CNN Airs Uncensored F-Word Interview With Capital Gazette Newsroom Survivors

After Thursday's horrific shooting in a Maryland newsroom, CNN aired an uncensored interview with [...]

By Michael Hein

After Thursday's horrific shooting in a Maryland newsroom, CNN aired an uncensored interview with one of the survivors.

Anderson Cooper interviewed Phil Davis and Selene San Felice, staff writers for the Capital Gazette, just hours after they had survived an attack on their work place. He warned his viewers ahead of time that there would be "strong language" in the taped interview, but the network made the decision not to sensor expletives.

"Understandably, some of their descriptions are emotional, and there is some strong language," Cooper said just before the interview rolled.

Davis and San Felice then explained their experiences to Cooper in an audio interview, as footage from the shooting played on the screen. They both survived by hiding under desks as the shots rang out, and they both witnessed their colleague, John McNamara, getting shot.

"John got shot, it was very close," San Felice said in a measured tone. "I saw him get shot, but I didn't see the gunman or anything. He fell down." She explained how she had hidden under a desk and tried to control her rapid breathing so as not to be heard. This prompted Cooper to ask her what it sounded like in the room, and whether anyone was talking.

"I just remember the shots," she said. "I don't remember if it was before or after the shots, but John said 'what the f—.' Those are the only words I can remember."

In the original broadcast, the curse was left un-edited, according to a report by Entertainment Tonight. At the end of the interview, San Felice let another one slip while addressing President Donald Trump's response to the shooting.

"I'm not trying to make this political right?" she said. "But we need more than prayers – I want your prayers but I want something else. I just don't know what I want right now, right? But I'm gonna need more than a couple days of news coverage and some thoughts and prayers because it's – our whole lives have been shattered. And so thanks for your prayers, but I couldn't give a f— about them if there's nothing else."

Five people were killed in the shooting -- 61-year-old Gerald Fischman, 59-year-old Rob Hiaasen, 56-year-old John McNamara, 34-year-old Rebecca Smith and 65-year-old Wendi Winters.

Two others were injured and have since been released from the hospital, according to CNN.

Both San Felice and Davis have been active on Twitter since the attack, updating followers on the shooting itself and their personal well-being in the wake of the tragedy.

San Felice even addressed the fixation on her language in the CNN interview.

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