Mosheh Oinounou: Mayor.
Mayor Eric Adams: Hey, brother. How are you?
Oinounou: I’m doing okay. I wish, you know, we talked about having another conversation. I wish it was under better circumstances.
Mayor Adams: Yeah, well said. Well said.
Oinounou: How are we doing right now? As a city? I know you've been in touch with some of the family, the NYPD. What is the latest?
Mayor Adams: It’s extremely challenging to rationalize an action of this level of violence. And as I walk through the crime scene yesterday and seen the physical– visual, I should say, impact of what took place when an individual entered our city with a clear intention of inflicting violence on New Yorkers. We lost a police officer, as it was told to the media and to the public. A three year veteran with two children and a wife that’s pregnant, with a child on the way.
It’s extremely challenging for men and women, but they do what they do well. The men and women of our law enforcement community, they get up the next day and they carry out their function of protecting New Yorkers, like Officer Islam did for us yesterday.
Oinounou: You are a veteran of the NYPD. What goes through your mind when you learn about a fallen officer, killed in duty?
Mayor Adams: It was extremely painful yesterday, not only losing an officer and civilians of this magnitude, a senseless act of violence. But, after speaking with the dad and learning that this was his only son, I couldn't help at the press conference to repeatedly have an image of Jordan, my only son, and how I would have felt and what my emotions would have been like. No matter how many children you have, but losing an only son is an extremely painful action, and I thought about that.
And I know how challenging it is, even when, at the beginning of my administration, when we lost Officer Mora and Rivera and other officers. I know that this impacts the law enforcement community, and it takes a long time to get over this action. We're going to give New Yorkers a way to really console each other.
Today, we're going to do a vigil at eight p.m. at Bryant Park. We're just asking New Yorkers who want to come and pray together and stand together against violence and hate to join us there. But I thought about all of those emotions yesterday as I stood with the police commissioner, the district attorney, and our federal partners.
Oinounou: So you talked about the shooter's three-page suicide note. What more do we know at this hour about his motive? What have the Police Department in Vegas told you so far? And what further information are you seeking right now?
Mayor Adams: Well, we are sending two teams of police officers to Las Vegas, to Nevada. One team is going to look specifically into the guns that were used, one that was used, and one that was inside the BMW. We're going to determine how did he get access to them. We believe in a preliminary review that he had a carry permit. We want to find out more details on that.
The second gun that was used in the actual shooting, we do know that the lower part of the gun was purchased by an associate of his. We're going to interview that associate and find out exactly was he aware of what was taking place. So there's going to be a thorough investigation that will determine his relationship with the shooter. And we also have a team that is going to carry out a thorough search warrant to search the shooter's home.
Oinounou: Do we have a sense, I mean, you discussed his mental health history, that he owned those weapons legally despite that?
Mayor Adams: That is still under investigation. We know that he obtained the revolver that was not used in the shooting. He obtained that using his carry permit. We're digging deeper into the weapon that was actually used in the shooting.
Oinounou: And is there any sense at all that any of the victims, that he had a connection to any of the victims, or is the investigation right now sort of concluding that the people he picked at random?
Mayor Adams: We know that when he walked in, there was a clear random act of violence after review of the videotapes. He was clearly shooting any and everyone he came in contact with, even the security officer behind the desk, a police officer, Islam as well, and two other innocent people who were in a lobby area. It is unknown to us why one individual, he walked past without shooting. But once he got on the floor of the Rudin Management, he continued to discharge his weapon in a very random and reckless act.
We really want to commend Rudin Management for the one, the training that they have put in place for active shooter drills, but also for creating safe spaces within their building. They had bathrooms that doubled as safe spaces with bulletproof doors. And you can lock in place to prevent anyone from coming in. They took major steps to be prepared for an active shooter of this magnitude.
Oinounou: Yeah, I'm curious as to the message that you sent to New Yorkers, what can be done here? Because this was an individual who appears to have had these weapons, drove them across the country. New York is a state where he would have a much more difficult time or impossible time getting those weapons.
What's your message to New Yorkers about what can be done and how they can feel safe going about their days?
Mayor Adams: I think three important things. One, we must join the chorus to call for stricter and stronger gun laws, particularly preventing them from getting in the hands of dangerous individuals who are dealing with mental health issues, which appears to be part of this conversation.
The second is to be prepared and, unfortunately, know about active shooters drills. We have been collaborating with our corporate security teams of many of our top companies on looking at best practices and knowing what to do in these shooting scenarios.
Thirdly, I think it's important to really be part of the advocacy of ensuring that if they see something, say something, do something. If you see someone with a dangerous weapon, to notify the police. That has been our success here in the city, where we've moved over close to 2,300 illegal guns off our streets. And this city is the safest big city in America.
When you look at the last six months, the record level of decreased homicides and shootings shows how we have been focused on gun violence. It's not a consolation when you have a shooting of this magnitude of someone coming outside our city to create this violence. But we're going to continue to do what we have done well in this city with this police commissioner and these men and women who have worn a blue uniform to protect the city.
Oinounou: Yeah, this is one of the more secure buildings, right? And the city is, I mean, as you look at, I know we're still not even 24 hours out, mayor, but in terms of already, have we learned some lessons? Are we thinking about some lessons to what other buildings, both residential, commercial, restaurants, all the variety of things we have in New York City need to be doing?
Mayor Adams: Yes, and as I alluded to, we have been meeting with our corporate security team leaders. And those meetings have been extremely fruitful. They have tried out for us various safety, in particular, gun detection equipment that we can later incorporate in our cities. But they have been sharing information with other security corporate leaders.
We have maintained an important relationship with our security team. And I believe that relationship saved lives yesterday because those who were in the building, they followed some of the practices of an active shooter's drill. And the head of Rudin Management were carrying out those drills so their employees can be safe. And we're really encouraging all employers to do the same. Those drills work and it saves lives.
Oinounou: Any further clarity as to, I mean, it sounds like, based on the note that he left behind, that his goal was getting to the NFL floor. Was it just mistaken, or was there basically preventative measures taken in place to ensure he didn't get there? Or was it just total circumstances as they were?
Mayor Adams: It appears that there are different elevator sections and we don't know 100 percent what his desire was, but it appears as though he was trying to get to the floor where the NFL headquarters was located. But all of that is still part of the active investigation.
Oinounou: As far as what New Yorkers, and frankly, anyone who wants to support the victims here can do, especially the family of the NYPD officer, is there anything you suggest?
Mayor Adams: A prayer works to pray for the family and those who, the families, and those who were impacted. And they can communicate to the police foundation as well. And the Widows and Orphans Fund of the New York City Police Department. So there are a multiple number of ways you could assist this family.
The Widow and Orphans Fund helps the families of slain police officers and that is something that's important. But no matter what we do, we should start with a word of prayer to give them strength as they go through this difficult moment.
Oinounou: And final thing, and tell me if, you know, there's enough time to discuss this, but the whole Defund the Police movement, the criticism that NYPD has been taken, do you feel that that has had an impact here on the police?
Mayor Adams: Well, we have witnessed a large number of assaults on police officers. We don't know the mindset of this shooter, but to be that comfortable to take the life of an officer while he is in uniform, I think that what we have witnessed over the years of this anti-police energy, we may have to finally realize how important the role is of our police officers.
I think far too many people have taken the job for granted and taken the unpredictability of the job for granted. There's no such thing as a routine day for a police officer. And I don't believe many people fully understand that.
Oinounou: Mayor, thank you for joining us. We look forward to you, you know, keeping us up to date and then next conversation in much better circumstances.
Mayor Adams: Thank you, take care.
Oinounou: Thank you.
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