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Oregon School Shooting Kills Four; Former NYPD Officer Jillian Snider is Interviewed about the School Shooting; Ukraine Runs out of Patriot Missiles; Protester Interrupts Maine Senate Debate. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 16, 2026 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[06:30:00]

JESSE ARM, VICE PRESIDENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, MANHATTAN INSTITUTE: Giving shame to them when they do such awful acts to our people, egregious acts. But I think ultimately this isn't the way to do it. I don't want this to become a meme. I don't want this to become, you know, some kind of joke in the way the Charlie Kirk assassination has become one that just replays on people's TikTok feeds endlessly. So, I think ultimately the president made the right call here.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Interesting. We're just about out of time. But I do want to note, Representative Thomas Massie, who, of course, wanted to introduce these articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth, saying he plans to bring them back following this, regardless of the outcome of the midterm election. But going on to say the president should fire him. It will be interesting to see how, if at all, this decision impacts the secretary moving forward.

Much more to come here on CNN THIS MORNING.

Still ahead, we're going to take you back to Oregon. We'll take you live to Bend, Oregon, for a closer look at how the community there is dealing in the aftermath of yet another tragic school shooting. Three children, one teacher killed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:25]

HILL: The FBI is on the ground in Oregon assisting police after a deadly shooting at an elementary school in Bend. Three children and a teacher were killed after a 16-year-old shot at locked doors at Silver Rail Elementary, forcing his way inside. A seven-year-old and another teacher were also wounded. The gunman was shot dead by a bystander who followed him into the building.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MELANIE KEBLER, BEND, OREGON: Like so many in our community, I'm struggling to make sense of a loss that feels unimaginable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please hold your children, hold your loved ones tight.

GOV. TINA KOTEK, OREGON: We are going to do a lot of crying and we are going to cry together. And we're probably going to cry privately. We must come together and support each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Maribel Gonzalez joins us from outside of Silver Rail Elementary.

Maribel, as we're, you know, as the hours pass, we're starting to learn more about what happened inside the school, including from one teacher who witnessed that tragedy. What are you hearing?

MARIBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Erica.

Well, we know that this tight knit community of just over 100,000 in population is in mourning. As you can see, this vigil set up behind me just hours after a shooter came into the school, killing four people, including three students, ages five, eight and 11, and a teacher, and injuring two others. We know those injured suffered critical injuries, according to officials. And that includes a child and another teacher.

This community is in mourning. But I can tell you that they are seeking answers right now. There are still more questions than answers, like who the victims are. We still have not heard the identity of those victims. We also don't know the identity of the shooter. Police have said this is a 16-year-old who forced his way into the school, shooting at locked doors and injuring and killing those students we just mentioned, and those teachers.

We also don't know why the suspect was here. We don't know what, if any, connection he had to the school. That is something we're hoping to get updated information on later today at a press conference that will be held by the Bend Police.

We also don't know who the identity of the person -- the identity of the person who intercepted the shooter over dispatch audio. We heard that someone called in saying it was possibly a father of one of the students here. But later, at a press conference, police simply identified them as a community member.

What we do know, Erica, is that this is an unimaginable tragedy that will have lasting impacts for this community.

Let's take a listen at what a fifth grade teacher here at Silver Rail Elementary School recalled as she was trying to calm her students as they saw that gunman approaching the school with a long gun.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHY SHEIL SMITH, TEACHER SILVER RAIL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: The looks on their faces. It was really hard to see. Just trying to calm them down, you know. And some kids were praying. Some kids were consoling other kids.

I'm sure that every teacher at the school thought, today is a day that I am going to die saving my kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GONZALEZ: Now, all of the school district will be closed today. That's over 16,000 students, to give you just an idea of the widespread impact that this unimaginable tragedy is having on this community.

Erica.

HILL: Yes. The 52nd school shooting this year. It is so difficult and so tough for that community.

Maribel, it's good to have you there this morning. Thank you.

Also with us this hour is Jill Snider. She's a retired NYPD officer.

You know, when we look at how things are unfolding in this moment, the FBI has also joined the investigation there. We're told they're already on the ground. How does that change things in terms of assisting local law enforcement with this investigation?

JILLIAN SNIDER, RETIRED NYPD OFFICER: The FBI is going to play a pivotal role, particularly in examining the digital footprint of the alleged perpetrator. I believe also I heard that the ATF might be joining in as an interagency cooperation, doing the -- what's going to be the long gun trace, finding out the origin of this weapon, how this 16-year-old came to acquire it, where it was purchased, et cetera. So, we're going to see multiple agencies joining in Bend, Oregon, to really unravel what we know so far.

HILL: There has been, understandably, a lot of praise for this community member who stepped in, in this moment. It's important to note, Oregon is an open carry state.

[06:40:02]

The governor talking about that community member and what they were able to stop. I want to play a little bit of what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TINA KOTEK (D-OR): To the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life, your actions carry a heavy, emotional burden. And I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: That emotional burden, how does that impact this investigation, especially in terms of how and when this person will be interviewed? They're critical, obviously, to the investigation, but they are dealing with a lot personally in this moment.

SNIDER: Absolutely. Anyone that has to intervene in a moment like this, that's going to play an emotional toll on them. But in this moment, as the governor said, they were heroic. They probably stopped a lot more violence and a lot more deaths. But they themselves will have to make sure that they take care of themselves because there's trauma involved in firing a weapon, let alone killing or intervening in something like this kind of tragedy.

HILL: You know, I was talking earlier with Charles Ramsey about this, but there's been a lot made because one of the first questions is always, what were the safety measures in place at this school? The school seemed to have a number of safety measures in place. We're told that the shooter shot through locked doors of the school.

Once again, here we are asking questions about if there is a way to truly make a school safe. Is there in 2026?

SNIDER: We have seen -- and you and I have actually been on air talking about other incidents, unfortune, like this, where we've seen in the last decade particularly heightened security at schools, locked doors, students can't leave during the hours of school operations. People have to get signed in or get buzzed into the premises. I don't know how much else we could make schools safer. A lot of schools have, you know, use school resource officers or have some kind of security on site. But at this point, what we know so far is that this individual did actually shoot the long gun to unlock the doors to gain entry. So, I think that school did everything possible to try and keep trouble or danger out.

HILL: The lasting impact -- I mean we just talked about the trauma, the lasting impact that this will have on that community member who stopped in, who stepped in, and who is believed to have really stopped a much, a much broader tragedy. This will, of course, be forever a part of the history now of Bend, Oregon. How does that come into play for law enforcement moving forward and the way they interact with the community after a tragedy like this?

SNIDER: So, law enforcement is always going -- they're going to remain diligent in the way in which they respond to crises like this. I think that the time lapse between the first call and when they arrived on scene was three minutes maybe. School incidents are always high priority. Anything involving minor children is always high priority. I don't think law enforcement's going to dissect this. I think what they do is they collectively just make sure that they are making their -- all their decisions, all their strategic deployments, the way in which they engage with community has to be constantly and collectively continuous, making sure that they are doing what the community asks of them, making sure they're meeting those community needs.

And in times like this, we're going to see a lot more collaboration between them after the fact. There's going to be moments where they have community council meetings, sit-downs with members who were traumatized by this specific event, parents of students that go to that school and law enforcement's really going to dig deep into what the parents are looking for. What can we do better? How can we make things safer? And this is going to be an ongoing effort between Bend.

And, honestly, when we see something like this, all law enforcement are going to go to their local schools, go to their community councils and ask, what do we need to do better?

HILL: Jillian Snider, really appreciate you joining us. Always good to have your perspective. Thank you.

Just ahead here on CNN, Trump heading to Georgia, asking voters to vote like he's on the ballot. It's his message that we've heard over the last several weeks. Is that an effective strategy in a purple state?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:48:16]

HILL: New, exclusive CNN reporting this morning. Ukraine has run out of missiles for its American made Patriot air defense system, leaving the country even more vulnerable to Russian ballistic missile attacks. It comes, of course, amid this bitter feud between Ukraine's president and President Trump, which appears to be escalating. Zelenskyy making clear his frustration over Trump's decision to strike a deal to import Russian diesel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE: Don't involve us to some diesel deals. If you ask us to help with the situation, of course, we like the partners, we will help. But we're asking you to energy ceasefire. If not energy ceasefire, it doesn't depend on you, OK. The question, can you give me missiles for Patriot? Because when I will not attack them because you asked me not to attack them, they will attack me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Joining me now, David Sanger, CNN political and national security analyst.

David, when we look at where things stand right now, President Zelenskyy, just a short time ago in Brussels for a summit, praising European leaders upon arrival there, talking about their huge support. How precarious is the situation right now for Ukraine given President Trump's clear dissatisfaction, to put it mildly?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Erica, it's quite -- it's quite precarious for three reasons. The first is, as CNN and others have reported, the Ukrainians have basically run out of the interceptors they need to stop these missiles and drones from coming in. And they didn't have very many for the past couple of months, which is why you've seen so many Russian attacks strike in Kyiv and other places.

[06:49:58]

The second reason is that, for some reason that the White House will not describe, and others will not describe, the Starlink and Starshield, the Pentagon version of Starlink, communications to -- that Ukraine uses to target its own attacks and to see what's coming has been throttled and in some cases went down. It may be back now. But that was a reminder of how dependent they are on this U.S. technology.

But the third reason, Erica, I think is the most important, which is that the United States, which for the first three years of the war, was fundamentally on Ukraine's side, appears to have switched. It is no longer just a mediator. It is saying that the U.S., in order to get diesel prices down, in order to boost Republican chances in the coming election, is basically going to start buying diesel from Russia, even if the amounts aren't really big enough to make a difference to the markets.

HILL: And, of course, the -- beyond the optics, the concerns there that we have heard from President Zelenskyy, but I will point out, also from a number of folks who, in this country, talk about that money, right, that could then be used for Russia to help fuel the war is a significant concern.

SANGER: Yes.

HILL: Is there -- is there any more insight this morning into what it is that has prompted this shift back, I should say, for President Trump, who is now very clearly, once again, unhappy with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and, once again, a lot of what we hear from the president seems to be parroting Russian talking points.

SANGER: It does. And, you know, at every point along the way since President Trump came to office, what, 20 months ago, he has gravitated toward Putin and toward the Russians. You remember, of course, the famous blow up in the Oval Office, right, where he said to President Zelenskyy, you don't have the cards. In other words, why are you facing off with a big superpower when you have nothing to play with, right? Nothing to offer.

Well, Zelenskyy went out and created himself some cards. Those cards were basically the drones that can reach the Russian refineries. And now the president is saying, no, no, you can't use those in your operations against Russia. It's causing too much disruption in the energy markets. And, you know, this is the opposite approach, Erica, that he's been taking with Iran, where he's saying, the only way to deal with them is to starve them out, do the blockade, make sure they can't ship any oil. And with Russia he says, the way to deal with them is to show them that, in the future, they may be able to ship that oil.

HILL: It is fascinating.

Real quickly, before I let you go, you also mentioned the Starlink, Starshield, as it's called, the military version. The Starlink questions. Reuters is reporting that the decision to limit Ukraine's action for Starlink for military purposes was coming from within the White House. It's also fascinating, of course, we can't ignore the fact that this is Elon Musk's company. Does this also speak to the level of potential engagement from Elon Musk?

SANGER: Well, it may. We believe that Starshield, the military version of it, is controlled just by the Pentagon. But we don't have a clear understanding yet of what happened or why the service came back.

But we do understand one thing. You know, I saw Prime Minister Carney a few weeks ago with some "New York Times" colleagues. And one of the things he said to us was, he wasn't going to let Canada become dependent on Starlink, because it can be turned on and off at the whim of the United States. Well, he's just gotten his evidence.

HILL: Yes.

David, always great to talk to you. Thank you.

SANGER: Great to see you.

HILL: Maine's Senate debate interrupted by a protester. And while that person wanted to hold Susan Collins to the fire, she flipped it back to her opponent, Democrat Troy Jackson. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Collins, I'm so sorry to interrupt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry. Somebody's interrupting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm terrified. I'm terrified.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll have our security deal with that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A.I. data centers are destroying our climate. They are poisoning our waters.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): So, this is, obviously, one of Troy's supporters.

TROY JACKSON (D), MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: Oh, shut up. I did not. I didn't -- I don't even know that kid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Never a dull moment these days, that's for sure.

Another key thing we should point out of last night's debate, President Trump, who, of course, is figuring prominently. The president wants voters to act like he is on the ballot when they go to the polls. Collins, though, is really trying to distance herself from the president. His approval ratings in Maine, he stands at 36 percent approval.

Jesse, is the key to a Republican win in Maine to distance from President Trump, as Senator Collins is trying to do?

[06:55:03]

ARM: Yes, probably. I mean Susan Collins has a record of running in Maine as an independent, as a moderate, as something of a maverick within her own party who is totally willing to break ranks. And we saw this scene at the debate last night where, you know, two kind of far- left people lost their cool, one in the audience, and then the other candidate who's running, telling her to shut up for suggesting that this race is getting rancorous because of Jackson's supporters.

So, I think Susan Collins is actually in pretty good standing, precisely because Maine voters understand that she is a very different kind of Republican who is willing to break ranks with her party. And voters have an appetite for that in Maine. They have for a very long time. I anticipate that they'll probably return her to office.

HILL: You anticipate she'll return to office. There's no -- we just showed the numbers there. As you noted, no clear leader.

But what is interesting is that Jackson's fundraising numbers have shot up a bit. They show he's outraising Collins nearly four to one.

Luke, how much do you think that is a concern for the five-term senator?

LUKE THOMAS, HOST, "MORNING KOMBAT" PODCAST: It's got to be a lot, although she has proven to be surprisingly durable. I mean ProPublica had her dead to rights with reported bribery. And there's been almost nothing that has happened with it. And you just showed the polling there. It's actually kind of neck and neck. I mean, within the margin of error certainly.

In terms of getting the Trump side of the equation. I mean, obviously he's upside down in Maine. And even with -- we don't have polling as of October, but the late one we have from late summer showed that even his base, the people who sort of strongly identify with President Trump, that has declined as well.

I actually agree that probably not running in a direction towards Trump for Susan Collins works for her. But the problem is, she's up against a progressive, something of an insurgent. I don't think it's quite the right word. But something of someone who's trying to promote a vision of leadership, the kind that Collins, in terms of the legislative side, has simply failed to do.

HILL: There's also this idea that there are a lot of Americans who want change. And those people are in every state across the union. When we look at this AP poll, most Americans want substantial change in how the country is run.

Isaac, how much do you think this is going to be a storyline post- election?

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, we'll see what the results are.

HILL: Obviously, yes.

DOVERE: But what I can tell you, when I -- I've said this before on the air, when I am traveling around the country, what is the consistent theme is that many Americans feel abandoned by both parties. They feel like there's a lot of politics going on, and they are not getting things that actually matter for their own lives while prices go up for them in every which way and life gets harder. And so, it will be a question post-election, not only who wins, but what those results mean about what the Democrats and Republicans try to do to address that.

HILL: What it showed, whether or not people also followed through on that desire for change.

I'm going to tee things up with you, my friend, to kick off our group chat, as we just perhaps look ahead to 2028, Isaac.

DOVERE: Yes, well, we've got still a bunch to go here until the midterms, but we don't know exactly when the presidential race will start for 2028. It will probably essentially start the morning after the midterms. We don't know who's running for sure.

But there was a moment last night at Georgetown where Tim Walz, who obviously was the running mate for Kamala Harris in 2024, said who it seems like he wants to endorse already in that race if he runs. So, we should take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, give some advice to the national party now. We -- look we -- you can see a --

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): Pick Pete Buttigieg. So that would --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that it? Is that it?

WALZ: (INAUDIBLE) so --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOVERE: So, we'll see. But we don't know if Pete Buttigieg will run. But that is a notable thing for Tim Walz to say, especially given that Kamala Harris is still deciding whether she is going to run again.

HILL: Yes. It absolutely is.

In the, let's take a break from politics group chat, Luke, you have some plans for your Friday night, I think.

THOMAS: Yes, we're going to see what we can do here. Mine's on the more frivolous end, and I've not seen the review, so don't hold it against me. But the new "Street Fighter" movie is out today. This is the one based, of course, on the '90s iconic video "Fighting Game." I don't know whether to be super excited. I don't know whether to be super nervous. Or, you know, I -- to have more managed expectations. But as a '90s kid, I'm going to have to check it out. It's in theaters today.

HILL: All right.

THOMAS: We'll see how it goes.

HILL: I like that you're going in with an open mind. Don't let yourself be influenced by the reviews. You do your own review.

THOMAS: That's right.

HILL: Jesse, last to you. You have some big plans because you have a big day coming up.

ARM: Yes, yes, I'm getting married soon. So, this Halloween upcoming weekend is going to be my bachelor party. So, I feel bad that I didn't bring like a relevant, political item, like Isaac here. But, no, it's -- my group chat's talking a lot about, you know, Venmos and planning activities and Halloween costumes and, you know, sometimes memes from -- of me on shows like this.

[07:00:07]

So, that's part of it as well.

HILL: Oh, so we may have actually fueled your group chat this morning is what you're saying.

ARM: It could be. It could be.

HILL: Could be.

All right, gentlemen, nice to see all of you on this Friday morning. Thanks for starting your day with us. Thanks to all of you for joining us here on CNN THIS MORNING. I'm Erica Hill. Stay tuned. "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" is next.