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ARTHEL: POLICE IDENTIFYING THE
GUNMAN BEHIND A DEADLY SHOOTING
AT AN INDIANAPOLIS FedEx
FACILITY AS 19-YEAR-OLD BRANDON
HOLE.
HE WAS A FORMER FedEx
EMPLOYEE.
POLICE SAY THEY HAD RESPONDED TO
HIS HOME LAST YEAR AFTER REPORTS
OF A MAN VOICING SUICIDAL
THOUGHTS WHICH HE REPEATED TO
RESPONDING OFFICERS WHO
CONFISCATED A GUN, A SHOT GUN AT
THE TIME.
AND HOLE IS A ACCUSED OF KILLING
EIGHT PEOPLE IN THURSDAY’S
SHOOTING RAMPAGE BEFORE KILLING
HIMSELF.
LET’S BRING IN TED WILLIAMS NOW,
DEFEND ATTORNEY, A FORMER
WASHINGTON, D.C. HOMICIDE
DETECTIVE AND A FOX NEWS
CONTRIBUTOR.
TED, I WANT TO BEGIN WITH HOW.
YOU KNOW, THE 19-YEAR-OLD WITH
NO MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, YET HE
WAS ABLE TO BUY ANOTHER GUN,
SHOWED UP TO HIS FORMER JOB AND
KILLED EIGHT PEOPLE.
HOW ARE ALL OF THOSE DOTS UNABLE
TO BE CONNECTED TO CIRCUMVENT
YET ANOTHER MASS MURDER, AND HOW
DO YOU FIX THIS DEADLY LOOPHOLE?
>> WELL, HI, ARTHEL.
DOESN’T IT SOUND OR APPEAR TO BE
GROUNDHOG DAY?
YOU AND ERIC AND MYSELF FOR
YEARS HAVE COVERED THESE MASS
SHOOTINGS.
A FEW WEEKS AGO I WAS ON WITH
YOU WITH THE ATLANTA MASS
SHOOTING, AND HERE WE ARE NOW
AGAIN WITH ANOTHER MASS
SHOOTING.
I’VE GOT TO TELL YOU, EVERYTHING
THAT WE HAVE BEEN, WE’VE BEEN
ABLE TO LEARN ABOUT BRANDON HOLE
LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT HE DID,
IN FACT, SUFFER FROM SOME MENTAL
INFIRMATIVE.
LAST YEAR -- INFIRMITY.
LAST YEAR HIS MOTHER CALLED, AS
YOU SAID, LAW ENFORCEMENT TO
REPORT HIM.
HE WAS, IN FACT, PUT INTO A
MENTAL INSTITUTION FOR A PERIOD
OF TIME AND LET GO.
9 AND THE BIG QUESTION THAT WE
NEED TO ANSWER, AMERICA, THAT WE
DON’T HAVE THE ANSWER FOR IS HOW
IN THE HELL DOES A
MENTALLY-INFIRMED PERSON GET
AHOLD OF A GUN AND BE ABLE TO GO
INTO, LIKE, A FedEx AREA AND
SHOOT AND KILL EIGHT PEOPLE.
THAT IS THE BIG QUESTION.
LAW ENFORCEMENT ARE STILL AT
THIS STAGE TRYING TO FIND OUT
WHAT WAS THE MOTIVE IN THIS ONE,
ARTHEL.
ARTHEL: I MEAN, AND EVEN HIS OWN
MOTHER ALERTED THE POLICE THAT
MY SON MIGHT COMMIT SUICIDE BY
COP.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW --
I DON’T WANT TO LINGER ON THIS
PART TOO MUCH, BUT I DON’T WANT
TO OVERLOOK IT, THAT FOUR OF THE
VICTIMS WERE, YOU KNOW, MEMBERS
OF THE INDIANAPOLIS SIKH
COMMUNITY.
I’M NOT SURE IF THERE’S A, YOU
KNOW, A CONNECTION THERE, IF
IT’S CALCULATED OR THAT WAS
COINCIDENTAL.
I KNOW YOU DON’T KNOW THE MOTIVE
BEHIND THAT.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO CHIME IN ON
THAT MOW MOMENTARILY, TED, GO AH
>> JUST QUICKLY, I AM SURE THAT
THEY ARE DOING A FOOTPRINT
SCRUB, THEY’RE LOOKING AT HIS
COMPUTERS, AND THEY’RE TRYING TO
MAKE A DETERMINATION OF WHAT
THAT MOTIVE WOULD HAVE BEEN.
AND WAS THERE A CONNECTION WITH
THE SIKH COMMUNITY.
ARTHEL: YEAH.
AND MEANWHILE, YOU KNOW, THE
NATION IS ALSO GRAPPLING WITH
OTHER TRAGEDIES.
YOU’VE GOT IN CHICAGO DURING A
FOOT PURSUIT AN OFF THE SHOT AND
KILLED A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY, ADAM
TOLEDO, WHO ACCORDING TO POLICE
REPORTS HAD JUST TOSSED A GUN
BEFORE COMPLYING TO THE
OFFICERS’ COMMAND, AND THEN HE
TURNED AROUND WITH HIS EMPTY
HANDS IN THE AIR.
AND IN NEW MEXICO, YOU KNOW,
WITH -- MINNESOTA, YOU’VE GOT
THE EX-POLICE OFFICER, KIM
POTTER, IN THE FATAL SHOOTING OF
20-YEAR-OLD DAUNTE WRIGHT DURING
A TRAFFIC STOP.
POTTER WAS A 26-YEAR POLICE
VETERAN.
ALL OF THIS, TED, IS TAKING
PLACE IN THE MIDST OF THE TRIAL
FOR DEREK CHAUVIN, THE FORMER
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICER
CHARGED WITH KILLING MR. GEORGE
FLOYD.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS?
>> WELL, IT’S A VERY DIFFICULT
TIME IN THE HISTORY OF OUR
COUNTRY.
I CAN TELL YOU I’VE LOOKED INTO
THE CHICAGO MATTER WHERE YOU
HAVE THE OFFICER, ERIC STILLMAN,
WHO CHASED DOWN KID.
AND -- DOWN THIS KID.
AND I’VE GOT TO TELL YOU, POLICE
OFFICERS HAVE TO MAKE SPLIT
SECOND DECISIONS, AND HE MADE A
SPLIT SECOND DECISION BECAUSE AT
THE TIME YOU SEE ON THE VIDEO
THAT THE KID THROWS THE GUN
AROUND AND TURNS AROUND WITHIN
SECONDS, AND THE OFFICER,
UNFORTUNATELY, SHOT HIM.
I FIND THAT THE OFFICER ACTED
RIGHT AND PROPERLY UNDER THE
CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH HE WAS
FACED.
AND WE NEED TO ASK THE ONE
QUESTION, WHAT IS A 13-YEAR-OLD
KID DOING OUT AT 2:30 IN THE
MORNING WITH A 20-YEAR-OLD AND
SUPPOSEDLY ALLEGED TO BE A PART
OF A GANG?
YOU ALSO MENTIONED, ARTHEL, THE
SITUATION WITH DON TODAY WRIGHT
THERE IN -- DAUNTE WRIGHT THERE
IN BROOKLYN CENTER WHERE KIM
POTTER IS FACING SECOND-DEGREE
MURDER CHARGES.
WELL, I THINK THAT THEY DID THE
RIGHT AND PROPER THING IN
CHARGING HER.
THIS WAS A 26-YEAR VETERAN.
THIS WAS NOT A ROOKIE.
THIS 26-YEAR VETERAN KNEW THAT
ON HER NONDOMINANT SIDE IS WHERE
HER TASER WAS, HER GUN WAS ON
THE DOMINANT SIDE OF HER BODY.
SHE PULLED THE GUN, SHE SHOT
THIS KID.
SHE’S CHARGED.
THERE IS A GOOD POSSIBILITY THAT
THESE CHARGES MAY ALSO BE
ELEVATED AS PART OF THIS
INVESTIGATION.
ARTHEL: FINALLY, TED, IN OUR
LAST 30 SECONDS HERE, I MEAN,
HOW DO YOU GET PEOPLE TO SEE THE
HUMAN TRAGEDY THAT’S AT THE BASE
OF THIS?
NOT NEARLY AER THE APRIL,
DETACHED --STERILE, DETACH THED
GUN CONTROL CONVERSATION?
>> ARTHEL, WE ARE SO DIVIDED,
DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS.
AND LET’S JUST RECANT HERE.
A BULLET DOESN’T HAVE DEMOCRAT
OR REPUBLICAN ON IT.
WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER, WE’VE
GOT TO GET TOGETHER.
YES, WE CAN PROTECT THE SECOND
AMENDMENT, AND WE SHOULD PROTECT
THE SECOND AMENDMENT.
BUT WE ALSO NEED TO KNOW THAT
THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH MENTAL
ILLNESSES AND GUNS KILL, AND WE
NEED TO COME TOGETHER, AND
THAT’S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE WE’RE
STILL A DIVIDED COUNTRY, AND WE
SHOULD NOT BE WHEN IT COMES TO
PROTECTION OF THE CITIZENS OF
THIS COUNTRY.
ARTHEL: WE SHOULD NOT BE DIVIDED
ON SO MANY ISSUES THAT WE’RE
DIVIDED ON, UNFORTUNATELY, MAN.
WISH WE COULD FIX THAT.
TED WILLIAMS, WE’LL KEEP TRYING
OUR BEST TO REPORT THE FACTS AND
SO PEOPLE CAN ANALYZE AND
REALLY, GUYS, WE’RE ALL HUMAN.
THAT’S THE POINT.
TED, THANK YOU.
AND BEFORE WE GO, WE WANT TO
TAKE A MOMENT TO REMEMBER THE
VICTIMS OF THE FedEx
SHOOTING.
I’LL DO MY BEST TO PRONOUNCE THE
NAMES CORRECTLY.
66-YEAR-OLD, 19-YEAR-OLD CARLY
SMITH, 32-YEAR-OLD MATTHEW R.
ALEXANDER, 19-YEAR-OLD SUMERIA
BLACKWELL, 64-YEAR-OLD JASMINE,
68-YEAR-OLD SING, 48-YEAR-OLD AND 74-YEAR-OLD JOHN WEISSERT.