Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, March 27, 2023

Episode Date: March 28, 2023

6 people killed inside a Nashville elementary school, more than 20 people killed after an EF-4 tornado devastated Mississippi, chaos in Israel as crowds get PM Netanyahu to delay his plan to weaken the judicial system, a Florida plastic surgeon is charged with murder in connection to a missing attorney, and the inspiring stories of hope amid the destruction in Mississippi.

Tonight, a special edition of Top Story, live from Mississippi. We're on the ground as families try to make sense from this horrible tornado disaster. And we're also following late-breaking news out of Nashville tonight. At least six people killed inside of an elementary school after a female shooter who identifies as transgender, armed with an assault-style rifle, open fire. Police say she planned out the attack with detailed maps and surveillance. The youngest victims, just nine years old, panic scenes outside of the small Christian school as parents waited for their children. Police inside shooting and killing the suspect would authorities have just revealed about her background and connections to this tight-knit community.

And our other major headline tonight, the scenes of utter devastation here in Mississippi after a violent EF4 tornado virtually wiped the town of Rolling Fork off the map. More than 20 people killed. But amid the destruction and death, incredible stories. stories of resilience. We'll introduce you to the people we've met and their incredible survivor stories. Now just beginning their long and difficult road to recovery. We've got full-team coverage from across the path of destruction. Also tonight, the new witness in the Trump-Hush Money Payment probe, a former publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker, called the testify in front of the grand jury. Plus, what the former president is saying about

the likelihood he'll be criminally indicted. Oversees Israel in chaos, massive crowds surrounding the Parliament building in Jerusalem, demanding the Prime Minister walk back his plan to weaken the country's Supreme Court. The major concession Netanyahu has just made in the face of this massive unrest. Plus, growing concern tonight for an American couple kidnapped in Haiti. The pair stopped by a gang as they were leaving the airport, while their family members back in Florida are now begging for the U.S. government to help. And going airborne, dramatic video out of Los Angeles, showing the moment a blown tire sent another car barreling through the air, how that driver was miraculously able to walk away unharmed. Top Story starts right now.

And good evening. We are live tonight with a special edition of Top Story from Rolling Fork, Mississippi, a community devastated by the deadliest tornado in the state in more than a half century. We have a full team of on the ground to cover the massive and difficult cleanup effort now underway. And you can see all the damage here. It surrounds me and it surrounds this entire town. In the distance there, that is a big rig. It has been lifted off the ground, probably more than 15 feet by this tornado, just to give you a sense of the strength and power of the storm system that moved through this very small

town. But tonight we do want to begin first with that breaking news out of Tennessee we've been following all night just north of where we are right now. Three children and three adults shot and killed at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville just after 10 o'clock this morning. And tonight we are learning those three students were just nine years old. The students at the school ranging from preschool to sixth grade, and you can see just how young they all are in these heartbreaking images. Small children, hand in hand as they were led out of their classrooms by police. These are the type of images that have become tragically and frustratingly familiar.

But several aspects of this horrible tragedy are incredibly rare, very, very different, including the identity of the shooter. This LinkedIn profile photos showing the 28-year-old woman who police say identified as transgender. That shooter also a former student of the Covenant School. Authorities say she entered the building armed with an assault-style rifle, a pistol and a handgun, killing six before she was taken down by police. For context, less than 3% of mass shootings investigated over the past decade. have been perpetrated by a woman. And the target, a small private Christian school,

also a rare scene for a school shooting with the majority of mass casualty incidents happening at public schools in America. But though the specifics may be unusual tonight, the pain that community feels, it is all too common in this country. NBC's Kathy Park is in Nashville tonight, and she leads us off.

The start of a school day shattered by gunshots at the Covenant School in Nashville. We're under a mass casualty alert. The school shooting multiple victims down. Police rushed to the small private Christian Elementary School, where authorities say a former student entered the building through a side door, and fatally shot three nine-year-old students and three adults. Authorities say the suspect, 28-year-old Audrey Hale,

who identifies as transgender, was killed by police. She was armed with at least two assault-type rifles and a handgun. The first call came in at 10.13 a.m. central time. Police say responding officers entered the school minutes later and heard shots fired on the second floor. At 1027 a.m., 14 minutes after the first call, police say the shooter was dead. We've also determined there were maps drawn of the school in detail of surveillance, entry points, etc. Amid the chaos panicked parents anxiously waited outside for updates, while their pre-K through sixth grade students. were ushered to safety.

They weren't letting the parents up there, so they were just running up the street. There was so many police cars, and then the ambulances started coming away from the school. Inside the school, Avery Murrick's mother was teaching when the shooter opened fire.

I texted her, and I said just like what was going on, she said she was hiding in the closet, and that they were shooting all over. The shooter lived in the Nashville area, according to police, and they're still investigating potential motives. From my initial findings is that at one point, she was a student at that school, but unsure what year.

The nation is no stranger to gun violence, and tonight this marks the third major school shooting of the year. Something's got to be done. This is three people lost their children today. It's hard to imagine. The president today consoling heartbroken families while calling Congress to pass an assault weapons ban. And we have to do more to stop gun violence. It's ripping our communities apart. Tonight, grief gripping another community. This time, a deadly day inside an American school. How is this still happening? How are our children still dying and why are we failing them? And Kathy Park joins Top Story tonight live from Nashville, Tennessee. Kathy, I know you have some new reporting about possible body cam footage that is going to be released at some point tonight.

Tom, that's exactly right. Just a few moments ago had a chance to speak with the police chief here in Nashville. And he said at some point later on tonight or tomorrow, body cam footage from the responding officers will be released to the public. We've also learned that all the family members have been reunited with their students, so there is no longer a threat at this time, Tom. Kathy, you know, you always feel for the families and the students that have to suffer during these school shootings. We know this one's a little bit different, and of course we're talking about an elementary school here, very young children. How is that community reacting tonight? And what are parents telling you?

Tom, I think it's safe to say that certainly was a gut punch. when they found out that some of the victims were just children, just nine years old. So obviously, folks here are just in shock, in disbelief. They are grieving, but they are all coming together during this tragedy. Tom? Kathy Park, leading us off tonight here on Top Story. Kathy, we appreciate all your reporting. To help us break down all the late developments coming in about this shooting,

I want to bring in retired ATF special agent in charge, Jim Kavanaugh. He's a friend of Top Stories. Jim, I want to start with the shooter here and what we know. When you first heard that she was a woman, that she was transgender. This, from what we know, is the first possible transgender mass shooter that we know of so far. But the part about her being a woman as well is definitely different. What was your first reaction to that news? Well, very rare, Tom.

Female shooters are very rare. And the fact that she's transgender is even rarer. I don't know of any case like that. But in any event, women or transgender citizens are just citizens and they're subject to the pressures of society and they deal with the same feelings and angst and troubles that we all have and that all male shooters have too. So, you know, whatever her grievance is against the school, it's something very personal to her. And the chief did say that there was some writings left by her. He mentioned it as a manifesto. It may not be that extensive.

but there'll be some writings and maybe she will give us the reason for this horror, but she certainly was striking back at a place familiar to her. I lived just a few minutes from that school. I used to live a block away from that school and I was a special agent in charge

here for 12 years. Our office is close to the school. You know, this is not a place you drive past and even notice. How would you describe that school? Jim, yeah, Jim, knowing that area, knowing the school, something else that stands out is that it's It's a Christian private school.

And since you know the area, tell us a little bit of more about this. And we also have some clues about the shooter, right? As you mentioned, police are saying she had maps, she had surveillance, possibly a quote-unquote manifesto. Right, well, the school first. You know, we've all driven by gigantic high schools in our cities and towns. You know, the local high school, the county high school, or a big giant school, very noticeable, blocks long. This is not the case. This is part of a large church.

My daughter was married in that church. It's part of a church. The school's attached. It's just nondescript. I mean, there's a little sign, but you wouldn't notice it. Of course, that goes to the fact that the killer went to the school. So the killer knows the school, knows the area. And, in fact, the report from the police time that she shot her way through, probably through a glass door, glass window.

We'll have to wait and see. As far as, you know, why she's going to do this, I mean, it's just hard to. really fathom until we get the words from her own mouth. She probably wasn't keeping it a secret. That's why she wrote something down, you know, telling the world what she wanted to do. I do feel like suicide is a light motif that runs through many of these cases that we don't talk about enough. We tend to gravitate and talk about mental health, but that's a very small percentage of mass shooters. Really, suicide is a much larger percentage, and people get into suicide, and then they turn that into homicide. As you're saying, the maps, the planning, probably obtaining the weapons and ammunition.

This was not any kind of a spur of the moment, crime, Tom. You're seeing this from your observation of the reporting. She planned it. She wanted to do it. She picked a very specific target she was familiar with. She has a grievance for that place. Jim Kavanaugh, we appreciate your analysis tonight on this very difficult story. We do want to turn now to the story that brings me here.

to Mississippi, the deadliest tornado outbreak the state has seen in 50 years. The powerful storms taking at least 21 lives here in Mississippi and one in Alabama. We have multiple angles tonight here on Top Story as we broadcast live from Rolling Fork. And you can see the trail of destruction, right? It is as far as the eye can see in this area. Hundreds of miles long, this tornado was a long-track tornado that felt like, according to survivors, that it never was going to stop. Families who have lost everything now are wondering how they will ever recover tonight in parts of central Mississippi turned down any block and you'll see home after home business after business reduced to rubble and for so many it's not

just their town that's gone all I know here I lost everything and we really need help man Deangelo White and Diamond Waldington lost their mother stepfather and brother when the wind tore apart their mobile home Helen Munford was a teacher and bus driver, Danny, a welder. Their son, Jadarian, was only 14. You got seven kids, eight grandkids, we all, that's how we know is our mom and dad, and they go. Family photos like this caught up in the storm, traveling more than 100 miles away to Tupelo, Mississippi. The family says they saw the images on a Facebook page for lost items.

Pictures of my little brother, and then my grandmonds, and her, when I saw it, I saw the picture. I knew that was my mom photo book. Tonight, they're staying with family because they lost their homes as well. What we got now? Man, it's hard, man. In all, reports of at least 25 tornadoes in four states since Friday. There's evidence tornado alley is expanding with fewer twisters in the Great Plains and more in the southeast. This is the small town of Rolling Fork before and after the catastrophic EF4 tornado. In many cases, people, people still can't believe just how strong this tornado was. They point to these two big rigs.

They say they were parked side by side. When the tornado came in, it lifted them up and tossed them to a different section of the neighborhood and left them like this mangled on top of each other. So why was this tornado so destructive? It happened at night, and it was incredibly long-lasting. Its path, a staggering 59 miles, and it tore through vulnerable communities. I got a bunch of clothes under the tree there. Greg Henderson has lived here his whole life.

But when we met him, he was looking for his home. It was here. Right there. Yeah, right. Yeah, it's nothing, man. All that's left, debris, and a few, beloved damage mementos. But Henderson's neighbor lost his life. So tonight, he's counting his blessings.

My daughter and granddaughter are safe, and I'm alive, so everything else is secondary. In all, 22 people are dead, including several friends of Ophelia Stewart. How long have you lived here? All my life. All your life. You ever see anything like this? Never. Never in my lifetime would I imagine seeing anything like this.

That was the worst experience of my life. I'm blessed to be here to talk to you all. Her home was blown apart, but her life was spared because she was at a church meeting at a friend's home. The wind took the roof off of this side of the house, and so it was like a suction of air going around that room. It was like it was trying to take us up. So we just held on to each other. And my God, when he opened the door and we looked out, everything was gone.

Everything. And they were saying they were finding people, and it was just a lot. Ophelia hasn't been able to recover much, but she did find her Bible, source of strength as she grapples with all that's been lost. What have you told God? Oh, him, thank you for sparing my life, not only my life, my brother's life. He lost everything. My sister, she lost everything. My nephew, they lost everything. And those residents who told me they feel lucky to be alive, they are not exaggerating. The mayor of Rolling Fork tells me he thinks 85% of his town is gone.

And when you take a look behind me, you can see he's probably right, if not 100% of this town is gone. For more on this tornado's path of destruction, Maggie Vespa joins me now from Silver City, Mississippi. It's about 30 miles northeast from where we are right here in Rolling Fork. Maggie, what do you see in there? Talk to us about some of the damage that community has encountered. Yeah, so Tom, this is actually a much smaller community than where you are right now. I think Rolling Fork is basically a couple thousand people. This is just a few hundred. And people here are really coming together. This home here, people have been coming in and out of it all day long as they work together to tarp that home. And then when you look and you see the scenes of destruction like this, a lot like what you're seeing in Rolling Fork, it's just the reminder to people who all know each other again in this time.

tiny, tiny town of what they've all been through. Tom, again, this is a town of about 330 people in this town of close to 300. Three people died on Friday, so it's really hitting this place hard, Tom. Yeah, you know, you can't even imagine when you see all that damage. Maggie, I do want to ask you, I know you spoke with some first responders, and they were incredibly honest with you. What did they tell you? Yeah, you know, it was really striking. We talked to a county supervisor who drove up basically just to talk to us about, you know, the recovery and kind of give us the official sound. And then he said, oh, I didn't realize I was coming here. He said, my friend died two houses down from here. He was shielding his wife in their bathroom when some of the debris

came crashing into their house. And so that's what we ended up, of course, talking to him about and he's struggling. Then here comes a fire captain who the county supervisor called in to also talk to us about the recovery. And the fire captain says, actually, I haven't really been able to sleep since Friday because when I came running toward the destruction, I found a baby girl, a two-year-old girl, under some of the rubble, unresponsive. He says he tried to give her CPR, and he failed. And he told us that two-year-old girl is among the casualties here in Silver City. He cried during our entire interview.

And again, he said, I've gotten about five-hour sleep total since Friday. So, again, here in Silver City, just like in Rolling Fork, this tornado, you know, it's spared homes. It spared some buildings, but no single person got out of this untouched by these storms. Tom. Yeah, Maggie, I can't even imagine what that first responder is going through right now. Having had witnessed that, but at least he was trying to save that child's life. It is all incredibly sad. Maggie Vespa for us tonight, Maggie, we appreciate it.

As we've mentioned, many who survived the disaster now have a challenging road ahead as they look to rebuild their lives. I want to take a live look right now. We have some repairs going on here in Rolling Fork. some line crews out trying to repair some of the power lines right now. There is utter devastation here, but people are still trying to come in, and they are trying to get some lights up over some of these properties so they can help in the cleanup, especially at night as people try to comb through all of this damage, trying to find their belongings, and in some cases, as we heard in my report, trying to even find their home. But others are calling on the federal government

for help as well. And tonight, our Priscilla Thompson has more on their stories. We all couldn't be dead. Melinda Washington's husband frantically dug her out of the rubble Friday night. Her 12-year-old son screaming in agony as his mom lay buried. It's a lot of different from seeing it on TV until you actually live it. Bruised, battered, but alive, now left to face a new reality. We are in a small community. We have nothing, no running water, no lights, no houses, no transportation.

Rolling Fork in Silver City are small rural towns where more than a third of people live in poverty, nearly three times the national average. A lot of people didn't have rentals insurance. I didn't. No vehicle insurance. A lot of people didn't have nothing. Some 2,000 people now desperate for help, many of them with homes that look like this. We've got MEMA and FEMA joint teams on the ground here. President Biden sending federal resources to help fill the gap, approving funding for temporary housing and loans to those with no insurance. One of the major issues that we're going to face is housing. Some residents fear the aid may not be enough. On a road to recovery that could take years, not.

months which is why people here are coming together looking for small glimmers of hope like Melinda's coffee shop one of the few buildings still standing one less thing to rebuild as these communities struggle to pick up the pieces I don't have a lot of plans because I don't have a lot of money and so I'm just trusting God doing a process I know he saved a lot of us for a reason and so I trust him Priscilla Thompson joins us now live here in Rolling Fork. Priscilla, you know, that's just a gut-wrenching report. And I think it puts a lot of this in perspective because when we come out here and we report these stories, we say people have lost it all.

And then you go and you start talking to these people and they tell you they have no insurance and they have lost it all. Yeah, absolutely. And they're in survival mode at this point. Melinda and her family spent two days in a hotel that they were able to pay for. And then they found an organization who was able to pay for a week of hotels for them. But they don't know what they're going to do beyond that. And she has reached out and begun the process of trying to get federal aid, but she doesn't know when that money is going to come.

And so it's very day-to-day. And in many of these cases, people don't have their phones anymore. They don't have their laptops. They have no internet connection. And they're trying to apply for this federal aid, and it becomes a maze. And they're really left in limbo, and they have nowhere to stay. I do want to ask you, what did Melinda say about the warnings? Because we've been hearing some sort of mixed reporting about the warnings,

at least here in Rolling Fork. Right. There are some people who said that they saw the tornadoes coming. They heard the train noise, but she said she didn't hear or see any of that. She said the glass shattered and the windows in her home. And then within seconds, the walls began caving in on her. She was literally lying in her bed doing some online shopping when all of this happened. Her husband was in the bathroom.

Her son was in the other room. And all of a sudden, chaos. And after it was all over, she just remembers hearing the screams of other neighbors all around screaming for help. And so it seems like no one in her neighborhood evacuated, and many people said that they just didn't know that this was going to happen and certainly that it was going to be as devastating as it has been. Every survivor is saying that as soon as the tornado blew by, they heard the screams of people and then the massive rain started as well, which made things even worse. Priscilla Thompson, we thank you for that incredible reporting tonight. We do want to show you a live look from our NBC News drone that is over rolling fork right now live for top story tonight. And this drone has been capturing some of the most compelling images for our news organization so far.

It gives you a sense of how widespread the damage was. And for more on these devastating tornadoes and the impact, I do want to bring in NBC News meteorologist, Bill Karens. And Bill, as you look at these live images from our drone, what stands out to you? Because we have talked about how incredibly rare and powerful tornadoes here in Mississippi used to be, not anymore. Walk me through why they are now so deadly as well. The first thing I look for it, Tom, is I look at the trees. I look for the big mature trees that have been through thousands of storms. And when you see some of those big oaks and you barely see any branches left on them,

sometimes you just see them splintered. That's a sign of how strong the winds are. You look for the slabs, where houses used to be. It looks like almost one right there in the middle of your screen where something used to sit there on that land, and now it is just completely gone. You only see that with the strongest of the tornadoes, the EF4s, the EF5s. And Mississippi is no stranger to this now. This is the fifth EF4 or higher tornado in the last 13 years.

So we've talked about Tornado Alley switching more to the south. Yeah, this is another example of that. And here's that 59 miles. There's where Tom is right here. This is rolling for it. 59 miles. And it wasn't just that. It's cycled.

It was the same thunderstorm. It took a little break from producing the tornado. And then it produced another one for 30 miles. So, Tom, this was a strong tornado for almost 100 miles. And Bill, unfortunately, there are still more. storms on the way for the south. Can you walk us through what we should expect over the next few days? Yeah, we expect another outbreak at the end of this week. Well, thankfully, it's not going to be where you are there in southern Mississippi. It looks more to the north. But this is the huge storm

off the California coast. We've done this all winter long and now into the spring. We take these huge storms in the California, more heavy rain, three to five inches in the mountains. We're probably seeing some flash flooding and mudslides. The mountainous areas of the Sierra and the southern cascades are going to get feet of snow in the next two days. And then we take the storm into the middle of the country. And I'm going to fast forward to Friday. This is the severe weather risk area from Chicago to Louisiana and especially St. Louis, Memphis to Little Rock, Tom. I think Friday we're going to have another outbreak on our hands. Okay, we will stay nimble out here. Bill Cairns, we appreciate that. We'll continue

our coverage on this devastating tornado outbreak throughout the broadcast, including a live interview with a former police chief here in Rolling Fork, who survived the storm in a bathtub. His compelling story coming up. We now head, though, over. overseas to Israel where outrage hit a boiling point, nationwide strikes bringing the country to an absolute standstill. And late today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announcing he will delay his push to overhaul the judiciary after months of major protests. NBC's Ralph Sanchez is in Jerusalem with the latest.

Tonight, thousands of protesters surrounding Israel's parliament in a sea of flags as a divided nation reaches what some fear may be a breaking point. The crowds demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abandoned his plan to weaken. in Israel's Supreme Court. And we will protest every day in the week until we will win this crazy situation. Overnight blocking Tel Aviv's main highway, police using horses and water cannon to clear the way. The country paralyzed by an unprecedented general strike.

Daycares, banks and restaurants closed, and Israel's main airport shut down for outbound flights as workers walked off the job in protests. Netanyahu tonight forced into a partial concession agreeing to delay his legislation at least least for now. Saying when it's possible to prevent civil war through negotiations, I, as the Prime Minister, take time out for negotiations. But the Prime Minister is still under pressure from far-right members of his own government to keep going. This crowd of right-wing demonstrators has gathered in front of Israel's Supreme Court to support Benjamin Netanyahu. They want him to push ahead with his judicial overhaul despite the massive opposition. And after news, Netanyahu would

delay his plan to take more control over the court, praise from the White. White House. So we welcome this announcement as an opportunity to create additional time and space for compromise. Compromise is precisely what we have been calling for. Still, it's unclear if this Israeli political crisis is over or simply delayed. Now in response to Netanyahu's announcement, the trade unions are ending their strike, so the economy should be back open tomorrow.

But protesters say they are prepared to stay on the streets for as long as it takes until they have a firm commitment from Netanyahu that this plan. is dead and that it is not coming up in another form. Tom. Ralph Sanchez for us tonight from Israel, Raf, we appreciate your reporting. For more on what's happening across Israel and the concession from Prime Minister Netanyahu, I want to bring in Daniel Shapiro. He served as U.S. ambassador to Israel from 2011 to 2017. Daniel, you know, for many Americans, this may be sort of the first reports they're seen of what's happening in Israel. So I want you to walk us through it.

The prime minister there, Netanyahu, has said that the course have become too liberal. But now he's being accused of undermining the strongest democracy in the Middle East. What exactly is going on? There has been a lot of resentment by some, particularly on the right and in religious communities in Israel against the court, because the court has provided a check on some of the things they want to do. They want to expand settlements in the West Bank beyond what has been possible. They want to get exemptions for military service for those who want to continue. their religious studies, they have been basically the main check on the executive branch in that

system. There aren't really any other checks. And some complain that in the 1990s, some decisions were made where the court arrogated to itself more power and more ability to apply a very vague standard of reasonableness to legislation and executive action. But what the proposal that Prime Minister did not have had on the table would have essentially rendered, the Supreme Court toothless. It would have given the executive total control of appointing judges and eliminated the court's ability to review legislation and executive action. And that is what brought out the protesters. You didn't want to see that concentration of power in only one branch of government. You know, you have one side arguing we need the checks and balances in Israel.

You have another side saying the Supreme Court, as you mentioned, was getting too powerful and and in Prime Minister, in Yahoo's opinion, too liberal. Correct me if I'm wrong here. Israel does not even have a constitution. So it's important that each of these bodies of government sort of have equal power, correct? That is correct. Those kinds of checks of balances we're familiar with in the United States, really mostly are not present in the Israeli system. There's no constitution that guarantees basic rights. There's no presidential system to veto legislation. The executive and the legislative branches are basically fused because the governing coalition always controls the majority and the Knesset. And so the only check,

really has been the court. And so this is what the demonstrators were making, the point they were making. And this is a point that President Biden was making, is that what makes Israeli democracy so successful and what has make Israel a great democratic partner in the United States is that it has those common features of rule of law, separation of powers, checks and balances. And if those were put at risk, it really would call into question for many Israelis, whether Israel would still retain the kind of democratic governance that it was always founded. and expected to have. So this is an important moment. Some time has been bought by this delay in bringing the legislation to a vote. There is time for some negotiations and to try to achieve a more

consensus-based rebalancing of the branches of government. But it remains to be seen whether that's a serious attempt to negotiate or just a delaying tactic before another round of the same clash later this year. Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro. We appreciate your analysis. is here on top story. We do want to turn now to the American couple, though, kidnapped in Haiti, a terrifying story. Their family saying they were traveling to the country to visit relatives, but now are being held hostage by gang members for ransom. Gabe Gutierrez has this story. Tonight, the family of an American couple kidnapped in Haiti pleading with the U.S. and Haitian

governments to help return their loved ones safely. We have to keep fighting. We have to let everyone know so that we can get the proper help that we need. Abigail and Gene. Dickens, Toussaint, were traveling to Haiti on March 18th to visit sick family members and participate in a local festival, according to their family. But what was supposed to be a quick trip soon turned into a nightmare. Their family said the Florida couple was taking a bus from the airport when gang members stopped the vehicle and took the Americans hostage. The family saying they were contacted with a ransom demand. They paid part of it, they say, as agreed upon, but then they say the gang went silent. The couple's niece, Christy DeSorms.

when they didn't deliver and they tried to manipulate the whole situation. We were like devastated. We kind of felt like a sense of hopelessness. The missing Americans, both 33 years old, haven't been heard from since, but the family says they're working closely with the FBI to try to bring them back safely. Social unrest and political corruption have led to a wave of gang violence over the past several years in Haiti. According to the United Nations, there have been 531 people killed, 300 injured, and 277 kidnapped and gang-related incidents in Haiti since the beginning of 2023 alone. It's estimated that gangs control about half a quarter prints. Right now they've set up checkpoints across parts of the city, making it difficult and dangerous to get around.

We traveled to Haiti in 2021 when a high-profile hostage situation made headlines after 17 missionaries were kidnapped for over 60 days. Tonight, the State Department telling NBC News when a U.S. citizen, is missing. We work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts, and we share information with families. However, we can. Family members determined to see this couple home again to reunite with their baby, turning two this week. We're fighting. We're going to find you, and we're going to bring you home. The State Department advises Americans not to travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, and civil unrest. The advisory is a level four, the highest kind of alert. It also advises Americans.

who are still in Haiti to leave now. Tom. Gabe Gutierrez for us tonight. Still ahead, a prominent plastic surgeon arrested for murder, the Florida doctor behind bars after a lawyer in his community went missing, how authorities say the two men may be linked. Plus, dramatic video out of Los Angeles showing the moment a blown tire. Take a look at this.

Sent a car flying how that driver miraculously made it out alive. And then an update tonight on former President Trump, the former tabloid publisher who testified at front of the New York grand jury today and what Trump is saying about the likelihood of a criminal indictment. Plus more from tornado ravaged Mississippi. The incredible survivor story you will hear live, plus the spirit of this community coming together in major ways. You're watching a special edition of Top Story. Stay with us. in connection to a missing attorney.

A 911 call went out when he couldn't be found, but that missing person's case quickly turned into a murder investigation after blood was discovered in his law firm's bathroom. And it turns out the lawyer had clients who were in a lawsuit against the plastic surgeon. Stephen Romo has the details. Dr. Thomas Kosowski saw himself as a high-profile plastic surgeon broadcasting his procedures on social media

and even referring to himself as Dr. Tampa Bay on YouTube. Good morning, everyone. This is Dr. Tampa Bay. But this is his latest appearance in front of the cameras, trading his scrubs for a jumpsuit, now charged with a grizzly first-degree murder in connection with a local lawyer's disappearance. You saw me swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing left the truth to help you, God. I do. Casowski was arrested for the murder of 41-year-old Stephen Cossey, whose body has yet to be found, according to authorities. Casowski's lawyer telling reporters outside the courthouse to keep an open mind. These are very, very serious charges.

He's presumed innocent as he's currently sitting in jail. We're conducting our own investigation. But the arrest affidavit outlines a disturbing chain of events. It says police responded to a 911 call on March 21st. The caller telling them, Cozid, went missing that day. WFLA reporting the caller was colleague Jake Blanchard, who spoke with our affiliate. The first reaction was, you know, gosh, is he okay, right? Did he wander off or did he hit his head or something like that?

And then when I couldn't find them, then I was up, then I started to panic. Police noted Kauzy left his wallet, car keys and cell phone behind in his office. And when Blanchard was searching for him, he found, quote, blood smeared on the bathroom door as well as blood on the stall wall and the bottom of the toy. The affidavit says when officers reviewed security footage, they found a gray Toyota Tundra had arrived at around 8.30 a.m. and that an unidentified man entered the office building wearing, quote, gloves, carrying a large box, and wearing a large backpack. About two hours later, police allege a suspect that looked similar to the unidentified man with the same backpack, exited the building, pulling, quote, a large cart that appears to be heavy to his car.

Investigators later say they discovered a fingerprint from Kassowski in the building and blood in his gray Toyota Tundra. The affidavit also says Kazi was never seen leaving the building on security footage. In terms of them finding a body, is he cooperating with investigators? I have no comment whatsoever on that. A few days later, authorities stopped Kisowski in a different car and discovered a ballistic vest with a substantial amount of blood on it and in the trunk. along with a bag containing masks, a taser, brass knuckles, duct tape, and intravenous sedatives, according to the affidavit. Though a potential motive is still unclear, court records show that the pair were linked through a 2019 lawsuit that Kosalski filed against his former employer, the Lawford Institute of Plastic Surgery. WFLA reporting the law firm where Kazi worked represented some of those defendants.

Causey's mother telling NBC news in a text that he was brilliant, witty, and a voracious reader whose love of people took him into law. You don't know why somebody would hurt somebody as nice as this guy. Nobody, I mean, this is the nicest guy, the sweetest guy. I mean, he wouldn't hurt a fly. Stephen Romo joins us live tonight from our top story studios in New York. Steve, this is a twisted and very bizarre story. What more do we know about that lawyer who is actually still missing, correct? Yeah, he is still missing.

disturbing stuff here. That's for certain, Tom. We are learning more about Kazi and his life. His mother says he loved theater and married the love of his life, Michael, saying that, quote, they had the kind of marriage that parents dream about for their children. And adding, we cannot comprehend how all of this is now gone. Just an incredibly sad week for that family, Tom. Okay, Stephen Rommel for us. Stephen, thank you. When we come back, we'll have much more on the deadly tornado disaster here in Mississippi. Joining us live in a moment, a former police chief who wrote out that EF4 tornado in his bathtub, what he saw and what he heard, the chilling screams, plus a grim discovery in Yuvaldi, Texas, who authorities say they found in the back of this freight train. Stay with us. And we are back now with chilling surveillance video showing the moment a monster EF4 tornado ripped through a high school here in central Mississippi on Friday night. You can see the power of that storm, causing the roof to partially collapse. Luckily, no one was inside at the time.

And we'll speak to a man who survived that deadly storm in just a moment, but we want to get to Top Stories news feed right now in the possible indictment of former President Trump. NBC News confirming former National Inquirer Publisher David Pecker testified today before the Manhattan Grand Jury investigating alleged hush money payments made by the former president. Federal prosecutors have previously said Pecker was a key player in payments made to women who claimed they had affairs with Trump before the 2016 election. Over the weekend, the former president

had this to say. It's a fake investigation. We did nothing wrong. I think they've already dropped the case from what I understand. I think it's been dropped. That, of course, the former president's take on everything

that is happening with the grand jury, which, of course, operates in secrecy. The grand jury is done for the night. No word on when they will reconvene next. Two horrific discoveries made on trains in Texas near the U.S. border with Mexico. More than 17 migrants found suffocating on a freight train outside of Yuvaldi. At least two dead and the rest were hospitalized.

Union Pacific confirming a dozen migrants were then found the next day inside of a train car near Eagle Pass. At least one person died in that case. Homeland Security is now investigating. Now to the shocking car crash on a California highway. This video is incredible. It was all captured on dash cam. The video shows two cars.

going down a freeway in Los Angeles when that white pickup truck you see there loses a front tire, the rogue wheel slipping under a nearby Kia, sending that car flying into the air and flipping over before coming to a stop. Miraculously, that Kia driver managing to walk away with just minor

injuries. That is a miracle. We want to return to our continuing coverage of the deadly tornadoes here in Mississippi, and tonight we are joined by Andre Williams, who survived the terrifying twister here in Rolling Fork, where he's a city alderman and a former police chief. Andre, thank you so much for joining us tonight. I know it's been a very tough 48 hours for you and your family.

Can you take us back to Friday night and walk us through what you remember? Friday night, I was sitting in my bedroom and, you know, just looking out the window, and I saw it was blue lightning. It was blue. I didn't hear much. And the alert came on the phone and said, move fast. And by the time I could get up and get out the room, I was low. that train that they often talked about. The sound of a rushing train.

Yes, it was like behind me. And at that moment, it lifted me from the time I walked out my room and lifted me and took me straight into the tub and straight into the bathroom into the tub. The force of that tornado pushed you through a room. Pushing me, I'll exit the room, and before I could turn to the bedroom, it was over with. It took me, and all I heard was the train, and it pushed me. It lifted me up. I'm a big man.

It lifted me up and put me over in the tub. I knew it wasn't. I knew it was angels. I knew it was God because I don't remember. The only thing I remember is being lifted and just, it's just like it was a rush. And so... What's the next thing you remember? The next thing I remember, I was listening.

And a few of it was in. I was laying and I was praying. And all of a sudden, it went away. And so what got me was I felt something behind my back. I felt something behind my back. I said, what is this? And when I finally was able to put it, it was the pillow, the pillow off the living room couch from the front of the house.

I have some back issues. God, it wasn't a matter of God, has set that pillow. in the tub. So when I entered the tub, the pillow was there to brace my back. And I couldn't believe it. We have the pillow here. We're not talking about a small pillow either. This is- Andre, you're telling me that you were lifted. That pillow was lifted, and you both ended up in the bathtub. I don't know when it made it there. It was there when I landed in the tub. I don't remember really landing in the tub. All I remember is being on my side and felt something bracing my tub. I don't remember. I remember it was being on my side and feel some

embracing my back. And of course, it happened, and I was just spraying, and I was, and I was calm. But I felt something on my back, and I said, what is this? And then when I got it, I just couldn't believe it. What did you see when you went out and could you believe what you saw? This is your community. It was devastating. It was devastating. As I've been here since I was five years old, and I went to high school here. I played ball here. I coached little league. here for the last 20 years and it was devastating to see the devastation in our city and it started hearing about the death but I tell you one thing they got back because I'm so into our kids and I thought about my kids my 16 kids that I coached little league we started in

January and I was so concerned about them I was wondering what they hurt and I'll tell you that night I'm gonna take you back when a tornado and it just rained and it just rained and then lightning and when it stopped it was quiet and it was dark and to hear people scream and help help help that's all you could hear help and that was devastating you and you couldn't see anything i couldn't see anything you're a former police chief i mean did you try to jump into action or it was i couldn't do anything i was i was down and i told him i couldn't get up i was i couldn't I could only just kind of raise up a little. And I had to be helped out by the rescuers.

Well, what do you make of this? Like you said, you've been here since you were five. You obviously help out a lot in the community. And then you look behind you, and I look out, and we had a report earlier. A lot of people here are not insured, you know? And this is a small town, and we're going to make sure that people don't forget rolling fork.

Right. But you know they might. No. What I see, where the town they're going to come together. they're going to come together. So far, we have a lot of help. Everybody's coming in. They're very supportive, and we appreciate to you of that. And you know, sometimes things happen for a reason in God's way, not our way. We can't get understanding out something

that's happened. But God has his own reason for things happening. And I think what's going to happen out is going to bring our community together, finally, finally going to bring us together. If you can ask anything of all the viewers that are watching this across the country, what would you ask for? What does the community need most? Togetherness. Have you in your community work together? Council, city council, board of supervisors, school board, work together, work together. You were forced to work together now.

You have to now. It shouldn't take this. Get rid of the politics. Get rid of the politics. Just care. Yeah, let's fix this down. Politics. Let it go. Show some care. Show some real caring.

And that's what it's all about. Andre, we thank you for your time, and we thank you for sharing that story. Appreciate it. Glad you're doing okay and feeling better. Thank you. Coming up, South America also hit with a natural disaster, heavy rains triggering deadly landslides in Ecuador. The race to find survivors trapped under the mud and the concern tonight for those still in the area. Stay with us. Not at Top Story's Global Watch, and we begin with the deadly landslides in central Ecuador.

Aerial footage, take a look, shows a wall of mud and debris covering a community in the Andes Mountains. At least 16 people killed and several others missing. Days of heavy rains triggered these disasters. Residents and rescue teams have been ordered to evacuate the area due to imminent risk of new landslides. And more than two decades after famously becoming the center of a diplomatic custody battle between Cuba and the U.S. Elian Gonzalez will become a Cuban lawmaker. Cuba's national election council said that Gonzalez was among nearly 500 candidates for the island's national assembly approved of by voters. This was expected as the candidates are pre-selected and run unopposed.

It is not a real election. Gonzalez will serve as a candidate for the municipality where he lives. In an interview with a local outlet, Gonzalez said he was encouraged by the Castro brothers to enter politics. All right, coming up next, our closing thoughts from here in rolling forward. the inspiring moments of hope amid the devastation and the people already showing up to help. Stay with us. And finally tonight, we are giving you a live look

at just one of the neighborhoods here in Rolling Fork. You can see the devastation behind me. People quite literally have lost every. We've shown you the images and the reports, but tonight we're also seeing images and scenes of people coming together. They don't have much here, but they are coming together and sharing with what little they have. In Rolling Fork, Mississippi, every home, on every block, now has a story. It's emotional. It's traumatizing. Where do you start? We have nowhere to go. Becky Miles used to call this home. Now it's just a shell of what was here. But in the

In that little corner, Becky and her husband survived. What was it like? I mean, is that all that was left standing? We couldn't believe it. We braced ourselves on the bathroom floor. We just knew the house was going to fall on us. It did not fall on us. Thank God, because we just knew we were dead.

And we just saw the sky. You looked up and you could see the sky. See the sky. Lying there in her destroyed home in utter despair came a sound. she couldn't believe. We heard people yelling. Does anybody needing help? I'm here to help you. I was trying to figure out where did they come from. They were here helping us quick. I can believe it before we could get out the house. That help continues to flood in as Miles begins hunting for valuables among the wreckage, stepping over trampled memories and debris. What's the toughest thing so far you've come across that you're able to recover?

Today, I got very emotional when I found a sign that my husband and I had over our bed. And the sign said, this is our happy place. When I saw that, I thought I was going to lose it because my house is no, our house is no longer here. But we are here. But to see that sign laying on the ground, I couldn't believe it. Across the state, similar stories echo over-leveled lots. The lights started flickering in. I don't know if it was me or somebody who said cooler.

And my husband started just pushing us all into cooler. And this little spot saved our life. We don't know who's alive and who's gone and just trying to hold it together. Pastor Tim Taylor still reeling. He was home with his wife, daughter, and her friend when he got the weather alert to take cover. You think this is going to be your first? forever home, but nothing's forever. And here, volunteers have been working nonstop since even Friday night when they were first

rescuing people, and now they're helping clean up. It's not clear what's next for rolling fork, but the tornado that tore the town apart is now somehow bringing its residents closer. It was scary, but thank God we're alive today to tell about it. And tonight, the cleanup continues. He was just behind us here in Rolling Fork. This community will be at this for several weeks, if not months, and maybe even years. I'm Tom Yamis, with this special edition of Top Story, live from Rolling Fork tonight here in Mississippi.

If our reporting, if these images have touched you, go to our website, NBCNews.com, for information on how you can help the residents across Central Mississippi and the Mississippi Delta. We thank you for watching tonight. Stay right there. More news on the way.