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Tag: Assault and battery

  • Purdue student charged with murder in roommate’s killing

    Purdue student charged with murder in roommate’s killing

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    LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Purdue University student was charged with murder Thursday in the stabbing death of his roommate, whose body was found by officers sitting in a chair in their campus dorm room.

    Ji Min Sha, a 22-year-old cybersecurity major from Seoul, South Korea, faces one count of murder in the killing of Varun Manish Chheda, 20, of Indianapolis.

    Prosecutors allege that Sha stabbed Chheda, a data science major, several times in the head and neck with a folding knife that officers found on the floor near the chair where Chheda’s body was discovered, according to the Journal & Courier in Lafayette, Indiana.

    Purdue Police Chief Lesley Wiete said last week that Sha called police early on Oct. 5 and told them his roommate was dead in their first-floor dorm room on the campus in West Lafayette, which is about 65 miles (104 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis.

    Officers who arrested Sha found him wearing clothes with blood on them, prosecutors said, and an autopsy found that Chheda had died of “multiple sharp-force traumatic injuries.”

    Sha appeared in court Thursday afternoon for his initial hearing before a Tippecanoe County magistrate who informed him of his rights and told Sha he could face between 45 and 60 years in prison if he’s convicted of Chheda’s murder. He is being held without bond.

    A message seeking comment from Sha’s attorney, Kyle Cray, was left Thursday afternoon by The Associated Press.

    Prosecutors have not disclosed a motive in the killing. But Sha told reporters “I was blackmailed,” when asked last week why he killed Chheda, without elaborating. He also apologized to Chheda’s family, the Journal & Courier reported.

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  • 91-year-old civil rights activist stabbed in Boston park

    91-year-old civil rights activist stabbed in Boston park

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    BOSTON — A 91-year-old civil rights activist and education advocate was stabbed multiple times while walking her dog in a Boston park, authorities said.

    Jean McGuire, the first Black woman to serve on the Boston School Committee, was stabbed in Franklin Park at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said Wednesday after visiting McGuire at the hospital.

    McGuire’s stabbing, as well as the recent fatal shooting of a 14-year-old boy in the city, is unacceptable, said Hayden, whose family has been close to McGuire’s for years.

    “I’m certainly outraged, and I think we have to be at the point where we have an entire community that is equally as outraged and will not stand for this sort of random violence any further,” he said.

    The good news is that McGuire is “as spunky and as vibrant as ever and is going to be just fine, praise the Lord,” he said.

    McGuire’s sister, Jeriline Brady McGinnis, told multiple news outlets that her sister has been walking dogs in the park for decades.

    “What did he want? Dog walkers don’t carry money. We carry poop bags and ID. That’s all he’s going to get. Unless he felt the urge to just beat up somebody who’s defenseless,” McGuire’s sister told WFXT-TV.

    McGuire was unconscious when officers found her. She was taken to a hospital with injuries that aren’t considered life-threatening, police said in a statement.

    “I am disgusted and angry to know that an elder in our community had to fear for her safety going about her daily routine, walking her dog,” Mayor Michelle Wu said.

    The suspect remains at large but might have been injured during the attack, police said.

    In addition to being the first Black woman to serve on the school committee, where she served for a decade starting in 1981, McGuire in 1966 helped found METCO, the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, which sends students of color from Boston to predominantly white suburban schools. She became the program’s executive director in 1973 and served in the position until 2016, according to a biography posted by Northeastern University.

    Milly Arbaje-Thomas, the current president and CEO of METCO, called McGuire a trailblazer.

    “We’re all very saddened by this news, very shocked,” she said. “She’s a woman who has dedicated her life to educational equality.”

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  • Police: Woman held captive for a month, repeatedly raped

    Police: Woman held captive for a month, repeatedly raped

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    EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. — A Missouri woman was held captive in a basement room for about a month and was raped repeatedly before she was able to escape, according to charging documents filed Tuesday.

    The suspect, 39-year-old Timothy M. Haslett of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, was arrested Friday and appeared in court by video Tuesday from the Clay County jail.

    Judge Louis Angles entered a not guilty plea on Haslett’s behalf on charges of first-degree rape or attempted rape, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault. He is jailed on $500,000 bond and told the court on Tuesday that he needs a public defender to represent him.

    The victim was found early Friday, wearing latex lingerie and a metal collar with what appeared to be a padlock on the front, the Kansas City Star reported. The woman told police she had been been picked up in early September, then taken to a home and kept in a small room in the suspect’s basement.

    Police removed the lock which they said was restricting the woman’s breathing. She pointed out the home where she was held as she was being driven to the hospital, according to a probable cause statement from a detective.

    “He kept her restrained in handcuffs on her wrists and ankles. She was able to get free when he took his child to school,” the probable cause statement said. The woman told police that Haslett whipped and raped her frequently.

    The Star reported that since Haslett’s arrest, police have carried large bags of evidence from the ranch-style home. They’ve used a cadaver dog — which can track the missing or dead — to examine the yard and Haslett’s truck.

    Excelsior Springs, a town of 11,600 residents, is 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City.

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  • Filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, is set to testify against Harvey Weinstein in his Los Angeles sexual assault trial | CNN

    Filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, is set to testify against Harvey Weinstein in his Los Angeles sexual assault trial | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Jennifer Siebel Newsom, an award-winning filmmaker and wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, is set to testify in the sexual assault trial of disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein in Los Angeles, her attorneys told CNN Monday.

    “Like many other women, my client was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein at a purported business meeting that turned out to be a trap,” said Beth Fegan, one of Newsom’s attorneys.

    “She intends to testify at his trial to seek some measure of justice for survivors and as part of her life’s work to improve the lives of women,” Fegan said.

    Weinstein, 70, is set to go on trial again, more than two years after he was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape charges in New York and sentenced to 23 years in prison.

    After he was found guilty in New York, the once-powerful movie mogul was moved to Los Angeles, where he’s been serving his prison sentence.

    In Los Angeles, Weinstein faces multiple sexual assault charges that he has pleaded not guilty to last year, including four counts of rape, four counts of forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by force and sexual battery by restraint in incidents dating from 2004 to 2013.

    Jury selection for Weinstein’s trial began Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Newsom will likely testify “on or around November 8” but this could change as the schedule is fluid, attorney Mark Firmani said.

    As the trial in Los Angeles is set to get underway, Weinstein has maintained his innocence and denied all allegations against him. New York’s highest court in August agreed to hear his appeal challenging his 2020 conviction on sex crime charges.

    The allegations against Weinstein helped fuel the global #MeToo movement, encouraging women around the globe to speak out against sexual abuse.

    Just a day after The New York Times published its bombshell report on Weinstein in October 2017, Newsom wrote an opinion editorial for the Huffington Post where she shared that she had an experience very similar to the allegations reported by the Times.

    “I was naive, new to the industry, and didn’t know how to deal with his aggressive advances ― work invitations with a friend late-night at The Toronto Film Festival, and later an invitation to meet with him about a role in The Peninsula Hotel, where staff were present and then all of a sudden disappeared like clockwork, leaving me alone with this extremely powerful and intimidating Hollywood legend,” Newsom wrote.

    Weinstein spokesman Juda Engelmayer declined to comment on Newsom’s allegation.

    Siebel Newsom is a Stanford University graduate who has written, directed and produced several documentaries, including “Miss Representation,” “The Mask You Live In” and “The Great American Lie.” During her time as California’s First Partner, Siebel Newsom has advocated for working mothers and launched initiatives focused on closing the pay gap, among other efforts, and has been involved in several social activism campaigns.

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  • Driver hits crowd at Colorado bar; 1 killed, 4 hospitalized

    Driver hits crowd at Colorado bar; 1 killed, 4 hospitalized

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    GOLDEN, Colo. — One person was killed and four people seriously injured after a man intentionally drove a pickup truck through a crowd gathered outside a Colorado bar following an altercation early Sunday morning, authorities said.

    The 29-year-old driver and a 25-year-old passenger were arrested after the attack around 1:40 a.m. Sunday in the city of Golden west of Denver, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said.

    Just before the attack, bouncers outside the Rock Rest Lodge broke up an altercation between the two suspects and some of the victims, the sheriff’s office said. The suspects got into the pickup, backed out of a parking spot in front of the bar and intentionally drove into victims including bar employees, the sheriff’s office said.

    Deputies found a man who was unconscious and later pronounced dead at the scene. Four people were taken to a local hospital and three people sustained minor injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

    The suspects were stopped nearby after the attack and deputies took the them into custody. The driver faces charges including first degree murder, three counts of first degree assault and three counts of second degree assault. The passenger, who owned the pickup, faces charges of accessory to first degree murder, accessory to second degree assault and accessory to first degree assault.

    Another passenger who was in the vehicle is not facing charges.

    The name of the deceased victim was not immediately released.

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  • Suspect in Las Vegas stabbings solicited work 2 days before

    Suspect in Las Vegas stabbings solicited work 2 days before

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    LAS VEGAS — The suspect in a stabbing rampage on the Las Vegas Strip that left two people dead and six injured was in Los Angeles soliciting employment from strangers two days before the attack, according to a California TV station.

    In a video taken Tuesday by photographer Jorge Lopez for NBCLA sister station Telemundo 52, a man who identified himself as Yoni Barrios approached Lopez outside Los Angeles City Hall and asked for help, saying he had lost his home and everything he had.

    “He kept telling me, ‘I just want an opportunity, I just want to start from scratch,‘” said Lopez, who was in downtown Los Angeles on assignment at the time.

    The TV station said Lopez didn’t realize the significance of the video until Barrios’ arrest Thursday in Las Vegas.

    The rampage began when Barrios allegedly attacked a group of four showgirl performers outside a casino with a 12-inch knife, police said.

    Barrios had approached the women for a photo on a pedestrian bridge, but one showgirl told police she was uncomfortable with his proposal and backed away.

    Witnesses said Barrios charged at the woman and stabbed her in the back as she ran from him. The suspect then allegedly stabbed another woman before running down the Strip and looking for groups of people so he could “let the anger out,” police said.

    Barrios thought the showgirls were laughing at him and making fun of his clothing, according to the arrest report.

    Police said the suspect was wearing a chef’s long-sleeved white jacket that was covered in blood when he was arrested.

    Officers have recovered the knife Barrios is believed to have thrown into some bushes as he fled.

    The county coroner’s office has identified the two killed as Las Vegas residents Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, 30.

    DiGiovanni was part of the Best Showgirls In Vegas modeling and talent agency, according to Cheryl Lowthorp, who runs the business that provides models and showgirls for various promotional events from restaurant openings to airport greetings.

    Lowthorp said two others with the agency were among the wounded and a third escaped without injury.

    Prior to the rampage, Barrios reportedly went to the Wynn casino and asked a janitor about jobs and was also seeking work as a chef.

    Barrios also told a casino security guard he was trying to sell his knives that he kept in a suitcase to raise enough money to go back home, although police said his citizenship isn’t clear.

    Barrios, 32, is being held without bail and scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

    Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said Barrios will be charged with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder.

    Wolfson said prosecutors should decide in the next 30 to 60 days whether to seek the death penalty in the case.

    It remained unclear Sunday if Barrios has a lawyer yet who can speak on his behalf.

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  • Teen, 15, arrested in shooting at amusement park that hurt 3

    Teen, 15, arrested in shooting at amusement park that hurt 3

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    WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — A 15-year-old has been arrested in last month’s shooting at a western Pennsylvania amusement park that wounded three people, including two teenagers.

    Allegheny County and West Mifflin police said last week that the teenager is being charged as an adult with aggravated assault, reckless endangering and firearms crimes in the Sept. 24 gunfire at Kennywood Park on the opening night of the park’s Phantom Fall Fest.

    Park officials said the late Saturday night shooting followed an altercation between two groups of teenagers near the Musik Express ride at the park in West Mifflin, southeast of Pittsburgh. A 39-year-old man and two 15-year-old boys were taken to hospitals with leg wounds, authorities said.

    Investigators said last week that evidence recovered at the scene indicated that there were two guns fired, one of them by the teenager arrested. He himself was also grazed on the thigh by a bullet, and authorities are searching for a second suspect, which Christopher Kearns, the county police superintendent, said is “most likely” a juvenile.

    Kennywood closed for the day after the shooting and announced new security measures including more police, more security along perimeter fences, limits on bag sizes and masks covering faces and requiring adult chaperones for all juveniles at all times during the Fall Fest, scheduled to run until mid-October.

    Kearns said it remains unclear how the weapons got into the park, and investigators are still looking at the possibility that the weapons were tossed over the park fence or carried by someone jumping the fence. Officials said they are cutting down trees along the perimeter fence to improve visibility and installing new floodlights and security cameras to completely cover the fence line. They also vowed to “significantly” increase security patrols.

    Authorities said they believe the gunfire stemmed from a feud between two groups of teenagers that has led to scores of shootings in several Mon Valley communities. Victor Joseph, county police assistant superintendent, cited 55 calls for shots fired in Duquesne and Homestead, the communities of the rival groups.

    “We all know that this is a serious problem,” Joseph said. “The people who live in these communities know how serious it is. People who have lost loved ones due to gun violence and incarceration know how devastating it is.”

    ———

    This story has been corrected to show the dateline is West Mifflin, Pa., not Ohio.

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  • Philippine police kill 3 inmates amid rampage in Manila jail

    Philippine police kill 3 inmates amid rampage in Manila jail

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    Philippine police have killed three inmates, including a top Abu Sayyaf militant, after they stabbed a jail officer and briefly held a detained former opposition senator in a failed escape attempt at the police headquarters in the capital region

    MANILA, Philippines — Philippine police killed three inmates, including a top Abu Sayyaf militant, after they stabbed a jail officer and briefly held a detained former opposition senator Sunday in a failed attempt to escape from the police headquarters in the capital region, police said.

    National police chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said former Sen. Leila de Lima was unhurt and taken to a hospital for a checkup following the brazen escape and hostage-taking attempt in a maximum-security jail at the main police camp in Metropolitan Manila.

    One of the three inmates stabbed a police officer who was delivering breakfast to the inmates after dawn. A police officer posted at a sentry tower fired warning shots, and then shot and killed two of the prisoners, including Abu Sayyaf commander Idang Susukan, when they refused to yield, police said.

    The third inmate ran to the cell of de Lima and briefly held her hostage but he was also gunned down by police commandos, Azurin said.

    “She’s safe. We were able to quickly resolve the incident inside the custodial center,” Azurin told reporters.

    De Lima has been detained since 2017 and has been facing a trial for drug charges she says were fabricated by former President Rodrigo Duterte and his officials in an attempt to muzzle her criticism of his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs, which has left thousands of mostly petty suspects dead and sparked an International Criminal Court investigation as a possible crime against humanity.

    Duterte, who had insisted on de Lima’s guilt, stepped down from office on June 30 at the end of his turbulent six-year term and was succeeded by Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of a former dictator who was ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising.

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  • Domestic violence charge casts shadow over judge’s race

    Domestic violence charge casts shadow over judge’s race

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    MUSKEGON, Mich — A Michigan judicial candidate is facing domestic assault charges partly based on video footage suggesting he hit his girlfriend repeatedly with a belt, prompting local domestic violence advocates to actively speak out against his candidacy.

    The candidate’s girlfriend and his attorney deny that he actually struck her.

    According to the Detroit Free Press, Jason Kolkema was arraigned on the misdemeanor charges in mid-September. Kolkema, a 51-year-old attorney running for Muskegon County’s 14th Circuit Court judicial seat, contends he was striking a chair with a belt and not his girlfriend as suggested by the video shot by an office worker in a building neighboring Kolkema’s apartment.

    “I understand that the optics are bad. I understand the anger and disappointment, especially from the people who voted for me and supported me … All of the facts will be revealed in due time,” Kolkema wrote on Facebook in response to a comment.

    Kolkema has declined to comment to the newspaper, instead referring questions to his girlfriend. His attorney, Terry Nolan, told WOOD-TV in September that Kolkema did not strike his girlfriend and said the incident shouldn’t disqualify him from seeking a seat on the bench.

    The woman, who is not identified in the Free Press reporting, told the newspaper she was wearing a headset and that Kolkema struck the chair’s armrest to get her attention. The woman said she took some blame for the incident, writing to the Free Press that “it was rude of me to ignore him.”

    The newspaper found court and police records describing earlier violent confrontations involving Kolkema and his girlfriend.

    One incident came two days before the videotaped belt strikes. According to Ottawa County court records, Kolkema allegedly spit at the woman’s 12-year-old daughter, threw water on them followed by a Gatorade bottle which missed them but hit a lamp.

    Three months earlier, the woman reported to Fruitport police that Kolkema had slapped her. When officers arrived, the girlfriend recanted and Kolkema told police that she “gets like this when she is drunk … and makes things up.”

    The woman told the Free Press that Kolkema has never hurt her or her daughter.

    “He never beat me,” she wrote. “He’s not scary or threatening as a person … Just boisterous, animated.”

    Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson, whose office charged Kolkema with misdemeanor domestic assault in the filmed Aug. 18 incident, said it doesn’t matter if Kolkema actually struck his girlfriend that day.

    “Domestic violence includes violence that can either be physical, or threatened,” he told the newspaper. “Contact is not required.”

    Kolkema’s trial is not scheduled to begin until nearly two weeks after the Nov. 8 election. The footage and subsequent media attention have triggered intense debate in western Michigan.

    “I cannot imagine a victim sitting in front of a ‘Jason Kolkema’ and asking him to protect her from an assailant,” said Muskegon resident Heather Fry, who is a domestic abuse survivor and victim’s advocate.

    Whatever happened, the scene that unfolded on the video shows “a violent act meant to instill fear,” Fry said.

    Supporters on Kolkema’s social media pages have offered support, saying that he deserves the presumption of innocence and that his life should not be destroyed for “one mistake.”

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  • Vegas showgirls describe shock of stabbings that left 2 dead

    Vegas showgirls describe shock of stabbings that left 2 dead

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    LAS VEGAS — Victims of a quick series of stabbings on the Las Vegas Strip described the shock and horror of the unexpected attack on a group of showgirls and others outside a casino that left two people dead and six injured.

    Police arrested Yoni Barrios, 32, after a short chase blocks from where they say he attacked four showgirls and ended up stabbing eight people on Thursday.

    An arrest report released Friday said Barrios told police some of the victims had laughed at him and he “let the anger out.” Prosecutors say he’ll be charged with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder.

    “I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me,” said Victoria Caytano, one of the showgirl impersonators who was released from the hospital Friday after she was treated for a stab wound.

    “I got up, and I started running,” Caytano told KLAS-TV. “I started yelling, ‘he has a knife!’”

    The coroner’s office identified those killed as Las Vegas residents Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, 30. Hallett was stabbed in the back and DiGiovanni died from a chest wound, authorities said.

    DiGiovanni was part of the Best Showgirls In Vegas modeling and talent agency, according to Cheryl Lowthorp, who runs the business. She said two others with the agency were among the wounded and a third escaped without injury.

    According to the police report, some performers said he made them feel uncomfortable when he approached for a photo and one backed away. One woman said he stabbed her in the back, then stabbed DiGiovanni.

    Anna Westby, who suffered a punctured lung, said she and Caytano were with DiGiovanni when Barrios attacked them.

    “I’m screaming, asking everyone for help,” she told KLAS-TV. “He caught up to me, and he stabbed me in the back and then he ran off.”

    Best Showgirls In Vegas provides models and showgirls for various promotional events from restaurant openings to airport greetings. In her 12 years operating the agency, Lowthrop said the models have pretty much gone day to day “without incident.”

    “This is a safe job, there are cops everywhere,” Lowthorp said. “No place is filmed more than the Las Vegas Strip.”

    The police report said Barrios was covered in blood when he was arrested. Officers seized a large, long-bladed knife, the report said.

    Barrios told one victim “sorry, man” before stabbing him in the back and also said that he hoped police would shoot him, the report said.

    It wasn’t immediately known whether Barrios had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf. He made his initial court appearance on Friday was ordered held without bail. An initial arraignment was scheduled for Tuesday.

    Barrios had an address in Los Angeles, told police that he came to Las Vegas two days earlier to move in with a friend who then refused to let him stay at the house, so he packed his things and took a bus to the Las Vegas Strip, according to the arrest report.

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  • Vegas showgirls describe shock of stabbings that left 2 dead

    Vegas showgirls describe shock of stabbings that left 2 dead

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    LAS VEGAS — Victims of a quick series of stabbings on the Las Vegas Strip described the shock and horror of the unexpected attack on a group of showgirls and others outside a casino that left two people dead and six injured.

    Police arrested Yoni Barrios, 32, after a short chase blocks from where they say he attacked four showgirls and ended up stabbing eight people on Thursday.

    An arrest report released Friday said Barrios told police some of the victims had laughed at him and he “let the anger out.” Prosecutors say he’ll be charged with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder.

    “I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me,” said Victoria Caytano, one of the showgirl impersonators who was released from the hospital Friday after she was treated for a stab wound.

    “I got up, and I started running,” Caytano told KLAS-TV. “I started yelling, ‘he has a knife!’”

    The coroner’s office identified those killed as Las Vegas residents Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, 30. Hallett was stabbed in the back and DiGiovanni died from a chest wound, authorities said.

    DiGiovanni was part of the Best Showgirls In Vegas modeling and talent agency, according to Cheryl Lowthorp, who runs the business. She said two others with the agency were among the wounded and a third escaped without injury.

    According to the police report, some performers said he made them feel uncomfortable when he approached for a photo and one backed away. One woman said he stabbed her in the back, then stabbed DiGiovanni.

    Anna Westby, who suffered a punctured lung, said she and Caytano were with DiGiovanni when Barrios attacked them.

    “I’m screaming, asking everyone for help,” she told KLAS-TV. “He caught up to me, and he stabbed me in the back and then he ran off.”

    Best Showgirls In Vegas provides models and showgirls for various promotional events from restaurant openings to airport greetings. In her 12 years operating the agency, Lowthrop said the models have pretty much gone day to day “without incident.”

    “This is a safe job, there are cops everywhere,” Lowthorp said. “No place is filmed more than the Las Vegas Strip.”

    The police report said Barrios was covered in blood when he was arrested. Officers seized a large, long-bladed knife, the report said.

    Barrios told one victim “sorry, man” before stabbing him in the back and also said that he hoped police would shoot him, the report said.

    It wasn’t immediately known whether Barrios had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf. He made his initial court appearance on Friday was ordered held without bail. An initial arraignment was scheduled for Tuesday.

    Barrios had an address in Los Angeles, told police that he came to Las Vegas two days earlier to move in with a friend who then refused to let him stay at the house, so he packed his things and took a bus to the Las Vegas Strip, according to the arrest report.

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  • Indiana man gets 65-year sentence for son’s murder, abuse

    Indiana man gets 65-year sentence for son’s murder, abuse

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    BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — An Indiana man has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for abusing his 12-year-old son and starving the boy to death.

    Monroe Circuit Judge Christine Talley Haseman said Friday that nothing could justify the physical abuse and withholding of food and water that Luis Eduardo Posso Jr. inflicted on his young child.

    Before issuing her decision, Haseman detailed the brutal treatment that Eduardo Posso endured and showed photographs of the boy taken just a few years apart.

    By the time of his death in 2019, Eduardo was the size of a typical 4-year-old and had been punched, slapped, kicked, shocked with a dog collar and chained up by his father and stepmother, Haseman said.

    Posso’s behavior was “incomprehensible, heinous and cruel,” she said.

    Posso pleaded guilty to murder in June and prosecutors agreed not to seek life in prison without parole, along with dismissing charges of neglect, criminal confinement and battery.

    His wife, Dayana Medina-Flores, pleaded guilty to murder and received the same sentence in 2021 tied to her stepson’s death.

    The Herald-Times reports that people sentenced to the maximum 65-year prison sentence for murder in Indiana typically serve three-fourths of their sentence — about 49 years.

    Posso’s attorney, public defender Kyle Duffer, said he will appeal the judge’s sentence.

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  • Police: 2 dead, 6 injured in stabbings along Las Vegas Strip

    Police: 2 dead, 6 injured in stabbings along Las Vegas Strip

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    LAS VEGAS — An attacker with a large kitchen knife killed two people and wounded six others in stabbings along the Las Vegas Strip before he was arrested Thursday, police said.

    Three people were hospitalized in critical condition and another three were in stable condition, according to Las Vegas police, who said they began receiving 911 calls about the stabbings around 11:40 a.m. across the street from the Wynn casino and hotel.

    Yoni Barrios, 32, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement.

    It wasn’t immediately known whether Barrios had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.

    Barrios, who is not a Las Vegas resident, was detained by Sands security guards and Metropolitan Police officers while running on a Strip sidewalk, police said.

    “This was an isolated incident,” Metropolitan Police Deputy Chief James LaRochelle said in a statement. “All evidence indicates Barrios acted alone and there are no outstanding suspects at this time.”

    Police said they were continuing to investigate the motive but do not believe there was an altercation before the attacks.

    The Clark County coroner’s office identified the victims who were killed as Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen Digiovanni, 30, both Las Vegas residents.

    The names of those wounded in the attack were not immediately released.

    The initial stabbing was unprovoked and on the eastern sidewalk of Las Vegas Boulevard. The suspect then headed south and stabbed others, LaRochelle said.

    The man fled and was followed by 911 callers before he was taken into custody, authorities said. Police recovered the “large knife with a long blade” believed to have been used, LaRochelle said, calling the case a “hard-to-comprehend murder investigation.”

    Dewaun Turner, 47, a porter at The District at Resorts World, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he was walking home when he saw two people dressed as showgirls in red dresses and heels fleeing from a man with a knife. He saw one slip near an escalator to a pedestrian bridge in front of Wynn Las Vegas. The man stabbed her, jumped up and stabbed the other, then ran south toward the Palazzo, Turner said. The man with the knife didn’t say anything, he said.

    Turner said he then saw the man stab a man who was walking with a woman, then stab two more women, Turner said.

    One of the pair dressed as showgirls was bleeding profusely and wasn’t making a sound as the other applied pressure to her companion’s wounds, he said.

    “Ten or 15 steps ahead and I would’ve been one of the people stabbed,” Turner said.

    There were no other suspects in the case and “the Strip is secure,” Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said.

    “Locals and tourists are the victims of this crime,” Lombardo said.

    Witnesses told Las Vegas TV stations that some of the victims appeared to be showgirls or street performers who take pictures with tourists on the Strip.

    The suspect told a woman that he was a chef who wanted to take a picture with some of the showgirls with his knife, but he started stabbing people when the group declined the man’s offer, the woman told KTNV.

    Jason Adams told KLAS that he witnessed the attack on a showgirl.

    “This guy came, ran up, and started stabbing this lady in front of me and she ran around the escalators and she tried to get up under the bridge and her girlfriend was trying to help her,” Adams said, adding that the attack happened very quickly.

    Pierre Fandrich, a tourist from Canada, told KTNV that he did not see the stabbing suspect as he was walking along the Strip. But he said he thought he heard “three or four showgirls laughing,” and it turned out to be screaming.

    Fandrich said he saw “a lot of blood” as one woman ran across a bridge, one was on the ground, and another had a stab wound on her back as she tried to help the fallen woman.

    Fandrich also told KTNV that he thought one of the victims fell from the bridge because there was so much blood on the ground.

    Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak posted a message on social media saying, “Our hearts are with all those affected by this tragedy.”

    “At the State level, we will continue to work with partners in law enforcement to make resources available on the ground and ensure the Las Vegas Strip remains a safe and welcoming place for all to visit,” Sisolak said.

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  • Police: 1 dead, 5 injured in stabbings along Las Vegas Strip

    Police: 1 dead, 5 injured in stabbings along Las Vegas Strip

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    LAS VEGAS — A suspect was arrested in connection with a stabbing attack along the Las Vegas Strip that left one person dead and at least five others wounded Thursday, police said.

    Witnesses told Las Vegas TV stations that the stabbings occurred in multiple locations, and some of the victims appeared to be showgirls who take pictures with tourists on the Strip.

    Pierre Fandrich told KTNV that he did not see the stabbing suspect as he was walking along the Strip. But he said he thought he heard “three or four showgirls laughing,” although it turned out to be screaming.

    Fandrich said he saw “a lot of blood” as one woman ran across the bridge, one was on the ground, and another had a stab wound on her back as she tried to help the fallen woman.

    Fandrich also told KTNV that he thought one of the victims fell from the bridge because there was so much blood on the ground.

    Metro Police said the incident was reported about 11:40 a.m. Thursday on the north end of the Strip.

    They said one person was pronounced dead at the scene, and five surviving victims were taken to hospitals for treatment of their injuries.

    Police advised people to avoid the area as they searched for any additional victims.

    The name of the suspect wasn’t immediately released by police.

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  • Officer shoots armed man inside Chicago police station

    Officer shoots armed man inside Chicago police station

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    CHICAGO — A Chicago police officer shot an armed man inside a police station on the city’s West Side on Wednesday, just days after an officer shot a man who infiltrated another police facility and pointed guns at officers, a department spokesman said.

    Department spokesman Tom Ahern said in a tweet that the man who was shot was taken to a hospital in stable condition and that his gun was recovered at the scene.

    Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt said the shooting happened shortly before 1 p.m. at the department’s Ogden District station. Merritt did not have any details about the shooting or the man who was shot, only saying that his injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

    Ahern did not have any further details but said Police Superintendent David Brown would address the media later Wednesday afternoon.

    Last week, 47-year-old Donald Patrick of Waukegan was shot by police after he climbed a fire escape of another West Side station, entered the building, grabbed handguns off a table and allegedly pointed them at officers who were undergoing SWAT training.

    Patrick was arrested and charged with burglary and aggravated assault of an officer using a firearm.

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  • Australian court to hear claims over alleged sexual assault in Parliament House | CNN

    Australian court to hear claims over alleged sexual assault in Parliament House | CNN

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    Brisbane, Australia
    CNN
     — 

    A highly anticipated sexual assault trial began in Australia Tuesday in a case that has raised questions about the culture in the nation’s Parliament and the actions of ministers when the claims emerged.

    Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent relating to the alleged assault of his ex-coworker Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in Canberra in March 2019.

    The alleged assault was said to have taken place in the former defense minister’s office, a location that prompted criticism and questions over security levels within the nation’s political hub.

    Witnesses are expected to include politicians, security officials and the journalists who broke the story in February 2021, when Higgins went public with the allegations.

    ACT Supreme Court Justice Lucy McCallum is presiding over the trial, which is expected to last four to six weeks before a 12-member jury retires to deliver its verdict.

    The prosecution’s case is being led by the ACT’s director of public prosecutions, who must prove beyond reasonable doubt that Lehrmann acted without consent. The charge of sexual intercourse without consent carries a potential prison term of up to 12 years.

    The trial had been repeatedly delayed, partly due to media commentary around the high-profile case that attracted significant press attention when Higgins came forward.

    Higgins has since become a prominent advocate for women’s rights.

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  • Stadium tragedy exposes Indonesia’s troubled soccer history

    Stadium tragedy exposes Indonesia’s troubled soccer history

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    SEOUL, South Korea — Gaining the right to host next year’s Under-20 World Cup was a major milestone in Indonesia’s soccer development, raising hopes that a successful tournament would turn around long-standing problems that have blighted the sport in this country of 277 million people.

    The death of at least 125 people at a league game between host Arema FC of East Java’s Malang city and Persebaya Surabaya on Saturday is a tragic reminder, however, that Indonesia is one of the most dangerous countries in which to attend a game.

    “Do remember that the FIFA U-20 World Cup will be the worldwide spotlight since the event will be joined by 24 countries from five continents,” Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said last month as he pushed for thorough preparations for the tournament.

    Since Saturday, the domestic league has been suspended. Widodo has ordered the sports minister, the national police chief and the soccer federation to conduct a thorough investigation into the deadly stadium crush.

    Indonesia was the first Asian team ever to play at a World Cup — participating in 1938 as Dutch East Indies — but despite an undoubted national passion for the sport, it has never returned to the global stage because of years of corruption, violence and mismanagement.

    Data from Indonesia’s soccer watchdog, Save Our Soccer, showed 78 people have died in game-related incidents over the past 28 years.

    Those accused are often associated with supporter groups that attach themselves to clubs, with the biggest boasting hundreds of thousands of members.

    Arema intense rivalry with Surabaya meant that no visiting fans were allowed in the stadium on the weekend. Yet violence broke out when the home team lost 3-2 and some of the 42,000 Arema fans, known as “Aremania,” threw bottles and other objects at players and soccer officials.

    Restrictions on visiting fans also have failed in the past. In 2016, despite Persib Bandung supporters being banned from a game with bitter rival Persija Jakarta, they were blamed for the death of a Jakarta supporter.

    A month earlier, a Persib fan had been beaten to death by Jakarta followers.

    In 2018, local media reported a seventh death in six years related to Indonesia’s biggest soccer rivalry.

    Soccer fans have accused security officials of being heavy-handed in the past and on the weekend, with witnesses describing officers beating them with sticks and shields before shooting tear gas canisters directly into the crowds. In 2016, police were accused of killing 16-year-old supporter Muhammad Fahreza at a game between Persija and Persela Lamongan, resulting in mass demonstrations demanding an end to police brutality.

    “The police who were in charge of security violated FIFA stadium safety and security regulations,” soccer analyst Akmal Marhali told Indonesian media on Sunday, referring to the use of tear gas on Malang fans who entered the pitch after their team’s defeat. That sparked a rush for exits in an overcrowded stadium.

    “The Indonesia Football Association may have been negligent for not informing the police that security procedures at a football match are not the same as those at a demonstration.”

    FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, prohibits the use of tear gas by on-field security or police at stadiums.

    Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said police who violated regulations should be tried in open court.

    “This loss of life cannot go unanswered. The police themselves have stated that the deaths occurred after police use of tear gas on the crowd resulted in a stampede at the stadium exits,” Hamid said in a statement. “Tear gas should also never be fired in confined spaces.”

    The soccer association, known locally as PSSI, has long struggled to manage the game domestically.

    In 2007, Nurdin Halid was imprisoned on corruption charges but was able to continue as the organization’s president until 2011. After Halid was banned from running for another term, a rival league, federation and national team emerged.

    But chaotic administration continued until FIFA suspended Indonesia in 2015, a sanction that was lifted the following year.

    In 2019, when FIFA awarded Indonesia hosting rights for the Under-20 World Cup, it was seen as a vote of confidence.

    In June, a FIFA panel inspected the country’s soccer facilities and planning for the May 20-June 11 tournament and proclaimed its satisfaction.

    “We are very pleased to see the preparations in Indonesia,” Roberto Grassi, Head of Youth Tournaments for FIFA said. “A lot of refurbishment work has been done already. We have had an encouraging visit and are confident of support from all stakeholders involved.”

    Kanjuruhan Stadium, the site of the disaster on Saturday, is not among the six venues listed for the Under-20 World Cup, although nearby Surabaya Stadium is scheduled to host games.

    FIFA has not yet commented on any potential impact on the Under-20 World Cup but the weekend tragedy is likely to damage Indonesia’s bid to host the 2023 Asian Cup. It is vying with South Korea and Qatar to become host of the continental championship after China relinquished its staging rights in May.

    Indonesia has already co-hosted the tournament, sharing the event in 2007 with Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam and hosting the final in Jakarta, where Iraq beat Saudi Arabia for the title.

    That was the last time Indonesia staged a major international soccer tournament. The Asian Football Confederation is expected to announce its decision on the 2023 tournament on Oct. 17.

    There is unlikely to be any soccer played before then as people in Indonesia, and football followers around the globe, come to terms with one of the deadliest disasters ever at a sporting event.

    ———

    Duerden covers soccer in Asia for The Associated Press.

    ———

    More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Top Iran official warns against protests amid serious unrest

    Top Iran official warns against protests amid serious unrest

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    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that protests over the death of a young woman in police custody could destabilize the country and urged security forces to deal harshly with those he claimed endanger public order, as countrywide unrest entered its third week.

    Scattered anti-government protests appeared to break out in Tehran and running clashes with security forces in other towns, social media reports showed on Sunday, even as the government has moved to block, partly or entirely, internet connectivity in Iran.

    Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf told lawmakers that unlike the current protests, which he said aim to topple the government, previous demonstrations by teachers and retirees over pay were aimed at reforms, according to the legislative body’s website.

    “The important point of the (past) protests was that they were reform-seeking and not aimed at overthrowing” the system, said Qalibaf. “I ask all who have any (reasons to) protest not to allow their protest to turn into destabilizing and toppling” of institutions.

    Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets over the last two weeks to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by Iran’s morality police in the capital of Tehran for allegedly not adhering to Iran’s strict Islamic dress code.

    The protesters have vented their anger over the treatment of women and wider repression in the Islamic Republic. The nationwide demonstrations rapidly escalated into calls for the overthrow of the clerical establishment that has ruled Iran since its 1979 Islamic revolution.

    Iranian state TV has reported that at least 41 protesters and police have been killed since the demonstrations began Sept. 17. An Associated Press count of official statements by authorities tallied at least 14 dead, with more than 1,500 demonstrators arrested.

    Qalibaf, the parliamentary speaker, is a former influential commander in the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Along with the president and the head of the judiciary, he is one of three ranking officials who deal with all important issues of the nation.

    The three meet regularly and sometimes meet with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters.

    Qalibaf said he believes many of those taking part in recent protests had no intention of seeking to overthrow the government in the beginning and claimed foreign-based opposition groups were fomenting protests aimed at tearing down the system. Iranian authorities have not presented evidence for their allegations of foreign involvement in the protests.

    “Creating chaos in the streets will weaken social integrity, jeopardizing the economy while increasing pressure and sanctions by the enemy,” he said, referring to longstanding crippling U.S. sanctions on Iran.

    Qalibaf promised to “amend the structures and methods of the morality police” to prevent a recurrence of what happened to Amini. The young woman died in the custody of the morality police. Her family alleged she was beaten, while officials claim she died of a heart attack.

    His remarks came after a closed meeting of Parliament and a brief rally by lawmakers to voice support for Khamenei and the police, chanting “death to hypocrites,” a reference to Iranian opposition groups.

    The statement by Qalibaf is seen as an appeal to Iranians to stop their protests while supporting police and the security apparatus.

    Meanwhile, the hard-line Kayhan daily said Sunday that knife-carrying protesters attacked the newspaper building Saturday and shattered windows with rocks. It said they left when Guard members were deployed to the site.

    On Saturday, protests continued on the Tehran University campus and in nearby neighborhoods and witnesses said they saw many young girls waving their head scarves above their heads in a gesture of defiance. Social media carried videos purportedly showing similar protests at the Mashhad and Shiraz universities but The Associated Press could not independently verify their authenticity.

    A protester near Tehran University, 19-year-old Fatemeh who only gave her first name for fear of repercussions, said she joined the demonstration “to stop this behavior by police against younger people especially girls.”

    Abdolali, a 63-year-old teacher who also declined to give his last name, said he was shot twice in the foot by police. He said: “I am here to accompany and support my daughter. I once participated in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that promised justice and freedom; it is time to materialize them.”

    Protests resumed in several cities including Mashhad and Tehran’s Sharif Industrial University on Sunday, according to social media reports. Witnesses said security was tight in the areas nearby Tehran University and its neighborhoods downtown as hundreds of anti-riot police and plain clothes with their cars and motorbikes were stationed on junctions and squares. The AP could not immediately verify the authenticity of the reports.

    Also on Sunday, media outlets reported the death of another Revolutionary Guard member in the southeastern city of Zahedan. That brought to five the number of IRG members killed in an attack on a police station by gunmen that, according to state media, left 19 people dead.

    It wasn’t clear if the attack, which Iranian authorities said was carried out by separatists, was related to the anti-government protests.

    Local media said a police officer also had died in the Kurdish city of Marivan, following injuries during clashes with protesters. The protests have drawn supporters from various ethnic groups, including Kurdish opposition movements in the northwest of Iran that operate along the border with neighboring Iraq. 22-year-old Amini was an Iranian Kurd and the protests first erupted in Kurdish areas.

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  • A look at some of the world’s major crowd disasters

    A look at some of the world’s major crowd disasters

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    MALANG, Indonesia — Police fired tear gas after riots broke out at an Indonesian soccer match in East Java province when Persebaya Surabaya beat Arema Malang 3-2. Panic and a rush for the exit left over 170 people dead, most of whom were trampled, police said Sunday. Here’s a look at some of the major crowd disasters in recent decades:

    Dec. 3, 1979 — Eleven people are killed as thousands of fans rush to get into a concert by The Who at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.

    Jan. 20, 1980 — A temporary four-story wooden stadium collapses at a bullfight in Sincelejo, Colombia, killing some 200 spectators.

    Oct. 20, 1982 — Sixty-six people die in a crush of fans leaving a UEFA Cup match between Spartak Moscow and Haarlem, of the Netherlands, at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

    May 28, 1985 — Thirty-nine people died in fan violence at the 1985 European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus at Heysel Stadium in Brussels.

    March 13, 1988 — Ninety-three people are killed when thousands of soccer fans surge into locked stadium exits to escape a sudden hailstorm in Kathmandu, Nepal.

    April 15, 1989 — Ninety-seven people die and hundreds are injured in a crush of fans at overcrowded Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England. One victim died in 2021 of aspiration pneumonia, to which he had been left vulnerable because of injuries from the disaster.

    July 2, 1990 — During the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia, 1,426 Muslim pilgrims, mainly from Asia, die in and around a long pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina.

    January 13, 1991 — Forty-two people are killed when fans try to escape brawls at Oppenheimer Stadium in South Africa.

    May 23, 1994 — A crush of pilgrims at the hajj leaves 270 Muslim pilgrims dead.

    Nov. 23, 1994 — A panicked crush during a political protest in Nagpur, India, leaves 113 dead.

    Oct. 16, 1996 — Eighty-four people die and 147 are injured as panicked fans are crushed and smothered before a World Cup qualifier between Guatemala and Costa Rica in Guatemala City.

    April 9, 1998 — A crush of pilgrims on a bridge in Mecca leaves 118 hajj pilgrims dead.

    April 11, 2001 — At least 43 people are crushed to death during a soccer match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    May 9, 2001 — More than 120 people are killed when police fire tear gas into the rowdy crowd in a stadium in the Ghanaian capital Accra, leading to panic.

    Feb. 17, 2003 — Twenty-one are crushed to death in the stairway exit to E2, a nightclub in Chicago.

    Feb. 20, 2003 — Stage pyrotechnics during a Great White concert at the Station nightclub in Warwick, Rhode Island, spark a fire that kills 100 people and injures more than 200 others.

    Feb. 1, 2004 — A panic during a hajj ritual at the Jamarat Bridge near Mecca leaves 251 people dead.

    Jan. 25, 2005 — A panic among Hindu pilgrims near Mandhradevi temple in Maharashtra, India, leaves 265 people dead.

    Aug. 31, 2005 — At least 640 Shiite Muslim pilgrims in Baghdad are killed when a railing on a bridge collapses during a religious procession, sending scores into the Tigris River.

    Jan. 12, 2006 — A panic among Muslim pilgrims during a hajj ceremony near Mecca leaves 345 people dead.

    Feb. 4, 2006 — Seventy-eight people are killed in a panicked crush that happened at PhilSports Arena stampede in Manila, Philippines, as they were waiting for a TV variety show audition.

    Sept. 30, 2008 — At least 168 people are killed and 100 are injured when thousands of Hindu pilgrims are caught in a panic at a temple in Jodhpur, India.

    July 24, 2010 — Twenty-one people die and more than 650 are injured in a crush in a packed tunnel that was the sole access point to the Love Parade music festival in Duisburg, Germany.

    Nov. 22, 2010 — More than 340 people are killed and hundreds of others are injured during a panicked crush at a festival in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

    Jan. 27, 2013 — A fire kills more than 200 people at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil.

    Sept. 24, 2015 — At least 2,411 Muslim pilgrims die in a crush during the hajj in Saudi Arabia.

    April 30, 2021 — Forty-five people are killed and dozens more are wounded in a panicked crush at the annual Mount Meron pilgrimage in Israel.

    Nov. 5, 2021 — Fans at a Houston music festival surge toward the stage during a performance by rapper Travis Scott, triggering panic that leaves 10 people dead and many more injured.

    Oct. 1, 2022 — Police fire tear gas after riots break out following an Indonesian soccer match, setting off a rush for the exit that leaves at least 174 dead and 100 more injured.

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  • 5 slain in Texas neighborhood identified; suspect charged

    5 slain in Texas neighborhood identified; suspect charged

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    McGREGOR, Texas — Officials have disclosed the identities of five people killed in a Central Texas neighborhood, as well as the suspect in the slayings.

    The Texas Department of Public Safety said Friday that Nicolas Jaimes-Hernandez, 35, of Mexico, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. More charges are pending.

    He was shot and wounded Thursday in a gunfight with officers at the scene where five people were found shot dead, officials said. He was treated at a hospital before being booked into the McLennan County Jail without bond.

    The five bodies were found at two houses in McGregor, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Waco. The DPS identified them as Monica Delgado, 38, Miguel Avila, 15, and Natallie Avila, 14, along with next-door neighbors Lorena Aviles, 47, and her daughter, Natalie Aviles, 20.

    Esme Ortuno, Delgado’s cousin, said that Jaimes-Hernandez was Delgado’s husband and stepfather of the two slain children. Renee Flores, sister of Lorena Aviles, said her sister and niece were innocent bystanders.

    The Texas Rangers were leading the investigation. No motive for the shootings has been released.

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