pour into our country, many of whom have the same thought process as this savage killer. Reporter and in the wake of the orlando massacre, trump says hes the best candidate for the Gay Community. Hillary clinton can never claim to be a friend of the Gay Community as long as she continues to support immigration policies that bring islamic extremists to our country. Reporter overnight, trump going even further. They want to make women slaves, okay, and yet shes fine with, you know, the women say, oh, isnt she wonderful . Shes not wonderful for women. Reporter in what was billed as a major terrorism speech trump surrounded by teleprompters but veering off script with this misleading statement about the new yorkborn shooter. The killer whose name i will not use or ever say was born in afghan of afghan parents who immigrated to the United States. Reporter in the battleground state of ohio inflammatory antimuslim rhetoric hurts the vast majority of muslims who love freedom and hate terror. Reporter Hillary Clintons call for tougher gun laws drawing a standing ovation. I believe weapons of war have no place on our streets. And [ cheers ] reporter trumps latest target, the Washington Post, revoking the papers press credentials calling it, quote, phony and dishonest. The post editor firing right back saying the post will continue to cover donald trump as it has all along honorably, honestly, accurately, energetically and unflinchingly. And Hillary Clinton and president obama were supposed to hit the campaign trail together for the first time tomorrow. Thats following his big endorsement of her. That trip has since been postponed and we now know that president obama will be headed to orlando on thursday, george. We understand that he will be meeting with the victims families. Okay, cecilia, thanks very much. Lets bring in jon karl for more on this right now. Jon, what were seeing on the campaign trail is two quite different approaches to this threat. Reporter the contrast couldnt be starker, george. You have Hillary Clinton who is talking in terms of empathy and unity, resolve. And donald trump who is channeling the anger and fear of the American People following an attack like this. This is a tactic that worked well for donald trump for the primaries. That muslim ban was one of his most popular opinions popular stances in state after state even though he was roundly attacked by republicans. Now he is again trying to channel that anger and that fear, a very different approach than what were hearing from Hillary Clinton or from the president. Offering voters a big choice. Jon karl, thanks very much. Here with lara and michael. We saw that vigil in orlando. Tributes pouring in from around the world. All around the world and all around this country. George, there are outpouring of love and support for the victims in orlando and at last nights nba final game five in oakland, there was a moment of silence. Yeah, the American Flag unfurled as former player grant hill who played for orlando, he lives in the city, he led the ceremony taking a moment to recognize and honor the 49 People Killed and 53 wounded in sundays attack, george. That was a moving moment right there. We want to bring in robin now, shes in china and, robin, youre there in part to cover the opening of disneys newest resort and the whole disney family so connected to orlando. Reporter really is, george. We landed in shanghai on sunday. We turned on our phones devastated to learn, of course, about the tragic shooting back home in orlando. People recognize that we are americans, they convey their condolences, they were all coming up to us. Yesterday, i spent some time with disney chairman and ceo bob iger. He received a call in the middle of the night about the shooting. He expressed his concern for the victims, everyone in orlando including the more than 60,000 disney employees in that area. He said as much as disney is in the business of creating fun and enabling people to escape elements of their daily life we are reminded that the world is, indeed, real and at times very dangerous and that is something that is not lost on any of us here, george. I am sure of that, robin. Thanks so much. Well have much more from you in shanghai coming up. But right now lets go to ginger. Dangerous weather again today. Tornadoes, more than 83 severe storm reports, hermosa, south dakota, you can see some of the damage there and, of course, this tornado nocturnal north of amarillo, texas, today the threat slides to the east. You can see along the warm front, especially des moines, youre in

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