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Breaking News
18 People Killed in High School Shooting in Erfurt, Germany
Aired April 26, 2002 - 10:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I want to get back to the breaking news we have coming out of Erfurt, Germany, the news of a school shooting, 18 people, including two children and a gunman, have been killed in a high school shooting in Erfurt, Germany. Once again, you can get the perspective of where this is, kind of in the southeastern part of the country.
I want to got Berlin and journalist Nicolette Shudalayas (ph), who is with "The Berline Outsider," the largest newspaper in Berlin, to tell us what she's learning from her post there.
Nicolette, what can you tell us about what has taken place in this tragic school shooting.
NICOLETTE SHUDALAYAS, JOURNALIST: All right, what we know so far is that around 11:00, probably during, you know, the last high school exams, one or two guys, hasn't been confirmed yet, dressed in black suits, start opening fire, and what we heard first were that two teachers and one police officer who was -- the policeman called pretty soon, were killed. And it took a while until the special police forces, the commandos, could get into the school.
A lot of people, teachers and kids have been evacuated before, and then special police commandos couldn't get into the school, and then they found really -- they had seen horrible scenes, a lot of people have been killed. At least they know it's 18 people so far.
KAGAN: And they think it was two gunmen.
SHUDALAYAS: They don't know yet. Actually they only found one of the guys who has killed himself. They haven't found the second one yet. This hasn't been confirmed yet.
KAGAN: So this is not over, the search of the school?
SHUDALAYAS: Right.
KAGAN: So there still might be people inside.
SHUDALAYAS: In the basement, and try to get forward to the other floors.
KAGAN: The one gunman we know is dead at this point. What do we know about him. We are hearing word that it's an expelled or disgruntled students.
SHUDALAYAS: Yes, they don't really know yet. They think it is one of the students who was, you know, during his exams, and he -- they told us he said, well, it is all over anyhow, so it's very -- it has been very aggressive and hopeless student. That's what they know so far.
KAGAN: Nicolette, if you can put this in perspective for us for your country, unfortunately, we have become too familiar with school shootings here in the U.S., but in Germany, it's especially rare, we would think.
SHUDALAYAS: Right. What we know yet -- the whole country is really under shock, because usually the students are not controlled when they go to school like I know from schools in America. It is not a normal thing to us at all.
KAGAN: When you say they are not controlled, what do you mean? It's an open campus and they are much more free.
SHUDALAYAS: Right. It's an open campus. And you know, nobody would control students like for guns, or for knives or for anything like that. And so it's really -- you see people cry and they can't believe it. People there -- the families, they just are under shock right now.
KAGAN: We are in shock now in the U.S. as well, our condolences to your country as you go through this. We will check back with you and also other reporters in Germany as we bring you the latest.
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