>> announcer: this it is cnn breaking news. >> state of emergency in maryland. baltimore burning. riots breaking out over the death of freddie gray. a man who died after mysteriously being injured after an arrest this month. buildings set on fire. stores looted. police officers attacked. breaking news coverage begins right now. welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. it is tuesday, april 28th. 4:00 a.m. in the east.

west baltimore may be described as a war zone after 12 hours of rioting. new fires this morning. new stores looted. overnight, police officers under attack from rioters. baltimore schools are closed today in the interest of student safety. a 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew begins tonight. correspondent jason carroll is out in it all. good morning, jason. >> reporter: good morning, christine. if you look behind me, this is where much of the rioting broke out here last night. you can still see state police. they are still out here in riot gear standing there holding that position there. a bobcat and an armorred vehicle next to them. such sad night for baltimore. 15 officers injured. businesses burned. cars looted.

cars set on fire. a lot of people questioning how this could have happened. a lot of people not expecting what you saw, christine and the country saw and the world saw last nightday and night. state troopers out here for hours yesterday as the city was under siege. the police commissioner saying that perhaps saying they were outflanked and out numbered for a time. groups of rioters looted a local cvs. then a liquor store and a check cashing store. fire crews were challenged as they were putting out fires. some looters and rioters cut their water hoses making it difficult to do their jobs. the mayor coming out to speak out to say how disappointed she

was to see it all happen. >> this is one of our darkest days as a city. i know that we're much better than this. we know that the world is watching. we cannot allow our city to evolve into chaos because of a small group of criminals that are moving throughout our city. >> reporter: up to 5,000 national guard troops are now on stand by. ready to be property in if necessary. also additional number of support of officers from around the region will be here as well. the hope christine, is that today as the daylight hours are upon us this city does not see a repeat of what they saw out here yesterday and last night. >> jason, you hear the mayor say it is a small group of criminals operating among them. you hear the other officials and

others on the ground saying there are a lot of young people who don't know how to react. they don't have the tools to react to the death of freddie gray. what was the volatile mix that started all this? do we even know? >> reporter: yes. first of all, it wasn't just young people out on the streets of baltimore and into the early morning. yes, a lot of young people. yes, the young people started it according to police. over the weekend, through social media, there was talk of a purge named after the movie which the movie is about a night of lawlessness. that started going out over the weekend. when some of the local high schools got out, some of the local high school students started to come out and cause trouble. that's how it started. it started to spread after that. it wasn't just young people out

here. two ours ago, we saw a rite aid set afire. the results of that. it is not just young people out on the streets. old people out here too. as light comes up here in baltimore, i think people will start to realize that it was not just young people but a number of people. >> thank you, jason carroll. a long night for you and the people of those neighborhoods. let's talk about what was the spark of all of this. officials say monday's riots started with the message that spread on social media about a purge. that's a reference to a 2013 thriller a movie in which crime was temporarily legalized. 24 hours of lawlessness. baltimore police responded by sending hundreds of police officers to a local mall and transit hub used by high school students.

commissioner anthony batt said bricks and stones were thrown at officers. >> we had information that the madawin, mall. we had 200 police officers stained in and around the mall at the time the youth got out of school. stones thrown at them. the officers proceeded northbound to push the youth. the officers were caught on an incline where the officers were injured. one hit in the head and taken to the hospital. >> freddie gray's family called for calm. this happened on the day of his funeral. family members say freddie gray would never have wanted this. >> earlier today and we had a beautiful home service and to see that it turned into all this

violence and destruction i am really appalled. family i love you. we are supposed to be in this for justice. is it just us? >> i think violence is wrong. freddie was not full of violence. he is not the type of person to break into stores. >> just 40 miles away in washington. loretta lynch faced a crisis. after the evening with president obama, she said i condemn the senseless acts by those in baltimore that resulted in harm to law enforcement officers and a shattering of peace in the city of baltimore. i will bring the full resources of the department of justice to bear and protecting those under threat and investigating wrongdoing. white house correspondent michelle kosinski has more. >> reporter: christine, so far, we have seen a restrained and

low key response from the white house on this. that is similar to what we have seen in priordemonstrations. what we heard at the white house were things like if the president, the questions if he will go there or if he will deliver a specific statement. what good would that do at this point. might it even inflate the situation or escalate it in some way. right now, the white house is putting this firmly in the hands of the department of justice. the brand new hours into her swearing in attorney general loretta lynch. the president met with her. she updated him. they talked about doj resources that could be used there in baltimore. it was loretta lynch who delivered the statement to the public calling it a senseless act of violence. in addition to the investigation, resources could

be used in baltimore. community relations and community policing. we're also seeing outreach from the president. he had a phone call with the baltimore mayor yesterday. the white house is not saying if that was pre- or post riots. he had a call with the maryland governor. what the white house is putting out is they talked about some planning and maybe some logistical things. what the maryland governor said is the president supported what they are doing at this point. he may even send the attorney general to baltimore. other than that that's where the white house is speaking. they want to get the message out that they are engaged through the department of justice. christine. >> michelle kosinski thanks. we will get back to that story.

turning to the earthquake in nepal. the death toll from the huge 7.8 quake is at 4,400. most of them in nepal. officials say at least 8,000 people were hurt. rescue and aid workers struggling this morning with the scale of this disaster. there are supply shortages and blackouts and wide spread devastation. that is just in the capital of kathmandu. the death and damage in the countryside is yet to be tallied. we have robbie standing by with the latest in new delhi. >> reporter: experts are saying the first 72 hours are the most crucial to find any survivors. we are past 72 hours. we are witnessing the worst in kathmandu. cramped cities and collapsed buildings. the army seems to be on the

ground and knows what it needs to do. the problem is christine, we don't now know the extent of the damage in all of nepal's villages and rural areas. every time the army tries to get to those parts of nepal, there are more landslides. the worst may not be over. >> looking at some pictures robbie from reuters that show the devastation along the roads and priceless temples there. you can see that. what kind of resources are being deployed to get to the countryside and assess things there. i know the first three steps are major. rescue first aid, getting people to communication. there is no communication restored yet, is there? >> no not everywhere. the bold reality is nepal is not

equipped to deal with this. the army is only 90,000 strong. nepal only had 12 working helicopters. india india has been a huge amount of support. it sent in food and aid and water and medical supplies and sending in helicopters and many rescue and research teams to help get back on track. nepal needs help from india and china and from the u.s. >> thank you, robbie in new delhi. happening now, a daring rescue operation at the top of the world. helicopter pilots risking their lives at the peak of mt. everest. trying to rescue stranded climbers from the highest point on the planet. let's go live to london and bring in eric mclaughlin. erin do we know how many people are still stranded on that mountain? >> reporter: christine, among the tragedy, some good news on

mt. everest. i have been speaking to climbers who tell me the last of the stranded climbers have been evacuated from the areas above base camp this morning. they were brought down by chopper yesterday. we saw this incredible rescue operation underway as chapoppers were zipping up the mountain side to bring climbers back to the base. the area known as the kumbu ice fall was devastated. as for the base camp which as we know was devastated by the avalanche, i was speaking to a 17-year-old climber this morning. matthew moniz from boulder, colorado. he was telling me of the panic. he said he hid behind a rock as the ice was whizzing by.

he described to me the incredible scene of chaos and comradery as the base camp came together to rescue the injured and look for the missing and find tragically the dead. at least 17 killed. he said a makeshift clinic was set up. everything is calm at the base camp. what they are doing is waiting for international airport to open at kathmandu to international flights so they can leave. >> we are showing the pictures the moment of the avalanche hit the base camp as everyone ran into their tents. thank you, erin. we are following the latest on the baltimore riots. a pastor who watched his church burn down. he is speaking out ahead. first, the boston bomber dzhokhar tsarnaev's attorneys try to save him from the death penalty. dramatic courtroom testimony next. in just this one moment, your baby is getting even more than clean.

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we're following the breaking news from baltimore. baltimore erupting into violence shortly after the funeral of freddie gray. a young man who died in police custody. rioters setting fires and throwing rocks at police and firefighters. 15 officers injured in what was mayhem. more than two dozen people arrested. a state of emergency is now in effect. the national guard is being deployed to the city. a pastor who saw his church burn down spoke to cnn. >> i haven't lost my focus. i haven't lost my sense of resill resill resillency. my eyes are filled with tears because we exist.

>> watching his church burn down. public schools in baltimore are closed down today. the mayor announcing a citywide curfew at 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. the defense calling the witnesses in the penalty phase of dzhokhar tsarnaev trial. his attorneys trying to spare his client the death penalty. the convicted bomber was the product of a dysfunctional family and fell under the spell of his brother tamerlan. we get more from deborah feyerick in boston. >> reporter: christine, dzhokhar tsarnaev's defense team really trying persuade the jury that life in prison is in their words the better choice. they are trying to show the jury that sentencing him to a maximum security facility where he will be with other terrorists well he will become irrelevant. the defense case centered not on dzhokhar tsarnaev so much as his older brother tamerlan.

they are trying to show that if it were not for tamerlan the boston marathon bombing would never have happened. they called many witnesses, some testifying against their will. they had to be subpoenaed to show up in court. testifying it was tamerlan who was religious and belligerent. he called the imam a hypocrite because the imam suggested the muslims in the u.s. should be involved in holidays like thanksgiving and revere martin luther king. one of the key witnesses was tamerlan tsarnaev's mother-in-law. she testified she was not in favor of the relationship. her daughter katharine marrying tamerlan after the couple became pregnant with their first and only child. now as for the rest the defense really set out to show that

tsarnaev's family was dysfunctional. the tsarnaev parents had psychiatric disorders. when they returned to dagestan operate separately tamerlan took dzokhar under his wing and led him down the path to the bombing. >> deborah feyerick in boston. we are following breaking news in baltimore. riots breakingysteriously injured during an arrest. we have that and the latest on baltimore ahead. we are learning new information about the student tackled by a teacher when he opened fire inside his high school. next.

a state of emergency now in effect in baltimore. the city boiling over after the funeral of freddie gray. more than two dozen arrests. rioters setting fires to stores and looting stores. the national guard has been called in to restore order. emotions running high right now on the city streets. >> this right here is not relevant. they need to have their butts at home. they need to be in their home. units with their families

studying and doing something with their life. not out here protesting about nothing. they do not respect this young man's death. >> i hope all of the kids and everybody stays off the streets. maybe we can calm down. if we don't get justice, we're not going to calm down. >> the baltimore orioles baseball game had to be postponed. public schools in baltimore closed today. the mayor announcing a week long curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. that beginning tonight. 26 minutes past the hour. a teenager who opened fire inside a high school in washington state told them he never intended to harm students. the 16-year-old fired two shots monday inside north thurston high school in lacey, washington. before he was tackled by a teacher hero. >> i think staff and students are always thinking what if. in this case the teacher reacted in a brave way.

reportedly he is an ap government teacher. a rather large guy and popular teacher. i'm glad that he had the wherewithal he reacted the way he did. >> the 16-year-old gunman now in custody. his motives still not clear. police say he had some issues and personal relationships. it is possible the teen was attempting suicide by cop. breaking news. riots spreading through the streets of baltimore all night. we are live with what is happening next. [ male announcer ] you wouldn't leave your car unprotected. but a lot of us leave our identities unprotected. nearly half a million cars were stolen in 2012. but for every car stolen 34 people had their identities stolen. identity thieves can steal your money damage your credit and wreak havoc on your life. why risk it when you can help protect yourself from identity theft with one call to lifelock, a leader in identity theft protection?

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>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> our breaking news this morning, baltimore burning. buildings destroyed. stores looted. officers attacked. demonstrators furious over the death of 25-year-old freddie gray. the man who died following the mysterious injury during his arrest. complete coverage on our big story this morning begins now. welcome back to "early start." i'm christine romans. 31 minutes past the hour. there is breaking news this morning. west baltimore might be described as a war zone after more than 12 hours of rioting. new fires this morning. more stores being looted. overnight, police officers under attack from rioters. the governor declaring a state of emergency. baltimore schools are closed today in the interest of student safety. a 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew begins tonight. correspondent jason carroll is

out in baltimore this morning. jason, there are fires that firefighters are trying to put out at this hour. have the crowds subsided? >> reporter: things are looking relatively calm at least for now. i know a number of people here in baltimore are hoping that situation lasts. let me set the scene for where we are right now, christine. standing here on west north avenue where you saw the arrests yesterday afternoon and last night. if you look up the street you see members of the state troopers who are holding their position in riot gear. you have a bobcat here. they will hold that position throughout the day. much more in terms of law enforcement here and on the ground today. people are still reeling in terms of what they saw last night. a lot of people here in the city city officials, local residents did not expect to see the amount of rioting and

looting they saw last night. groups of rioters started by looting a cvs, then burned it to the ground. then a liquor store and check cashing store. they threw objects at police. fire crews unable to do their job when some of the rioters came out and put holes in hoses. it raised a lot of questions about the response. a lot of people questioning did the city's mayor do enough. she spoke about that late last night. >> i think it is again, i want to thank the governor for his support for being here and baltimore as we bring order. it is a very delicate balancing act to make sure you protect people's right to free speech. their right to protest. the fact people exploited the opportunity to protest with violence and looting doesn't

mean i don't have a duty to protect people's right to be heard. >> reporter: the mayor brought up ferguson in terms of her defense. she said she learned from ferguson in how overreacting to a situation can make a situation worse. although there was violence on saturday when they saw looting on saturday she said they still felt they had the situation under control. as you know it was only until today when she requested the governor send in the national guard. some people were questioning why that wasn't done earlier. christine. >> the pictures we're seeing jason, are not of a city or neighborhood under control. what if anything are they doing differently as dawn breaks and they face a curfew tonight? anger still simmering over the death of freddie gray.

>> reporter: the anger has been simmering for quite some time. it is still here. in terms of the difference one thing is clear. they already have more forces on the ground which they did not have earlier. you heard the police commissioner say at one point, they were outnumbered and out outflanked. they have more troops on the ground to help them if things go south. you will see a different response. you have a curfew that will be in place as well. these are some of the things that city officials are hoping will make a difference today. >> jason carroll, thank you. officials say monday's riots started with a message that spread on social media about a purge. it is a reference to a 2013 thriller in which crime is

legalized. hundreds of officers went to a local mall and hub used by high school students. students started throwing bricks and stones at the officers. >> we had got even information that yesterday that at the mondawin mall. we had about 200 police officers staged in or around mondawin mall after the youth got out of school. stones were thrown at them. officers proceeded northbound to push the youth in the northerly direction. the officers got caught where a number of officers got injured. one officer knocked out and hit in the head and taken to the hospital. >> freddie gray's family has called for calm on the day of his funeral. they were quick to speak out

against the violence when it began to happen. family members say freddie gray would never have wanted this. >> earlier today, we had a beautiful home service and to see it turned into the violence and destruction i'm appalled. family i love you. we are supposed to be in this for justice. is it just us? >> i think the violence is wrong. freddie gray was not a person full of violence. he wasn't that type of person to break into stores. i don't like it. >> just about 40 miles away in washington loretta lynch facing the crisis hours after her swearing in on monday. after a meeting with president obama, lynch released a statement saying i condemn the senseless acts of violence in baltimore that resulted in harm to law enforcement officers and destruction of property and shattering of peace in the city of baltimore. i will bring the full resources of the department of justice to bear and protecting those under

threat investigating wrongdoing and investigating the violence. correspondent michelle kosinski has more on the reaction to the riots. >> reporter: christine, so far, we have seen a restrained and low key response from the white house. that is similar to what we have seen in prior incidents where police abuse alleged. in the prior incidents, we heard behind the scenes at the white house, if the president is going to go there and if he will deliver a specific statement. what good would that do at this point and might it even inflate the situation or escalate it. right now, the white house is putting this firmly in the hands of the department of justice. this brand new hours into her swearing in attorney general, loretta lynch. the president met with her. she updated him. they talked about doj resources that could be used there in baltimore. it was loretta lynch who

delivered the statement to the public condemning what she called senseless acts of violence and talking about the federal resources that at this point in addition to the investigation, could be used in baltimore. people on the ground. community relations and community policing. people from the civil rights division. we're also seeing outreach from the president. he had a phone call with the baltimore mayor yesterday. the white house isn't saying if that was pre-or post riots. he had a call with the maryland governor. the white house is reading out or putting out a summary of the call with the mayor, but not the one with the governor. it seems like what we hear from resources is they talked about planning or logistical things that the white house doesn't want to talk about at this point. what the maryland governor said is the president supported what they are doing at this point and he may send the attorney general herself to baltimore. other than that that's where the white house is standing. the president is not speaking

directly on this. they are engaged through the department of justice. christine. >> michelle in washington for that. let's turn to the earthquake in nepal. the death toll now stands at 4,400. most of them in nepal. officials say at least 8,000 people were hurt. rescue and aid workers struggling with the scale of the does disaster. that is just in the capital of kathmandu. in the countryside, the death and damage have yet to be tallied. we have robbie standing by in new delhi. robbie reuters officials think the death toll could top 10,000. it is just too early to tell. >> reporter: it is too early to tell. at the start of the crisis experts said the first 72 hours are the most crucial period if you are to find survivors.

we are past that period now. if anyone is strapped in debris in kathmandu or the rural areas, the chances of them surviving is slim. the information we are getting, on the one hand we know what is going on in kathmandu. we know that people are rushing out of their homes and homes have been compromised. if there is one ray of light to that we know the worst. the army is there and they are helping. aid is reaching kathmandu. the second point of information, we don't know what is happening in the rural parts of nepal. how do you get aid to those parts of nepal when there are no roads. mountain areas and landslides. there are a lot of problems in rural nepal. this death toll of 4,400 is likely going to go up because we don't know the worst that has

happened. >> ravi we look at buildings that have been pancaked we know the income per person in that country is something like $1,000 a year. it is a poor country. infrastructure is poor. housing construction is poor. do we think that they are still finding survivors in the piles of rubble at this hour? >> reporter: hard to say, christine. the last person i spoke to on india's national response team they said that you know, they found a few in the last 24 hours, but really that number is really dwindling. it is hard to find anyone anymore. in the rural parts, you need to get there first. >> whole villages likely wiped out. thank you, ravi from new delhi. a rescue operation at the top of the world is over.

helicopter pilots risking their lives at the peak of mt. everest. rescuing climbers. the latest word now all of those climbers have been saved. i want to go live to london and erin mclaughlin has been following this rescue effort. erin. >> reporter: christine, that is right. among the tragedy, a glimmer of good news from mt. everest. i was speaking to climbers earlier today who say the last of the stranded climbers were rescued from mt. everest this morning. this after really what was an incredible rescue mission yesterday. choppers zipping up the mountain side. about 200 climbers believed to be stranded up there. evacuated by chopper because the kumbu ice fall was ravaged from the quake with the avalanche.

now they have been brought back to base camp which is devastated by the earthquake. an avalanche passed through there. i was speaking to a 17-year-old climber from boulder, colorado by the name of matthew moniz. he told me of his sheer terror as he was hiding behind a rock as the avalanche passed through. once it passed through, the entire camp came together to try to rescue the injured. 17 were killed and moniz spent all day yesterday carrying the injured to the makeshift clinic. the real clinic had been completely wiped out. he said this morning the camp is calm. he said that the adrenaline and numbness he felt is wiping away as they realize the tremendous pain and loss. they are waiting for the

kathmandu airport to open up. there is a group of climbers 100 of them who still say they want to try to climb mt. everest. they are waiting to assess that ice fall i was talking about to see if they can pass through. >> unbelievable. erin thank you for that. glad the rescue operation is complete. we are continuing to follow the news in baltimore. protests turning into riots. the governor of maryland is angry and speaking out. we have more on that next. and how the boston bomber's attorneys are trying to keep him off death row next.

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we are following this breaking news from baltimore. baltimore erupted into violence shortly after the funeral of freddie gray. rioters setting fires, looting stores throwing rocks at police and firefighters. 15 officers injured in the mayhem. more than two dozen people arrested and angry governor larry hogan declaring a state of emergency and ordering the national guard to the city. >> this is lawless gangs of thugs roaming the streets causing damage to property and injuring innocent people. all of this is deserving. when you see the law enforcement officers hurt and police cars

are on fire and buildings set ablaze ablaze. it was disturbing. we called everybody together in advance of the city requesting. we were fully ready to engage immediately. >> public schools in baltimore will be closed today. the mayor of baltimore announcing a citywide curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. tonight. the defense calling eight witnesses on the first day of the case in the penalty phase of dzhokhar tsarnaev trial. tsarnaev's attorney trying to spare him the death penalty. the convicted marathon bomber was the product of a dysfunctional family and fell under the spell of his brother tamerlan. lawyer david brock would be a fate worse than death. we are continuing toful the breaking news from baltimore. buildings and cars set on fire. stores looted. officers attacked. just a night of horror.

baltimore's mayor defending how she handled that chaos. more on this ahead next.

a state of emergency now boiling over in baltimore. now more than two dozen arrests

with rioters setting fires and looting stores and throwing rocks at police and throwing rocks at firefighters. 15 officers injured in the mayhem. the national guard called in to help restore order. baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake says she had to balance strong enforcement against protesters free speech rights. >> i am going to protect people's right to protest. the fact that people exploited that does not mean i did not have an obligation to protect people's right to protest. i never said nor would i ever say that we are giving people space to destroy our city. my words should not be twisted. >> baltimore orioles baseball game postponed last night. public schools in the city closed today. the mayor announcing a week long citywide curfew 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

the riots spreading through the streets of baltimore. we are live with what's happening right now next.

>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> state of emergency in maryland. baltimore is burning. riots breaking out over the death of freddie gray. a man who died after being mysteriously injured after being arrested earlier this month. stores looted and vandalized. police officers attacked. we have breaking news coverage now.

welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. it is 5:00 a.m. in the east. a lot going on overnight in baltimore. breaking news there this morning. west baltimore may be described as a war zone after more than 12 hours of rioting. new fires this morning. more stores looted. overnight, police officers under attack from rioters. the governor declaring a state of emergency. baltimore schools closed today in the interest of student safety. a 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew begins tonight. our correspondent jason carroll was there in the middle of it overnight. he has the latest for us. jason, set the table for us. bring us up to speed. >> reporter: even up until a few hours ago, we were at a rite aid that was set on fire. just when you thought it was all going to be over even at that late hour still unrest. firefighters were able to get there and put the fire out.