UPDATE FROM POLICE LATER TODAY.
GUYS?
>> AARONERIN McLAUGHLIN IN COLOR
THANK YOU.
>>> UPON HEARING ABOUT THE
SHOOTING, STEVEN McCUE RUSHED TO
THE SUPERMARKET BECAUSE HIS
GRANDDAUGHTERS AND SON-IN-LAW,
PAUL, WERE INSIDE, HIDING IN A
CLOSET.
STEVEN JOINS US THIS MORNING.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU, STEVEN.
FIRST OF ALL, HOW IS YOUR
SON-IN-LAW DOING?
HOW ARE YOUR GRANDDAUGHTERS
DOING THIS MORNING?
>> EVERYBODY IS GLAD TO BE
ALIVE.
THE SHOCK OF IT IS STILL FRESH.
>> I UNDERSTAND PAUL WAS
ACTUALLY INSIDE THAT SUPERMARKET
TO GET HIS COVID VACCINE WITH
YOUR GRANDDAUGHTERS.
>> YES.
>> HOW DID YOU FIND OUT
SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAD HAPPENED?
>> I WAS AT THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE COUNTY SHOPPING, AND MEGAN,
MY DAUGHTER, HAD RECEIVED A TEXT
FROM PAUL WHILE THEY WERE --
WHEN THIS ALL STARTED.
SHE TEXTED ME, AND I JUST -- I
WAS JUST ON MY WAY RIGHT OVER
THERE.
>> I UNDERSTAND THAT MEGAN AND
PAUL KEPT TEXTING.
THERE WAS THIS TEXT CHAIN THAT
WAS GOING ON THROUGHOUT ALL OF
THIS.
>> YEAH.
>> WHAT WERE THEY SAYING IN
THOSE TEXTS, STEVEN?
>> WELL, JUST HOW TERRIFYING
THIS WAS.
YOU KNOW, PAUL WAS IN THERE FOR
HIS COVID SHOT, AND THEY WERE
GOING TO GO FOOD SHOPPING.
HE WAS THE THIRD PERSON IN LINE,
HE SAID, WHEN THE GUNSHOTS
STARTED.
THE WOMAN THAT WAS IN THE FRONT
OF THAT LINE WENT DOWN, WAS
SHOT.
THEY DUCKED DOWN AND HID
AMONGST, LIKE, SOME ITEMS THAT
ARE THERE, AND THEN THEY --
PAUL, VERY SMARTLY, TOOK THE TWO
GIRLS UPSTAIRS.
THERE WERE STAIRS NEARBY, A
STAFF AREA, AND THEY WENT AND
HID IN THE COAT CLOSET FOR 45
MINUTES WHILE ALL THE SHOOTING
WAS GOING ON DOWNSTAIRS.
THEY WERE TEXTING MEGAN FROM
INSIDE THE CLOSET, STANDING
AMONG THE COATS, HIDING.
>> AND YOUR GRANDDAUGHTERS ARE
JUST 13 AND 14 YEARS OLD, RIGHT?
>> SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE,
YEAH.
YOU KNOW, NOBODY SHOULD BE
SUBJECTED TO ANYTHING LIKE THIS
EVER, OF COURSE, AND THEY WERE
IN THE CLOSET.
PAUL IS TEXTING, "DON’T CALL.
WE DON’T WANT ANY PHONES TO
RING."
YOU KNOW, THE ACTION WAS DOWN
BELOW WHERE THEY WERE STAYING,
AND THEY HAD OTHER PEOPLE THAT
CAME UP THE STAIRS.
EVERY TIME THAT HAPPENED,
THEY’RE NOT SURE IF IT WAS THE
SHOOTER COMING UP THE STAIRS.
THEY’RE TEXTING BACK AND FORTH
WITH MEGAN, WHO WAS, YOU KNOW, LITERALLY IN SHOCK AND TRYING TO
LITERALLY IN SHOCK AND TRYING TO
KEEP IT TOGETHER.
SO WHEN, FINALLY, YOU KNOW, THEY
TALKED ABOUT -- THE GIRLS HAD
BEEN -- HAD BEEN NEARBY THE
PHARMACY WHEN PAUL WAS IN LINE,
SO THEY HEARD THE SHOTS.
THEY WERE ON THE PHONE WITH
THEIR GRANDMOTHER, HEARD EIGHT
SHOTS, SHE SAID.
THEN, YOU KNOW, PAUL TALKED
ABOUT MAYBE ARE 5050 OR 60 SHOTS
TOGETHER DURING THE HOUR OR SO
THIS WENT ON, BEFORE THE
S.W.A.T. TEAM CAME UP.
ONCE WE KNEW -- YOU KNOW, I
COULDN’T GET IN.
ONCE WE KNEW THE S.W.A.T. TEAM
WAS IN THERE, AND THERE WERE
MAYBE 20 PEOPLE, THE OTHERS
WORKING IN THE STORE, THEY JUST
HID UNTIL THEY WERE FELT SAFE.
THEN THEY WERE EVENTUALLY LED
OUT THROUGH THE BACK, THROUGH A
SER
ROUTE WHERE THEY WOULDN’T HAVE
TO GO BY THE DEAD BODIES, SO THE
GIRLS DIDN’T HAVE TO SEE THAT.
>> I UNDERSTAND YOU WERE ABLE TO
PICK THEM UP FROM THE POLICE
STATION.
I WOULD IMAGINE THAT HAD TO HAVE
BEEN QUITE THE HUG.
>> IT WAS INCREDIBLE.
WE HAD A GROUP HUG RIGHT IN THE
LOBBY OF THE POLICE STATION, AND
THEN, YOU KNOW, THE -- WHEN I
BROUGHT THEM HOME, BECAUSE
PAUL’S CAR IS PART OF THE CRIME
SCENE, STILL AT THE PARKING LOT.
THEY WERE REALLY HUNGRY BECAUSE
THEY HADN’T BEEN ABLE TO SHOP,
AND THEY SAID, "WE’RE NOT GOING
TO THE GROCERY STORE.
WE’RE GOING TO ORDER IN."
YOU KNOW, CLEARLY, THE GIRLS,
YOU KNOW, WERE BEING STRONG, BUT
THIS IS -- THIS IS A DEEP TRAUMA
FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FOR US.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS LIKE THE
BOULDER BUBBLE HAS BEEN BURST.
I THINK THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT
THAT THAT’S IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF
US.
THAT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS
A COMMUNITY, ALL THE COMMUNITIES
WHERE THESE HAPPEN AND, YOU
KNOW, MORE THAN ONE A DAY ACROSS
THE UNITED STATES, THIS IS --
SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING.
WE KNOW THAT.
AND I THINK THAT ALL, YOU
KNOW -- IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE
FEELING, IT KEEPS US AS
COMMUNITIES TO ACTUALLY RESPOND
TO THIS.
THE FOCUS SON THE GUNS, BUT WE
NEED FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH FOR
THE PEOPLE WHO DO THESE SORTS OF
THINGS.
I MEAN, CRIMINALS ASIDE,
DOMESTIC TERRORISTS ASIDE, WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE IN
MENTAL STRUGGLE FROM THE
BEGINNING.
IT’S LIKE, WELL, WHO KNEW THIS
GUY?
WHY DIDN’T THEY SAY SOMETHING TO
SOMEBODY?
>> YEAH.
STEVEN --
>> THE POLICE ARE NOT EQUIPPED
TO BE PSYCHOTHERAPISTS.
WE HAVE TO DO THIS VERY
DIFFERENTLY TO GET AHEAD OF THE
GAME, FINDING THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
THE DANGEROUS ONES.
>> STEVEN, I -- YOU KNOW,
HOPEFULLY WE’LL LEARN A LITTLE
MORE ABOUT A MOTIVE DURING THAT
NEWS CONFERENCE A FEW HOURS FROM
NOW.
>> YEAH.
>> AGAIN, WE’RE SO HAPPY THAT
YOUR GRANDDAUGHTERS ARE OKAY.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AND YOUR SON-IN-LAW, PAUL,
WAS OKAY, AS WELL.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AND YOU, AS WELL.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING