AMID THE CHAOS OF THE HORRIFIC SHOOTING IN DALLAS
POLICE WRONGFULLY IDENTIFIED AN INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS NOT ACTUALLY
A SUSPECTED.
THE MAN IS MARK
HUGHES.
HERE IS A PICTURE OF HIM.
HE AND HIS BROTHER SPOKE TO
A CBS AFFILIATE.
KEEP IN MIND, PEOPLE WERE JUSTIFIED IN BEING
ANGRY AND SCARED, AND WANTING TO GO AFTER THE SUSPECT.
BUT SINCE
COPS HAD WRONGLY IDENTIFIED HIM HE WAS THE TARGET OF DEATH
THREATS AND WAS AFRAID FOR HIS
OWN LIFE.
HE ACTUALLY TURNED HIMSELF INTO THE POLICE
IMMEDIATELY.
ONE OF THE REASONS WHY HE WAS DEEMED A SUSPECT IS
BECAUSE HE WAS OPENLY CARRYING A RIFLE.
UNDERSTAND THAT IN TEXAS
OPEN CARRY IS LEGAL.
HE WAS ONE OF THE PEACEFUL PROTESTERS.
BEFORE WE GET TO THE COMMENTS, I WANT TO QUICKLY SHOW YOU
THE VIDEO OF HIM AND HIS BROTHER SPEAKING TO THE MEDIA ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENED.
>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
THE CRAZY
THING ABOUT IT IS THAT I WAS DOWN HERE, I COULDN'T GET TO MY
VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE ROADBLOCK, AND IN HINDSIGHT
2020 I COULD'VE EASILY BEEN SHOT.
>> WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU'RE WHICH WAS BEING PLASTERED
AROUND THE COUNTRY?
>>I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW.
WE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL THAT MY
FACE WAS UP AS A SUSPECT.
IMMEDIATELY I FLAGGED DOWN A POLICE OFFICER.
>> WHILE THE COUNTRY WAS LOOKING FOR YOU, YOU ARE TALKING TO
POLICE?
>> I WAS LAUGHING AND JOKING WITH POLICE OFFICERS.
>>NOT ONLY THAT, WE WERE ASSISTING THE POLICE.
WE WERE
PART OF THE ORGANIZATION TO PUT ON THIS PEACEFUL PROTEST, SO
WHEN THEY STARTED SHOOTING WE WENT TO THE COPS AND ASKED WHAT
CAN WE DO?
THE WHOLE TIME WE WERE HOPING COPS.
I UNDERSTOOD
LESS THAN 48 HOURS AGO A YOUNG MAN THAT HAD A PERMIT TO CARRY A
GUN WAS KILLED BY A COP.
WHEN THEY STARTED FIRING SHOTS, I
WENT TO THE COP AND TOLD MY BROTHER TO GET HIS GUN TO THE
COP BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT AN ACCIDENT.
WE DON'T WANT THEM TO
COME AROUND THE CORNER AND SEE WITH A GUN AND START SHOOTING AT
YOU.
WHEN THE FIRST SHOTS WENT OFF, WE TURNED OVER OUR GUN AND
LET THEM HAVE IT, AND THEN
HELPED DIRECT TRAFFIC.
AT THE END OF THE DAY WE CAN FOR A
PEACEFUL PROTEST.
>>I HAVE TO BE HONEST, I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS.
I LIKE THAT MARK
HUGHES IS WEARING A STEELERS
SHIRT ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THE ONE I HAVE.
I LIKE THAT HE SAYS
THAT THE REASON HE BROUGHT HIS LICENSED WEAPON IS THAT HE IS AN
AMERICAN, HE HAS HIS SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
BUT HE SAID HE
DOESN'T WANT TO GET TO UP IN ARMS ABOUT HOW COPS HANDLED
THIS.
IT WAS NOT LIKE CASTILE IN FALCON HEIGHTS WHERE THE GUY
ñ WHERE CASTILE SAID I HAVE A LICENSED WEAPON ON ME AND THE
GUY SHOT HIM.
IN THIS CASE HE WAS OPENLY CARRYING THE WEAPON.
FIRST OF ALL, THE GUY WHO DID
THE SHOOTING WAS DESCRIBED AS A BLACK GUY THAT HAD A CAMOUFLAGE
ON AND A RIFLE.
SO THEN THE QUESTION IS HOW AM I GOING TO
TALK TO HIM?
THEY WERE ACTUALLY REALLY RESPECTFUL.
THEY DIDN'T
PULL THEIR WEAPONS, THEY HAD GONE UP TO THE COPS, THEY SAID
THIS IS A LICENSED WEAPON AND WE WILL TURN IT OVER.
THE COP THEN
GAVE HIM HIS CARD AND SAID CALL
ME AND THERE IS A PROCESS AND YOU GET IT BACK.
THEN THEY HAD
TO TAKE THEM IN AND HELD THEM UNTIL LATER IN THE NIGHT.
ACTUALLY THINK THE COP REACTION COULD'VE BEEN A LOT WORSE.
IT WAS ACTUALLY REALLY PROFESSIONAL.
>> I DISAGREE WITH YOU TO SOME EXTENT BECAUSE EVERYTHING WORKED
OUT FINE BECAUSE MARK HUGHES WAS EXTREMELY LUCKY.
THIS TWEET WAS
RETWEETED 39,000 TIMES.
IN TEXAS PEOPLE ARE ARMED TO THE TEETH.
THIS IS ONE OF THE STATES THAT ALLOWS OPEN CARRY.
THE FACT THAT
THE COPS DIDN'T SHOOT HIM, AND THAT UNDER INDIVIDUALS DIDN'T
SHOOT HIM IS MIRACULOUS.
I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE BEST
SOLUTION WOULD HAVE BEEN.
I DON'T KNOW IF PLASTERING
SOMEONE'S IDENTITY ALL OVER THE INTERNET AS A SUSPECT IS THE
BEST WAY TO GO, ESPECIALLY WHEN TENSIONS ARE HIGH AND YOU
KNOW THAT PEOPLE MIGHT CARRY OUT VIGILANTE JUSTICE AGAINST
THIS GUY.
>> I'M NOT SURE ñ THE WAY I UNDERSTOOD IT AS SOON AS
THE SHOOTING STARTED HE WENT TO THE POLICE?
>>YES, HE INITIATED IT.
>> HE GAVE THE GUN OVER BEFORE HE WAS CONSIDERED A SUSPECT.
>>HERE IS THE TIMELINE.
I SAY I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS BECAUSE
THERE IS A PART I DON'T LIKE, WHICH IS THE PART YOU MENTIONED.
THEY HEAR A GUY WITH A RIFLE WITH CAMOUFLAGE AND THEN THEY
SEE A PICTURE OF HIM AND THINK THIS MIGHT BE THE SUSPECT.
THEY
PUT OUT A TWEET WITH HIS FACE ON IT SAYING THIS IS A SUSPECT, IF
YOU SEE HIM TURN HIM IN OR LET
US KNOW.
PART OF THAT THAT I OBJECT TO IS THE WORD SUSPECT.
THE REASON IS, IF YOU ARE PART OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT YOU
HAVE TO FIND THIS GUY.
HE MATCHES THE DESCRIPTION, YOU
HAVE TO
FIND HIM NOW.
I KNOW THAT SOUNDS LIKE A FINE LINE, BUT WHEN COPS
SAY PERSON OF INTEREST THEY MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT BE THE
SUSPECT, DON'T GO CRAZY.
SUSPECT
MEANS THAT IS THE GUY, GO GET HIM.
DON'T PUT SUSPECT OUT THERE
BECAUSE AS IT TURNS OUT HE
WASN'T THE SUSPECT.
SO I UNDERSTAND WHY THEY PUT THE
PICTURE OUT.
I HOPE PEOPLE ARE SOPHISTICATED ENOUGH TO
UNDERSTAND THAT.
AT THAT POINT SOMEBODY TELLS MARK THAT THEY
ARE LOOKING FOR THEM, SO THEN
THEY COME TO THE POLICE AND SAY HEY GUYS, I THINK YOU ARE
LOOKING FOR ME AND HERE IS MY
WEAPON.
MARK DID THINGS 100% RIGHT, AND SO DID THE COPS.
>>I DO WANT TO GIVE THE COPS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CREDIT.
IT
IS MIRACULOUS THAT YOU COME ACROSS A CASE LIKE THIS WHERE
COPS HAVE BEEN GUNNED DOWN, PEOPLE HAVE DIED, AND THEY
REACTED CALMLY TO SOMEONE WHO
APPROACHES THEM WITH A WEAPON.
I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT THAT AND GIVE THEM A TREMENDOUS
AMOUNT OF CREDIT.
>>THE OTHER PART IS THAT THE PHOTO AND THE SAME TWEETS
REMAINED ON THEIR TWITTER ACCOUNT FOR THE REST OF THE
NIGHT.
I WAS UP AT 4 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, COULDN'T SLEEP
BECAUSE OF ALL THIS CRAZINESS THAT HAS GONE OVER THE PAST
THREE DAYS.
THAT TWEET WAS STILL THERE.
IT SHOULD HAVE
IMMEDIATELY ñ WHOEVER WAS HANDLING SOCIAL MEDIA SHOULD
HAVE APOLOGIZED OR ISSUED A DENOUNCEMENT.
>>IT'S A THREAT.
IT IS TERRIFYING FOR HIM.
LAST NIGHT WE WERE AT A
BLACK LIVES CONVERSATION AT
MOCA WHICH HAS BEEN PLANNED FOR A LONG TIME, AND WE ALL LEFT
BECAUSE WE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO GO TO CITY HALL BECAUSE THERE
WAS A PEACEFUL PROTEST.
AS SOON
AS WE LEFT WE SAW ABOUT THE EVENT IN DALLAS.
CAN YOU IMAGINE
HOW THIS GUY FELT?
THAT HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?
TO ME THE
POLICE HANDLED IT WRONG BY NOT REMOVING THAT TWEET AND
RELEASING A STATEMENT SAYING
THAT THE TWEET WAS INCORRECT.
I KNOW HE DOESN'T FEEL LIKE HE HAS RECEIVED A FORMAL APOLOGY.
>> I WANT TO BE CLEAR, I DON'T THINK HE AGREES WITH ME.
HE
DOESN'T THINK IT WAS HANDLED EXACTLY RIGHT AND IS LOOKING FOR
MORE THAN THAT.
IT'S EASY FOR ME TO SPEAK IN THE STUDIO
COMFORTABLY IN LA.
HIM AND HIS BROTHER THEN GO AND DIRECT
TRAFFIC.
IF THAT WAS MY PICTURE, I WOULD GO BACK HOME INTO A
BASEMENT.
ANYBODY COULD BE HUNTING FOR YOU ACCIDENTALLY.
I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN PUBLIC AT ALL UNTIL EVERYTHING
COOLED DOWN.
>> BY THE WAY I THINK THIS CASE IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THE
FLAWS REGARDING OPEN CARRY LAWS.
IT PERFECTLY HIGHLIGHTS HOW THIS
COULD LEAD TO A LOT OF
MISINFORMATION ABOUT INDIVIDUALS, ACTS OF VIOLENCE
CARRIED OUT TOWARDS INDIVIDUALS.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WITHOUT A SHADOW
OF A DOUBT THAT IF SOMEONE IS A GOOD PERSON OR A BAD PERSON WITH
A GUN?
OPEN CARRY IS A DUMB IDEA.
>> THAT IS ANOTHER PART THAT I DISAGREE.
DON'T CARRY A RIFLE
AROUND.
I KNOW YOU ARE IN TEXAS, BUT I THINK IT IS A BAD IDEA
WHEN ANYBODY DOES IT.
IT CAN EASILY GET MISCONSTRUED.
>>I DO WANT TO GIVE THE NRA SOME CREDIT FOR STICKING UP FOR MARK
HUGHES AND HIS RIGHT FOR
LEGALLY CARRYING THIS GUN.
OH WAIT, THEY HAVEN'T DONE THAT?
THERE'S ONLY ONE DEMOGRAPHIC THAT THEY WILL NOT SUPPORT WHEN
IT COMES TO CARRYING A WEAPON.
BUT THEY ARE OKAY WITH PEOPLE ON THE TERRORIST WATCH LIST
CARRYING GUNS.
BUT IF YOU ARE BLACK, THEY WON'T STICK BY YOU.
>> I AM AMAZED THAT THEY DID NOT COME OUT AND SUPPORT CASTILE IN
FALCON HEIGHTS.
I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE A MOMENT FOR THE NRA TO
SAY IT IS NOT ABOUT RACE.
THAT JUST SHOWS YOU THEIR ENORMOUS
HYPOCRISY.