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Two Found Dead At Address Associated With Director Rob Reiner; Officials Hold News Conference In Brown University Shooting; Reiner Family Announces Deaths Of Rob And Michelle Reiner. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired December 14, 2025 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:00:36]
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you for joining us for this CNN NEWSROOM. We do begin this hour with breaking news out of Los Angeles, where a law enforcement source tells CNN, homicide detectives from the LAPD are on the scene after two people were found dead at an address associated with Hollywood director Rob Reiner.
What we know is at this hour is that a -- pardon me -- an investigation is being conducted, and we are, of course, waiting for more details.
We are hearing from colleagues. They are still working to process that scene. Not clear that that has been done yet.
The Los Angeles Fire Department was initially the agency that responded there, responding to a medical emergency at the residence. That call, that happening just around 3:40 local time. And they discovered two bodies there, deceased. A 78-year-old man and a 68- year-old woman.
CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter is going to join us with more on that in just a moment.
But I do want to take you quickly to Providence, Rhode Island where we are now getting some more information from authorities about the shooting at Brown University. Let's listen in.
(LIVE EVENT)
MAYOR BRETT SMILEY, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: Comments and an update from Attorney General Peter Neronha, followed by Colonel Oscar Perez, chief of the Providence police department.
Shortly we will be releasing the person of interest who had been detained earlier today. And the attorney general can speak a little bit about the rationale for that.
But we want to inform the community that that individual will shortly be released from Providence police.
We know that this is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community. And we want to reiterate what we said earlier, which remains true, which is ever since the initial call, now a day and a half ago, we have not received any credible or specific threats to the Providence community.
And so the status of safety in our community remains unchanged. And we believe that you remain safe in our community. Though we will continue to have an enhanced police presence throughout the city and on the Brown campus.
We are once again encouraging anyone who thinks that they might have relevant information to assist with our ongoing investigation to please provide it. This is the same resources that were asked earlier, but to share them once again.
You can upload video or photos to the special FBI Web site created for this incident, which is FBI.gov\BrownUniversityShooting. That's FBI.gov\BrownUniversityshooting or call the Providence police non- emergency number of (401)272-3121.
Our investigation into this horrific act remains ongoing. It has been ongoing. And I know there's been some frustration from members of the community and others about the language that we've been using about the person of interest and such.
And that speaks to directly the fact that this investigation was and continues ongoing, and we will continue to endeavor to not confirm any information that is not yet confirmable.
And that is how we can best be transparent with all the members of our community to share the best information that we have.
I'd like to invite the governor to say a few words, and then we'll hear from the attorney general, specifically with regard to the individual.
GOV. DAN MCKEE (D-RI): Mayor, thanks. So our position stays the same. The safety of the people in the -- in the state is the top priority. The response on all in response from the state relative to any of the issues that impact the Brown University or the people who are impacted by this, this act of violence.
[23:04:43]
MCKEE: And, I will continue to, tell you that our Colonel Weaver will be here shortly and we will continue to have, full amount of effort, from the state side and the state police.
In addition to that, I just got off the phone, with the mayor, with Director Kash Patel, with the FBI.
And he also, because I wanted to make sure that he was fully aware of this press event, and he was. And he also committed to continue to bring the resources of the federal government into this -- into this case.
So right now, it's about the safety of the people that live in the state that is in the Providence area, the state of Rhode Island will continue to provide all our resources to support the city, the mayor, as well as Brown University and the community at large in the -- in the area of Brown University.
In addition to that, making sure that we keeping the people safe in the state of Rhode Island, Mayor.
SMILEY: (INAUDIBLE).
PETER NERONHA, RHODE ISLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL: Thank you, Mayor, Governor.
So, you know, I want to share with the people of the state of Rhode Island, what this investigation looks like, where we are today, where I anticipate it moving forward.
So last night I wish you could have been with me in the command post, where there were literally dozens of Providence police officers working to develop leads, in this very difficult case. Difficult, obviously, because of the tragedy that occurred on the campus, but also difficult in terms of developing evidence.
That work continues and it will continue tomorrow. Our prosecutors were there, six in total. Our victim services folks were at the hospital.
But this is -- this is what these investigations look like. I've been around long enough to know that sometimes you head in one direction, and then you have to regroup and go in another. And that's exactly what has happened over the last 24 hours or so.
Collectively, the team developed leads in a number of areas. One was chased to ground. It led to the -- to the -- to us detaining a person of interest. So those words and how we choose those words when we're talking about an investigation matter.
And what it means here is that certainly there was some degree of evidence that pointed to this individual, but that evidence needed to be corroborated and confirmed.
And over the last 24 hours leading into just -- just very, very recently, that evidence now points in a different direction. So what that means is that this person of interest needs to be and should be released.
I think what is really unfortunate, that this person's name was leaked to the public. It's hard to put that back in the bottle, ok.
So we're going to proceed very carefully here. There is too much at stake for the victims of this horrific crime and their families to take chances with respect to this -- to this investigation.
What I anticipate seeing going forward is, is that our team will be -- our team of prosecutors will be working with the Providence police department as the principal leads in this investigation. We will have our resources amplified by the state police, by the FBI,
by the ATF, by the DEA, by the Marshal Service and others. As we develop leads and reach -- and reach and move towards justice in this case.
But this could happen very quickly. But it could take some time. And so I'm going to ask the public to be patient with us as we continue to work through the facts in this case.
And so with that, I'm going to turn it over to my friend Oscar Perez. I've known a long time, worked a lot of cases with Chief Perez. He's terrific. He's leading a great team here. Again, I wish you could have seen the work the other night. We have not yet, solved this case, but I'm confident we're going to do that. And I'm confident we're going to do that in the very near future. So, Chief Perez.
CHIEF OSCAR PEREZ, RHODE ISLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT: Thank you, General.
And good evening. We're here again today, obviously to I'm going to reiterate that what the General just stated as well as the mayor, this person of interest will be released. And I want to make sure that we all understand that this was a very complex investigation, and it still is.
So in a sense, we followed on a lead and we followed on this specific lead. But we're able to examine every single evidence that led us to this individual.
And at that point, that's how investigations work. Investigations will tell us whether something is valid or not, whether something needs to be ruled out. It's not a mistake. It's just how investigations work.
[23:09:47]
OSCAR: And our responsibility is to make sure that we conduct proper investigations. When I saw you all earlier today, I'm very proud of the detective work that they do. Detectives that worked throughout the night, as the General stated, were here last night making sure that we lift every rock, that we investigate everything we needed to investigate because we're not in the -- in the business of putting people in jail that don't, don't, don't deserve to be.
And so at this point, we'll continue to follow on every lead that comes our way. Our federal partners are on board. We'll be meeting again tomorrow with them and continue to do the work that we need to do to bring this person who's responsible to justice.
And I'm proud to say that in the morning we'll be reunited with the detectives. Just -- some detectives worked all night. They're still working as we speak. And we'll continue our investigations, so.
Questions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe that the person who was in the video that you released last night is still a suspect? Or is that the person that you detained and has now -- is now being released? PEREZ: The person that we detained.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From the video that you released last night, is that the person you detained this morning.
PEREZ: At this point, we don't have enough evidence to corroborate that. So, no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you still think that that person from the video, surveillance video, is the suspect that you're looking for?
PEREZ: Yes, Stephanie. What saw in the video is the person we're looking for. Correct.
Next question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you describe that person as a person of interest.
SMILEY: So there are a lot of unknowns in this case. And that's one unknown yet, Steph. That's what we're working towards.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So is it safe to say that you all believe at this point is the suspect behind the shooting? Are they still in this community?
I know you said there's not danger to this community, but is that person do you believe they're still here? Have they left the state?
SMILEY: Honestly, we have no way of knowing. And -- and the investigation is ongoing. We continue to follow leads that have been developed over the last day and a half. And we're continuing to ask for help.
One of the things the Providence police will be doing, and we should let our neighbors know, is that we are searching for additional video evidence.
And so neighbors in the area of Brown University should expect to see Providence police in the neighborhood canvasing, looking for additional evidence, specifically looking for additional video evidence, and we are looking for additional video evidence.
There's been several questions over the last day and a half about videos at Brown and in the building. The videos at Brown, in the building have been examined. And at this time we have no additional actionable information from the video that has been reviewed from the building.
And so we are looking for new and additional video evidence, and neighbors in the community should expect to see Providence police along with our partners. And we're, again, very grateful for the resources we've received from the state police because of the governor's support and our federal partners.
But that is one piece of additional evidence and a way in which this community can help. If you have a camera and you are nearby, the video that was released was the corner of Hope and Waterman Streets.
And if you are in that area and you have video, you have home video ring camera, security camera, you're a small business owner, please reach out to us, call that number (401)272-3121. Or if you can upload the video itself you can do so at FBI.gov\BrownUniversityshooting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: FBI director specifically said in his tweet that it was a tip from Providence police that led you all to Hampton Inn. Can you confirm if that's true? And what exactly was the evidence that led you to this person of interest?
PEREZ: Yes, it was a there was a tip that came in just like we were taking any other tips and that one came in specifically identifying a person of interest, which was this individual.
And so we are -- our detectives, just like the others, but this specific one it was actually picked up by the -- by the FBI, and they followed through with it. And they ended up coming and locating this individual of interest.
And at that point we did a thorough investigation examined, ended up drafting some search warrants, came up with some evidence. But those that evidence was examined and we didn't have enough obviously, to be able to prosecute anybody. And so that person was released.
Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, actually, a question for the attorney general.
What is the standard in the state of Rhode Island for detaining someone before they are charged? How long are you allowed to do that?
And I guess ultimately, if this individual who was detained is not found to have been part of this, will the attorney general's office or the state of Rhode Island exonerate him in writing?
NERONHA: Well Pat, what the case law tells us is that we can detain someone for a reasonable period of time if there is evidence and such that, points to that person being involved in criminal activity.
And so, you know, you don't -- evidence doesn't appear on your doorstep, and you have answers to it within the first 15 minutes.
[23:14:49]
NERONHA: So, so let me just paint what I hope will be a clear picture. There's obviously evidence at the scene. That evidence at the scene may link to a particular individual.
So when you have a person of interest, you try to link the evidence at the scene to that person of interest. Well, that takes time. That requires testing. Some of that lab testing can take an entire day.
So over the course of the day, while we're following up leads elsewhere, those initial leads may come back positive or may come back negative. Here, they came back negative. So we're in a position where we are now going to release that that person of interest.
But that's the way these investigations work. This is -- this is -- this isn't --
(CROSSTALKING)
NERONHA: Well, well look, Pat, I'm not going to get into exonerating people in writing or orally or otherwise. There was a quantum of evidence -- there was a quantum of evidence which justified detaining this person as a person of interest.
We continue to do our job. We're going to keep doing that. There may be other persons of interest. Hopefully they will be in custody or detention very soon.
(CROSSTALKING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: During multiple reports describing weapons that were found at the scene. Can you say whether or not there were weapons recovered at the scene? And does that describe the evidence that you described that may have linked to the person?
NERONHA: Listen, I'm not going to I'm not I am not going to and I'm not going to -- I can't imagine the chief would either is to lay out directly what evidence is at the scene.
But what I'm telling you is that any crime scene, there is evidence that links the perpetrator to the crime. When you have a person of interest, you try to link them to that -- That particular evidence -- (INAUDIBLE).
It could -- it could be all kinds of evidence. Steph, it could be fingerprint evidence. It could be ballistic evidence, it could be DNA. It could be a whole host of things.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you explain exactly what eliminated him?
NERONHA: I'm not going to get into that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- it's safe to say that the guys here tonight -- Can you tell us more about the role? I know it's been emphasized that Providence police will be the head here --
NERONHA: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- kind of the role of what that looks like.
NERONHA: Well look, in a situation like this and I go back to the -- to the double homicide of Amy Shoot and Jason Burgess 25 years ago. It's all-hands-on-deck to try to canvass locations, look at electronic evidence identify witnesses, track those witnesses down.
So every agency brings something else to the table. State police certainly brings something to the table. But ultimately, this is Providence's case, and they are the lead here. And they have the most boots on the ground to do most of the work that needs to get done. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- detained for hours on end today. Can you talk
about what happened during those hours-long detention? Were they questioned that entire time? What did that look like when this person of interest was -- (INAUDIBLE).
NERONHA: Yes. Well, again, I'm not going to get into the details of that, but what I will say is over -- over the period of time that a person of interest is detained, again, you try to develop evidence, to bring potential charges against that person. And if you can't develop that evidence, then you release them.
That happens -- that happens plenty of times in the course of our criminal justice system here and everywhere else.
So, while that was being done, Providence and our law enforcement partners continue to work other leads. That work continues now, and we'll pick it up again in the morning and keep going.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You mentioned the cameras on Brown University's campus. Are you all utilizing that footage as well in this investigation, or was that ten-second clip released yesterday? Is that all we have of this suspect?
NERONHA: That was -- that was the video evidence that was deemed most useful at the time to try to apprehend a suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mayor Smiley, you mentioned the video as well. Can you explain exactly what made other videos, I guess not as helpful because there were other. Can you explain again, what videos have you guys been able to look through and what made those videos not as helpful to the public?
Because I imagine at this point in the game, anything can be useful, so why not release what we have?
SMILEY: So because the investigation is ongoing and it may end up later being useful to then connect a dot, we're not going to release information that might be used at a future point in this investigation.
But because the question has come up many times in our previous briefings, I wanted to be clear, because it seemed like there was this unanswered question of, or concern that perhaps the video evidence inside or available from Brown had not yet been reviewed.
It has been reviewed. And as the General pointed out, the video that was shared to the public yesterday, it was yesterday, is the most useful video that we have at this time that can be shared with the public for the purposes of helping identify an individual.
[23:19:50]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean that's understandable. But if there is video evidence that you guys have that will be helpful for the investigation or further cases, but could also -- someone in the public could see that and know exactly who that person is, I guess. How do you manage that when we are now, you know, more than 24 hours
out?
SMILEY: If we had that video, you'd have it. Obviously if there was -- if there was a piece of video where we could show you a face and say, this is our person of interest or suspect, you'd have it.
So were releasing video evidence that helps solve that problem and answer that question. Not all of the evidence -- other video that may be something useful in a prosecution down the road.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're sitting in a classroom. What are you telling people now that we don't have a suspect in custody? Are you -- should we be concerned? Should we be staying inside? What do you want to (INAUDIBLE)?
SMILEY: So this is a similar situation to where we found ourselves yesterday morning, which is we spent that first night and appreciated that the shelter-in-place allowed Providence police and our partners, the freedom to move more quickly, to gather evidence, to work a complex crime scene. That first chapter of this investigation has concluded.
And so when we lifted the shelter-in-place earlier, it was because we felt that it was an appropriate time to do so. All we had in custody was a person of interest, or in detention was a person of interest. But the reason -- that was not the reason that the shelter-in-place was lifted.
The reason the shelter in place was lifted is because, again, since the initial call came in at 4:05 day and a half ago, we have not received a single additional specific threat to the Brown community, to the Providence community, to the Rhode Island community.
And so police had and appreciated the flexibility and to have fewer people on the streets to be able to do their job. And there is no reason that we are not recommending at this time a new shelter-in- place. We do not feel it is necessary.
As I mentioned at the outset, in order to provide an enhanced sense of safety, you will see an enhanced law enforcement presence in Providence and on the Brown campus. But that is so that people can have the confidence and comfort to still take their kids to school tomorrow, to if you know, Brown's canceled classes for the rest of the semester. But we know some kids are still making travel arrangements to head home to do so calmly, safely. And we want to provide that, that extra comfort with an enhanced law enforcement presence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As we're seeing there's some reports coming in right now about shots fired near the main green. Police currently in Rockefeller Library.
Is there any validity to that, or are those false reports on social media?
PEREZ: So the call just came in just now? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what they're saying.
PEREZ: Yes. So at this point obviously we'll be responding. But it's too early to tell if that's actually accurate. A lot of times those calls come in and they're not confirmable, but we'll check on that. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you see daily updates moving forward on this? What can we expect, you think?
PEREZ: Yes, we can expect obviously our police presence. You can expect us, the police department to continue to follow leads. You can expect what the General and the mayor has stated, working with different of our federal partners.
And you can expect that we're going to work extremely hard to bring that person that's responsible for these acts to justice.
SMILEY: And yes, we will expect to brief regularly going forward. It's hard for me to say what that frequency will be. But the community deserves to know the progress that we're making in this investigation. And we will share that progress.
And from time to time, if there's no update, we will come up and say there is no update. I'm sure that -- I was asked many times this morning if the Providence community should breathe a sigh of relief, and I said they should.
I imagine that the Providence community feels a little bit more anxious right now than they did an hour ago. And I understand that.
And so we will provide regular updates going forward so that we can be as honest and transparent as, as we can be through this process, because that is the best way for our community to trust the officials and law enforcement officers who are working really hard on their behalf right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Attorney General, I'd ask you respectfully -- well, first of all, let me claim that most of the people in this room are familiar with at least the basics of the rules of evidence. We understand the complexity of police investigations and the need to maintain the integrity of those.
But the question that we continually receive from Rhode Islanders is that in a state where somehow, if you have a speeding ticket and a (INAUDIBLE) hammer or some other speeding camera can capture you.
[23:24:45]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How you can have a position where there's hundreds of cameras in that area, maybe thousands -- I would love to know how many -- how is it possible not to have any other evidence surrounding this?
And this is ordinary Rhode Islanders reaching out to law enforcement, and they're confused by that. And quite frankly, some of them are terrified.
NERONHA: Well, look, there just -- there just weren't a lot of cameras in that Brown building. It's the reality.
You know, both of my kids were engineering students and were in that library a lot, class of '19 and class of '22. The reality is it's an old building attached to a new one.
So there just isn't, Pat. I don't know what to tell you, but we're going to go out and find whatever evidence we can to solve this case as quickly as we can.
I mean, we're not holding back video that we think would be useful. And I don't think I should even have to say it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd like to clarify, General, there's a difference between, you don't have enough evidence to charge someone and clearing them of any suspicion. Are you clearing this gentleman of any suspicion in this case?
NERONHA: Yes look, I think it's fair to say that there is no basis to consider him a person of interest. So that's why he's being released. We got -- we still have a lot of steps left to take obviously, in this case, you know.
Again, I've seen enough after 30 years in law enforcement, there've been a lot of twists and a lot of roads that I've walked down.
And so I'm not here to predict anything other than I saw in the command post in the six or seven hours I spent there last night, 50 Providence police officers working really hard, and they continue to work really hard to solve this case, along with a bunch of prosecutors, federal agents, the Colonel's, good people on the state police.
And I know that's going to continue and that our prosecutors are embedded with these detectives and agents. And we're going to solve this case.
I don't -- I can't tell you what direction it's going to take right now, but we're going to solve it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happens next as far as the investigation and actually finding the person responsible?
NERONHA: There's a ton of things that happen next. And so I don't want to get into all those things because obviously we have a murderer out there, frankly. And so we're not going to give away the game plan.
But the fact of the matter is, is that a law enforcement has the tools necessary to solve this case. But we're 36 hours out. So, you know, there's no -- it can never be too fast, particularly for the victims and their families and parents.
But sometimes investigations take a little bit of time. Sometimes it's not as easy as having a photograph of the person that we can just give to you to help us find that person. But I know the team's going to work hard, and we're going to solve it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You mentioned all the tips that have come in. How difficult does it become given the amount of time since this happened in terms of the scope of the investigation? Obviously this person could be anywhere now, right?
PEREZ: Yes. We follow every single tip, and that's why it's important to be able to collaborate with different agencies, municipalities, different federal partners. And it's important to have the, you know, it's all hands-on-deck. And we follow on every single one. And that's what occurred in this specific incident. We follow up on a lead.
There's nothing -- we've got to lift every rock. And the reason for that is to make sure that -- to realize if it's valid or not to rule things out and to make sure that we verify whatever's coming our way.
So your call earlier was unfounded. It was actually several cars responding, and there was nothing located, so.
SMILEY: That'll be it for questions tonight. Those are all the updates that we have to share this evening. We will stay in touch for the next briefing. And be sure to keep you posted. Future briefings will be at this location so you can plan accordingly.
Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, Oscar. Well done. Mayor, thank you.
SMILEY: Good to see you.
HILL: So we've just been listening to an update from the mayor of Providence there, the attorney general, the governor as well, and the chief of police.
I want to bring in -- John Miller and Juliette Kayyem are both with us. John, I want to go to you first. The headline out of this is that the person of interest that they had taken into custody, they will be releasing because they basically just don't have enough to charge him. In fact, we heard multiple times, the attorney general was asked, a number of officials were asked why they would not talk about the evidence that they did not have. Just that there wasn't enough there to prosecute him, but wouldn't say why ultimately he was eliminated.
I hear certain things in that press conference. John Miller, I know you hear plenty that I don't because of your background. What stood out to you in those answers from officials
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENTA ND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, I think you got the headline dead on which is Ben Erickson is being released and is no longer a person of interest. By my math, that means he was held for about 19 hours after being arrested somewhere between 3:30 and 4:00 in the morning at that hotel in Coventry, 20 minutes away.
Now, Attorney General Pete Neronha said, quoting now, "Collectively, we investigated this and that led us to a person of interest."
[23:29:53]
MILLER: Over the next 24 hours, that evidence points in a different direction."
As you went through the press conference, statements were made about forensics tests were conducted, evidence was tested. What I am told by my sources is that they ran those tests, and I don't know whether that included DNA and ballistics. But whatever tests they were able to run, comparing what they found in that search to what they found at the scene, were not matches.
So we go from an individual who was considered a person of interest, the subject of search warrants, both at his home in Wisconsin and his hotel here, to a person who served his country honorably in the U.S. Army in an elite unit in Washington, D.C. who is being released and must be given his presumption of innocence as we go forward.
HILL: Yes. And to your point, just picking up on some of that. As you noted, when he was pressed, they were asked specifically about some of that information. He said, look, it could be fingerprints, it could be ballistic, could be DNA, I won't say.
But there was also a specific question as to whether there were weapons found at the scene and whether they led to a person of interest. That is also a question that they would not answer. The attorney general said, I'm not going to say, John.
MILLER: Well, I think it made sense from the attorney general's standpoint not to get into the evidence that didn't point to their suspect. Just because it's a -- it's not a good road for them to go down.
They did, you know, there were a couple of interesting tells there when the police chief got up he described, you know, this lead came in overnight to the Providence police. So that's our lead, Providence PD. But it was handed off to the FBI who ran with the ball.
When you look at the people in that hallway where CNN got that exclusive footage, who do you see? You see FBI agents, you see U.S. Marshals, you see a lot of federal officials there.
And police were very careful to subtly point out during this press conference, this was an FBI-handled lead. And, you know, they got it once it was brought back to the station and the involvement of the attorney general and so on.
Has there been some friction between the Providence police and the FBI today over this? I'm going to tell you, there has been.
HILL: Yes.
MILLER: But ultimately, the determination has been made that they don't have, not only do they not have enough to hold this person, but they have multiple indicators, starting with his statement when they hit the door, you know, in the early mornings of the hour that I haven't left the hotel. And forensic tests that don't prove otherwise.
HILL: Yes. You know, it's interesting you point that out, John, because we did hear more than once that Providence is the lead on this investigation, but also talking about, of course, they will be working in concert with a number of other federal organizations.
I also want to, Juliette, I promise I'm going to bring you in. I do, though, also want to bring in my colleague Leigh Waldman, who has been on the ground there. And she was actually at this press conference.
So, Leigh, I was also struck by some of what we heard from the mayor. You know, asked very directly about how people should feel in this moment. He said, we have no way of knowing if the person has left the state.
There was this plea from all the officials for additional video evidence. But also he said, we're basically in a similar situation where we were yesterday morning.
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. It feels like we almost we took one step forward and then two steps back here, back to where we were yesterday morning.
The mayor is telling the community they don't need to feel unsafe. But he did sympathize and said he understands if people do feel unsafe, if there's a little more anxiety for people going to bed.
He said, as the sun rises tomorrow, people are waking up in this community. They should expect to see more police officers around the Brown University campus, around the areas that they highlighted they were searching previously.
They're going to continue to comb through those areas. They're going to continue to ask homeowners, business owners, anyone who has any kind of surveillance video to turn that video in so they can try to piece together who exactly this person is.
We know they released that short ten-second clip that showed the back of a person dressed in dark colors. They still believe that's the person of interest related to this shooting.
But the attorney general was very clear. Look, if we had a video of this man's face, we would release it. They don't have that yet. That is why there's this desperate plea to the community at large to ask them, release any video you have that might have caught this person.
We also heard from the attorney general pretty passionately speaking. We haven't solved this yet, but we are going to solve it.
[23:34:44]
WALDMAN: We know that the local police is working alongside the FBI. We know that they've spoken with the FBI director about these ongoing developments tonight. That work is going to continue throughout the night, throughout the next couple of days until they find who this person is. But yes, Jessica, it sent a chill down my spine hearing from the
mayor, who said they have no way of knowing if this individual has left this community, if they're still here.
So a lot of unanswered questions tonight, really feeling like we took a step back here.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. And Juliette, I do want to bring you in on that point. So we heard from the mayor talking specifically about where things stand in this moment.
The mayor noting that the shelter-in-place, according to the mayor, Juliette, was lifted not because there was a person of interest in custody, but because there was no -- there were no additional specific threats to Brown University, to Providence, or to the state of Rhode Island, people in all of those areas, right.
Tonight, hearing this information, Juliette, you know, to Leigh's point I mean, how do you process that in this moment? It's not even clear, we're told whether the person who may be responsible here has left the state.
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Right. They have -- from what we can tell, they have no idea of an identity or where this person is. I think, you know, this is -- was an impossible press conference, and no one's going to do this while, the community and the nation are watching, are hoping, that they have the right guy. Not because -- not because it's this particular individual, but because you want the threat off the streets.
That is not true. And so they need to regroup. And this is where confidence and trust in the police, in the mayor becomes very, very important because obviously many people are leaving this press conference saying, yes, we get that you were always calling him a person of interest.
But you know, there was a few moments difference between when you when you said you had a person of interest and people you let go of the -- of the shelter-in-place. So its rebuilding that confidence and trust.
Honestly, the only way they can do it is catching this person. They will double down.
I want to pick up something that John clearly heard as well as I did. We -- there is a reason why law enforcement, especially those not on the ground, do not make assertions before, you know, the police chief is ready to do it, before others are ready to do it.
You know, obviously social media has been, you know, has identified the person, his family, his mental state, therapy, all sorts of stuff that have nothing now -- nothing to do with what happened at Brown University.
But also we have some, you know, we have the FBI director disclosing what -- how they found this guy in -- even before he was -- he never was called a suspect. So part of what we need to do is sort of unwind this bravado that has
become part of some of -- some of these investigations and let people get the right person before doing too much damage to those who it may not be, but also, most importantly, before they lose the confidence of a public that really wants them to succeed. Everyone is supportive of finding who this person is.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. Juliette Kayyem John Miller, Leigh Waldman, thank you all.
As we continue to follow these developments, we're going to fit in a quick break here. Much more to come. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.
[23:38:22]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: If you're just joining us, we are following breaking news out of Los Angeles and it is some heartbreaking news to share with you.
We have been following developments at the home of actor/director Rob Reiner over the last two hours or so. We know that the homicide detectives were there from LAPD.
The family now confirming that Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle, have in fact died.
Julia Vargas Jones is on the scene there for us in Los Angeles. Julia, what more has the family said in this statement?
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Erica. A tricky situation here with the family issuing this statement, but not yet the police confirming the identity of those two victims.
So at this point, we have the statement from the family. It says, "It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michelle and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by the sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time."
Now what we have, Erica, from the Los Angeles police is that, as you mentioned, they are investigating a homicide after they discovered two victims in the home of Rob Reiner here in the neighborhood of Brentwood in Los Angeles. Then we have information from a law enforcement source that is close to that investigation, telling CNN that it was a family member who went to their home and found the two people dead.
And then we have the ages of those two people from the Los Angeles Fire Department as a 78-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman.
Now, as we're seeing all of this together, we're seeing some activity here outside the home. We cannot get any closer than this yet, Erica. At this point, we are expecting a press conference from the authorities any time now, and hopefully that will give us a better sense of how this went down. [23:44:48]
JONES; Some questions here -- key questions, I would say, is obviously what happened at that house in this Sunday afternoon. And who was that family member who found the two people dead inside that house?
What we have seen here since we arrived on the scene about an hour or so ago is we've seen Los Angeles Police Department officers and detectives going in and out, some vehicles, some larger vehicles going in and out of this cordoned-off area.
We've also seen some residents and people trying to get their vehicles out of here, going in and out of homes, and some even consoling each other. Now, I can confirm we haven't been able to speak to anybody. It's a very private neighborhood. But we have seen already some outbursts of emotion with the spreading of this news.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. Julie, appreciate it.
Also with us, CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter. You know, Julia talking about the emotion there. So many people who don't, frankly, know Rob Reiner feel a connection to him because of his years as an actor, as a director, because of a connection they may feel to one of his films. He was such a presence, Brian.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: One of the greats in Hollywood, one of the giants of Hollywood. You know, he played almost every role for almost every hat you could. An actor, a writer, a director, a political activist, also a role model, you know, someone who would help younger generations nurture good ideas. Someone who would advocate for the vulnerable through his political work. And someone who, with his wife Michelle, produced so many works right up until earlier this year.
Michelle and Ron were married about 35 years ago. They met when Ron was working on "When Harry Met Sally", and now we know those were the two victims in this apparent homicide there in Brentwood.
When you -- when you think about Rob Reiner's life, you know, he followed in his dad, Carl's footsteps. And it was really that character, "Meathead" from "All in the Family" that made Rob Reiner this legendary star, someone who could write his own ticket in Hollywood and do pretty much whatever he wanted.
Well, he chose to direct a film and not just any film, but this is "Spinal Tap", you know, an improvisational, big hair, big rock mockumentary, an incredibly risky endeavor.
But Reiner lean-doing it, embraced it, and it paid off in a huge way. It was -- it was a little bit of a hit in theaters, but it became a huge hit on the home video market and inspired filmmakers for generations.
So you go from that film to "A Few Good Men" and "Stand By Me" and "When Harry Met Sally", you know. Then he also had supporting actor moments in films like "Primary Colors". So like I said, he wore many hats over the years, and I was thinking,
Erica, about the last time I interviewed Reiner. This was back in 2018. I was sitting down with -- taped interview with him about his film and TV work, but also about his political activism. And I just remember he instantly made everyone in the room feel so comfortable. He had everybody in stitches.
He was this natural-born entertainer. Maybe partly thanks to his father, but he really had that charisma that lit up the room, something you sometimes hear about in Hollywood.
And I think his wife, Michelle, helped bring that out in him as well. He also loved news. He loved the news business. And I know, Erica, you had some firsthand experience with that, didn't you?
HILL: Yes, he certainly did. You know, years ago on "AC360" with our colleague Anderson Cooper, I had once made a statement in passing about "When Harry Met Sally" being my favorite movie. And the next thing I knew, a signed DVD from Rob Reiner that said, "I'll have what she s having", showed up in my office, and I sent him a thank you.
And he called one day, and he really wanted to talk about the news. And I was floored. And it's funny, I actually interviewed him a couple of years ago, you know, when he was -- when he was talking about his work, about the "Who Killed JFK" podcast, a couple of years ago here on CNN.
And I mentioned that to him, and he laughed a little bit. And we talked about the fact that he was so engaged in the news. And as you and I have talked about, Brian, he was so engaged in politics.
In fact, we're also just hearing from Nancy Pelosi. I do, though, want to go -- I think officials are now giving us a press conference out of Los Angeles. Let's listen in.
(LIVE EVENT)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hamilton, are you going for --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just me, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He'll give you a statement in a second. Ok. Thank you. thank you. Remain patient with us.
ALAN HAMILTON, DEPUTY CHIEF OF DETECTIVES, LAPD: Please, everybody sit. Ok.
Good evening, everyone. I'm Deputy Chief Allen Hamilton. I'm the chief of detectives for the Los Angeles Police Department. I'm going to give a brief statement, and then we're going to address any questions that we can.
I understand there are going to be questions regarding what occurred here tonight. I will not be able to provide information in a lot of areas that questions may be getting asked, but I'll do the best I can. [23:49:53]
HAMILTON: So at approximately 3:40 this afternoon, Los Angeles police officers, along with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, responded to the 200 block of Chadbourn Avenue here in the city of Brentwood.
Upon arrival, they determined that there were two deceased individuals inside of the residence. The Los Angeles Police Department is now conducting an investigation at this residence here on Chadbourn. And that investigation will continue over the coming days. We will not be releasing any information regarding who is -- was found deceased in the residence, because that will be done by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.
So if there are any inquiries regarding the identity of the individuals that are deceased inside the residence, that information will come from the L.A. County Coroner's Office.
The current death investigation that is being conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department is going to be handled by the homicide special section of robbery homicide division of the Los Angeles Police Department. That investigation will move forward through the night, and tomorrow morning, we will probably have additional information regarding what occurred here on Chadbourn and our investigation moving forward.
We will not be releasing any further information regarding the investigation that is occurring here in Brentwood tonight.
Our detectives will be responding along with our forensic science division and our technical investigation division investigators to conduct a full crime scene investigation and determine the appropriateness of the investigation moving forward.
At this time, the Los Angeles Police Department is not seeking anyone as a suspect or as a person of interest or in any other manner, and we will not be doing that until we conduct our investigation and we move forward.
That's all I have right now at this early preliminary stage of this investigation. If you have questions that I can answer, I will answer them.
I would just ask you, please, if we do not have the ability to answer the questions that you remain patient over the coming hours and over the coming days. Starting tomorrow morning, we will be responding and providing additional information as it becomes publicly available.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know who actually made the call that brought Fire Department and police officers here. Is that person known, can you release who it was?
HAMILTON: So we understand that the person reporting was here at the location. We're not going to release any information regarding the identity of that individual at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're being told that --
(CROSSTALKING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're being told.
HAMILTON: Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. One at a time, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A family member is being interviewed in connection to these deaths. Can you confirm that? And is that family member being cooperative?
HAMILTON: There are going to be many family members interviewed. I'm not going to confirm whether someone's being interviewed at this time or not. We're going to try and speak to every family member that we can to get to the facts of this investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you not looking for a suspect?
HAMILTON: I'm sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you not exactly looking for a suspect? Are you confident you know who did this?
HAMILTON: We have not identified a suspect at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, then, shouldn't you be looking for one so these neighbors aren't worried about their own lives and their own safety?
HAMILTON: Yes. So at this time, after we determined -- so I need everyone to understand something. In order to comply with the legal process, before we do anything here, we have to get a search warrant because there are issues regarding standing at this residence.
So as long as those legal requirements are met, we can continue the investigation. Now, when I tell you that we have not identified a suspect, it doesn't mean that we're not working the case. We will not identify a suspect until that person is identified as a suspect and we're legally seeking them if there is a crime to be reported, and if that person is a suspect in that crime.
Hold on, hold on, hold on. Did that answer your question, sir? Ok. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has anyone been detained yet for questioning? Are you questioning people now that could be possible suspects and or a person or persons of interest.
HAMILTON: Specifically, to your first question, no one has been detained. Specifically, to your second question, no one is being interviewed as a suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What were the injuries? What were the injuries --
HAMILTON: We're not -- we're not going to -- yes. So we're not going to comment on the injuries at this time. That information will be coming forward in the coming days as it's publicly releasable.
If it is part of the investigation and it is not publicly releasable, we will not be releasing it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are your detectives --
HAMILTON: Hold on, hold on, hold on. One at a time. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. One at a time.
This gentleman is next.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are your detectives inside the home right now? Are they getting access to the home right now as we speak?
HAMILTON: We're waiting for the legal process to move forward. We have to obtain a search warrant for the residence. As soon as that is complied with, we will be conducting a full crime scene investigation on the interior and the exterior of the residence and the surrounding neighborhood.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just to follow up, deputy chief, is there somebody from the family not allowing detectives inside the home right now.
HAMILTON: That's inconsequential. We have to comply with the legal process. It doesn't matter whether the family allows us in or not.
[23:54:44]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Detective, what other --
HAMILTON: Hold on. Ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have the family members been notified? The victims' family members notified.
HAMILTON: Have the family's been notified of what? That an incident occurred here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were two victims.
HAMILTON: I believe the family is aware.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In other words, why are you not releasing their names?
HAMILTON: That -- that's going to be the Los Angeles county coroner that releases the information.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this a homicide?
HAMILTON: Ma'am, go ahead. Your question first.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Is this a homicide?
HAMILTON: At this time, it's a death investigation. Again, until we get inside and we make a determination, we can't call it anything. So we're going to conduct that -- hold on -- we're going to conduct that investigation at the appropriate time.
We will identify what kind of incident it is and if its determined to be a crime, we will seek the suspect. We will bring them to justice and we will take them into custody.
(CROSSTALKING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One more question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Mayor has already confirmed it's the Reiners. Can you tell us --
HAMILTON: I can't speak for the mayor, but I can speak for the Los Angeles Police Department. The Los Angeles county coroner will identify the decedents that are inside of the residence. And that will be -- hold on -- that will be the official notification and the official identification of the decedents inside the residence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Under what circumstances were the bodies discovered?
HAMILTON: I'm not going to address that.
Ma'am?
(INAUDIBLE)
HAMILTON: Sure. There's a -- there's a legal process whenever you're going to conduct an investigation in a -- at a crime scene in the state of California. You -- there are certain requirements that you have to meet in order to conduct a thorough investigation.
So you don't want to start a crime scene investigation and then have someone say, I need you guys to leave the residence right now. So we're going to -- hold on -- you asked the question, I'm going to answer.
So we have to comply with the legal process. Once the warrant is signed and delivered, we will have access to the crime scene. We will conduct a full, thorough, impartial investigation. We will conduct additional investigations in the neighborhood around this area.
And then with that information, we will go forward with the investigation, whether it is a death investigation or some other type of investigation.
And we -- and I do want to be clear. Hold on. I want to be clear with one thing. Wherever we can be transparent and provide information to the public, we will release it as soon as we can.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there an understanding About when the decedents have passed?
(CROSSTALKING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there an understanding about when the decedents may have passed?
HAMILTON: No. That's going to be determined by the coroner. The coroner's not here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been about six hours since the first report. Why is it taking so long to gain access to start this investigation?
HAMILTON: I don't understand the specific point of the question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been six hours since police were first called.
HAMILTON: Yes. So. Ok, so just to be clear, just to be clear, there's an initial investigation when the patrol officers arrive, when they make a determination that detectives are needed, they will back out. We will conduct a sweep of the area to make sure that it's safe. And then we will comply with the legal process and then we move forward.
I'm not giving you the exact timeline on that, but I'm telling you that it's moving forward.
Pete, you had another question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How soon do we anticipate getting a warrant to where you're able to search the entire property, interior and exterior?
Second, do we have an ETA on the coroners arrival? And once they arrive and make an initial determination, will they be able to give you identification that you can then release?
HAMILTON: We'll be obtaining the warrant in real time very shortly, if we have not obtained it already. In terms of the coroners ETA, I cannot tell you when their estimated time of arrival is.
HAMILTON: We're already -- hold on -- we're already in communication with the coroner's office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as the overall investigation is concerned, beyond the initial determination, we have huge things inside. We really haven't done anything in the way of any kind of forensics on the death scene itself, right?
HAMILTON: That's correct. We've only done preliminary. We've only done preliminary investigation at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are the bodies still there at the house?
HAMILTON: No. Ok -- So nothing has occurred inside the house. The house is in the exact same state it was when the officers arrived. Just to be clear.
(INAUDIBLE)
HAMILTON: I'm sorry.
(INAUDIBLE) HAMILTON: I can't hear you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are we safe in Brentwood? The neighbors of the community.
HAMILTON: Or are we safe in Brentwood? I'm sorry. Yes. So we have -- we have officers here at the scene. We have officers in the area. We're not looking for anyone in the Brentwood area at this point. We're not -- we're not looking for anyone because we're still working on that part of the investigation.
Hold on, hold on. Someone over here had a question.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What can you say about the fact that it's been reported it was the son of the family.
HAMILTON: I don't understand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rob Reiner's son.
HAMILTON: But reported by who?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People.
HAMILTON: Ok, I don't -- I don't know people -- "People Magazine" or people in the -- I don't know anything about that.
Yes.
That did not -- hold on -- that did not come from the LAPD. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you give us a sense of how many witnesses, if any, you guys have been able to talk to? Are there people you've been able to already touch base with who've been giving you useful information in terms of what unfolded inside that home?
HAMILTON: So we've already been talking to the neighbors. we've already been canvassing the neighborhood and speaking to residents that live around this area. So that's part of our investigation.
In terms of someone that may have information regarding what happened inside the residence, we're not going to release that information. That will be part of the investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were there other -- were there other family members --
[23:59:45]
HAMILTON: There's been no reports from the neighbors regarding hearing anything or seeing anything that we can release to the public.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were there other family members living, residing inside the house besides Rob and his wife?
HAMILTON: I don't have that information. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Timeline of this -- this murder?
HAMILTON: We haven't established that yet. We will, we will, we will establish that soon. And then that will be part of the investigation. The part that is publicly releasable, we will release. The cause of death will be released by the L.A. County coroner.
