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COPYRIGHT 2005 Voxant Inc.
Original Source: RITA COSBY LIVE & DIRECT
RITA COSBY, HOST: Tonight, the mayor of New Orleans facing a double punch. A bombshell report says he forced the police chief to quit, and the new top cop is facing allegations that police officers may have been looting, stealing some very pricey items.
And shocking surveillance video puts the main suspect in the murder of a 13-year-old girl at the scene of another brutal killing.
Plus, my exclusive and very revealing interview with Dr. Jack Kevorkian. He tells me if he`d again help people die, if he ever gets out of prison.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JACK KEVORKIAN, "DR. DEATH": Do you see a criminal? Do you see a murderer? Do you see what`s called a killer?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: But first, a developing story happening at this hour. Massive wildfires are burning out of control in southern California. So far, the Topanga fire has consumed thousands of acres in two counties. Many families have already evacuated their homes. You`re looking at some live pictures right now. Homes are in danger of burning down. We just got word that at least three so far have been destroyed.
Let`s turn now Kurt Schaefer. He`s a firefighter who is working to contain these wildfires. Kurt, let me ask you, first of all, how many acres have burned so far? What`s the latest?
KURT SCHAEFER, FIGHTING TOPANGA FIRE: We`re at 16,200 acres.
COSBY: And how much of it is contained, at this point, as we`re looking at these live pictures?
SCHAEFER: Right now, we`re only 5 percent contained, so we`ve got a lot of work ahead of us.
COSBY: What`s making it so difficult to contain? Is it the high winds, just the speed of the fire?
SCHAEFER: It`s a combination of both. It`s the high winds we experienced yesterday and early this morning and throughout last night, as well as inaccessible terrain. But the weather is making a change for us, so we should start make some headway.
COSBY: Are the flames threatening homes?
SCHAEFER: They are threatening some homes in the Bell (ph) Canyon area. We have strike teams, which are five engines -- several strike teams there on these homes actively knocking down fire. So that`s the area we`re concentrating on now.
COSBY: Do you have any idea what started this? Was it arson, mother Nature? What caused it?
SCHAEFER: You know, that`s still under investigation. It started yesterday at about 1:50 in the afternoon just north of the 118 freeway at Topanga Canyon, so just on the freeway shoulder. So we really don`t have the cause nailed down.
COSBY: All right, Kurt. Well, we appreciate it. We know you have a lot of work to do. We`d love to have you on at some point later on. Thank you.
And joining me now on the phone is Oak Park resident Larry Weeks, whose house was threatened earlier today. Flames are just tens of feet from your home. Where are the flames now in relation to your house, Larry?
LARRY WEEKS, OAK PARK, CALIFORNIA, RESIDENT: They`re quite a ways east of us now. I think what we`re seeing is the Bell Canyon fire. It seems to have pretty much died out in the Oak Park area, thankfully.
COSBY: How worried were you about your home? And where are you now?
WEEKS: I`m at home now. We were, of course, quite worried, but there were four engine companies in our cul-de-sac, waiting for the fire to creep down the hill towards us. So it -- we felt like we were in good hands at all times, and they were very reassuring. And they, in fact, did their job excellently.
COSBY: You know, we saw some pretty dramatic pictures earlier today, Larry. Did you ever imagine a day where the flames would be so close to your own house?
WEEKS: Well, I`ve always worried about it, I have to admit. You don`t move to an area like this without worrying about it and without knowing about it. But you know, it`s just part of life here.
COSBY: Are you thinking about moving, at some point?
WEEKS: Oh, gosh, not...
COSBY: Did this give you a scare?
WEEKS: Not at all. I love it here. I would never think of moving.
COSBY: Are you concerned that this is just sort of the beginning of fire season?
WEEKS: Yes. But on the other hand, now that the flames have burned down fairly close to our homes around here, the fuel is pretty well spent, and we`re probably a lot better off than a lot of other people in the area.
COSBY: Well, Larry Weeks, I`m glad that your home is safe and that you`re safe, as well.
WEEKS: Thank you, Rita.
COSBY: Thank you very much.
And now to a firestorm in the middle of a hurricane-ravaged flood zone. New Orleans police are looking into reports that members of its own department looted after Hurricane Katrina, the investigation triggered in part by this MSNBC video showing uniformed officers taking items from a Wal-Mart. NBC`s Donna Gregory is live in New Orleans with the latest on this -- Donna.
DONNA GREGORY, NBC CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rita. Pretty shocking, isn`t it. But I`ll tell you, there is an investigation under way. We learned about it at a news conference today called by the new interim police superintendent, Warren Riley. He says that his office has looked at these videotapes, and including the one that you just showed from NBC. And there`s questions on whether the officers were actually involved in the looting or may have been simply standing by and not stopping the looters.
Again, that at a news conference today, where they discussed several things. This news conference, we learned that there were 12 officers who are under suspicion. They`re being investigated. Four have been suspended. One has been reassigned.
And all of this comes on the heels of another brewing controversy, what some are calling the forced resignation on Tuesday of former New Orleans superintendent Eddie Compass. And there are some officers who want to remain nameless who have told "The Times-Picayune" here in New Orleans that they spoke personally with Eddie Compass, who said that Mayor Nagin forced him to resign. The mayor then and today denies that that happened, but there are still a lot of questions surrounding the resignation of Eddie Compass.
He did make one thing clear -- the new interim superintendent made one thing clear today. The 249 officers we`ve been talking about, who were AWOL, away without leave, during the violence immediately after Hurricane Katrina -- he says that there are specific cases that they`ve already investigated where these officers had a legitimate excuse to be gone. He said some were simply stuck in their homes and had to be rescued by the police. Others reported to precincts that were nearer their homes. But that investigation is continuing, as well -- Rita.
COSBY: Donna, thanks so much.
Well, all of this comes as officials get ready to reopen more of New Orleans tomorrow. Joining us now is one of the mayor`s closest advisers, Don Hutchinson. He`s New Orleans`s economic development director. And of course, this comes as lots of folks from New Orleans are coming back into the city. Some of the key areas that folks are going to be going back in, of course, the French Quarter, the Garden District, also Algiers. Those are some of the areas that didn`t encounter a lot of the severe damage. But it looks like it`s good news for those residents, and also business...
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