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CNN SPECIAL REPORTS
Deadly Fort Hood Shooting; Chile Hit by Strong Aftershocks; Search for Flight 370
Aired April 3, 2014 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Live through all of our breaking news coverage.
CNN's live coverage of Flight 370 and the shooting at Fort Hood continues now with John Vause and Natalie Allen from the CNN center in Atlanta.
Good night.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause.
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Natalie Allen. The breaking news this hour, four people are dead, more than a dozen more injured after a gunman opened fire at an American military base.
VAUSE: We will have complete coverage of that story straight ahead. Also the latest on the search for Flight 370, live reports from Texas and Australia, next here on CNN NEWSROOM.
Multiple fatalities and injuries and some big questions after yet another shooting at the Fort Hood military base in Texas.
ALLEN: Here's what we know this hour. The shooter has been identified as Army Specialist Ivan Lopez. Officials say he killed three people before committing suicide. Sixteen people are wounded, several are in critical condition.
VAUSE: The Fort Hood commander says the shooter served in combat in Iraq in 2011. He had behavioral issues and was being evaluated to determine if he had post-traumatic stress disorder.
ALLEN: The shooting happened on the four and a half years after Army Major Nidal Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood killing 13 people and wounding dozens more. U.S. President Barack Obama gave the eulogies for the 13 people killed in that 2009 mass shooting. He talked about the pain of yet more bloodshed at the base during a stop Wednesday in Chicago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The folks there have sacrificed so much on behalf of our freedom. Many of the people there have been through multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. They serve with valor and they serve with distinction. And when they're at their home base, they need to feel safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Nidal Hasan was convicted last year in a U.S. military court for the 2009 attack at Fort Hood and sentenced to death. He had admitted to targeting soldiers who were about to be deployed to Afghanistan. Also he was shot in the back at the end of his shooting spree and is paralyzed from the waist down.
ALLEN: CNN's Ed Lavandera is on the scene at Fort Hood right now. He joins us now live.
Ed, what else are you hearing about the shooter and a possible motive?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello, Natalie. Well, it is approaching just after midnight here in Central Texas and we know that federal investigators here on the army installation at Fort Hood and fanning out into the community of nearby, the town of Killeen where many people who live and work in this area call home.
And we do know that investigators are at the home of Ivan Lopez tonight beginning the investigation, looking into his background. And we've already learned a great deal. As you mentioned Ivan Lopez, according to Fort Hood officials, had been in the process of being treated or possibly diagnosed as suffering from PTSD. He had been diagnosed and receiving medical attention for behavioral, psychological issues as well as anxiety.
And that is one of the things that investigators will begin taking a much closer look at. But investigators here and officials here at Fort Hood say they still do not have a motive as to Ivan Lopez carried out this attack just after 4:00 local time here in Central Texas. But they did describe the methodical nature with which the attack was carried out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. GEN. MARK MILLEY, COMMANDER, FORT HOOD: The exact sequence of events and timeline of events are not 100 percent clear. It is believed that he walked into one of the unit buildings, opened fire. Got into a vehicle, fired from a vehicle, got out of the vehicle, walked into another building and opened fire again, and then was engaged by local law enforcement here at Fort Hood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: And Fort Hood officials say it was a female military police officer that cornered him in the parking lot. And that -- when she raised her gun at him. That is He turned his gun on himself.
We were at the apartment complex tonight where Ivan Lopez and his wife and family had just moved into. We spoke with a neighbor who say -- described an incredible scene there at the apartment complex as news of the shooting was breaking out. That Ivan Lopez's wife was standing around with other -- other people who live in that apartment complex, many of them military families, trying to gather the news.
And that is when she first found out that it was her husband. She had been worried because she had not heard from him for several hours. And then she got the news that it was her husband that was involved in the shooting. We're told that she is cooperating with investigators and left that apartment complex. Not exactly sure with whom but we do that she's cooperating according to various sources that are telling CNN tonight.
That she is cooperating with investigators so a great deal of work that is being done here. Also a great deal of attention, concern for the victims that are still being treated. We understand that there are 16 people that were injured. Some of them injured in trying to escape, climbing over a fence, hit by glass, and that sort of thing. But there are other people who were shot, sustained wounds in the attack.
There are nine soldiers who are at a nearby hospital, three of those patients are in critical condition. So we'll continue to monitor that. So far, as you mentioned off the top there, the death toll, three victims. The fourth victim was the shooter -- the fourth person who died was the shooter himself. But a great deal of attention being paid to those who are still battling the wounds and hopefully they will come out OK but that work will continue throughout the night here in Central Texas -- Natalie.
ALLEN: Right. We should certainly wish them well. And it's kind of surreal that his wife was standing around with others, wondering what was going on. What must have been going on in people's minds? Have you talked to people or heard through social media what it was like to hear that this base was yet again on lockdown and a shooting was under way?
LAVANDERA: You know, it's -- I covered that shooting back in 2009 here at Fort Hood just a few months ago, also covered the month long trial of Nidal Hasan. It is -- it was an ordeal that took a great toll on this community. Not only that shooting but you also have to remember that this is an army where tens -- hundreds of thousands of soldiers have come through here over the course since 9/11. This is an army installation that took the brunt of the casualties in the war on terror in Afghanistan and in Iraq.
This is something that, you know, there's been a lot of pain and anguish that this community has dealt with since 9/11 and through both of those wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. So this is another one of those moments that is just chilling and very difficult. But this is, you know, a community that has dealt with this before as much as -- as much as they hate it, it was, you know, incredibly eerie when we first pulled up here tonight.
Everything was still locked down in all of the streets, not only here around Fort Hood but in the town of Killeen. Everything was very quiet. And it was after that all-clear that was given several hours after the shooting and everything had been kind of brought under order, that everything started getting back to normal. You saw a line of cars getting off the army installation tonight. And, you know, another chilling scene and -- and a story that is leaving many people scratching their heads tonight trying to make sense of it for sure.
ALLEN: And we'll learn more of course in the coming days ahead.
Ed Lavandera for us live there at Fort Hood. Thank you -- John.
VAUSE: Natalie, so many questions about a motive. How this could happen once again at Fort Hood. So for answers on this, a short time ago I spoke with Russell Honore, he's a retired lieutenant general of the U.S. Army.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: General Honore, at this point, they're not ruling out terrorism as a possible motive. But everything that we've heard from General Mark Milley at Fort Hood indicates the shooter was a troubled soldier who is dealing with mental health issues.
GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, RET. LT. GEN. U.S. ARMY: Well, that's all the indication based on initial reports. I think we'll know more in the hours to come. But you know, as a soldier on the greater team, the army team, when something like this happens, occasionally, it's a crime of passion. But these mad shootings like this many of these incidents come back to significant mental issues that people are struggling with. Unfortunately it does happen.
VAUSE: Yes. Given the history of Fort Hood, will questions now be asked as to how this soldier managed to get a private weapon, a semiautomatic on to that base, especially given what happened at Fort Hood in 2009?
HONORE: Well, you know, Fort Hood is in Texas and I mean, you get open carry law in Texas. The rule is you cannot have individual weapons, carrying it around on the military installation -- so if you were caught carrying a weapon in your car, just by a random stop or someone were to see it, you would have to go before your commanding officer and probably be punished for having a weapon on the installation.
So we have strict rules about it. Unfortunately, none of those rules prevent people with bad intent from bringing a handgun on Fort Hood.
VAUSE: Well, given that, though, will security now be looked at not just Fort Hood but at all military bases around the United States?
HONORE: That is a normal procedure. We'll do a review of what happened at this case then pass any lessons on. But again it's a case of, to get on Fort Hood, it's a sprawling installation with from 4,000 to 5,000 troops and a great community of over 90,000, that go in and out of Fort Hood every day include civilian workers.
And to get on Fort Hood, you have to show identification that you could come on the installation so it gives people a sense of security but what that does is it does not get you absolute security. And that is to protect you from someone with ill intent weapon. And that is what happened -- it's happened twice in five years in Fort Hood.
VAUSE: Yes. And with that in mind, this is the biggest military base in the United States, some 15,000 personnel based there. Many of those soldiers have done multiple rotations through Iraq and Afghanistan. Once again they're not under fire on home soil if you like. As a military man, as a retired army general, how will they be dealing with this in the coming hours and the coming days?
HONORE: You know, it's almost like a kick in the gut because it's -- our military posts are sanctuary. This is a place where we raise our families, and where we go to work but it's also a place when we deploy overseas some place to go to a mission where there's training or as (INAUDIBLE) the last 12 years in and out of -- arrive in Afghanistan. It's a sanctuary for our families. And when we come back, it's a place which you'd come back in, you're not carrying a weapon 24 hours a day.
It's meant and designed to give you a sense of security where you can relax in a family environment. So when this happens it breaks that sacred trust that we have with our soldiers and their families that they live in a safe and secure environment. And in each case in recent years when we've had an incident like that on an army post, it's normally a handgun -- the semiautomatic handgun and a person who's having issues, way beyond fiscal issues but behavioral issues.
VAUSE: OK. General Russel Honore, we appreciate you being with us. We appreciate your insight. Thank you, sir.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Lieutenant General Honore really spelling out why and what the families and the personnel will be going through at Fort Hood, not just in Texas but at military bases across the United States.
ALLEN: Absolutely. They've got -- a lot of questions to ask. As the commander said, they'll be assessing what they can do to try to keep these things from continuing.
Well, up next here, we will turn our attention to the mystery of Flight 370.
VAUSE: After the break, the latest on the investigation from Malaysia and a live report on the search from Perth, Australia.
You're watching CNN. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: And welcome back again. We're following breaking news out of Fort Hood, Texas, where a shooting at the army base there has left four people dead, including the gunman. Sixteen people are being treated for injuries.
VAUSE: The base's commander says the gunman had behavioral and mental health issues. Multiple law enforcement and government sources have identified the gunman as Specialist Ivan Lopez.
ALLEN: U.S. President Barack Obama talked about the situation during a visit to Chicago saying he's heartbroken. Mr. Obama insisted authorities would get to the bottom of what happened.
VAUSE: U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called the shooting a terrible tragedy. He spoke to reporters on board the USS Anchorage in Honolulu.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: When we have this kind of tragedies on our bases, something is not working. So we'll identify it, we'll get the facts and we'll fix it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Please stay with us as we continue to bring you the very latest details on the situation at Fort Hood.
The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has shifted once again.
ALLEN: It has moved north as authorities eliminate areas where nothing has been found.
VAUSE: And at this rate debris may wash ashore before it spotted at sea.
ALLEN: Malaysia's top police official says the mystery may never be solved. All 227 passengers have been cleared, apparently, and authorities have said there is nothing suspicious about the pilots. But there has been no comment on the rest of the crew.
VAUSE: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is now at search headquarters in Perth. He's meeting with his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott.
The search of Australia the investigation in Malaysia appears to be getting nowhere, and as the quest for answers continues, Malaysia Airlines is taking action. Beefing up its security.
Senior international correspondent Sara Sidner has more on that from Kuala Lumpur.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the search drags on well into its fourth week with no sign of the missing plane, it also cut comments to the Malaysian media, the Malaysian Police Inspector General Khalid Abu Bakar made one thing clear.
KHALID ABU BAKAR, MALAYSIAN POLICE INSPECTOR GENERAL: This is a criminal investigation, it is ongoing. We had not concluded and we are still awaiting for expertise reports from experts overseas and internally. SIDNER: So far, investigators have managed to interview 170 people and cleared all 227 passengers on board. Now it's back to looking at the crew and anyone else with access to the plane. Everyone from the workers who loaded the cargo to the pilots in the cockpit.
ABU BAKAR: Everything. From beginning to the end. Guess again how many people we need to interview.
SIDNER: It is a painstaking process that so far has revealed very little about what might have led to the plane's disappearance.
ABU BAKAR: Even the food. Who prepared the food for the passengers on the plane? That also we have to look into very detail of it.
SIDNER: In the meantime, CNN has confirmed through sources that Malaysia Airlines is increasing its security in light of what's happened to Flight MH-370. The new measures include a rule saying no pilot or first officer will be allowed to remain alone in the cockpit where the communication were either deliberately switched off or malfunctioned.
As the days drag on, the families are more desperate for answers. Worried time is running out as the batteries on the flight data and voice recorders come closer to fading. The media waiting for details after the family briefing is more aggressive as news conferences reveal few details.
(On camera): Sir, can you tell us anything about the meeting? Can you tell us anything about what the families were asking? Is there anything new in the investigation that you were able to share with the families?
But the police inspector general is talking and admitted something that government officials have not said publicly until now when asked about the plane's disappearance and the cause, he said --
ABU BAKAR: We may not even know the reason of this incident. You see? We may not even know that.
SIDNER (voice-over): That is the last thing families want to hear as they wait with heavy hearts for the answers to two simple questions -- where is the plane with their loved ones and why did it disappear.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Kuala Lumpur.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: Of course there are a lot of people right now trying to answer those questions. Let's get the latest on the search, senior international correspondent Matthew Chance joins us now live from Perth, Australia.
Hello, Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Natalie, thanks very much. That's right. About eight planes, nine ships engaged from various parts of the international community have begun their search once again in that slightly refined area, slightly to the north of where they were looking yesterday and the days before that in search of debris from that missing flight that's not been found.
I have to emphasize no debris from the flight has been located in the past couple of hours. So there's been a joint press conference given by the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Australian counterpart, Tony Abbot.
Mr. Najib saying that the new refined area of search has given us new hope, although he didn't specify what aspects of that, what basis he had for saying that. He also spoke about how his thoughts are with the families of the 239 people on board, we will not give up the search, he assured them.
Tony Abbott stressing instead the international dimension of this search saying it was an extraordinary effort. Take a listen to what both those leaders have to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY ABBOTT, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: I do pay tribute to all of the countries involved in the search. Apart from Australia and Malaysia, we have China, Japan, Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. This is an extraordinary piece of international cooperation.
NAJIB RAZAK, MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER: In a time of great tragedy, for the countries with citizens on board, and the families whose loved ones missing, this cooperation has given us all heart. Differences have been set aside as 26 nations have united behind a common cause.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: Well, Natalie, in addition to the nine ships and surface vessels that are already searching these seas in the Southern Indian Ocean, these waters in the Southern Indian Ocean, there's also a British nuclear submarine that going to start searching as well, equipped with very sensitive underwater detection equipment.
Hopefully to try and locate the debris, locate the pinger sound from the black boxes, which is certified to carry on pinger for some 30 days after the flight disappears. That runs out in just a few days from now. So it's very much become a race against time to try and find what may be left of this flight -- Natalie.
ALLEN: It totally has. Thank you so much, Matthew Chance, for us live from Perth.
VAUSE: Now to a story we're following. A powerful 7.6 aftershock has struck off the coast of northern Chile. That's just one day after an 8.2 quake. Now tsunami warnings were briefly issued in Chile and Peru but have now been cancelled.
ALLEN: This latest quake follows a massive, as you mentioned, 8.2 quake that shook the area Tuesday night. That quake left six people dead. More than 2500 homes damaged in the coastal city of Iquique.
For more on this latest powerful aftershock, meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is at the World Weather Center for us -- Pedram.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Natalie and John, you know, this earthquake, one of 47 aftershocks we've had since that initial 8.2 and interesting with the 2500 homes that had been damaged across Iquique, this 7.6 has the potential for significant damage because of the 47, it's the only one that is over land. About 19 kilometers south of Iquique. In fact the USGS giving an estimate of somewhere between one and 10 fatalities associated with this quake based on historical data. That same number, 1 to 10 was given to yesterday's 8.2. And of course, Natalie telling you six fatalities occurring there.
But there is the epicenter. Again notice the other 46 well off shore. Number 47 happening over land. There is the 8.2 that occurred. That is about 1.5 million quakes occur on our planet every single year that you can actually feel. That's the only one that you'll have generally speaking into the eight scale. About 15 occurring in the seventh scale. There is one of 15 right there that occurred inside the last, say, two hours. So a very significant event. And the USGS calling very strong to strong shaking felt by at least 176,000 people.
Population in Iquique is 182,000 people so you would imagine this quake happening about 17 minutes before midnight, getting a lot of people's attention. We do know a tsunami warning and watch issued that were -- are cancelled at this hour but wave heights were measured there -- key heights increasing around Iquique to 2.4 feet. We know across portions of this region anywhere from a half a foot to over two feet.
Now, remember, yesterday's earthquake actually leave a wave height upwards of six feet, about two meters so there's been a significantly smaller event. Mainly because being over land, parts of the plate eventually of course go out of the water so those coastal communities are impacted but this is exactly what you would expect when it comes an earthquake of an 8.0. Magnitude aftershocks on the order of one in the seven, we've had that now. Ten quakes typically in the 6.0 magnitude. We've had two so far and 100 over a 5.0 and of course we know well into the thousands when you're talking about a magnitude 4.0.
And something here important to keep in mind, Natalie. I often talk about here, these plates in this part of the world, like Chile, sixth of the top 10 greatest earthquakes on our planet have occurred either Alaska, Chile, or across Sumatra. So not a stranger but these plates are always in motion, about the same length as your fingernails grow every single year. These plates are moving. So a lot of activity here in recent weeks -- guys.
ALLEN: Yes. And Chileans are used to it, although --
VAUSE: Yes.
ALLEN: They don't like it. VAUSE: Absolutely. But they handle this one so much better than that earthquake back in 2010, left hundreds dead. I mean, still what, six people died, but a much better outcome than what we had many, many years ago.
ALLEN: Absolutely.
VAUSE: Thanks, Pedram.
JAVAHERI: You got it.
ALLEN: You're watching a special edition of CNN NEWSROOM.
VAUSE: We will have the very latest on the deadly shooting at that Fort Hood army military base in Texas right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back. Twenty-six minutes past 1:00 on a Thursday morning. You are watching a special edition of CNN NEWSROOM as we continue to follow the breaking news out of Fort Hood, Texas.
ALLEN: A shooter opened fire at the army base there, killing three people then himself. Sixteen people are being treated for wounds at two nearby hospitals.
VAUSE: The base's commander says the gunman had served in Iraq. He had behavioral and mental health issues. Multiple law enforcement and government sources have identified the gunman as Specialist Ivan Lopez. A lockdown at the military base has now been lifted with an all-clear siren sounding about three hours ago.
ALLEN: Well, the shooting began just outside the hospital complex at Fort Hood.
Let's go now to Tom Foreman who gives us a closer look at the layout of the army post and shows us how today's tragic events unfolded.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fort Hood is located north of Austin, south of Dallas, pretty much in the center of the state and out in a big wide open area where it was established in World War II for tank combat operations. They needed all that room around them.
This is the main part of the base, running rectangularly this way back and forth. The main gate right down here. And even though it's a big base, with many, many thousands of troops and civilians working there every day the bulk of this incident happened right in this area here. If we zoom in past the gate to the hospital complex, this is where the commander says the shooting began, in the parking lots outside of this hospital complex.
From there, he said, the gunman got back into his car, and drove toward the motor pool area. You can move this way. Just a very short distance and you -- start seeing some of these military vehicles. A typical motor pool area and that continues a bit down this road. This road, by the way, is called Tank Destroyer Road. A tribute to the history of the place.
And if you were to continue following Tank Destroyer Road, you come down here to where the incident involving Major Hasan happened back in this area. But as it is, according to the commander this seemed to come to an end somewhere up in here. We don't know precisely where yet, but again a fairly small area from start to finish with this tragic event that once again has shaken this army post.
ALLEN: You're watching CNN's breaking news coverage of a deadly shooting at Fort Hood in Texas.
VAUSE: And this is not the first time this army base has been hit by a tragedy like this one. We'll have more on that after a short break. Back in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
ALLEN: And hello once again and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Natalie Allen.
VAUSE: And I'm John Vause. Thank you for being with us.
ALLEN: And the breaking news this hour, the deadly shooting at Fort Hood military base in Texas.
VAUSE: Authorities say Army Specialist Ivan Lopez killed three people before taking his own life. Sixteen people have been wounded, a number of them are in critical condition.
ALLEN: The Fort Hood commander says there is no indication it was a terrorist act, but nothing is being ruled out as the motive at least not right now.
VAUSE: Lopez had served in Iraq and was said to be suffering from depression and anxiety. He was being evaluated for a possible post- traumatic stress disorder. The base commander described Lopez's last moments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLEY: Military police officer responded. And he was approaching her at about 20 feet. He put his hands up. Then reached under his jacket. Pulled out the 9 mill. And she pulled out her weapon and then she engaged. And then he put the weapon to his head and he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: The shooting is rekindling memories of the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood that killed 13 people and wounded dozens more. Army Major Nidal Hasan admitted to the shootings in a military court. He was convicted and sentenced to death. He had admitted to targeting soldiers who were about to be deployed to Afghanistan. VAUSE: U.S. President Barack Obama says investigators will get to the bottom of exactly what happened at Fort Hood. He spoke in Chicago on Wednesday, obviously with the memories of the 2009 shooting fresh on his mind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Any shooting is troubling. Obviously, this reopens the pain of what happened in Fort Hood five years ago. We know these families, we know their incredible service to our country and the sacrifices that they make. Obviously our thoughts and prayers were with the entire community. And we are going to do everything we can to make sure that the community at Fort Hood has what it needs to deal with the current situation and any potential aftermath.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Now Dr. Paula Bloom is a clinical psychologist and a blogger for the Huffington Post. She joins us now right here in Atlanta.
Paula, good to speak with you. Army officials have said that the gunman was suffering from a traumatic brain injury which he received during his time in Iraq, he's being treated for depression as well as anxiety.
Now given all of that, what does that say to you about what his state of mind may have been? And does that give you any clues as to what may have happened here as a possible trigger?
DR. PAULA BLOOM, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Right. What it says is that there's a lot of vulnerability here. I mean, I listened to the commander's conference. He talked about that he already had a diagnosis of depression and anxiety, and was in the process of going through the diagnostic process for post-traumatic stress disorder.
So depression and anxiety, you know, they're a bit different. Depression is feelings of sadness and hopelessness and those kinds of things, and it's a really big key in this because we talk about him shooting others, but many people -- I mean, this is really a suicide in many ways. And that is often depression.
The anxiety is more about worry and those kinds of things. But the PTSD diagnosis to me is very important because one of the big symptoms in PTSD is hyperreactivity. And being sort of really spring loaded, walking around, very spring loaded, very hypervigilant. And that would give me a lot of information to explain some of this behavior.
VAUSE: Something that struck me, though, officials say the soldier served in Iraq in 2011. He was not in the process of being evaluated.
BLOOM: Right. Right.
VAUSE: If he was in fact suffering from post-traumatic stress. That seems like an awfully long process, an awfully long time here, doesn't it? BLOOM: It does. But you never know when he presented with symptoms. A lot of times with PTSD, you can have a delayed onset. In fact you can't diagnose PTSD until at least it's been at least a month of symptoms. And often times, it's six months or a year that people have the actual symptoms of PTSD and also in the military, listen. We have limited resources for treatment and it's very easy for people to say, hey, I have PTSD, but there's a lot of consequences and a lot of benefits that come with that. So a lot of times the process to diagnose it is much more deliberate than, let's say, anxiety or depression.
VAUSE: One thing which I think we should point out here, making this connection, we should be very careful on making this link between mental illness and also a motive for the shooting.
BLOOM: Absolutely. That's such a great point because listen, most people -- anxiety and depression and PTSD are more far common than people are -- who are violent. This does not mean you're going to be violent. I think that's very responsible of you to bring that up. That's very key point.
VAUSE: OK. Finally, when we're looking at a motive, and we're trying to work out exactly what happened here, when the shooter takes his own life in suicide and there's no suicide note left behind, how difficult does it then become to work out exactly what was going on with this guy?
BLOOM: It's very hard. Now I'll be curious to see -- they said that he was -- he was undergoing treatment so it'll be interesting for them to look at the treatment notes. You know, sometimes, people do say and have some sort of plan that they articulate. They may not, but it's really, really difficult. Because ultimately, you really, no matter what your profession is, your psychologist, whatever, you can't read people's thoughts. You cannot fully get into someone's head.
VAUSE: Yes.
BLOOM: And it's really painful for those around them.
VAUSE: Yes. A lot of painful days to come as people try and piece all this together.
BLOOM: Yes. Yes.
VAUSE: To work out exactly why this all happened.
Dr. Paula Bloom, we appreciate you coming in.
BLOOM: Sure.
VAUSE: Thanks so much.
BLOOM: Thank you.
ALLEN: And we'll no doubt be finding more about him as people who knew him -- VAUSE: Yes.
ALLEN: -- and people who served with him start talking in the next few days.
VAUSE: This is always sad, when they start painting a picture of who this guy was, and what was the problem at the end of the day.
Well, still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, how can Flight 370 literally disappear without a trace?
ALLEN: That's where we are right now but a top association for the world's airlines says there may be ways to monitor every second of a flight, even if it goes off radar. We'll have more about that coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back. Our breaking news this hour, the deadly shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, military base.
ALLEN: Authorities have identified the man who killed three people there as Army Specialist Ivan Lopez. They say he fatally shot himself after he was confronted by military police.
VAUSE: Sixteen others have been hurt, several remain in the critical condition. The base commander says Lopez had served in Iraq in 2011 and was suffering from depression and anxiety. He was undergoing an evaluation for possible post-traumatic stress disorder.
Thirteen people were killed in a mass shooting at Fort Hood back in 2009.
Now Dan Corbin is the mayor of the nearby town of Killeen, Texas. He's no stranger to this kind of violence. I had a chance to speak with him just a short time ago. I asked him what was his first reaction when he heard that once again there had been a mass shooting at Fort Hood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR DAN CORBIN, KILLEEN, TEXAS: It was just like a kick in the gut. It was -- it made me sad, it made me angry. It made me want to do something to help. I knew that our city was offered immediately, all the assistance we could in terms of ambulances, police. Our investigative resources. And -- but it just didn't feel like -- it felt like you wanted to do more.
I mean, I wanted to call General Milley and give my condolences. But I knew he would be busy so I just -- I didn't do that. You know, those are -- those are real professionals up here in Fort Hood. And they know how to deal with these situations. I know what it's like to be at war for years and that's what they do. And they need our moral support. They need us to stand shoulder to shoulder with them and express our love and respect for them. And that's what we're going to do as a community. VAUSE: Sir --
CORBIN: The four surrounding community.
VAUSE: Quite a few difficult days to come, no doubt.
CORBIN: There will be -- there will be funerals, there will be grieving. There will be families bringing about their loved ones who are in very critical condition over at Scott & White Memorial Hospital and our neighboring town of Temple. But I hope that -- I hope all your listeners will pray for a speedy recovery for those who are injured and pray for comfort, solace for the families of those who were killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Another tragedy we continue to follow. Authorities searching for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 are now eliminating areas where nothing has been found.
VAUSE: Yes. That's moving the entire operation in the Indian Ocean just a little closer to Australia.
ALLEN: Malaysia's top police official now concede the mystery may never be solved.
VAUSE: All 227 passengers have been cleared of any likely role and authorities have said there's nothing suspicious at this stage about the pilots but so far there's no comment on the 10 crew members.
ALLEN: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is now at search headquarters in Perth meeting with his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott. They held a news conference a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBOTT: This is the most difficult search ever undertaken. The most difficult search every undertaken. Even though we are constantly refining the search area, even though the search area is moving north. It is still an extraordinarily the most inaccessible spot.
NAJIB: I know that until we find the plane, many families cannot start to grieve. I cannot imagine what they much be going through. But I can promise them that we will not --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So you can track your smartphone, you can track packages that you've sent in the mail. You can track a FedEx. Everything. So how is it that a Boeing 777 with 239 people on board can literally vanish?
Now the International Air Transport Association is urging the aviation industry to improve global tracking of planes.
Here's Jim Clancy. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We can't find it. We're not even sure we're looking in the right place. Because Flight 370's transponder was purposely shut down by someone in the cockpit or failed, search teams have been left to scour millions of square nautical miles. Tech-savvy travelers wonder why.
The director of the powerful International Air Transport Association acknowledges the industry must act.
TONY TYLER, DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION: We need to be in the position to track aircraft though the whole entire length of their flights. Even if they go outside, no radar coverage and so on. We need to look at the best, most effective way, of tracking aircraft wherever they may have to be.
CLANCY: The agony of the families of those missing only adds urgency to act.
JAY MONROE, CEO AND CHAIRMAN, GLOBALSTAR: You can continuously track one second at a time for continuously across any trip and know exactly where an airplane is. That is invaluable and in the case of 370 it would have told us whether the plane turned, whether the plane continued straight, and when it stopped emitting all together.
CLANCY: As Flight 370's disappearance became a global talking point, so did weaknesses in security. Millions of travelers allowed to board planes with only minimal checks of their identities including the two men who boarded Flight 370 with stolen passports.
TYLER: Let me be very clear. I mean, the airlines' role is to fly aircraft and carry people. It's government's role to make sure the people aren't traveling on fake or stolen or -- invalid passports. Border control is a government activity.
CLANCY: Interpol says it takes just second to reveal if a passport is among the 40 million known lost or stolen in its database. IATO wants a single harmonized system so airlines can quickly submit data to governments for screening.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: OK. That was Jim Clancy reporting there.
And we should note that the International Air Transport Association plans to set up a kind of task force to look for ways to improve tracking of commercial aircraft.
ALLEN: This would be the incident that would call that action, wouldn't it?
VAUSE: Yes.
ALLEN: Well, it is hard to imagine the suffering the families are going through. We've seen a lot of their suffering in the past few weeks. They're husbands, mothers, fathers, wives, and children, gone in an instant. Some accept tragedy, other, though, are holding out hope for a miracle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE KHIM FATT, HUSBAND OF FLIGHT ATTENDANT FOONG WAI YUENG: She has been flying with Malaysian Airlines for the past 18 years. She's a lovely lady, a lovely wife and a caring mom for my two kids. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are from (INAUDIBLE).
LOKMAN MUSTAFA, BROTHER OF SUHARI MUSTAFA: She's the glue that holds things together, my sister. It's a rollercoaster ride. It's difficult for the family members. We are hoping there will be survivors. If it indeed ended somewhere in the Indian Ocean, we hope that there will be survivors. We hope Suhari is among the -- is among the survivors, yes. That's the only thing that we can -- we hope that that is a light at the end of this tunnel.
PETER CHONG, FRIEND OF MH-370 CAPTAIN ZAHARIE AHMAD SHAH: I definitely miss her. He's a very committed, professional pilot. If something had happened to this flight, I would think, in fact, I would believe that he would have made sure of the safety and welfare of everyone before he will think about himself. That's the kind of person that he is. That's why I would choose him as my pilot.
I just cannot imagine how the family will be going through. So not just Captain's family but the rest of the passengers and crew.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Of course, the police chief now in Malaysia saying we may never know.
ALLEN: I know.
VAUSE: What happened.
ALLEN: That would be so hard for the families to hear.
VAUSE: Yes.
ALLEN: They're holding out hope as something but not one shred of evidences, though.
VAUSE: Nothing yet.
ALLEN: All of the searching going on in the Indian Ocean.
Well, another story we're following closely. A powerful 7.6 aftershock has struck off the coast of northern Chile just one day after an 8.2 quake.
VAUSE: Tsunami warnings were briefly issued for Chile and Peru but they've now been cancelled. And Chilean official say there are no reports of damage or injuries at this stage. ALLEN: Well, this latest quake follows a massive 8.2 as I mentioned that shook the area Tuesday night. That quake left six people, more than 2500 homes damaged in the coastal city of Iquique.
VAUSE: OK. Pedram Javaheri back for a close look at these aftershocks.
Last night, we had an aftershock I think it was about a 6.2.
JAVAHERI: That's right.
VAUSE: Now we got this one, magnitude 7.0. So I thought they would decrease in magnitude.
JAVAHERI: They do. They decreased in the number of quakes that you begin to see, a number of aftershocks. But the intensity does not necessarily decrease. So that's the separation there as far as the numbers are concerned, guys. But you know this 7.6 initially came at 7.8. It was downgraded to a 7.6. The depth putting at 40 kilometer so we're talking about, say, roughly, 25 or so miles deep. About, say, 20 or so miles, I should say 10 or so miles, south of Iquique, this region, of course. Population, about 180,000. So very densely populated.
This occurring just before midnight so the USGS saying at least 176,000 people felt the pretty extensive shaking associated with this quake. We know have had 48 aftershocks. And the vast majority of them, in fact every single one of them with the exception of the 7.6 had been offshore. So this is going to have the most impact as far as land damage is concerned being right there south of the most populated city there in this region.
Again, that region seeing this aftershock and very late in the overnight hours. But here you. This is what you'd expect. Statistically speaking based on an 8.0 original earthquake. One quake typically in the seven category that we now have seen. We've seen two in the 6.0 category. That is again 10 statistically speaking based on historical numbers of such quakes and then you see how we begin to taper off these numbers.
And you kind of look at what's happened around the world, guys, and I know, and I can tell you east coast of Japan from the 2011 quake, we're still getting aftershocks in the 6's in this region of the world but again the frequency is decreasing, not the number.
VAUSE: OK. PJ, thanks, Pedram.
JAVAHERI: You bet.
ALLEN: Thanks, Pedram.
VAUSE: You're watching a special edition of CNN NEWSROOM.
ALLEN: We'll have the latest on that deadly shooting at Fort Hood army base in Texas, right after this.
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ALLEN: We continue to follow the story out of Fort Hood, Texas, where a shooting at the army base there has left four people dead, including the gunman. Sixteen people are being treated at hospitals.
VAUSE: The base commander says the gunman was stationed in Iraq for four months during 2011. He had behavioral and mental health issues. Multiple law enforcement and government sources have identified the gunman as Specialist Ivan Lopez.
ALLEN: U.S. President Barack Obama talked about the situation during a visit to Chicago, saying he's heartbroken. Mr. Obama insisted authorities would get to the bottom of what happened.
VAUSE: We know the gunman was married, he had a family but authorities aren't saying a lot more about him. So a short time ago, I spoke with former FBI assistant director Tom Fuentes about where the investigation goes next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Tom Fuentes, we're still learning much about what actually happened at Fort Hood. But as we look forward, where does this investigation go next? What will authorities be looking at to try --
TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Interviewing co-workers, family members, friends, neighbors, to try to get a picture of what sparked this act of violence. You know make a final determination of whether it was possibly politically motivated which of course would make it terrorism, or is it just a case of, you know, some kind of a personal dispute, or was it maybe mental illness, you know, post- traumatic stress syndrome. You know, there's a variety of possible situations that would lead someone to begin an act of violence or they go on a rampage. They'll be trying to determine as much as possible what the trigger was.
VAUSE: Unlike 2009 shooting, also at Fort Hood, which was terrorism related, it appears that this time it may not be soldier-on-soldier issues here. But it does still seem to be this ongoing issue of insider threats, if you like, on U.S. military bases.
FUENTES: Well, first of all when it comes to a military base, I mean, this is a place where the nation's war fighters are being trained. So, you know, by nature, they're being prepared for combat or they've returned from deployments in combat zones around the world particularly Afghanistan at the moment. So, you know, they come back and you're asking people to turn that switch on or off of being in a position ready for combat to now return to a peaceful civilian life. You know, get along with your neighbors and your family and all of that. So that's often easier said than done with some people if that's what happened here.
Secondly, you're talking about a place that's really a small city with a population of about 50,000 people. So, you know, there are acts of violence that occur in cities and towns unfortunately gun violence in the United States. And, you know, so that's another aspect of it is by sheer population, you know, you have crimes often occurring. You hope it doesn't happen on a controlled environment like a military base, but unfortunately it does.
VAUSE: And the fact that this has actually happened at a military base, a very large one, does that change the investigation in anyway? Does it make easier? Does it make it harder?
FUENTES: Well, it really makes it about the same either way. But in this case you have the FBI would normally have primary jurisdiction on a U.S. military base. Whether it'd be a naval base, army, marine corps or air force. However, the U.S. Army and the FBI have a memorandum of understanding which says that the FBI will support the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Divisions, CID, so they will take the lead in this case. The prosecution, if there was going to be one and we don't know in this case, if there's no other person, and if the shooter is dead, there obviously won't be one.
But it would be by military justice system. And again the FBI would be providing the support. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, ATF, would provide investigative assistance. Tracing the weapon, verifying where the weaponry came from. Other federal agencies could be involved. And under the U.S. system, as I mentioned, crime on a government reservation which is a U.S. military base is a federal crime.
So, in this case, the state and local officials, the Department of Public Safety and the local county sheriff would provide any support that might be necessary to establish the perimeter around the base, any work that needed to be done locally outside of the base environment. But in this case again, you know, if it's contained to a shooter who is now deceased, then that will make things, you know, easier to go forward.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: We'll be learning more about him as the investigation pushes on.
VAUSE: Yes.
ALLEN: But again there many people in the hospital who -- a few who are in critical condition.
Thank you for watching this hour. I'm Natalie Allen.
VAUSE: And I'm John Vause, for our viewers in the United States, special report with Don Lemon is coming up next.
ALLEN: For everyone else, CNN NEWSROOM continues in a moment. Stay with us.
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For our viewers in the United States, Special Report with don lemon is up next.
For everyone else, CNN news continues. See you in a moment.
