Source: Tape Shows Attack "Meticulous, Planned; Interview with Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan, live in Cleveland where just a short time from now the Republican National Convention is kicking off. We're getting word at about possibly a surprise appearance here tonight.</s>JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Berman, live in Baton Rouge where a gunman unleashed a deadly attack on police officers. And we have breaking news. Brand-new information about the ambush. And it is now being called an ambush. A source with knowledge of the investigation tells CNN a tape of the attack shows a meticulous planned approach toward the officers. Three policemen were shot and killed. Three other officers wounded, one overnight clinging to life. The fallen heroes, husbands, fathers. 32-year-old Montrell Jackson had a new baby boy, just 4 months old. Matthew Gerald, Army veteran, had two daughters. He worked on a helicopter crew in Iraq, on several tours. And 45-year-old Brad Garofalo was the father of four. Authorities trying to learn more about the killer, an ex-Marine, who ambushed the police in their own neighborhood, just about a mile from where I'm standing now in broad daylight. The officers were responding to a 911 call about a man dressed in black, armed with an assault-style rifle. Police did kill the gunman in a firefight. CNN's Boris Sanchez is at the scene of the shootout, just down the street from here. Boris, what are you learning this morning?</s>BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here's what we know so far about the investigation. Gavin Eugene Long, a 29-year-old, was the shooter. He actually carried the attack out on his birthday yesterday. We know about him so far, he was active on social media, involved with conspiracy groups and anti-government websites. We know that shortly after the attacks on Dallas, fewer than two weeks ago, he rented a car in his hometown of Kansas City and drove to Dallas where he filmed a YouTube video calling for people to take up arms against police. At some point after posting that video, he came here to Baton Rouge. We don't know exactly how long he was here but investigators tell us he was not alone. We don't know who he was with or how much they knew about this plot against police officers. What investigators have told us is they've interviewed several people. They were interviewing persons of interest up until 1:00 a.m. So far, no arrests have been made. No charges were filed against those persons of interest. We're expecting a press conference at 3:00 today where we're hoping to get more information about any potential accomplices or whether or no more charges may be pending. In the meantime, we're still holding out hope that this officer, this deputy in critical condition, will pull through. His name is Nicholas Tullier. He's 41 years old, and he dedicated 18 years to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Department. We're told he's fighting for his life right now. Obviously, the entire community is pulling for him to get through this.</s>BERMAN: Boris Sanchez, just down the street from us here in Baton Rouge. Thanks so much, Boris. I'm joined now by Mayor Kip Holden, longtime mayor of Baton Rouge. You've been going through so much, Mayor. Thank you for being with us.</s>KIP HOLDEN, MAYOR OF BATON ROUGE: Thank you.</s>BERMAN: We heard him talking about the officer, Nicholas Tullier, who was wounded, critical condition. We were told he was clinging to life overnight. Update.</s>HOLDEN: Basically, there's not a lot of change. A very serious wound. Some have said he might have to have another operation or two. We're all praying for him and his family and all of the other officers involved in this terrible tragedy.</s>BERMAN: The latest information we have in the investigation is this was a meticulous attack. The colonel with the state police said this killer was certainly seeking out police officers. You could tell by the way he was moving. There was something about it that made it clear he was targeting police officers. Can you elaborate on that?</s>HOLDEN: Basically all of the information we're getting right now is indicating this guy was not just a kook out there. You look at his military background. You look at how he planned this out. Some are saying he was in Baton Rouge several nights even before this happened. We're finding out somebody that was methodical in the planning and really an outright murderer in terms of taking the lives. Somebody who knew how to position them so they can be within range of him killing them.</s>BERMAN: He had been here for several nights. You said may be in contact with other people.</s>HOLDEN: Right now, we are getting some new information that will maybe be divulged later this afternoon but there's something we're looking at based on other tips we're getting --</s>BERMAN: People?</s>HOLDEN: Whether or not there were other people involved in this and some people stepping forward and telling about suspicious things they saw.</s>BERMAN: Anybody else in custody?</s>HOLDEN: Not anybody else in custody but we're looking at the FBI, ATF, state police, sheriff's office, city police and the Intel that's coming in, I would say we are following up every lead and we're not going to let this rest until everybody involved in this is brought to justice.</s>BERMAN: Mayor, are your officers safe this morning?</s>HOLDEN: I'm saying the officers are safe. I can tell you this. These men and women go out there either day and make an effort to make sure we're safe. I told some people yesterday they're our first responders. Now it's time for us to be their first responders, because they set a lot of things aside. And yesterday morning, when you walk into a room and his 7-year-old daughter is there and the mom is crying and holding a baby in her hands and so the young lady said no, my daddy is not dead, he's coming home this afternoon. Man, you talk about gut-wrenching, because there's nothing anybody can say. She's holding out a hope that her dad will come back and, unfortunately, the news was already there.</s>BERMAN: Same officer working in his garage, fixing up a car for a 15- year-old daughter, who is getting ready to drive. That's just the kind of guy he was. And there's two other lives lost with similar stories. You have been talking about the rhetoric, the level of discourse going on in this town. You said it's time to dial it down to zero.</s>HOLDEN: Without a doubt, you know, you got people there going back, protesting the sterling killing or shooting. OK, then they called, they wanted me to resign. I told them I resign 12/31 of this year, my last day in office. You have folks out there trying to stoke things. We tell people tune them out. Doubt in to people telling you the right things to do. Put null and void on their phone when they call you. These are people who, regardless of what an officer does, they paint everybody in the same brush. These officers are individuals. They have families. They're going out here to protect the community. Give them a break, because they've given us a break every day we get up and we're safe.</s>BERMAN: This killer, this guy drove 800 miles across the country to do this act. We're not aware he's in any connection with the protesters on the ground.</s>HOLDEN: No aware. I can tell you, I'm just going to speak gut instinct, there's a gut instinct this guy just didn't come here. I would venture to say, and this is not attributed to anybody else, that this guy probably has somebody here he was in contact with.</s>BERMAN: That's your gut instinct?</s>HOLDEN: That's my gut instinct.</s>BERMAN: What does this tell you about the community coming together to move forward now?</s>HOLDEN: We've come together in many circumstances, you know, over the course of my professional years. I've also been public information for the city of police. This community's very resilient. We've gone through the first year I've had Katrina, other disasters, but something special about the people here, their hearts, their minds, their bodies, their souls. We will not be defeated. All the spirit I'm trying to put into all the officers in the community, it's basically based upon job. Ye though you slay me, I will rise again.</s>BERMAN: Officers around the country feel like they're being targeted.</s>HOLDEN: Not only that, I received calls from many mayors just this morning and last night. We're all speaking with one voice. We're all together. Many of those mayors are saying we're going to be there, or send representatives there, because we want you to know we stand by you. All across the country, even the mayor, Mayor Rawlings, of Dallas, called this morning. He said last week, Mr. Mayor, I this week, you're going through this. We're standing by, whatever you need for us to do, we're willing to do.</s>BERMAN: Thank you for being with us. You do a great job.</s>HOLDEN: Thank you.</s>BERMAN: Keep the city moving forward.</s>HOLDEN: Yes, sir. Thank you.</s>BERMAN: Kate, let's go back to you in Cleveland.</s>BOLDUAN: All right, John, thanks so much. We'll get back to John in Baton Rouge throughout the hour. Any minute now, Hillary Clinton will be giving her first remarks since the deadly police ambush in Baton Rouge. She's expected to talk about race and talk about policing. We'll bring that to you live as soon as it happens. Plus this, "There's something going on." Those are Donald Trump's words talking about President Obama's response to deadly police shootings in America. What is Trump suggesting here? We're live in Cleveland. We got a lot to discuss. The Republican National Convention kicks off just a short time from now. Stay with us.