Police: Suspect Apparently Targeted National Guard Troops

25:41And we are hoping for another update, obviously, as soon as we can get one. We heard from officials earlier, including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said that this was a targeted attack. What is your message, if any, to the other troops currently in Washington, D.C. right now? No, we should always be on guard. You know, I live about four blocks from the Capitol when I'm there. I always have my head on a swivel. When I walk down the Eastern Market, I'm always alert. We have to be alert. But we know that this is very random, very rare, but it happens. So we've got to be alert. And unfortunately, in this political environment we're in, where everybody's escalating and angry at each other, the fringes get antagonized.

26:32I mean, you and I, when we heard this stuff on TV, we could sift through it. But there's a few people in our society on the left and the right that get so antagonized that they take violent action. And so I think it's very incumbent upon all of us, Democrats and Republicans, in the news, that we treat each other decently. We can disagree without being over-the-top angry and throwing gas. what I think is a fire right now in our society and this hyper-piracenship that we have. That is certainly an important message. I do want to reiterate, too, that while we are told this was a targeted attack, we do not know the motive.

27:11So it is important to remember in this moment. But certainly, and we don't know that there was anything behind it that was political, but to say that the political rhetoric in this country is high at this moment is an understatement. You are absolutely correct in that. You know, having served for a number of years. I'm curious, what are the resources, as we see these troops, right, who have been, in some ways, you know, to your point, in a difficult situation since they were initially deployed? And, of course, you know, we had just last week this ruling from a judge that actually found the deployment was likely illegal, although we know that was paused for three weeks.

27:46But the fact that these, you know, we know from the state of West Virginia, I was just speaking with the attorney general, the 160 members of the West Virginia National Guard, he said, all volunteered to be there in this moment to continue to carry out that mission. This must be difficult for them to process. What are the resources that are available to National Guard troops, to those who are serving, when they see what is happening to their fellow guardsmen? You know, I serve in the active duty, but I think in these situations, the Guard also has a lot of the same resources. There are, whether it's chaplains, a lot of different resources there to help folks with this.

28:28But I would like to point out something that you raised. I mean, I deployed four times in the Middle East, and I knew five people killed in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. It's a shame that we had two soldiers shot at me. We don't know their status right now, like you say, but the fact that this happened in our own country is wrong. It's tragic. I just want to point that out. I appreciate these two, but also all the West Virginia Guardsmen. They're volunteers. And even if some folks disagree with the deployment of the Guard in our cities, or Washington, D.C. in particular, it's not the Guard's fault.

29:08It's not these soldiers' fault. Well, let's have these debates in Congress. Let's have these debate in the courts. And let's follow the dictates of the courts. But it's surely not the fault of these guardsmen and women who just want to serve their country. Yeah. Secretary Higgs has said a short time ago that the president wants an additional 500 National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. Do you believe that that would help the situation? I think it's a temporary solution, but it's not the long-term solution. The long-term solution is you have to have district attorneys, prosecutors, and judges that are willing to keep violent people behind bars.

29:49And you've got to have enough prison space to put them. And let me give you a stat. I heard this from the chief of police of Washington, D.C. He said about a year ago that the average murderer had conducted 11 violent crimes before they did that murder, or they were arrested for him, and then released back into the streets. And we just saw that murder in Chicago, where this person I think had 17 arrests and he murdered that young lady. That's the real problem. We need more police. We need prosecutors and judges that deal with us and don't put these people right back on the streets. I think the Guard, it may be a temporary solution, but it's not the long-term one.

30:28Congressman Don Bacon, we appreciate your time. Thank you. Thank you. If you are just joining us, two National Guard members shot in Washington, D.C. They are in critical condition at this hour, A suspect is in custody. The shooting happening just about three hours or so ago. A live look here at the scene. Investigators understandably still on the scene. A heavy presence of D.C. city and federal authorities there. So where does this investigation move at this hour? We'll take a closer look at what we know. Stay with us.

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31:54With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into... Sign up for your$1 per month trial at shopify.com slash special offer. So this is the scene now just blocks from the White House in downtown Washington, D.C. After two members of the National Guard were shot and critically wounded this afternoon, the guardsmen were near a bus stop outside a commuter train station when, according to police, a gunman came around the corner and intentionally targeted them. The suspect was captured by other guard members who were nearby. Sources say the motive is unclear at this hour. Also, this just into us here at CNN.

32:32The Trump administration has just filed an emergency motion to keep the National Guard in Washington, D.C. CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Paris is joining us now. So, Evan, what does this mean? Well, what the Trump administration is doing is appealing this order that came from a judge just a few days ago, ruling, siding with the D.C. Attorney General's office, which had sued the administration over the deployment of those National Guard here in Washington, D.C. Now, what the city attorney general had filed was arguing that the administration of the president had exceeded his authority to use and to deploy National Guard on the street of D.C.

33:12to essentially do crime fighting, to not for other purposes, including perhaps putting down an insurrection, right, which is the purpose of the National Guard in the city. And so a judge had agreed with the D.C. attorney general's office, but had stayed the ruling for a few days to give the administration time to appeal. And that is what now has happened. The administration is saying that essentially this ruling really does interfere with the president's authority to deploy the National Guard. And it is his sole authority to be able to decide how to do that, Erica. OK, so as we have this new piece of the puzzle coming in here, I do also want to ask you about what unfolded this afternoon and what we know at this hour, so authorities confirming the two guardsmen were, in fact, targeted.

33:58Are we learning anything more about the suspect and a potential motive, though? DR. At this point, they have not identified the suspect. And we don't know a motive. Certainly, the authorities have not said a motive. But the way it played out, it appears that this was an ambush. The assailant comes around and comes at a pretty high rate walking, and these guardsmen never saw him coming. He manages to fire off at least three shots. One of them is struck immediately. The other one struck, and both of them fall. The third guardsman who was right there appears eventually to have returned fire, and that's where, according to the authorities, he was struck.

34:42But look, the FBI is now very much involved in this because what you're raising, obviously the motive, is going to be very important. Here's what the FBI Director, Kash Patel, said at a press conference in the last hour. Listen.

34:58Oh, well, we don't have his sound ready. But what he was describing is simply the fact that having the fact that these are federal officers that were targeted makes this an FBI investigation. Now, I can tell you this, Erica, behind the scenes, FBI is putting all of their resources into this. They are counterterrorism agents. They are people who obviously have a lot of experience in these types of environments in like urban settings, shootings in urban settings. So those are the resources that are being brought to bear because they are right now trying to figure out, again, what motive could be behind this.

35:33And obviously they're going to be looking at some of the video. We know that this happened right next to the Farragut Square, which is right near the White House, just a couple blocks north of the White House. And there's a couple of metro stations there. So there's very good video of everything that happened from the Washington metro system. That's what they're studying. And again, they're using all of that to try to determine what possible motive. Apparently, in his initial interaction with law enforcement, he wasn't cooperating. cooperating, but obviously that may change in the near future.

36:08In the meantime, they're trying to work to identify him and figure out whether there's anything else that this person was trying to carry out here at that scene, Erica. All right, Evan Perez, appreciate it. Thank you. Such an unsettling situation, understandably, amplified, of course, by the fact that it is the night before Thanksgiving. Two National Guard members, again, are in critical condition at this hour. Authorities say the shooting itself was targeted, also being referred to as an ambush. This happening just steps from the White House. Stay with us. You're watching CNN. Much more to come on the other side of this break.

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37:14As we continue to follow developments in this afternoon's breaking news out of Washington, D.C., I want to bring you up to speed with what we know at this hour. Two members of the National Guard are in critical condition after being shot this afternoon in what authorities are calling a targeted attack. In a social media post shortly after that attack, President Trump said the suspect was seriously wounded. Now, the administration has filed an emergency motion a short time ago to keep the National Guard in Washington, D.C. The president also, according to the secretary of defense, ordering an additional 500 National Guard troops be posted in Washington.

37:47Back with us, Danelle Harvin, former chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence for the government of the District of Columbia. Good to have you back here. So looking at what we know at this hour, we're told this was an ambush, that it was targeted, but we do not know a motive exactly. And the suspect, we're told, is not cooperating. Given those parameters, what is happening at this moment in the investigation as law enforcement tries to get a better sense of who this person is and why this happened? Yeah, and this is not unique to investigations. when there's no suspect or when the suspect has been killed or deceased, law enforcement's still able to backtrack their communications, their movements, and understand what their motive is.

38:35So I think motive is very important here. The individual, while he's not cooperating, they can get fingerprint from him, they can get DNA from them, and I'm sure they're running those through national and international, quite possibly, databases right now. The important thing is to understand, while we do have a suspect in custody, that there aren't other individuals that he either were planning this attack with or that may have known that this attack was happening and may be complicit in reporting this. And so that's what they're backtracking now, along with the motive which everyone wants to know to make sure that this is truly a lone actor.

39:08And there is what will be incredibly helpful, and I'm sure is already helpful in this moment, even though we don't yet have the details, the sheer number of cameras that there are in Washington, D.C., the angles and what would be available to investigators in that location? Absolutely. And Washington, D.C. is one of the most heavily surveilled cities in the world. You can't go a block or two without being caught on some private or public building CCTV. And so whether he came in through the metro, there's cameras on the metro. If he was walking on foot, There's cameras all around, especially in that downtown area.

39:45If he drove and parked somewhere nearby, there's what we call license plate readers, LPRs, and cameras throughout the district on traffic lights. So they're going to be able to rapidly know. In fact, they probably already know who this individual is, and they're probably drawing up warrants to execute searches as we speak. So we're looking at live pictures here. That, of course, is the White House at the top of everybody's screen there, who's watching now. So for people, Danelle, who are not familiar with this area, this is in the in the neighborhood of 17th and I streets. This is near the Farragut West Metro.

40:20Just give us a sense of how busy this area is at 2.15 in the afternoon on a Wednesday, how much law enforcement present there would be given that we are just blocks from the White House. I mean, what would that look like? Who would who would traditionally be in that area? That's a very busy area for law enforcement. That's what we call the expanded patrol area for the U.S. Secret Service Uniform Division. So you'll see uniformed Secret Service officers, they patrol that area, as well as D.C. MPD, as well as the D.C. Metro, the Metro police that ride the Metro stations. They are on top of that, the National Guard.

41:01You're not going to be able to commit a crime in that location and not have someone on top of you within 15 or 20 seconds, literally. And that's what we saw. Even though these individuals were shot, other National Guards people responded so quickly and were able to subdue this individual because that area is really dense with law enforcement. Yeah, it is so important. Danelle Harvin, really appreciate the insight as always. Thank you. Thank you. So again, just to bring you up to speed here, we do know the suspect is in custody, but not cooperating with authorities at this hour. After today's shooting of two National Guard members, my colleagues are at the scene there.

41:41CNN does have a team there and also working sources, of course, from behind the scenes as well. We're going to get you up to speed on everything right here at the top of the hour. Stay with us.

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42:29And we do begin with the breaking news tonight. Two West Virginia National Guardsmen shot in downtown Washington, D.C., just blocks from the White House. Both guardsmen are in critical condition. Officials call this a targeted shooting, saying they were ambushed by a lone gunman. FBI Director Cash Patel vowing that justice will be served. Since this is an assault on a federal law enforcement officer, this will be treated at the federal level as an assault on a federal law enforcement officer. The FBI will lead out on that mission. Now, according to law enforcement sources, the suspect is not cooperating at this hour with investigators.

43:07CNN's Brian Todd is near the scene. So, Brian, bring us up to speed on what more we know at this hour. Well, Erica, still a very heavy law enforcement presence here at the corner of 17th and K Street. I'm only about a block away from where the shooting occurred. That's over my right shoulder here. You see these uniformed Secret Service officers behind me. still a very heavy metropolitan D.C. police presence here. The shooting occurred just at that corner over there, according to Jeff Carroll, the executive assistant chief of the Metropolitan Washington Police. According to Chief Carroll, he said at about 2.15 p.m.

43:39Eastern time, at the corner of 17th and I, and that's where you're looking right there, this was right near the Farragut West Metro Station, he said a suspect came around a corner, raised his firearm, and then discharged it at the two National Guardsmen. According to FBI Director Kash Patel, the guardsmen are now in critical condition. Other guardsmen nearby, after some back and forth, according to the chief, were able to subdue the suspect. As you mentioned, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says this was a targeted shooting at the news conferences a short time ago. I shouted a question at the chief, at Kash Patel, and at the mayor.

44:14What can you tell us about a possible motive? They did not answer that question before walking away. We are told to move over to my right. We're going to do that as a car is in need of passing here. So just bear with us. In addition, Erica, I spoke to two eyewitnesses on the scene here. A lady who said both people actually said they heard the shots, didn't actually see the shots being fired. One lady said she heard shots being fired, then turned and saw people administering CPR to someone who was on the ground. Another young gentleman named Ryan Akeed, a 21-year-old college student who's visiting his family here in D.C.

44:50He was at a potbelly sandwich shop not far from here. About 30 seconds after getting out of the store, he said he heard the gunshots. Then he looked over toward the scene. He said he saw a man on the ground with his hands. He was on his stomach with his hands behind his back. He said he assumed that was the shooter. He said that at least one person was holding that person down. Then he said he saw other people administering CPR to someone who was on the ground. So those two consistent eyewitness accounts of CPR being administered to people who were on the ground. in the moments after the shooting, pretty consistent there, that there was a pretty quick response by other guardsmen and first responders who got here pretty quickly.

45:28Erica? Yeah. And Brian, I'm going to put you on the spot a little bit here, so I apologize in advance. But we had noticed in the shot behind you, there seems to be a tow truck. I'm not sure how much you can see from your vantage point, or if you have a sense of when that arrived, or if there may be a car that's being taken away. Again, I'm not sure how much you can see. So I apologize for putting you on the spot, my friend. It's okay. No problem, America. Yeah, the tow truck did arrive a short time ago. Now, look, we don't know if that's in relation to a vehicle that may be getting towed. We do not know really much at this point about how the suspect got here, where the suspect came from.

46:05As I mentioned a moment ago, we have not been told anything about a motive. One law enforcement source is telling CNN that the suspect is not cooperating with law enforcement at this time. Let's see if Albert, our photojournalist, can train his camera up toward the tow truck there to see if we can see any activity. We do not see any vehicles being towed at this point, but it's a very good question that you raise, Erica, because that tow truck got here, I believe, a short time ago. I do not remember seeing it here just a few moments ago. So whether it's connected to the suspect or not, I will try to find that out.

46:39All right. Well, we appreciate it. I know if anyone can find out, Brian Todd, it will be you. Appreciate it. Thank you. We'll continue to check in with you. Also here, CNN's anchor and chief White House correspondent, Caitlin Collins. So, Caitlin, in terms of the response, the president pretty quick to respond. And we're also hearing from the administration tonight. Yeah, the president said that the gunman here would pay a steep price in his first post ever since this shooting first happened. And we've obviously seen many of his top officials responding to this, including the FBI director who was at that press conference with Brian Todd and the D.C.

47:09mayor, Mayor Bowser. And then we've also heard from the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, from the DHS secretary, Kristi Noem, several of them weighing in in the immediate aftermath of this. And I do think it's important to note the president's location here, Erica, he was not in Washington at the time of this shooting. Obviously, this is quite close to the White House, where reporters and people who are covering the White House and everyone else in Washington walks by every day. It's that Farragut West metro station right there as you're on your way up to Pennsylvania Avenue right near the White House.

47:39And, you know, we've been going there every single day. There's a pretty regular presence of these National Guard members on this particular corner. They're normally stationed at the entrances to the metros. And so oftentimes you can see two or three or four of them walking by when you're on your way into the offices that are in that area or on our way to the White House, as we are typically on a day-to-day basis. And so the president has weighed in and said that he also wants the secretary, Secretary Hegsett to send an additional 500 troops to Washington in response to this shooting that happened today.

48:13The question is whether or not we will hear any more from them as we're still waiting to learn more about what happened here, about the suspect, obviously. And, of course, the condition for these two guardsmen who are in critical condition, as we know right now, at a hospital in Washington. And so the president is in Florida at his club. He's not expected to make any public remarks tonight in front of the cameras or anything. But obviously, it's a very fluid situation. And the White House is just kind of learning as much information as we have in this moment about what has happened and what's unfolded here.

48:42Yeah, absolutely. All right, Caitlin, appreciate it as always. And I know you'll have much more to come just a short time from now on your show. Come up right here. The Source with Caitlin Collins, 9 o 'clock Eastern tonight. Thank you. Also with me, CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller. So, John, when we look at what we do know in this hour, what are you hearing from your sources about where this investigation stands, especially when we're dealing with a suspect who is not cooperating? JOHN BRENNAN, Former FBI Director, The Washington Federal Police Department of Defense, Well, right now, they have assigned it to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force in the Washington field office of the FBI.

49:13They are taking the lead and working in parallel with the D.C. Metro Police, who obviously have a homicide case. But because of the construct of the D.C. justice system, both of them operate in the federal courts. So they will be working together. The FBI is aware of the identity of the gunman. They know who he is, or at least who they believe he is. So wait, can I stop you there, John? Because that's new, right? So the FBI is now telling you, your sources are telling you, that the FBI now knows, believe that they have identified this suspect. Yes, they believe that they have his identity. And that starts a large number of wheels turning.

49:53He's not from the Washington, D.C. area. So as was discussed earlier in the show, you know, they're looking at, OK, how did he get here? How long ago did he travel? What was the purpose of the trip? Was this the purpose of the trip? And digging into his background. AMNA NAWAZIER - Absolutely. So there will be that part of it, right? And as we've discussed, there are a few cities probably that have as many cameras as Washington, D.C. So being able to piece those things together is critical and I'm sure is in process at this moment. But the fact, too, that they do now have this identity, it also allows them to look into things like social media, other people that this person may know, other people who may know things about perhaps his whereabouts, his travel, to your point, over the last couple of days, and even potentially comments that may have been made.

50:42Well, that's all correct. And, you know, one of the things they're looking for is, you know, there's a vehicle registered to him. Where is that vehicle? For instance, we just saw a tow truck in our live shot removing a vehicle. Is that his vehicle? It's a possibility. It also may be a vehicle that was struck by gunfire that's now being impounded as evidence to be processed somewhere other than the scene. But I mean, one of the things they're going to want to do is focus on that vehicle, go over those license plate readers and find out, did it come into Washington? Did it come into this area? Or is it sitting back in the state where he is from, which is not the D.C.

51:20area? And so when we look at all of this, and we touched on this briefly, but just, I mean, just give us a sense for people who may not be familiar with the sheer number of cameras and just how often your image is being captured as you walk through a busy area of Washington, D.C., and especially, as Caitlin was noting, especially this area that is so close to the White House that has such a large law enforcement presence at all times. So Washington, D.C., like many parts of New York City, is a walking live shot, basically. Cameras are recording. License plate readers are recording. There's video everywhere, They're both government-run video, but mostly private video that are part of the infrastructure of the government and private buildings of Washington, D.C.

52:05Now, for process purposes, when you have a crime and there's video, first you want to look at the instant matter video. What do we see happening here? And, you know, we've looked at some of that video. We've shown a bit of it tonight where you can see the incident unfolding in the immediate aftermath. when your suspect flees, then you want to push that video forward. Which way did he go? In this case, the suspect was captured on the scene. So then you do the opposite. You try to pull the video backward. Okay, so he came from around the corner. Now let's look at every camera on that street. If we don't see him on the next block or we don't see him getting out of a car, then let's go in both directions in that intersection until we pick him up again.

52:50And what you're really trying to do is rewind that suspect's movement as far back as you can on video so that you can get a picture of was he alone? Did he travel with somebody? Is there a car at the end of that trail? Did he come out of the transit system? They'll be looking at all of that. And that takes a lot of people because you have to go to each building. You have to figure out how to access the cameras. And you have to go to a lot of things where you look at hours of video and it's not productive. And then, you know, you find that shot. All that's happening as we speak. Yeah, absolutely.

53:25John Miller, always appreciate it, my friend. Thank you. Thanks, Erica. And these are live pictures that you're seeing here out of Washington, D.C. You see the White House there in the background. And you can see, of course, all those lights. We are going to continue to follow these developments here again. Two National Guardsmen from West Virginia in critical condition at this hour after what officials are calling a targeted attack. Stay with us. I'll be joined live by West Virginia Senator and former Governor Jim Justice in just moments.

53:59We are monitoring the breaking news just blocks from the White House. Two West Virginia National Guard members shot. They are now in critical condition. Authorities say the suspect, who was also wounded and is in custody, intentionally targeted those Guard members. However, sources say the motive for the shooting itself is unclear at this hour. Joining me now, Senator Jim Justice, Republican from West Virginia. Senator, we appreciate you taking the time. Can you share with us any updates that you may have received when it comes to the condition of these two guardsmen or even the investigation?

54:30Eric, I can't. All I know is they're in critical condition, and all of us in West Virginia are praying real, real, real hard right now because we just think it's tragic beyond belief. I had so many opportunities to be with the National Guard as the governor, whether it be bad windstorms or floods and waded mud with them and just saw just how wonderful they are. I mean, they're heroes. They're warriors. But they're also brothers and sisters, and absolutely they're husbands and wives. And they give so much to all of us. It's off the chart. And so I can never say enough for them. They're the greatest of the greatest in my book, and we just got to keep these two wonderful, wonderful people in our prayers that they're going to be okay some way, somehow.

55:21Do you have any information of where they may have been from, or have you been able to be in contact with their families at all? I have not. I have not. In fact, forgive my dress. You know, I've been out and just got back and in some way, you know, I found out about it probably less than two hours ago. So I have not been in contact with the families. And, you know, so, I mean, I just I can't, Eric, I cannot express just any more than just this. And that is simply we deserve to be safe in our cities. we deserve to be safe in our homes. All our president is trying to do is reduce the crime and absolutely all of us should celebrate that, you know, but yet this is such a heinous act.

56:14It just, it's off the chart to me. It is terrible. It is important to note we don't at this hour, while we were told by officials they believe it was targeted, we do not know of a motive, but we do know that there is a suspect in custody, according to authorities. The president has requested 500 additional National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. in the wake of this attack. Do you know if West Virginia would send any more troops? Well, I would hope they would. You know, it's really tough. But these men and women step up, don't they? And they're here for all of us all the time. And so I know West Virginia would.

56:53But, you know, I even pray for our governor, you know, Patrick Morrissey, his wife, Denise and everything, because it's tough, tough with them. But I can't tell you the times that, you know, General Hoyer and General Crane that I worked with all the time at the Guard, the unbelievable stuff we did with COVID. And like I said, the worst thing of all, you know, we waded all kinds of mud in a 2016 flood. And at that time, really what happened was we hunted bodies. At the Greenbrier Hotel, we found three bodies on our golf courses. And then we hunted a little 14-year-old girl, Michaela Phillips, and everything for six weeks and found her five miles downstream.

57:37The National Guard's unbelievable, Erica. And so they've done so much good. And they'll step up again if called upon. Senator, when we look at this, as you noted, if they are called upon, one former FBI executive who was on our air a short time ago raised some concerns about sending more troops to the streets of Washington, D.C. in the early hours of this attack, concerned that they could be targets. Do you believe that's a well-founded concern? We can't be afraid. You know, we're looking to make things safer, and we can't be afraid. You know, Erica, I just know that they'll step up if called upon.

58:22And so we'll wait and see what happens. You know, it's a little premature to see what's going to happen in regard to that. But, you know, I was asked a question not long ago, a little town of Beckley, West Virginia, where I grew up. You know, supposedly the crime in Beckley, West Virginia is pretty doggone bad. And someone asked me, he said, would you be in favor of putting some National Guard members there and everything because the high crime rate there and maybe that could settle down? I said, you're right. I mean, really and truly, we deserve to be safe in this country. And so let's let's let's just try to dwell on that.

58:59I mean, that's all our National Guard is trying to do. Just help us help us with some of these terrible crimes that are going on all the time. and dial down the temperature and make things better for all of us. And what is your message? I believe there are about 160 National Guardsmen from West Virginia who are currently serving in the nation's capital. What is your message to them and also to their families tonight?

59:24Well, it's just, it's really tough. If I don't watch out, I'm going to tear up and everything. But it's really, really tough. And, you know, of all things, it's Thanksgiving. And to just think, I mean, you know, probably, you know, hunting and our hunting seasons are in in West Virginia now. And it may very well be that these two young men were looking to come home to maybe go with their dads or whatever like that and go hunting. You know, I don't know that to be the case, but it is just a horrible situation for those families and all of us. All those 160 plus and all of us, you know, will absolutely be right with those families.

1:00:17They've got to remember there's no way they're alone. But with all that being said, it's really tough. I mean, this is a really, really tough one right here. Senator, before I let you go, these situations are certainly in the early hours can be very fluid. We know there was some initial information that the governor had, which he then had to retract. I'm wondering, what is your what is your level of information? And have you heard, for example, have you heard from the president or from the administration? No, I've not heard from the president yet, but I've heard from lots of folks and everything.

1:00:46And, you know, and and I'm sure that Governor Morrissey felt like he had really good information and everything. And it's sometimes it's a little better to wait. But but but nevertheless, you know, we want you know, his responsibility as the governor is to get out in front of things and speak to the people, you know, and comfort the people. And and I'm sure he's trying to do exactly just that. West Virginia Senator Jim Justice, thank you for joining us tonight, sir. No, thank all y 'all. God bless. There, of course, at this hour are a number of unanswered questions. after two National Guardsmen were shot, targeted, according to officials.

1:01:25This happening just blocks from the White House in Washington, D.C., a suspect in custody currently in the hospital. We're going to bring up to speed on what we know about this investigation, also potential charges this suspect could be facing. That's next.

1:01:45We are back now with breaking news in our national lead, the shooting of two National Guard members in the nation's capital earlier today. Officials are calling this a targeted ambush, although the motive here remains unclear at this hour. We do know the guardsmen were near a bus stop when, according to police, the gunman came around a corner, raised his firearm and shot them. Here is what we are hearing as well from eyewitnesses. Two shots and then three came probably 30 seconds behind them too. Did you see any National Guardsmen around or? No, I have not. I didn't even know that was the case because he told me about it.

1:02:20Did you see them at all? The guardsmen were shot? The guardsmen have been shot, correct, too. What? No wonder there's such a magnitude of this. No, I didn't know that. It's just, you know, I want to cry. That is so sad. Now, the suspect was captured by other guard members who were nearby. CNN senior legal analyst Ellie Honig is with us. He's a former state and federal prosecutor. So, Ellie, we heard from officials, including Kash Patel, that they plan to really go after this suspect. What are the charges that this individual could be facing? Well, Erica, based on what we know right now, I'd expect to see two types of charges.

1:03:01First of all, under D.C. local law, I'd expect to see this individual charged with two counts, one for each victim, of assault with intent to kill. That's a serious crime, of course. It carries a penalty of anywhere from 2 to 15 years. Also, separately, I'd expect to see two counts of the federal crime of attempted murder of a federal official. That applies to uniformed military officials as well. And again, I'd expect to see one count as to each of the victims. So based on what we know already, we're already looking at fairly serious crimes that are likely to be charged. And how could motive come into play, Ellie?

1:03:39So motive is really important. We've heard our law enforcement experts throughout the day talk about how that's the number one priority right now of law enforcement to figure out why this person did it. But it's also not necessary to support charges of attempted murder, as I just laid out. As long as prosecutors can show that this was an intentional act, that this person acted on purpose, not by accident, not in self-defense, that's enough. It doesn't matter why in order to bring those attempted murder charges that I just laid out. So when they establish motive, that'll be really important to know.

1:04:10It could lead to additional charges, but they don't need to wait until they establish motive in order to bring those attempted murder charges. And so as we're watching all of this play out, there were initial reports that the guardsmen had passed away. That was then walked back. We know that they are in critical condition. If one of them or both did in fact pass away, how does that change things. Right. If heaven forbid someone should pass away, that would cause the charges to be upgraded. You would see the attempted murder charge under local law certainly upgraded to a murder charge. And under federal law, you would see the attempted murder of a federal official upgraded to actual murder of a federal official.

1:04:50And that's really important, Erica, because that would raise the potential sentence from 20 years up to either life or potentially even the death penalty. So if it should happen, we pray it doesn't happen, but that would lead to even more serious charges. As we heard from Kash Patel, you know, everybody's working together here, right? All the various agencies. What does that actually look like? Yeah. So look, this is up to the respective agencies. It's good to hear. And DC is unique because you have this mixture of federal and local agencies, but ideally you would have the FBI, you'd have the D.C.

1:05:25Metro Police and potentially other federal agencies sharing information, sharing leads, working together to make sure they're not duplicating effort. You know, you could divvy up the tasks. You get the surveillance. You get search warrants. You get the phone records. You interview witnesses. So it sounds like federal and local law enforcement is working together. That's a good thing that's going to lead to better results. So we also know that the suspect is in the hospital. So there are questions about how soon he could appear in court, how soon he could be charged. Is that something that can be done remotely if needed, if this person needed to stay in the hospital?

1:06:01So he can be charged at any moment. It doesn't matter. As long as he's alive, he can be charged. However, there is the issue of when can he make his first appearance in court. Now, they will have to wait until he is of sound mind. We don't know his condition, but if this shooter is unconscious, if he's in a coma, if he's sedated, they can't start doing the court appearances then. When he becomes of sound mind, however, they can start the first court appearances. They don't have to physically bring him into court. There's a way to do what we would call a bedside presentment. The judge and or prosecutors can sometimes go to the hospital or you can use remote technology like Zoom.

1:06:37So I would expect to see charges land quite soon, and then they'll get him arraigned. They'll get the legal process started as soon as he's of sound mind to do that. I want to get your take on some of the other legal things that are playing out here. So when it comes to these troops, these National Guard troops in D.C., it was just last week, I believe, that a judge said that they their deployment basically was likely illegal, but gave the city basically there was three weeks, right, to then take the time to remove these troops and if the administration wanted to file an appeal. So the administration filed an emergency motion tonight to keep the National Guard in D.C.

1:07:12and also the president said he wants another 500 National Guard troops to be sent. How do all of these things work together in this moment, Ellie? Right. So it's a complicated legal scenario. This has been an ongoing legal dispute for the last several months, ever since President Trump did deploy the National Guard into D.C. Six days ago, a federal district court judge, Judge Cobb in D.C. ruled that it was illegal. However, Judge Cobb said, I'm going to put my ruling on hold for now so the National Guard troops can remain, and I will give you until December 11th to file an appeal. Now it appears that the administration is in fact going to appeal that ruling and in fact is calling for more troops.

1:07:54And interestingly, perhaps this incident here might actually support the administration's request and the administration's claim that we do need National Guard troops there. We need them to keep order. So we'll see whether this incident actually plays into the legal dispute, but it's ongoing. As of now, we expect to see that appeal play out over the next few days. All right. Ellie, appreciate it as always. Thank you. Thanks, Erica. All right. Much more ahead here on the breaking news. Again, if you're just joining us, two National Guardsmen shot in Washington, D.C. Both are in critical condition tonight.

1:08:27President Biden also just posting about the attack. More on his reaction next.

1:08:36The breaking news out of Washington, D.C. These are live pictures of police and investigators near that spot where two National Guard members were shot and critically wounded this afternoon. So this is just blocks from the White House. President Trump was in Florida when the shooting happened. He is being kept updated as we are learning more. Of course, he is getting those updates from officials. Former President Joe Biden just posting this message writing, Jill and I are heartbroken. The two members of the National Guard were shot outside the White House. Violence of any kind is unacceptable, and we must all stand against it.

1:09:08We are praying for the service members and their families. Joining me now, retired FBI Special Agent Daniel Brunner and CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Andrew McCabe. Gentlemen, good to see both of you. So, Andrews, we look at where things stand in this moment for the investigation. We are told by officials that this was a targeted attack, also referred to as an ambush. We know the custody is, pardon me, the suspect is in custody but not cooperating. And if you're leading this investigation, what is your biggest question in this moment?

1:09:39Yeah. My question would be is. Oh, sorry. Andrew McCabe, go ahead. Go ahead, Andrew. And then, Dan, I'll pull you in after. Yeah. Yeah. So I think the biggest question right now is to understand a more kind of rich picture, understanding who this person is and what their potential connections might be. It's possible that this is a lone actor who was self-motivated, took advantage of a target of opportunity and struck out in a horrendous act of likely politically motivated violence. Or this could be somebody who is in touch with other like-minded people who might be inclined to follow his lead.

1:10:19And that's, for me, that's likely the question circulating in the minds of the counterterrorism investigators tonight. They, of course, need him fully identified before they can start getting legal process to access his facilities, his telephone, his email, get into his residence, and, of course, any vehicles, other things that they can associate with him. They won't wait for legal process to take a look at his social media if there is any. But all of that stuff is dependent on a full and accurate identification. Right. And as and as we're waiting for that, you and I were talking last hour about how they could they could start to work toward that.

1:11:01And, Dan, we were talking about, you know, biometrics, obviously, about fingerprinting. But just how much of a challenge is it to not have that identification and how much can it slow down an investigation in this moment? Well, if the individual isn't cooperating or if the individual doesn't have his prints on the system, it will take a while to fully identify, positively identify him. If he is in the system, obviously the system will move much, much faster. We'll be able to identify where his residence is, identify his workplace, his coworkers, friends, coworkers, phoned identity. So everything will be dependent on the identification of his individual.

1:11:45And then the entire domino section will follow afterwards. At this point right now in Washington field office, a full command center is set up and everyone at the Joint Terrorism Task Force, they're all standing by for leads. And those leads are going to start rolling in whether they have identified him or not. Individual providing tips. They may have seen him or other people with cell phone video to better document where this individual walked from, what the blocks, what direction he came from, the direction of attack. All of those things are leads. Even without his identification as positive ID, they're still able to track this individual backwards using CCTV or using other means of identification to properly process what direction.

1:12:29So these individuals, the JTTF and all of WFO are all working and they're going to be working around the clock 24 hours a day, seven days a week with his command center and coordinating with other divisions in case he connected to New Jersey, New York or Virginia. Other divisions are all in standby for further leads. Andy, how does it how does it change or complicate things or perhaps it doesn't given the location of this targeted attack, the fact that it was just blocks from the White House? You know, most of the impact of that, Erica, was seen in the response. Excuse me. This is a place in D.C.

1:13:07generally, you've got a massive number of law enforcement entities. D.C. Metropolitan Police kind of has the biggest piece of turf in the city and has kind of lead authority on most crimes like this. Certainly shootings, violent crimes, things of that nature. But you've got the FBI. You've got Secret Service. You've got Park Police. You've got all these other entities right there because we are so close to the White House. In fact, this area at the corner or the intersection of 17th and I is actually, for the Secret Service, considered to be part of the normal patrol area for the Secret Service uniform division.

1:13:48So this area is constantly being patrolled by several different law enforcement entities. That's why you saw all those different uniforms and badges out there responding to the event in real time. It raises an interesting question here. There were likely other law enforcement targets in that area at the same time. We don't know how long the shooter was there looking for targets, but clearly he went directly to the National Guard, National Guardsmen. And that has to tell us something about his motive. Yeah. Yeah. Annemarie, Kate Dimperner, appreciate it. Thank you both. Will investigators say they don't know of a motive at this point in the shooting today of two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.?

1:14:33Just ahead, a member of the Homeland Security Committee joins me to learn more. We'll learn more about how they are evaluating threats across the country in the wake of this attack.

1:14:47Police and investigators remain on the scene of this afternoon's shooting near the White House. Two members of the National Guard are in critical condition at this hour. Washington, D.C. Mayor Miro Bowser describes this attack as a targeted shooting. Police say one suspect is in custody. There is no indication of another suspect. Joining me this hour, Virginia Congressman James Walkinshaw, who serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security. Congressman, I appreciate you joining us tonight. A tough night and tough news, obviously. I'm just curious where you stand. And what have you heard? But also, what's your reaction to this moment and this tragedy?

1:15:24Well, I've heard what's been reported publicly about, you know, this terrible, horrific event. And, you know, for those of us in the D.C. region, I represent Northern Virginia. We're one region, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. And even though many of us feel like the National Guard's men and women should be home with their families and their communities doing their jobs there, We've also come to admire their professionalism and the overwhelmingly positive interactions that we've had with them during the time they've been here in D.C. So to see something like this happen is shocking and horrific.

1:16:04And we're all thinking about them and praying for them and their families in this moment. Understandably. Authorities have noted that this was a targeted attack. Of course, it's happening just just blocks from the White House and in the White House zone of protection. Multiple law enforcement agencies overlap there. You were just appointed to the House Committee on Homeland Security. I believe it was six days ago. How does this change things for you in terms of keeping service members safe? Well, look, obviously, as I said, most of us certainly on the Democratic side in Congress don't think we should have National Guards, men and women in our cities.

1:16:41But if that's going to happen and when that's going to happen, I think it's incumbent upon the administration to lay out a clear plan to ensure their protection. And one of my concerns that I intend to raise as a new member of Homeland Security Committee is the way in which the Trump administration has taken its eye off the ball in a lot of critical public safety areas and shifted resources to their mass deportation efforts. So they're shifting resources away from illegal gun trafficking, from transnational crime, from anti-terrorism, both domestic and foreign. And they need to get their eyes back on the ball and focus on keeping all of us here in the United States of America safe.

1:17:24As you mentioned, you are not necessarily in favor of having these troops in the district. but I know you have said your interactions have been very positive and in the way that it has rolled out since they were deployed in August. As I'm sure you know, the Trump administration just filed an emergency motion to keep the National Guard in Washington. The president, in the wake of this shooting, has also requested an additional 500 National Guard troops be sent to Washington, D.C. What is your take on those two actions, by the president, by the administration, and also your message to those troops?

1:17:59Well, look, my message is the same. I don't think we need National Guard men and women in American cities, certainly not in the District of Columbia. There are a lot of things that the federal government could do to help keep Washington, D.C. safe and other cities across the country safe. I've mentioned some of those things. They could do more, much more to crack down on illegal gun trafficking. They could do much more to prevent human trafficking and child sex trafficking. They're taking their eyes off of that ball. I think that's a better use of the federal resources than National Guards men and women in American cities, including the District of Columbia.

1:18:37Congressman James Wackenshaw, I appreciate your time. Thanks for joining us tonight. Thanks for having me. In the wake of today's shooting in Washington, D.C., we did just receive an update from the police in New York City talking about security measures in place for tomorrow's Thanksgiving Day parade. Much more ahead. We're going to fit in a quick break here. Stay with us.

1:19:01We are back with the breaking news. Other cities across the U.S. on guard following today's shooting in Washington, D.C., two National Guardsmen shot in what officials are calling an ambush attack near the White House. The New York police commissioner writing on X, quote, this is yet another horrific reminder of the dangers that members of law enforcement face every time they put on their uniform. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and coordinate with our partners in D.C. She also wrote that at this time there is no known nexus to New York City. Back with me this hour, Daniel Bruner, retired FBI special agent.

1:19:33So, Dan, we look at this shooting, of course, happening on Thanksgiving Eve. There are a number of large events across the country. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, one of the largest here in New York City, but you've got parades across the country, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, multiple NFL games. What does this change, potentially, in terms of security at some of these events? I think that all these locations will have an increased sense of security. They're all going to be looking out for the normal things. But that's the thing is they've prepared for these things. They've prepared for these events.

1:20:05The FBI divisions around the country have a command post on standby to be able to react to these events. Local law enforcement, they have increased security at events. New York City at the Macy's Day Parade, that's going to be the epicenter of attention. that's going to have increased, but they've already prepared for it as a major event. So I don't believe that anybody's going to increase security. In addition, the JTTF, the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Washington field office is clearly investigating this. If they develop new leads to new locations or other individuals that may have assisted this shooter, then that will change the dynamic in those locations.

1:20:45But I don't think across this country. We won't have to, and I don't think we need to elevate our alerts. What about in Washington, D.C., specifically? We know the president is saying that he would like another 500 additional National Guard troops in the district. As we wait to see where that goes, do you think that folks there will see an increased presence starting tonight? I should say a broader law. I think out of an abundance for caution, yes, I believe out of an abundance for caution, just like anywhere else. If there's an incident, the law enforcement entities around that location do increase security for just in case there is another individual part of this cell, if it is a cell, or if it's a group of individuals or copycats.

1:21:28There's going to be an increased scrutiny. There's going to be increased law enforcement presence. Follow-on attacks. We've seen that traditionally in other attacks and other types of incidents where there may be a secondary attack. So I think that in Washington, D.C., yes, I think they need to remain vigilant for possible follow-on attacks or if leads develop, where they determine who other co-conspirators that there may have to be, you know, attacking and looking at these individuals to wrap them up. Dan Bruner, appreciate it as always. Appreciate the insight and the expertise. Thanks to all of you for joining us on The Lead.

1:22:03Be sure to stay with CNN. Our coverage of the breaking news continues right now on Aaron Burnett Out Front.

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