Thank you, John.
Here at what can now only be described as the killing field of South Riverside Park in Wichita, Kansas, all remains in chaos almost an hour after a baffling attack on festival-goers by masked, camouflaged gunmen.
All around me I see police, firefighters, and paramedics, as well as frantic parents and others still searching for their loved ones among the living . . . and the dead.
We don't yet know the number of casualties, and we may not have an accurate number any time soon. But I can tell you that, given the things I've seen since arriving on the scene a few minutes ago, the number of victims is almost certainly over a hundred. The horror here is almost beyond belief.
(Blip)
Ma'am, do you have a moment? I see there's blood on your blouse. Are you injured?
I don't think so. I just can't find my boyfriend.
Were you separated from him when the shooting began?
Yeah, he had to go to the bathroom.
And he hasn't returned yet?
I don't know. I can't find him. Excuse me, please.
Of course. Good luck to you. (Pause.) Sadly, it seems unlikely that the young woman I just spoke with will, in fact, have any good luck at all. From what I could see as I entered the park, it looked as if all of the porta-johns had been riddled with bullets.
What did you say? WHAT DID YOU SAY? GOD, NO! LARRY! LARRY, OH GOD NO!
(Blip)
We're here with Captain Arnold Frank of the Wichita Police Department. Captain Frank, based on your preliminary assessment of the scene here at South Riverside Park, is there any clue as to what the terrorists wanted?
Yeah. They wanted to kill people.
(Blip)
These brave paramedics are—
Get the hell out of the way!
(Blip)
Mr. Lyman Carlton, wounded in the shoulder, is waiting here in the designated triage area for an ambulance to become available. In the meantime, paramedics have stopped his bleeding, bandaged his wound, and given him something for the pain. Mr. Carlton, can you tell us, from your perspective, what happened here today?
They killed my wife.
Who did, Mr. Carlton?
They were dressed like soldiers. They had machine guns and grenades.
Did you get a good look at them, Mr. Carlton?
It was too crowded. But I heard something go pop-pop-pop, and I looked through the people and saw the camouflage uniforms. And then people started screaming, and my wife fell backwards in her lawn chair and landed on the ground. I got down beside her and saw she was gone. (Sobs.)
Is there anything you would like to say to the people who did this, Mr. Carlton?
Yes. (Sobs.) I want to say you better whoop it up while you can, Laughin' Boy, because your time will come. Your time will for damn sure come. (Sobs.)
Thank you, Mr. Carlton. (Pause.) Mr. Carlton was no doubt referring, just now, to the man who was reportedly laughing in the aftermath of the attack. Some eyewitnesses are saying that this laughing man was one of the terrorists, and others insist he was not.
But it is difficult to imagine an innocent bystander behaving as if the things we have seen here today are funny.
We are told that a videotape of the attack has been discovered in a camcorder belonging to one of the victims, and that this "Laughin' Boy," as Mr. Carlton calls him, appears on it. Perhaps, then, the authorities will begin their investigation of this tragedy with him.
And perhaps then "Laughin' Boy" won't be quite so amused by the pain and suffering of others.
We'll return with more from South Riverside Park in Wichita, Kansas, in just a moment. But for now—
Back to you, John.