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Erin Burnett Outfront

Missouri Governor Declares State of Emergency; "One Person Makes A Difference"

Aired November 17, 2014 - 19:00   ET

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

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT tonight, breaking news. A state of emergency. The governor of Missouri activating the National Guard, preparing for the worst. Michael Brown's family attorney reacts OUTFRONT.

Plus the beheading of a third American hostage. This time the ISIS video holds new clues. And close friend of hostage Peter Kassig is OUTFRONT.

And another woman accuses America's favorite television dad of rape, Bill Cosby, under fire tonight.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

Good evening, I'm Erin Burnett.

Breaking news, a state of emergency in Ferguson, Missouri. The governor of the state of Missouri activating the National Guard tonight as a tense city awaits the grand jury's decision on whether to indict Officer Darren Wilson. That decision is expected any day at this time.

Already hundreds of demonstrators have taken to the street today, in a very chilly day in Ferguson. And in St. Louis yesterday, protesters blocked a major intersection in a demonstration that marked 100 days since Michael Brown was killed. Nearby, dozens staged that dying that you see here, lying in the streets. Pretending to be shot by other demonstrators portraying police officers.

We'll hear from an attorney for the Brown family in just a moment. But first, Sara Sidner begins our coverage OUTFRONT in Ferguson.

And Sara, how is the town reacting to the governor's decision to activate the National Guard before the grand jury says anything?

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it really depends who you talk to. But just about everyone believes that this must mean that the grand jury decision is going to be coming down, the announcement very, very soon. Some folks happy to hear what the governor is doing including the mayor of St. Louis. Some folks, most of the protesters saying it seem to be premature. And they're angry about because they don't want to be painted as violent.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SIDNER (voice-over): On a day protesters marched to the St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office Building, Missouri's governor declared a state of emergency in preparation for whatever may come when the grand jury releases its decision on whether or not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the killing of unarmed teen Michael Brown.

The St. Louis mayor welcomed the decision.

MAYOR FRANCIS G. SLAY, ST. LOUIS: I agree with the governor's decision and this is why. First of all, we don't know what's going to happen or when it's going to happen, or what the reaction is going to be. I think we need to make sure that we are prepared for whatever may happen.

SIDNER: But the governor's actions have angered some protesters who say their demonstrations have been peaceful for weeks and his decision is premature.

The decision comes after these images of Officer Darren Wilson were released this weekend. The surveillance tapes released to the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" show Wilson entering and leaving the Ferguson Police Station after the August 9th shooting.

Though images aren't crystal clear, Wilson does not appear to have any major wounds to his face, as initially reportedly by a source speaking on behalf of Wilson to a local radio station. The police department later said Wilson had no major facial injuries but had slight swelling.

Also released to the "Post-Dispatch" police radio traffic that details the final moments before and after the shooting of Brown. They reveal a better timeline. But sources say when Wilson initially told Brown to get out of the middle of the street, he did not know Brown was the suspect in a theft of cigars. But the audio seems to reveal moments later, he realizes Brown and his friend fit the description given by this dispatcher.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's with another male, he's got red Cardinals hat, white T-shirt, yellow socks and khaki shorts. He's walking up (INAUDIBLE).

SIDNER: Wilson is soon heard saying this, and going after Brown and his friend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 21, put me on Canfield with two. And send me another car.

SIDNER: A confrontation then ensues at the car. Forensic evidence revealed in the autopsy later shows two shots were fired inside the car. Then more shots rang

out, killing Brown.

But you would never know that from the police radio traffic released by the department. All you can hear after the shooting is this. A woman wailing and another officer calling for back-up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Frank 25.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get us several more units over here. There is going to be a problem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Now we don't know why you cannot hear any audio of Wilson calling in. But there were shots fired. We do not have that information from the department yet. We also heard from the police chief over the weekend who made a statement about the potential of Wilson's returning to the force if indeed he is not indicted by the grand jury.

There was a lot of talk here in this town. And basically what was said is there is still an internal investigation that has to happen at the department, along with the federal investigation. And of course the department would be worried about his safety as much as anything else -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right, Sara. Thank you so much.

And OUTFRONT tonight the attorney for Michael Brown's family, Benjamin Crump.

Good to have you with us, Mr. Crump. The governor of Missouri, as we just reported, activating the National Guard. The grand jury has not announced whether it will even charge Darren Wilson.

Is the governor right to be afraid violence or is he way out of bounds here?

BENJAMIN CRUMP, BROWN FAMILY ATTORNEY: Well, Erin, Michael Brown's parents have asked that everybody who supports them, who are exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech, do so in a nonviolent, peaceful, constructive way. And they have confidence in the people of Ferguson. They're good people.

And all the people coming out of town, we want to say, we want you to -- govern yourselves accordingly like the people of Ferguson. But also, law enforcement need to also not be aggressive because this is not just what the people in support of Michael Brown did. This was also inappropriate acts on behalf of the civil law enforcement as well.

BURNETT: And Mr. Crump, you're in the George Zimmerman case, of course, you faced off against Mark O'Mara. He was on the show last week and I just want to say -- share with you what he had to say. He said the criminal justice system is still the best in the world. Talking about the system here in the United States. People are going to complain no matter what happens.

Had the prosecutor made the decision -- and he was talking about not going to the grand jury, there would have been a complaint that it didn't to go a grand jury. We have 12 people who came from the community, a cross section of the community, who have spent months and months on this. Do you agree with him that a grand jury was the right way to go?

CRUMP: I think this is best system in the world America has. No, I do not believe the grand jury was the best way to go. You have probable cause here, Erin. You had multiple eyewitnesses, you have forensic evidence. And remember, the grand jury is only the probable cause standard is far less than beyond a reasonable doubt.

But this is the point, Erin. They say what this prosecutor is doing is so fair. This is the right thing to do. But if it's so fair, does that mean what he's done for the past 20 some odd years as prosecutor is unfair to everybody else? Because if it is fair for the police, then it should be fair for everybody else who has ever been charged with a crime. Why do they change the rules when it is our children dead on the ground?

BURNETT: If, though -- to your point. Since the burden of proof is lower, it's much easier for a grand jury to charge than it is for a jury to actually say guilty or innocent. Wouldn't it by definition be all right to go ahead with a grand jury, which after all, in most of the country at least, the standard -- I understand the prosecutor here did have a decision to make. He could have chosen the other way. But --

CRUMP: It's not appropriate to say that just because you're police, you get a grand jury. We're all Americans. The Fourteen Amendment applies to Michael Brown, Jr. just like it applies to Officer Darren Wilson. And it's due process. If there is probably cause for Michael Brown to be charged, then there should be due process for Darren Wilson to charge.

There is no special thing because you're a police officer that you can use excessive force. And to the point of the grand jury being an easier burden, it's also a secret proceeding. If Ferguson stands for any proposition, it is that we have to do better with the community trust and the law enforcement and the prosecutors.

There is no -- there is no trust there, Erin. No trust. So the best thing is to be transparent.

BURNETT: And in terms of transparency, though, I have to say one thing that shocked me about this is that it has seemed overly transparent in some ways. I mean, everything has leaked out here. Is that something that's good or something that frankly sort of disgusts you?

CRUMP: It disgusts me, Erin. And the reason it disgusts me because if we're to have this secret proceeding, we wouldn't have all these leaks. The hardest thing to do is to vet a leak. How do you respond to a leak. Obviously the person who leaked it leaked it for -- had ulterior motives. So now they have leaked something out. You can't defend it because it's anonymous. And you don't know -- it's so unfair to Michael Brown's parents.

It's so unfair to his family to have to deal with this process after losing your child less than 100 days ago. BURNETT: So one thing happened today, you know, a leak that just --

leak that just happened, it seemed to play to your side here. And I want to play the video again of Officer Wilson. This of course came from the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch." I know you've seen it. I want to show it again for our viewers.

You see Wilson leaving the police station after the shooting. When you first saw this you released statement which in part said information was leaked from within the police department that Wilson was severely beaten and suffered an orbital socket blowout indicating Michael Brown somehow deserved to die.

From the video that we just showed, it would appear the initial descriptions of his injuries were exaggerated. So I just say that to show there is something that leaked that would -- seem to support your view. But I remember the George Zimmerman video that was -- it's sort of the same way. He didn't appear to be injured. Then we got those stills and he did have blood all over his face and a swollen nose.

Is it possible that the stills of Officer Wilson might look that way?

CRUMP: All I'll say is, that was not a leak, Erin. That was a freedom of information act that took, for whatever reason, 100 days and they gave it to the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch." I understand everybody requested it.

BURNETT: Yes.

CRUMP: So we don't know why it came out this time. So you, in the media, you can point that out.

To your question about the eye injury. They suggested it was this horrible eye injury that he suffered. All I know is this video was taken two hours after he had been in the police department. He was on the scene for some time after Michael Brown was laying dead on the ground.

If he was so horribly injured, wouldn't he have went to the hospital? How severe could the injury have been if he went to the police department and talked to his team for two hours and then they made a decision for him to go to the hospital?

Michael Brown's family says the people have to judge that for themselves.

BURNETT: Which is a very fair point. And I do just want to know, of course, for the record, Mr. Crump, here at CNN we didn't report that orbital eye injury. Other media outlets, though, as you point out, did, but we didn't actually report that injury here.

Thank you so much for your time, sir. I always appreciate talking to you. Thanks.

CRUMP: Thank you, Erin.

BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, did Darren Wilson follow police procedure when he shot Michael Brown? You always hear about this, he was 30 feet away, 35 feet away. Well, what does that mean? It means something truly crucial. We have an investigation on that.

Plus, a new ISIS video of another American hostage beheaded. But this one is very different and we'll show you exactly why.

And the police shotgun range, and a fully stocked bar, and the governor of a state rumbling through and a tank to celebrate.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: More on our top breaking story tonight. Missouri's governor declaring a state of emergency in Ferguson, activating the National Guard. This is before the grand jury has actually charged or not charged Darren Wilson. Governor Jay Nixon just said it's going to prevent violent protests like the one seen following Michael Brown's death.

Also, tonight, we have new details about what happened the day Brown was killed. And these are crucial because we have new audio tapes obtained by the "St. Louis Dispatch." And in them, the fatal encounter with Officer Darren Wilson is showed to have lasted less than 90 seconds. The entire thing. Officials say Brown was found dead 35 feet away from Officer Wilson's car. No doubt you've heard that. That crucial 35 feet.

But how does that distance and the short encounter factor into a police officer's decision to shoot?

Kyung Lah is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When to shoot? When is it justified and when is it criminal?

It's what's fueling tension in Ferguson. Whether criminal charges are warranted is the decision facing the grand jury. But for a police officer, you can trace the decision to first pull the gun back to training at the police academy.

(On camera): This is standard training in a police academy?

RON MARTINELLI, FORENSIC CRIMINOLOGIST: Throughout the United States, this is standard training.

LAH (voice-over): Forensic criminologist Ron Martinelli says he has been an expert in more than 100 shooting cases, most of them officer- involved, wearing a standard issued officer duty belt.

MARTINELLI: I don't know if this person is armed. He's just big and he's intimidating.

LAH: Ferguson Police say Michael Brown's body was found 35 feet from the police car. It's unclear what distance he was shot from. But these types of officer-involved shootings typically happen in close proximity.

At a San Diego area shooting range, using training weapons, Martinelli shows us what's called the 21-foot rule.

MARTINELLI: Sir, you put that knife down right now. Drop that knife.

LAH: The assailant rushes.

MARTINELLI: Drop it, drop it.

LAH (on camera): Do you have time to aim at this distance?

MARTINELLI: From this distance, there is no aiming.

LAH (voice-over): Everything takes time. Two seconds to unholster and lift the gun.

MARTINELLI: You have to push the button, you have to move it, you have to rock it back and you got to pull it out.

LAH: The same amount of time it takes for him to run 21 feet. Change the scenario?

(On camera): So even at this distance, even where you see the knife, even where your gun is out, he still gotten you?

MARTINELLI: Yes, absolutely. We can really see that knife right there and we can get -- you know, I've got a lot of time and on my front side and I can take shots, well, then that distance would be OK. Right?

LAH: But in most real street situation, that's not --

MARTINELLI: Probably even farther back. Right.

LAH (voice-over): Change the scenario to a smaller female assailant and you gain a little more time but not much. And this does not factor in the officer's experience and adrenaline level, if there is cover or if people are in the line of fire, then add to the officer's duty belt.

MARTINELLI: The more things you add to the holster or to the duty belt, that delays the officer's response by 50 percent of reaction time.

LAH: But Martinelli adds this. Just because this is academy training doesn't mean every officer-involved shooting is justified.

MARTINELLI: That assailant poses an imminent, not potential, but it's an imminent threat to that officer of serious bodily injury or death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: So imminent threat is the critical difference here. Now something to note, this 21-foot rule was written in 1983. The very first time that anyone ever heard of it. Now with the advent of technology, virtual reality room, there are a number of law enforcement agencies as well as independent guys like Ron Martinelli, Erin, who are looking at whether this 21-foot rule needs to be rewritten -- Erin.

BURNETT: Kyung Lah, thank you very much. An incredible report, though.

And OUTFRONT now, our political analyst Van Jones, our legal analyst Paul Callan, and forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht.

OK, good to have all of you with us. Let me start with you, Van.

Michael Brown's body found 35 feet away from Officer Wilson's car. Obviously you just heard that report from Kyung Lah, 21 feet is a couple of seconds, officers will shoot with 21 feet. Fourteen feet extra to get to 35, that's less than a second. When you look at it purely analytically, does it make you think that it's possible Darren Wilson shot in self-defense?

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Anything is possible. It's just that that's not what the witnesses who were there have been saying this whole time. And the part of the thing that disturbs me about the way the coverage has been moving now it is all about how can an officer defend himself. We're going to have to bring in the National Guard because these people are so violent.

And it's completely 180 degrees away from why there are protests in the first place. You have witnesses who say he had his hands in the air. He was trying to surrender. You have people who were protesting who were tear gassed, who were met by paramilitary police. And somehow acting as if the people are the ones who are being violent when in fact what shocked the world was how violent the police officers have been for this community.

BURNETT: Dr. Wecht, let me ask you. I know that you believe according to the autopsy, Michael Brown had his hands up. But when you look at what we are now reporting, which is that this happened in less than 90 seconds, the entire thing happened that quickly.

If Darren Wilson was hit in the head and possibly was disoriented, and we're going to look at the video in just a moment. But if that version of things ends up being true, is it possible he was a little bit disoriented and didn't know that -- Michael Brown's hands were up? Or wasn't sure whether he was surrendering or not?

DR. CYRIL WECHT, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: No. I do not believe that he had been struck in the head by Michael Brown. That that would have adversely affected his visual acuity, such as to believe that the arm was in a quite different position.

BURNETT: And that -- that's a crucial point because, Paul, I want to show the surveillance video. Now in this surveillance video that we have, the "St. Louis Dispatch" got this. I want to play it again for everyone. What you'll see is that Officer Wilson is leaving the police

department after this whole incident. From what we see here, he does not look injured.

Paul, does this -- this certainly doesn't support -- Dr. Wecht is saying even if he was punched in the face, there is nothing that would have made him confused to not understand surrender. But this video actually looks like it's very supportive for Michael Brown's family.

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it looks that way. But in truth, the only thing matters is what the grand jury heard and what the medical evidence was. The fact that somebody leaked some information saying that he had an orbital eye injury or a head injury, it doesn't matter at all. It only matters what the grand jury heard. And on the issue of whether he was injured, and that's why he thought that Michael Brown was not surrendering.

BURNETT: Yes.

CALLAN: I doubt that that's what this defense is about. It's going to be one thing or another. Michael Brown had his hands up and he was surrendering and if he was shot without justification, indictment. But if Michael Brown turned and was starting to charge the officer with his hands out like this, which by the way to bystanders look very, very much the same, then that's an aggressive move that might justified the shots by the officer.

BURNETT: Van, I want to look at the video, again, though, because when people see that video, they'll say, all right, well, maybe there is more to the story. But there's no question that Darren Wilson is not severely injured in this video. But then -- we were thinking today, and I just played this for Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Michael Brown's family. So I wanted to show it again to you and our viewers.

In the George Zimmerman police video, he also -- I remember we showed this again and again. Didn't look as injured there on the left. On the right, you can see it in the same jacket and the actual still photo. Clearly he was injured in his face.

So does this video put everything to rest? Or is the jury still out, to use the term, in terms of Officer Wilson's real state?

JONES: Well, I think what you have to understand is that it goes to the question of the kinds of leaks that have been coming out.

BURNETT: Yes.

JONES: When you talk about an orbital eye injury, a blowout, there were photographs on the Internet, fake photographs, that were showing a police officer beaten almost to death that people actually believed was this actual officer.

BURNETT: Yes.

JONES: And it took weeks to get that cleared up that in fact it was not. And so what you're really looking at here is a law enforcement agency that does not have the trust of the community that it's serving. These leaks, continually putting out there things that turn out later on not to be extra. And much more importantly, this is a law enforcement agency.

If you're going to have a state of emergency declared, declare the state of emergency when the police department is giving 80 percent to 98 percent of all the tickets and the warrants to African-Americans, even though that's way out of whack with what's going on there.

There have been problems with this police department for years and that's what we should be talking about, not talking about the protesters, but they're mostly people.

BURNETT: So, Dr. Wecht, let me ask you because you talk about there'd be no confusing his hands. But, you know, some have suggested, well, you could have -- had his hands up but because of the way the bullet entered, they could have been up but from the back. You know, so he could have been moving in a different direction.

When you look at this, do you have confidence which way his arms were?

WECHT: I don't like to be dogmatic but there is only one way that this scenario plays out when you analyze the bullet wounds. There were two wounds of the arm. One in the forearm. Entering dorsally, exiting on the front, and the other in the upper arm entering in the front and exiting in the back. Both had an upward trajectory.

Michael Brown was 6'5". Officer Wilson is six foot. The only way you have an upward trajectory is with the arm like this and the shots fared. And then you have two shots that strike Michael Brown in the chest. And they both have a downward trajectory.

How do you get that with a 6'5" guy being shot by a six-foot guy? And then you have two wounds in the head that are parallel to the ground and when you put the body on the table, they're perpendicular. The only way you can get that is that his body is continuing to fall. The scenario is that Michael Brown was shot first in the arm. Then as he is beginning to fall, he is shot in the chest. And then as he continues to fall he is shot in the head and then he falls prone.

He's 30 to 35 feet away. What happened at the car is significant. Most of all, and nobody talks about this. For what was Officer Darren Wilson's attitude. Was he teed off? This kid has just struggled with me with my gun and the kid is now 30, 35 feet away.

BURNETT: Yes.

WECHT: He is unarmed, he's in short pants and a T-shirt? Where is this imminent threat? If he believes that this kid is a threat to his life, then how in the world can he be out there as a police officer dealing with people that have weapons, people that are really berserk, and people who really pose a serious threat? No, this is absurd scenario as far as I'm concerned in terms of Wilson's defense.

BURNETT: All right. Thanks to all three of you. As we said, the grand jury could come down with the decision at any

day.

OUTFRONT next, another American behead in the Syria. Are there clues in this video that could actually help track down the killer? We'll tell you it's very different than the earlier videos.

Plus buy a gun and have one for the road. We're going to take you inside Oklahoma's newest gun store, which the governor inaugurated today in a tank.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Tonight, the parents of Peter Kassig asking for prayers and privacy, just one day after a gruesome from ISIS shows the beheading of their son, an aid worker in Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA KASSIG, MOTHER OF PETER KASSIG: Peter's life is evidence that he has been right all along. One person makes a difference. Our hearts are battered but they will mend. The world is broken but it will be healed in the end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: As for the horrific video, it is remarkably different from previous ISIS beheading videos, offering new clues about the terror group.

Brian Todd begins our coverage OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The video like the others before it is grotesque and disturbing, the beheading by ISIS of American Peter Kassig is presided over by a militant we've come to know as Jihadi John.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Peter Edward Kassig, a U.S. citizen of your country.

TODD: But there are strong differences taken with this video and those depicting the killings of Americans James Foley and Steve Sotloff, British citizens Alan Henning and David Haines. This time, no orange jump suit. No build-up to the killing.

AKI PERITZ, FORMER CIA OFFICER: They unfortunately show the head of the victim but they don't have him give a speech, they don't actually show his execution and they don't let that you know there is another hostage to be murdered.

TODD: But a U.S. intelligence official tells CNN they believe ISIS does have additional hostages.

So, why is this different? Aki Peritz, who analyzed every beheading video during the Iraq war for the CIA, says the depiction of Kassig suggests this video might have been hastily put together.

PERITZ: Things, chances are, went wrong with this execution. Maybe the victim couldn't actually give a good speech. Therefore, they couldn't use it. Maybe they accidentally killed him during the production process and they didn't want to show it.

The victim could have resisted prior to actually shooting and they might have murdered him then.

TODD: The video has a horrific feature not seen before. ISIS shows the man intelligence sources believe is Jihadi John and others in details too graphic to show here, beheading more than a dozen men. The militants claim they're Syrian pilots. It's the first time Jihadi John is seen apparently killing someone.

HARAS RAFIQ, THE QUILLIAM FOUNDATION: It was a sign of desperation, because ISIL really are suffering. They're a bit like an animal sort of caged into a corner where they got no response to the air strikes. The air strikes and the coalition-led effort is really hurting them.

TODD: After the beheadings, the faces of the killers are brazenly shown. Analysts say there's a message there, too.

RAFIQ: They were trying to show that this was almost the United Nations of jihadists. This was jihadists that were carrying out these beheadings from different places around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: And in the portion of the video depicting Peter Kassig's death, another point of difference. Unlike in previously beheading videos, the militants don't seem to try to hide where they are. They show distinct buildings, roads and fields, and they label the place in that video Dabiq, that is a town in Syria, very symbolic, where the Ottoman Empire won a historic battle, opening that region up to Muslim conquests -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Certainly, the historical parallels that they want to draw. Thank you very much to Brian Todd.

Peter Kassig first went to the Middle East after joining the U.S. Army in 2006. He was briefly deployed to Iraq after that. But then he returned in 2012 on his own because he wanted to make a difference. He helped deliver humanitarian aid to Syrians and that's where our Arwa Damon first met Kassig, tending to wounded Syrians.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER KASSIG, AID WORKER: We each get one life, and that's it. We get one shot at this. We don't get any do-overs, you know? And like for me, it was time to put up or shut up.

The way I saw it, I didn't have a choice, you know? Like this was what I was put here to do. I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic and I'm an idealist and I believe in hopeless causes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Sarah Pollom was a friend of Peter Kassig's.

And, Sarah, you knew him very well, just hearing him talk there, you know, someone who believed. He went to Syria with his eyes wide open to help. He didn't go for the rush for the war zone, did he?

SARAH POLLOM, FRIEND OF PETER KASSIG: No, he didn't. And he wanted to help those people and he fell like he was connected to them.

BURNETT: And I know, Sarah, you know, you talk about, when you first met him in college. You became very close. He wrote something to you when he went back to Syria. I wanted, you sent it to us today. I want to share it with our viewers. I know you were OK with that.

He wrote, "By God's grace, may higher power, Allah, we made it through. The journey has been dangerous. Sleep, dream, wake up scared for a moment. Showered now, no clue how to describe what has happened really, or what I have seen now. No clue what will happen in the next few days."

He believed in the best in people. And it sounds like from what he said, that even if he knew the danger, he was willing to take that risk.

POLLOM: Exactly. We always say that Peter made family wherever he went. He really did create a family there that he cared about above anything.

BURNETT: In the quote that he sent you, he referred to God by the name of Allah. Our understanding is that he had converted to Islam during captivity. He changed his name to Abdul-Rahman from Peter.

Would the man you know do that from personal conviction?

POLLOM: I mean, I think it shows that he was connected with the people there and he felt comfortable there.

BURNETT: And so, you don't -- you believe that he, and I know you are a theology major, tell me if I'm wrong, but I believe you were, that he was a very spiritual person. That what you're saying he did find it a beautiful religion. It isn't something that he would have done because his captors tried to make him.

POLLOM: Yes, I don't believe. That he definitely thought it was a beautiful religion. And I think it shows in that letter that it was something that he had picked up from being over there. And he was really trying to connect with the people and find himself.

BURNETT: He lost his life trying to save others, Sarah. And clearly, he was one of those people that all of us wish we could be and few of us ever will be. Someone who truly believes in sacrifices his life for a cause.

But do you think he would have done it if he knew this would happen? POSSOM: I think he would. He is wanted to make a difference. That

was important to him. And he wanted people to know what was going on and he was not going to just sit around and watch it happen.

BURNETT: Well, he sounds like a truly wonderful human being and a person who has wonderful friends like you. Thank you so much.

POSSOM: Thank you.

BURNETT: Next, guns and alcohol mixing in the United States. We'll go to the first shooting range in the United States with a full bar.

Plus, another woman accusing Bill Cosby of rape.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Beer, bourbon and bullets -- it sounds like a pretty awful combo to some, but it isn't in Oklahoma City. The state's only gun range with a full bar is now open for business.

In fact, the governor of the state, Mary Fallin, commemorated Wilshire Gun's grand opening weekend, riding in in this tank. And blasting 100 rounds from the barrel of this machine gun. The governor says the large facility will bring jobs to Oklahoma City.

But is it safe to mix guns and booze?

David Mattingly is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Take just two steps inside and you'll know. This is not your father's gun store.

(on camera): The first thing I saw right here by the door was the bar.

JEFF SWANSON, WILSHIRE GUN OWNER: That's right, that's right.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): How about some beer and cocktail to go with your smoking gun chili and lock and loaded nachos?

But the cafe and lounge at Oklahoma City's Wilshire Gun is just the most obvious change in the way the owner Jeff Swanson wants to sell you a gun.

SWANSON: We've set up like you would an Apple Store.

MATTINGLY (on camera): Is that where you got the idea to have the guns on display like this?

SWANSON: Absolutely. That among other places.

MATTINGLY: So, people can have hands on experience with the weapon?

SWANSON: It's a much more tactile environment. MATTINGLY (voice-over): It's 8,000 square feet of retail space targeting first time gun buyers and designed to make it less intimidating, especially for women and families.

(on camera): Are children allowed to handle the display weapons?

SWANSON: With parental guidance and RSOs and everyone else watching -- yes, they're able to come up and enjoy that experience with their parents and see it. Responsible gun ownership should start young and in the home and with the parents.

MATTINGLY: There will be critics who say if you let children into your store to handle these weapons, you're encouraging them to perhaps use at home possibly, to play with it at home. Could that be happening here?

SWANSON: That certainly is not our goal.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): The educational approach seems to be working. This mother brought her children in for safety training.

LAUREN SHERMAN, GUN STORE CUSTOMER: I feel more comfortable knowing they won't go and be looking at my gun. They've actually experienced that.

MATTINGLY: RSOs, range safety officers, patrol the floor. Safety is paramount but the mission here is to sell.

Not sure what to buy? There are private gun fitting room for consultation.

(on camera): Gun fitting.

SWANSON: That's right.

MATTINGLY: It sounds like you're trying to clothes.

SWANSON: It is and it isn't.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Still not sure with your pick? Take it to the range for a test run.

But before you go, there are also clash rooms to pay for instructions and do's and don'ts. You can even pay to use simulators like there to test your decision making.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, shoot me!

MATTINGLY (on camera): Would a typical customer want to go through these kinds of scenarios?

SWANSON: Yes, they do, actually.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): And it can all add up. The bar is actually the last place you can spend money in here. SWANSON: The RSOs then do not allow to you check in to any of the

ranges and will prohibit from you entering any of the ranges for the remainder of the day, either as a shooter or as a spectator.

MATTINGLY: Once you buy alcohol, your shooting time is over. And by the time the shopping is done, you might need that drink.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: Eight thousand square feat of retail space, as you said. How much do people spend?

MATTINGLY: Well, I asked the owner that. He said if you buy a new handgun and then go through all the training, pay for the bullets, go to the range, you could easily walk out spending a thousand dollars in a single day. And that's before you get to the bar.

BURNETT: I was about to say. And I would imagine that's not cheap in the bar either. Wow!

All right. Thank you very much, David Mattingly.

That is an incredible report. We'll make that available online for all of you.

OUTFRONT next, another woman come forward accusing Bill Cosby of rape. Who is telling the truth?

And another television anchor wears the same suit on air. I'm sorry, I finally admit. Oh, wait, notice his co-anchor. Jeanne Moos on changing clothes.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Bill Cosby is standing firm, ignoring new accusations of sexual assault.

Even appearing before a sold out crowd in Pennsylvania.

The new allegations are from a former actress Joan Tarshis, telling the Web site "Hollywood Elsewhere" that Cosby raped her twice when she was 19. Her story is strikingly similar to that of Barbara Bowman who spoke to CNN about what Cosby allegedly did to her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA BOWMAN, ALLEGES BILL COSBY ASSAULTED HER: I never saw any drugs, but I would wake up completely confused, half dressed and knowing that my body had been touched without my permission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Civil attorney and judge, Glenda Hatchett, is OUTFRONT.

Judge Hatchett, good to have you with us.

Look, I know you talked about -- you know, you grew up with Bill Cosby, your children did.

JUDGE GLENDA HATCHETT, CIVIL ATTORNEY: Of course.

BURNETT: When you hear these allegations and I want to at least give his attorney their responses. "Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment."

When you hear these latest allegations, what do you think?

HATCHETT: Well, I'm concerned. I'm concerned that they're similar to other allegations that we've heard over the years, but let me say this, Erin, that we have a justice system and Bill Cosby has never been prosecuted, he's never been indicted, he's never been prosecuted, he's never been found guilty. And in the one civil case that I was researching today, there was a settlement, but we don't know the terms of that matter.

And so, I am concerned that allegations are just allegations, and unless we have some form for there to be justice for the victim, justice for the person who is accused, I'm concerned that someone gets tried in the press.

BURNETT: And, obviously, that's something that is unfair. In this situation, of course, these things happened in the past, so you don't have a rape kit.

HATCHETT: Yes.

BURNETT: There's not going to be an answer to that, but there are now more than a dozen women who have made these allegations.

HATCHETT: Right.

BURNETT: Bill Cosby was asked about this the first time in the mainstream press in an interview with Scott Simon of NPR and I wanted to play it for you.

HATCHETT: OK.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SCOTT SIMON, NPR: This question gives me no pleasure, Mr. Cosby, but there have been serious allegations raised about you in recent days.

You're shaking your head no.

I'm in the news business. I have to ask the question. Do you have any response to these charges?

You're shaking your head no.

There are people who love you who might like to hear from you about this. I wanted to give you the chance. All right.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BURNETT: A poignant and incredibly awkward moment.

HATCHETT: Very awkward.

BURNETT: Did you hear that? He's got upcoming deals on Netflix and NBC.

Nobody should be subject to accusations that are untrue, and when you're rich and powerful, you're even more vulnerable. But when you're rich and powerful, you're also more able to shun them when perhaps they shouldn't be shunned.

HATCHETT: That's exactly right.

BURNETT: So, what do you do here?

HATCHETT: I think this is going to be tough. I think the fact that he has these deals with Netflix and NBC, we have seen him declined to go on interviews that he was scheduled to go on and like he's going to have to do soul searching of how to deal with this. Now, his attorney has been very wise to say that repeating allegations does not make it true.

But, you know, you're talking about something that happened as far back as 1969 in one situation that we've been talking about. And so, Erin, I don't know how this gets resolved when there is not a justice forum that he can come in and be heard and the accuser can be heard. I don't know how you get beyond this.

BURNETT: All right. Well, thank you very much, Judge Hatchett.

And next, Jeanne Moos with the television anchor who wore the same suit for a year. Why?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Why would a co-host best known for being the opposite of a grumpy cat --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A cat!

MOOS: Why would he wear the same suit for a year while hosting Australia's "Today Show"?

The Web site "Girt Nation" made a montage of Karl Stefanovic's wardrobe dysfunction. Though he did change his shirts and ties, his co-workers raised a minor stink.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have been stinking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It does stink a little bit. Get that thing dry cleaned a couple of times.

MOOS: But the stink he wanted to raise was to show that female anchors are judged more harshly than men.

After wearing the same suit for a year, Stefanovic told Fairfax Media, no one has noticed, no one gives a (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

He started the experiment around the same time his co-host Lisa Wilkinson gave a speech quoting a mean e-mail from someone named Angela.

LISA WILKINSON, HOST, "TODAY": Today's outfit is particularly jarring and awful. Get some style.

MOOS: To which Lisa responded --

WILKINSON: Dear Angela, did I mention I'm not a model? And finally, I must never clash with Karl's ties or suits or the couch.

MOOS: Another Australian morning show host got this letter. Dare I say, did you obtain your clothes from charity shops?

Maybe men are nondescript in their suits while we jump out at you and then you jump all over us.

(on camera): I personally live in mortal fear of leaving one of these thins exposed so you'd be hung up on my hanger ribbon rather than listening to what I say.

BURNETT: You talk about gossip.

MOOS (voice-over): Erin discusses the Mideast, she discusses the economy, but she's fashion road kill to the viewer who is seeing red over that tight red dress, not appropriate for the news.

Most women in media recall a memorable insult.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CEO, STARFISH MEDIA GROUP: They couldn't hear me because my bangs were in the way.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, ANCHOR, "LEGAL VIEW": I think when you're just off pregnancy and someone call us a heifer on the air, it kind of stinks.

MOOS: But men aren't immune.

Take Larry King's contribution to Kimmel's mean sweet tweets.

LARRY: Did you know that if you skinned Larry King and ironed out his leather, you could make enough coats to give one to every poor child in America.

MOOS: This is one person that requires thick but not wrinkled skin.

Jeanne Moos --

BANFIELD: Heifer.

MOOS: -- CNN --

WILKINSON: Get some style.

MOOS: -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: I love it.

Anderson starts now.