During a live press conference in the 12:00 p.m. ET hour on Wednesday about the Chattanooga shooting, CNN reporter Aaron Cooper asked FBI Special Agent in Charge Ed Reinhold: “There's been reports that there were some personal or privately owned weapons used in responding to the shooter....Did anybody hit anyone else? Was there any friendly fire incident?”
Reinhold explained that beyond the weapons used by shooter Mohammad Abdulazeez, “Two additional weapons were recovered at the scene. Those weapons belonged to service members and they were – at least one of the weapons was discharged at the subject.” Cooper pressed: “Were those officers authorized to have those weapons?” Reinhold replied: “As far as any authorization of weapons, it's not relevant to our current investigation.”
Immediately following Cooper, NBC correspondent Miguel Almaguer continued the line of questioning: “I'm curious if the ballistic reports have come back from the shooting and if you know that all of the victims were in fact shot by the gunman and not officers that may have been responding, trying to take down the shooter.”
Reinhold responded: “All indications are, and we do not have the ballistic reports yet back, preliminarily it looks like all victims were killed with the same weapon.”
Given the push to change federal law to allow soldiers to carry guns on military bases in the wake of the shooting, it’s telling that journalists would speculate that victims may have been killed not by the terrorist who launched the attack but instead by “friendly fire.”
Here is a transcript of the July 22 exchange:
12:18 PM ET
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AARON COOPER: Aaron Cooper with CNN. There's been reports that there were some personal or privately owned weapons used in responding to the shooter. Can you tell us how many of those were used, who used them, and were – did anybody hit the shooter? Did anybody hit anyone else? Was there any friendly fire incident?
ED REINHOLD [FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE]: Well, since he had a microphone, I don't think I need to repeat the question. So we'll start with the weapons that were recovered inside the facility. We found three weapons inside the facility that we believe – or we know belonged to the shooter. One weapon was located in the vehicle and two weapons were located on his person. Two additional weapons were recovered at the scene. Those weapons belonged to service members and they were – at least one of the weapons was discharged at the subject. Whether he was struck by those individuals is unclear at this time. The autopsy results are still pending. And once we get those, we'll be able to make that determination.
COOPER: Were those officers authorized to have those weapons?
REINHOLD: As far as any authorization of weapons, it's not relevant to our current investigation. That's an investigation that will be conducted separately by the military and I'm sure they will address it at some point when they have completed their investigation.
COOPER: Since we have NCIS standing behind you-
REINHOLD: Okay, I'm going to go ahead and move on to the next so we can share the field here. Who's in the – yes, sir?
MIGUEL ALMAGUER: Miguel Almaguer with NBC News. I'm curious if the ballistic reports have come back from the shooting and if you know that all of the victims were in fact shot by the gunman and not officers that may have been responding, trying to take down the shooter.
REINHOLD: I can tell you – and the question is, and I'm not sure he had the mic up high enough for everybody to hear. “Were ballistic reports returned that would indicate whether or not the shooter” – or the victims, I’m sorry – “whether the victims were hit by friendly fire?” All indications are, and we do not have the ballistic reports yet back, preliminarily it looks like all victims were killed with the same weapon.
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