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The Lead with Jake Tapper
Police Show New Video Evidence In Brown University Killings; Source: Reiners' Daughter Found Parents Dead In Their Home; Australian PM: Attack An "Act Of Evil Anti-Semitism". Aired 5:00-6p ET
Aired December 15, 2025 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KASIE HUNT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: All right, thanks to my panel. Thanks to all of you at home for watching. Jake Tapper is standing by for "The Lead." Hi, Jake.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Thanks so much, Kasie. We'll see you back in "The Arena" tomorrow.
HUNT: See you tomorrow.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.
TAPPER: Welcome to "The Lead." I'm Jake Tapper. And we are, unfortunately, following multiple tragic breaking stories that are continuing to develop today after a weekend of horrifically violent attacks. In Australia's Bondi Beach terrorists attack, the death toll has risen to 15. Twenty-seven innocent victims are in hospitals. Two suspects, a father and son, opened fire on Jewish Australians who were celebrating the first night of Hanukkah in a devastating act of antisemitic terrorism committed by, the prime minister said, extremists following what he called the perversion of Islam.
We're also learning more about last night's unthinkable Hollywood tragedy. Legendary director Rob Reiner and his wife, the photographer and producer, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their home. They were stabbed to death. And their own son, Rick -- I'm sorry, Nick Reiner, has been taken into custody. He has been booked for murder in his parents' deaths. Nick has spoken in the past about his struggles with narcotics and mental health.
Then there is Syria where two U.S. Army soldiers were killed in an attack by an ISIS gunman. Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar was 25. William Nathaniel Howard was 29. Both are members of the Iowa National Guard. American civilian interpreter whose name we do not know yet was also killed in that attack.
We'll have much more on these stories over the next two hours. But we're going to begin with the latest on a different story, tragedy, the manhunt for the suspect in Saturday's mass shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island that killed two students, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, Vice President J.D. Vance called him a brilliant, young man who dreamed of being a surgeon, and Ella Cook, who was vice president of the Brown University College Republicans organization. Nine others were injured.
At any moment, officials are expected to give an update on the investigation. After last night, they released the person of interest in custody, revealing that the shooter was still at large.
Let's go right to the scene. CNN's John Berman is in Providence, Rhode Island on the campus of Brown. CNN's Leigh Waldman is at the site of the news conference. It could start at any moment. John, it was concerning to learn that authorities last night released the person of interest they had taken into custody, suggesting that they don't know who did this still. What do know about the status of the manhunt?
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I got to say the mayor, Brett Smiley of Providence, called it an emotional setback to me. It means the investigation really has to start again here. And we have seen signs of it all around this neighborhood where I'm standing. The engineering building is right behind me. That's where the murders took place on Saturday.
In just over the last few hours, we've seen all kinds of activity on this street again, where there wasn't any yesterday. We saw canine units going into the building again to perhaps research and to have the dogs take one more go at it. Michael Yoshida, CNN correspondent, saw FBI officials going into yards, inspecting the areas around some of these houses where the person of interest or suspect might have walked past. I saw state police walking down the street, almost going door to door. So, you get the sense that there is this renewed, urgent search in this area.
And officials today released new surveillance video from this neighborhood. For more than 24 hours, the only picture we had was that 10 second view of the person they believe was connected to the shooting, walking down the street. And then we got this new video today, got a look at it. No more clarity there. But clearly, they're trying to reveal all they can, Jake.
TAPPER: All right. And Leigh, as we wait for officials to give an update, what do we know about whatever evidence exists in the investigation?
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, all throughout this community, we've seen officers combing through bushes, knocking on doors of businesses and homes, asking people to share any surveillance video that they might have.
We know that there was new video released today, and I believe that we can play that. It's a 19-second clip. Authorities indicating this is their person of interest who they are looking for in connection with this shooting. Now, you can see in that video there, it's across the street. Only 19 seconds long. You cannot see someone's face. They believe this is the same person of interest that is in the video that was released on Saturday night showing someone turning on Waterman Street from Hope Street.
[17:05:06] What the attorney general made very clear here is they do not have an image of this person's face. He said if they did have an image of that person's face, they would release it so they could get the public to help out, keep submitting those tips.
But, Jake, what we're focusing on here, there is now a video board set up in this press conference room. We're overhearing conversations earlier by officials with the Providence Police Department. They said that video is going to be played. We also heard them testing an audio system. So, we're waiting here, hoping that we're going to see brand- new video in addition to what was already released today, Jake.
TAPPER: All right. Leigh Waldman and John Berman both in Providence, Rhode Island, thanks so much. Let's discuss what we know as of now with former deputy FBI director Andy McCabe and Donell Harvin, the former chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence for the Washington, D.C. government. So, Andy McCabe, an unidentified killer on the loose, and yet investigators and the Providence mayor say there's no immediate threat because the shooter has not launched another attack. I'm not sure how reassuring that actually sounds.
ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST, FORMER FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: It's not actually reassuring. I would guess that the statement is based upon the fact that they don't probably have any other credible or specific intelligence that indicates a follow-on attack or a repeat attack or another attack of any type is about to happen. And so, with that, they can say their assessment is the threat is not great. However, we all know that they didn't have that kind of intelligence before the first attack.
So, yeah, there's good reason for the people of Providence to remain on alert. There is absolutely a very dangerous person on the loose. We don't know if that person is still in Providence, but that's where the search has to start.
TAPPER: And, Donell, the Providence police chief yesterday declined to answer any questions about the security cameras that may or may not exist in the engineering building where the shooting took place. I assume that if there is footage, police would want it released to help the public identify the shooter.
DONELL HARVIN, FORMER CHIEF OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Absolutely. What they don't want to do, though, is have footage released of someone who may have not have been involved in this incident. And I want to go back really quickly to what Andy said. I think there is actually a concern. If we were in D.C. red teaming this and we had a known assailant who had killed two people, willing to kill many more, that was armed and dangerous, we would red team this and suggest that perhaps there's another attack coming.
The reason why I say that is everything that these elected officials and the police chief are saying in terms of no credible threat currently is predicated on a thought process that this was a target attack to Brown. We don't know that. We don't know if this was just an opportunity, a target of opportunity. They walked in, saw a soft target, and there may be something coming else. And so, I think that I would push back on that since they don't know about the assailant or what their motives were, that people should really be on alert.
TAPPER: All right. Stand by, gentlemen. Authorities are giving the update right now. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOR BRETT SMILEY, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: -- that they're safe in their community. And we are grateful for all of the assistance that we have continued to receive. As we announced last night, we would be providing enhanced police coverage throughout the Brown community, throughout the East Side, and really throughout the city of Providence. And what residents and neighbors saw today was exactly that. There was specific enhanced coverage in Fox Point, Wayland Square, Thayer Street, and on Hope Street, which are the commercial districts in the area.
And I want to express the city's profound gratitude to the following departments who provided mutual assistance and additional coverage today. First and foremost, the Rhode Island State Police have been excellent partners, and I'm grateful for the governor making sure that those resources are available to us here in Providence.
But we are also assisted today by friends from neighboring communities here in Rhode Island, which is a terrific way in which our colleagues from throughout Rhode Island have been assisting. Today, we had extra help from North Kingstown, North Providence, East Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket. Many other communities have offered to help, and we expect to take that help in the days to come. But through that mutual assistance of our neighboring communities, we were able to provide that additional coverage.
Secondly, we were able to provide coverage to our schools today. We did have school here in Providence. I'm glad we had school today in Providence. We'll have school tomorrow in Providence. This is the last week of the semester, and it's important for our kids to be in school. And so, we're encouraging parents to do what's right for their family. We understand that there are probably difficult conversations happening at the kitchen table right now. But if you're comfortable, you should send your kid to school. Providence public schools are open, and we have police coverage at drop off and pick up times to provide that extra sense of safety and security for our families.
[17:10:00]
I spent the morning out at our schools, too, in the neighborhood to be there for our parents, and they certainly were glad to see an officer helping out. And so, as we've said many times, but it's important to continue to say we're so grateful for the tireless effort of law enforcement not just to assist with the investigation, but to help all of us feel safe in our home.
At this time, I'm going to turn the mic over to our governor, Governor Dan McKee. GOV. DAN MCKEE (D-RI): Thanks, mayor. And just like all of us, we want to see the individual that pulled the trigger on these young kids identified, apprehended, and brought to justice. I can tell you from the state level, we're continuing to coordinate our state police and instructed the colonel to make sure that all the resources that are available are being employed with -- through the direction of the mayor. That partnership is incredibly important.
I also know that the schools are not only being impacted on the higher education in Providence and also the K through 12. But I also have heard and have been in contact with our commissioner of higher education, Shannon Gilkey, along with our commissioner of K through 12, Angelica Infante-Green, to make sure that we are reassessing all safety issues in all our schools in the state of Rhode Island and more to come on that.
The issues that have to do with mental health, coordinating around the state through our higher ed and through our K through 12. I've assigned Director Ric Leclerc to make sure that they're coordinating all of the social services, all the mental health help that's out there so that we can kind of also deliver that on a statewide basis. I was at Family Service of Rhode Island today on Hope Street and just seeing what they're doing, and it's being duplicated all around the state of Rhode Island.
So, I think it's important that we do everything we can out of the governor's office to support what's happening at Brown, the community of Brown, Providence, but also knowing that this is impacting on a statewide basis. So, we're deploying that efforts to make that -- make the effort to let people know that we want to do everything we can so they can be safe and feel safe.
And finally, we want to make sure that all Rhode Islanders know that everything that is physically possible is being done and partnering in with our federal, the FBI, our state law enforcement, and also the local law enforcement to bring an individual and identify and bring that person to justice.
We also have been involved in communicating with the League of Cities and Towns today through Randy Rossi, they've sent out a message, to deploy their vehicles, their police vehicles, at the beginning of school day, at the end of the school day, all around the state of Rhode Island to, again, show that we're serious about having people and the families feel safe and that everything is being done to make sure that that happens on a statewide basis because this has become a statewide issue that has impacted families and people throughout the state of Rhode Island.
SMILEY: Now, we'll hear from Colonel Oscar Perez.
COL. OSCAR PEREZ, CHIEF OF POLICE, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: Thank you, mayor. Thank you all for being here again. Here we are once again to provide you some of the highlights and the progress that the Providence Police Department along with several agencies have gone together and stepped up to come up to this. I want to remind you that this is a very active investigation, very complex investigation, and it is the dedicated work of the men and women of the Providence Police Department. The Detective Division, the Community Response Team, the Special Response Team is all hands on deck. And on top of all, you have the state police who's assisting us and every other federal partner that has been in this building for several hours. And I want to commend and applaud them for the work that they have done. And that includes the FBI, HSI, ATF, the IRS, the Marshals, and several other agencies, analysts that are here.
So, it's pretty active because we want to make sure, as the governor stated, as the mayor stated, to make sure that we identify this individual and bring him to justice. That'll work. That initiated today and continues to initiate for a while since it started. We're at the 49th hour.
[17:15:00]
And there's no one that wants to this individual in handcuffs than us. So, this has brought us to a new lead, which I momentarily will probably provide you, will be able to provide you with. That's going to include video of this individual as well as photos of this individual. We're asking the public for assistance to be able to identify this individual.
The photos I will be able to show you are coming from the area of Hope Street near Benevolent and Manning. And those photos and those videos were retrieved around 2 p.m. on Saturday, the 13th. And we believe that that's the same individual that we showed you from the previous video that we released.
The public is encouraged to use the tip line, which is pretty active. We have a tip line, which is staffed with officers from the Providence Police as well as analysts, and they're taking calls as we speak. And we want the public to use that information that they have that may be beneficial to this investigation. They need to call 401-272-3121 plus zero. That was going to direct you in order to provide the tips that you are providing to us. As well, you can access the FBI website at fbi.gov/brownuniversityshooting.
Please, I'm going to ask you all to follow our channels to stay appraised of what's going on and to stay accurate. There's a lot of channels and a lot of stuff that's going out there that's circulating the wrong info. And I told you, when I first met you, that there's appropriate info, there's accurate info, and it's going to come from us. So, I please and plead with you that you access those type of channels.
Again, we're asking for the public assistance in identifying this individual that we're about to show you. And we'll release this video on Twitter, on our Twitter account momentarily. I'm going turn to the video behind us. I'll be able to show you in two seconds. Officer Mangan (ph), if you could just activate the -- put the videos up.
This is first video that we're showing you. This is the individual walking on the sidewalk of Benevolent. This is prior to the incident. Here we go again with this video, too. And you see him walking. To the third video. This is of this individual. And there will all be timestamps. The last. Thank you.
So, we'll be providing this as well, and I ask you all to please make sure you all put them up. And then anybody in the public that has any info about this individual, we ask that you call our tip line, and we'll also have the numbers in the website listed.
SMILEY: Thank you, colonel. The last speaker today will be special agent in charge from the FBI, Ted Docks.
TED DOCKS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, BOSTON FIELD OFFICE: Thank you, mayor. And good evening, everyone. My name is Ted Docks. I'm the special agent in charge of FBI Boston. We know there's a lot of public concern about the horrific mass shooting at Brown University on Saturday, and rightfully so. I can assure you that law enforcement team standing before you today have been working around the clock, 24- 7, to ensure justice is fully served.
While we mourn the devastating loss of the victims and those who are critically injured, the FBI and its partners are dedicated to honoring their memory through a meticulous investigation.
Tonight, as Colonel Perez stated, we are renewing our call for the public's assistance in seeking any and all information about the shooter. No amount of information is too small or irrelevant. We are also here to announce the FBI is now offering a reward of $50,000 for information that can lead to the identification, the arrest, and the conviction of the individual responsible who we believe to be armed and dangerous. We're asking everyone in Rhode Island and beyond to review the new images of the suspect, share them on social media, and come forward if you have any information.
[17:19:52]
You can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or the tips provided by the police department at 401-272-3121 or you can also provide tips electronically, and submit it to tips.fbi.gov. We're also doubling down on our efforts to obtain images and video of the shooter. Those can be submitted online at fbi.gov/brownuniversityshooting.
Our agents and analysts are fully embedded with our law enforcement partners, including Providence and Rhode Island State Police. We are tracking down leads, canvassing neighborhoods, and developing intelligence. And right now, our evidence response teams remain on campus processing the scene. And folks from our lab from Quantico are documenting the trajectories of the bullets to reconstruct the scene.
It's painstaking work, and we are asking the public to be patient as we continue to run down every lead so we can get victims, survivors and their families, and all of you the answers you deserve. Thank you.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Mayor, can you talk about (INAUDIBLE)?
SMILEY: Yes.
PEREZ: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
SMILEY: Dan, go ahead.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Mayor, (INAUDIBLE) from NBC. I just want to ask you a question. These videos and images were actually very good, that you just showed. They were from the day before. And I'm just wondering. Why didn't we release these a little bit earlier? Do you just get them today? Can you explain? That's going to be a question from --
PEREZ: Of course. And that's a great question, Dan. I'll tell you that it takes time. I've mentioned it before. The investigations are very complex. And when you do canvas in areas, when you're developing evidence, sometimes, you get directed to another direction, and then that's what makes you go back to certain areas and continue to investigate. Here we are at the 49th hour. But I got to commend the dedication and professionalism of all of that I mentioned earlier because it's that passion to bring someone to justice that led us to get this info that we got today to be able to provide to you.
SMILEY: CNN. One second.
WALDMAN (voice-over): These images and videos, are you all going to distribute (INAUDIBLE).
PEREZ: Yes.
WALDMAN (voice-over): Mr. Attorney General, yesterday, you made it clear we didn't have an image of this person's face. Now, these images show we do have this person's face. Is this going to be key in solving this case, which you seem very dedicated in doing?
PETER NERONHA, ATTORNEY GENERAL, RHODE ISLAND: Look, I think, as I've said multiple times today, that these investigations are like threads that you pull on a garment. And some of them, you pull, and the garment doesn't open up. And other ones, you pull, and the garment comes undone. I think when you go out and get, you know, a better image of the person's face, that can only help the public help us identify this person and confirm their -- that they're the right person when that time comes.
The prosecutors today have been working with the law enforcement agents and police officers to advance this investigation. And I would describe today's work as making steady progress to identifying the person that we saw in the video that was released yesterday. And the sooner we can identify that person, the sooner we can, I think, blow this case open. But that's work that has to happen in the next 24 to 36 hours.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Do you believe that there was no further threat to the community today? You mentioned yesterday (INAUDIBLE) evidence. Can you explain (ph) on that, too?
SMILEY: Yes, it's the same as yesterday, which is ever since 4:05 on Saturday, which was when the first call came into Brown, there has been no new credible specific threat anywhere in the Providence community having anything.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) threats prior to the shooting. So, how can people feel safe with that information?
SMILEY: The way in which we're trying to reassure our residents is through a noted visible police presence throughout the community. It is going to be hard for my city to feel safe going forward. This has shaken us.
[17:25:00]
That will be true tomorrow. I suspect that'll be true the day after the general convicts someone. This is a process to restore a sense of safety. But we're going to take those steps at a time. And the first step and what we're trying to provide today, which we did well, with the assistance of our neighbor, grateful for it, is a noted visible police presence to provide some confidence for families that are taking their kids to school, people who have to get to work a shift.
you know, I spent lunch time today walking down Thayer Street. And for our guests, Thayer Street is the commercial district right adjacent to campus. And I talked to one of the women at Antonio's, which some of you know as Pizza by the Slice, and she said, you know, I didn't want to come to work today, but I needed to work, I needed to take the shift. And that's a very real thing happening in our community right now. But she noticed and she appreciated the fact that there were patrolmen walking up and down Thayer Street. It made her feel a little bit better. And when she comes to work tomorrow, I hope she feels a little bit better after that.
That's where we are right now in terms of restoring a sense of safety of the community. And that's what we're going to continue to try to do.
Bill, go ahead.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): I have two questions.
SMILEY: Yes.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): To that point, a lot of people are scared right now. A lot of people are confused right now in the city. Can you speak to them directly, summarizing what you just said or any other thoughts from the heart? Your take right now is probably the same.
SMILEY: Yes. Providence remains a very safe city. And Providence receives really the best law enforcement, I believe, in the country. And today, especially at this moment, it's being augmented by great professionals of other Rhode Islanders, the state police and others, and our federal partners.
But my sense of the community right now is that this is starting to get very real and very personal. And I heard that today. I heard that last night at the vigil. We're all two degrees of separation from one another. And now, people are starting to share stories with one another of, oh, my neighbor was nearby. And oh, my friend's kid was supposed to go to that review session but didn't. I'm starting to hear those stories. And I think all the Rhode Islanders in the room are starting to hear those stories. I heard that story again today with one of our customers. It is one of the teachers.
And so, it's starting to get very personal for our community, which is hard. And that's, I think, where we are sort of emotionally in the process. But we're here for one another. That's the scary side. The upside is that this is a tight-knit community that looks out for one another. The governor was there. All the officials who were up here with me tonight were with us at Lippitt Park last night.
It was 10 degrees. It was loosely organized and yet hundreds of people came out because they wanted to be with one another. They were hugging their neighbors. They were crying. They're offering each other support. So, this community will heal from this. We will move forward. But that doesn't make light of, and I'm certainly not making light of the fear and anxiety that persists. But the only way we're going to move forward through it is one step at a time. And today is one of those steps.
Go ahead.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Colonel, do you have any idea what kind of firearm was used in the shooting? How many rounds were fired? Do you have any details of that information?
PEREZ: It was several rounds. It was a small caliber. Actually, 9- millimeter firearm was used. And it was several rounds into it. And obviously, as we all know, the casualties and the injured people are -- it's just terrible. So, yes.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): I have two questions.
PEREZ: Yes.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Who is the lead investigator on this now? And secondly, what do you believe that a person of interest was doing in that video and those pictures that you obtained?
PEREZ: Yes. So, the first question, the lead is -- obviously, we're taking the lead, but we couldn't do this job without the assistance, as I mentioned, and collaboration of all the different agencies and municipalities. This is a team effort. This is important to us. As the mayor stated, it has shocked the city. A lot of people are concerned. So, this is an effort to put handcuffs on somebody, and it takes a whole team to do that.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): My second question is, what do you think he was doing? Was he staking out the area? Because this was the day before the shootings, correct?
PEREZ: Correct. And so --
UNKNOWN (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE).
PEREZ: So, it was a few hours before. And I'll tell you that at this point, that's all we have. So, it was a few hours before, what he was doing. We'll be able to find out further once we continue to investigate. Go ahead, John. Go ahead, John.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Can you talk about, is it unusual to change the direction of investigation as it's going on?
[17:30:05]
COL. OSCAR L. PEREZ, JR., CHIEF OF POLICE, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: That's a great question, John. I think that, you know, all detectives throughout this nation and in the world understand that when you investigate in a case, it takes different paths. You know, you start somewhere, you start here, and all of a sudden, something else pops off, and you're going in a different direction. And that's what happens. It's complex.
And at the end of the day, you have to investigate, you have to pull every rock, you have to look at every video, you have to examine evidence, you have to check ballistics. It just takes a lot of work. You have to interview witnesses, and sometimes that takes you to a whole different path.
And as a -- as a police officer and a detective, you have to make sure that you don't get into that tunneled vision in order to be able to get that right answer. So yes, they do change. Go ahead, Steph. Go ahead, Steph.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you concerned that the more time passes, it'll be harder to make an arrest?
PEREZ: I'll tell you, every minute counts. Every minute counts, but what doesn't stop is the dedication and professionalism of this department as well as our partners.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Colonel, turn on the video.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe that any of the victims, whether the victims who died or the others, were targeted by the shooter or that he was just shooting randomly and indiscriminately?
PEREZ: That's all part of the investigation, Steph. Yes, so we'll continue to investigate further.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you also explain, the FBI today was searching in the bushes and peeking around the snow or moving the snow on Waterman Street. We have known since Saturday that the potential suspect walked down Waterman Street. It was in the first video. Why would you be now looking in the bushes for something on Waterman Street two days later after it snowed?
PEREZ: So I just -- I just answered, John, the same question of how investigations, they turn and lead you in a different direction. We might have used all our energies in the first few days to investigate something, and here we are now heading back to that same place to continue to investigate, and that's why you saw that, because the investigations change on a daily basis. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the travel of the 911 call or emergency calls that came in, when the first -- first 911 calls to come in, were those dispatched by Brown University Police or Providence Police?
PEREZ: It was dispatched by the 911 center, and yes, we responded immediately. Within minutes, you saw the Providence police cruiser pulling up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So Providence has been an investigator on this from the beginning?
PEREZ: That's correct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Patrick, Patrick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you received any leads or indication on whether this was personally motivated, political, or otherwise? Are there any threats to Brown that they have turned over that would give us an indication of why this might have happened?
PEREZ: It's a great question, and that's something that we're all asking ourselves, and we'll continue to investigate to be able to get that answer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Based around here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have reason to believe that this person is no longer in the community? Can you continue to try to reassure the public that they are safe, but you also just said that this person you believe is armed and dangerous. So how can both be true?
PEREZ: Well, yes, yes, right, and that's something that's unknown, but like the mayor stated, I'll tell you that we have enhanced enforcement in that area. We have, as Steph stated earlier, we have a lot of officers in the area, so I -- in that sense, he's going to be safe. However, as well, I just want to remind the community that our priority in law enforcement and in the city is to keep our -- our constituents safe, keep them informed, and to keep them committed, to understand that we're a professional, we're dedicated, we're going to put somebody in handcuffs, and we're going to continue to do this job. So I want to --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have reason to believe that they are no longer in this community?
PEREZ: That's something that we're continuing to investigate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Colonel, just real quick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tom, Tom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the trajectory of where this guy went from the videos that you saw, where is the last place that you would -- you have clear video of -- of seeing him? Is it like, are you still getting video from houses in that area? And, you know, Colonel Weaver, just real quick, in terms of the state's response, how much Enforced Patrol, we know about the Enforced Patrol in the Providence, but are you putting throughout the state to keep the highways, you know, keep an eye on the highways?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have increased our patrols throughout the state, and we will respond accordingly to any requests for additional assistance. This is a collaborative effort, not only from our uniform division, but also our detective bureau is embedded here with Providence and our federal partners, and we will not stop until we find out the -- who the suspect is and bring them to justice.
PEREZ: I just want to -- I just want to clarify -- I just want to clarify something, because it seems that we're a little confused as far as the video itself. It says 2:00 p.m. It was the day off two hours prior, 2:00 p.m. Yes? Just let me just finish with that. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where is the video that you actually have video from in that area?
PEREZ: It's in -- it's the vicinity of Hope Street between Benevolent and Manning Street.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's before the shooting?
PEREZ: That's correct, yes. That two hours prior, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My turn. My turn. Dan, calm. This video that you just released, more than anything, is key to wrapping to this case, OK? We have a closer picture of his face. We have a closer picture of his body. Based on that and witness interviews, do you have a new description of the person of interest now? Because he looked like a guy just walking around, you know, the neighborhood. Is there a new description you can give us so far?
[17:35:15]
PEREZ: There is, and it will be on that poster that we're going to be releasing on the images in the -- the height, weight, and things of that nature are all posted on that poster. It's something that we're investigating there. Damon (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
PEREZ: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
PEREZ: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
PEREZ: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
PEREZ: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE). UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
PEREZ: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE). The gentleman just asked a question about how -- how information is getting filtered into the community and out -- and out from -- from us. And the question was that past few days an individual was identified and was detained and he was a person of interest. We had him here. He's asking, how does that get out to the media? How does that happen? I -- my -- my answer to that is I have no control over what's being released or circulated in the media speculations that occur. What we can control is what we give you here.
And as I was speaking earlier, that's why it's important for you to get the information from us. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE). He also asked a second question that he asked was that there was information out there that we had a person in custody of interest, a second person, and that's not true. That's incorrect. And I don't know how that circulated in speculation. So my answer to him is that (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chris, go ahead, Chris.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There appeared to be an issue with 311 services during Saturday's incident. A lot of names couldn't get notification. What issues were going on there? And has that since been resolved?
PEREZ: Yes. So residents in the city of Providence were notified in multiple ways and certainly through all of your outlets, all official City of Providence social media outlets, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and we pushed out a 311 notice. If you are not -- the 311 notification system in the city of Providence, you have to sign up for it in order to receive it. And so 311 notifications did go out. If you are a resident of city of Providence and you are not receiving 311 notifications, we encourage you, we urge you to please sign up. You can do so at the city's website. 311 notices have continued to go up -- go out throughout this entire incident, including up as recently as today, this afternoon to clarify a false report with regard to a report of shots fired which was found to be unfounded, we sent out a push notification through 311 to reassure people because in this day and age, there's a lot of misinformation.
A lot of people are getting reports through non official channels and are getting anxious as a result of it. And so 311 notifications are working fine. But you have to register for it and you have to opt in for text messages. If anyone needs assistance for how to sign up for 311, if you are not tech savvy or if you are having problems, you can call the phone number 311 and we have staff available who will help register you. For all of our community, please know that there are always bilingual call individuals to take those phone calls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Attorney General, real quick, you were on CNN this morning talking about -- Mr. Attorney General, you were on CNN this morning talking about the person that you spoke, person of interest from yesterday was here. We have not heard that here today. Can you talk about, you know, is that person of interest still here in the state? Who was he? Was he from Wisconsin? Just, you know -- PETER NERONHA, RHODE ISLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL: Yes, I think, as I said last night, for those of you who were here, I thought it was really unfortunate that this person's name was leaked by somebody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he clear?
NERONHA: Well, let me answer -- let me finish my answer, was leaked by -- was leaked. Excuse me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why? You finished the answer? You answered his question.
NERONHA: No, I haven't finished it yet, Ronaldo. So -- so I'm going to -- no. So I'm going to finish it.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: All right. That was the press conference held in Providence, Rhode Island, with the latest on the horrific shooting at Brown University where two students were killed. You saw that police released new images showing a new person of interest.
Let's bring back Andy McCabe and Donell Harvin. Andy, what -- what do you make of -- of the quality of these images? Is the person potentially -- potentially recognizable?
[17:40:08]
ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, that's really -- that's a great question, Jake. So that -- these images are not perfect. You never, you know, and it's -- it's rare that you ever get a perfect one. You'd love to have a full face shot that's like really clearly identifiable. But there are details in these videos that we didn't see in the first one that might be recognizable to someone. So there's just a few of the things that jumped out to me. First of all, this is a big guy, a pretty stout person.
That was not clear in the first video. The jacket that he's wearing is actually green on most of the front, like across his belly, and then black on top. He appears to be wearing a black hat and some sort of a dark face mask. He also has a distinctive gait where he walks with what might be the kind of remnants of a limp favoring the left side. That could be something that's from an old injury or a surgery or something like that from years ago. It's not super pronounced, but you can see he has a distinct kind of, in that one particularly, you can see his rhythm is somewhat reflective of a -- of a limp.
So, yes, I think when you -- if you know this person, you put those details together, you might recognize him. He also seems to be walking through that neighborhood like someone who knows where he is. He's kind of cutting the corners. He's not -- he's not like looking for traffic signs and things like that. He seems to kind of know where he's at, at any given time. So that -- that could tell us something about whether or not he's local.
TAPPER: And, Donell, the -- the mayor noted that public schools are still open in the greater area of Providence, Rhode Island. Do you think the fact that the schools are open suggests confidence that they have some idea of who they're looking for or no, not at all?
DONELL HARVIN, FORMER CHIEF OF HOMELAND SECURITY & INTELLIGENCE, D.C. GOVERNMENT: I think it has suggests that they don't want to put the public in a panic. They clearly don't know who this individual is, and they're trying to reach out to the public to get some idea about who he is.
But, you know, you don't want Providence in the greater Providence area on lockdown. We're going into past day number two. And so it's a really, really delicate tight rope that these officials have to walk between saying, quite frankly, we don't know where he is.
We don't know who he is, and we don't know where he's going with also trying to reassure people that they are safe. And the reason why they can assure them that their safety is because there's increased police presence.
TAPPER: All right, Andy McCabe and Donell Harvin, thanks so much for your expertise. Appreciate it.
My next guest, unfortunately, know the reality of shootings all too well. Mia Tretta survived the deadly 2019 Saugus High School shooting in Santa Clarita, California. She was shot in the stomach. She still suffers physical complications. And she's a -- she is now a junior at Brown University. She was on campus during Saturday shooting.
Also with me is Cameron Kasky is a Parkland shooting survivor who's now running for Congress as a Democrat in New York's 12th congressional district. Mia, first, I mean, how are you doing? This is obviously horrific in so many ways, but for you, it's also, I'm sure triggering to a degree.
MIA TRETTA, SCHOOL SHOOTINGS SURVIVOR: Yes, I mean, I -- I'm doing as well as anyone could be doing. I -- I am thinking about my community and the fact that two members are gone. I'm thinking about my school at large that is shattered.
And I mean, even for me and my friends, we were safe, but it -- it was terrifying being on campus as someone who at 15 years old already had to have a bullet in her stomach and lose my best friend to gun violence.
TAPPER: And Mia, you -- you've now left campus because of your concerns about safety and security. We've been hearing from other students trying to leave Brown University, whether by plane or train or car. It's also got to be very upsetting that the killer is still on the loose.
TRETTA: Yes, I -- I think that when there was someone in custody, all of us kind of had this weight lifted off our shoulders. We were released from lockdown around 9:00 a.m. the following morning and, you know, no one was happy, but at least we weren't as scared that someone was still out there. I have left campus. I left just a few hours ago and finals are no longer happening.
Most people have been able to leave campus or are leaving campus at some point today, but the people are scared. I -- last night when they released the information that the suspect they had was incorrect and that the person in custody was not in fact the shooter you could feel the tension rise at the school again. And you could just kind of feel everyone's face drop. And it was like, you know, everything that we thought, you know what, maybe it's going to be OK. We could start healing it. It went away.
TAPPER: Cameron, President Trump was asked today about why authorities have not been able to yet identify the shooter at Brown. I want to play a little bit of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[17:45:01]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has Kash Patel told you why it's been so difficult for the FBI to identify who the shooter is?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, it's always difficult. So far we've done a very good job of doing it with Charlie, with, you know, the various times this has happened. They've done it in a pretty much record time. But you really have to ask the school a little bit more about that because, you know, this was a school problem. They had their own, uh, guards, they had their own police, they had their own everything, but you'd have to ask that question really to the school, not to the FBI. We came in after the fact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Cameron, uh, what's your response?
CAMERON KASKY, PARKLAND SHOOTING SURVIVOR: This administration needs to let investigators do their job before they start running their mouths because Donald Trump falsely tweeted that they had apprehended the suspect. Brown University came out and said that wasn't true. And Trump said that Brown walked it back.
No, they did not walk anything back. They never made that assertion in the first place. Kash Patel spread straight up disinformation about the Charlie Kirk assassin. And this undermines public trust in our institutions and it is extremely dangerous. But I want to talk about another response from this administration to the shooting at Brown University, Laura Loomer's response because Laura Loomer's response to the shooting at Brown was to scapegoat Muslims and blame it on, quote, jihadi cockroaches infesting our country. This is someone with strong influence at the White House. And this is a Jewish person.
Well, you know who saved Jewish lives this weekend was a Muslim refugee in Australia named Ahmed. Ahmed was a good guy without a gun. He was an unarmed man who put his life on the line to stop an anti- Semitic terror attack. He was practicing Ithar, which is the Islamic principle of selflessness and sacrifice. And these are values shared by Judaism and Islam, Quran 5:32, whoever saves one life. It is as if we had saved all of humanity.
And what this administration wants to do is turn us against each other, divide us by race, by gender identity, by religion to make sure we are not focused on the people at the top who are profiting off of this violence.
TAPPER: Cameron Kasky and Mia Tretta, thanks to both of you. And I'm so sorry that both of you had to go through what you went through. It's just horrific.
To another tragic scene now, director and actor Rob Reiner and his wife were killed in their California home. What a source now tells CNN about Reiner's son who was seen arguing with his father at a holiday party over the weekend. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:51:43]
TAPPER: In our Pop Culture Lead today, the adult son of legendary Hollywood director Rob Reiner is now in police custody. He's been booked in suspicion of killing his father and his mother. Reiner's wife, photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner. A source says their daughter was the one who found her parents dead yesterday. CNN's Nick Watt has more on the shocking news from Reiner's Brentwood, California neighborhood of Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rob and Michele Reiner met on the set of "When Harry Met Sally." They were married more than 35 years. They died together Sunday. Around 3:40 p.m., the LAPD and Fire Department responded to a medical emergency at the Reiner home in Upscale Brentwood. They found an elderly man and woman dead. Homicide detectives soon on the scene. 9:15 p.m., a suspect arrested the couple's son, Nick Reiner, aged 32.
CHIEF JIM MCDONNELL, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: He was subsequently booked for murder and is being held on $4 million bail.
WATT (voice-over): The DA is yet to file charges. Nick Reiner, seen here with his parents at "This Is Spinal Tap 2" premiere in September, has been open about his struggles with heroin addiction and homelessness. He co-wrote a movie, "Being Charlie," based on those experiences. His dad directed. They talked about it on AOL back in 2016.
ROB REINER, FILM DIRECTOR: It is loosely based on, you know, things that Nick went through and his relationship to me and his mother. And you can talk a little bit more about it, Nick, if you want.
NICK REINER, ROB REINER'S SON: I wasn't really that shy about including some of the bad stuff I did because a lot of people do things that are pretty unsavory.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like to take care of one foot at a time.
WATT (voice-over): Rob Reiner's big break was as a T.V. actor, playing Meathead on "All in the Family" back in the 70s. Later, as a movie director, he was prolific and versatile. "Princess Bride," "A Few Good Men," "Stand By Me," "Spinal Tap," "Misery," "When Harry Met Sally."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a seismic shock because Rob Reiner is such an outsized presence in the entertainment community. I mean, he's almost the mayor of Hollywood. He's such an affable, genial person.
WATT (voice-over): Tributes laid today at his Walk of Fame star for this actor, writer, director, producer, political activist and much- loved avuncular industry figure. Harry Shearer, one of the stars of "Spinal Tap," said, this is unspeakable, the stuff of Greek tragedy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATT: So the latest we are hearing from sources, as you mentioned, Jake, that Nick Reiner apparently having an argument with his father Saturday night at a party. Michele Reiner was also there. And that Romy, the daughter, discovered her parents here at the Brentwood home. Now, LAPD still not officially saying the manner of their death, but they say that the case will be handed to the DA, Jake, tomorrow. Back to you.
TAPPER: All right, Nick Watt, thank you so much. Horrible story.
In our World Lead Today, Pope Leo posted, quote, enough with this anti-Semitic violence. As outrage among Australia's Jewish community continues to grow following yesterday's anti-Semitic attack on Jewish- Australians celebrating the first day of Hanukkah on Bondi Beach in Australia. Father-son duo killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more. Australia's prime minister says the suspects were, quote, driven by extreme ideology, a twisted version of Islam, he said.
[17:55:17]
Rabbi Eli Schlanger was among the 15 victims of yesterday's attack. He had helped organize the Hanukkah by the Sea event. He was also a father of five with his youngest son born just two months ago. Here now is a friend of Rabbi Schlanger, Mor Greenberg, she's also close with the rabbi's wife, who was also shot and remains in the hospital. Mor, I'm so sorry to be talking to you under these circumstances. Help us to get to know Rabbi Schlanger and his wife just a little bit. What can you tell us about them?
MOR GREENBERG, FOUNDER, MOR MEDIA GROUP: Well, I'm glad you pointed out it's Rabbi Schlanger and his wife because they really were a team and they really served to their community together in so many different ways. They helped them physically, emotionally, spiritually. I spent many, many days in -- in their home just seeing them walking and out around the clock, helping others, people coming to them around the clock with all their needs. It could be something simple like bringing a meal to someone that just had a baby or -- or something, you know, that requires more intellectual thought and -- and support and government advocacy and things like that.
So they really just helped people around the clock. And it's -- it's not -- it -- it doesn't go without saying that Rabbi Eli was killed doing what his life's purpose was, bringing more light into the world. And I really hope that in his honor we will continue bringing light in whatever way we can.
TAPPER: I know a lot of members of the Jewish community in Australia are -- are frustrated because Jewish advocacy groups note there's been a sharp rise in anti-Semitic attacks in Australia. Since the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, there have been more than 3,700 anti- Jewish incidents in Australia. Some of the incidents include an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue in July and January, vehicles in the former home of a Jewish community leader vandalized in Sydney.
And shortly before his death, Rabbi Eli Schlanger wrote a letter to government leaders warning about rising anti-Semitism. Tell me, what -- what is your message to the Australian government?
GREENBERG: Well, my message to the Australian government, if they will listen, is that I think the community in Sydney, my friends and my family, they really just want a show of support. It's -- it's getting to the point where it's frustrating already. Every time an incident happens, there are so many resources that they advocate for. Not always are those resources supplied. It's also a matter of just being -- having a bit more of a backbone and being able to label the incidences that are violent against Jews as anti-Semitic.
If we call it for what it is, then it's easier to address it. I also think that it wasn't helpful for the Australian government to reward Hamas terrorists after the atrocities of October 7th with the Palestinian states. When you reward terror, it just invites the next attack. And we saw that today, and it's extremely frustrating. And in the initial statement that the Prime Minister put out, there was no mention of anti-Semitism. I was glad to see that that was corrected, and I hope that continues a pattern of really standing by the community and taking action when it's clearly an act of anti-Semitic violence.
TAPPER: Mor Greenberg, thank you so much for joining us. May Rabbi Eli Schlanger's memory be a blessing, and our best wishes to his wife as well. Thank you for joining us today.
GREENBERG: Thank you.
TAPPER: Also in our World Lead, a deadly ambush in Syria takes the lives of three Americans. Two Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter killed Saturday in an attack in Palmyra, Syria. The Pentagon says the ambush was carried out by a lone ISIS gunman. Three other members of the Iowa National Guard were also wounded. President Trump is vowing to retaliate.
CNN's Natasha Bertrand is following this for us. Natasha, tell us more about what you're hearing about the ambush and how the U.S. will respond.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Well, we just got the news from the army today that the two soldiers that were killed were Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, who was 25, from Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, who is 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa. They were members of the Iowa National Guard. And the army said in a statement on Monday that the soldiers died in -- from injuries that were sustained while engaged with hostile forces. Now, we know that mean, according to U.S. central Command, that it was an ISIS gunman, a lone gunman who apparently opened fire on the vehicle that they were traveling in at the time and managed to kill three people, including, as you said, that civilian interpreter whose name we do not know yet.
Now, President Trump has vowed retribution. It's unclear what exactly that's going to look like since the U.S. and Syrian security forces pretty regularly already go after ISIS targets in Syria. That is exactly what the U.S. Military is there to do. But here's a little bit of what President Trump said earlier today when he was asked whether the Syrian president bears any responsibility for this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[18:00:15]
TRUMP: I do. I mean, this had nothing to do with him. This is a part of Syria that they really don't have much control over. And it was a surprise. He feels very badly about it. He's working on it. He's a strong man. And, no, this had nothing to do with the Syrian government. This had to do -- this had to do with ISIS.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What will the U.S. response be?
TRUMP: As a response? They'll be hit hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERTRAND: The U.S. has tried really hard to foster a good relationship with the new Syrian government, Jake. And so they're really pinning the blame on ISIS for this and not Syrian forces.
TAPPER: All right, Natasha Bertrand, thanks so much.
