Mass Shootings

Kenya classroom collapse kills seven children, injures 64
Rescue workers go through the rubble at the site of a collapsed school classroom, in Nairobi, Kenya, September 23, 2019. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi

Seven children were killed and 64 injured when a classroom collapsed as students were starting their morning lessons at a school
in Kenya's capital Nairobi on Monday, officials said.

Television stations showed images of rescue workers sifting through metal sheeting and slabs of concrete at the Precious Talent school, and carrying white body bags to an ambulance.

“We have regrettably lost seven lives to this morning’s incident that occurred around 8 a.m., as the learners of Class Five to Eight were starting their morning lessons,” Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said at the scene of the accident.

In Kenya’s school system, classes five to eight usually covers children aged from 10 to 14 years. He added that 64 children had been taken to hospital for treatment, with two of them having serious injuries.

The first floor of the building collapsed, trapping the children below, local lawmaker John Kiarie told NTV Kenya earlier.

Magoha said more than 600 children from the school underwent check-ups at a nearby health center, and also ordered the school closed for four days for safety checks. The cause was not immediately known, but authorities have previously warned 30,000 to 40,000 buildings erected without approval in Nairobi are at risk of collapse.

Three years, ago a six-storey residential block collapsed in Nairobi, killing 51 people following heavy rain.
 
Read time / 7-8 minutes All emphasis and bold via Author
Imagine this:
An active shooter armed with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and multiple firearms picks a public place and begins shooting. After just a few minutes, and an unimaginable amount of casualties and injuries to innocent bystanders, emergency crews race onto the scene.

Now, instead of seeing their target, honing in on the danger and putting a stop to the threat, two U.S. Representatives say that police need to change how they handle it — first by asking the threat to stop hurting people before taking appropriate action.

Connecticut officer fired

It’s called the PEACE act, and it’s a call to overhaul the system by which police are authorized to use deadly force to neutralize a threat and protect the public.
“It is past time to end a legal standard for use of force that permits Americans to be killed as a first resort – rather than only when absolutely necessary – and with little accountability,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), co-author of the bill said in press release on Wednesday.
PEACE stands for Police Exercising Absolute Care with Everyone. Rep. Clay said that, “our new legislation would prohibit the use of deadly force by federal law enforcement unless no other reasonable alternative exists.

Those representatives say fatal officer involved shootings are a statistic that’s unfairly affecting a greater number of minorities, and their new bill would put a stop to it.
“This disproportionately impacts African Americans, who make up only 13 percent of the U.S. population but account for 25 percent of those Americans tragically shot and killed by police each year,” he continued.

“Immediately resorting to lethal force rather than using proven de-escalation tactics increases risks for both citizens and police officers. We have to do more than change the rhetoric: we have to change the laws.”
Now it’s being called an “insult to law enforcement” for the standards that it sets.

The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) quickly criticized the legislation, noting that it was ridiculous to believe that an officer’s ‘first resort’ tactics would be to shoot the suspect they’re dealing with.

FLEOA President Larry Cosme said in a press release that not only is the cause for the legislation unfounded, but the representatives actually have their figures wrong, causing members of law enforcement agencies across the U.S. to wonder if they did any research before authoring the bill, or just decided to move forward with it based on politics and pushing a narrative.
“The legislation introduced by Representatives Lacy Clay and Ro Khanna is an insult to law enforcement that will inhibit their ability to maintain the peace rather than protect it, as the name suggests,” Cosme said. “The PEACE Act itself, as well as the rhetoric surrounding its introduction, imply that federal law enforcement use deadly force as a first resort.”
Wosme dropped some knowledge about police and deadly force in his statement this week.
“This is outrageous considering that in 2017 an estimated 1,247,321 violent crimes were reported, 987 of these cases involved lethal use of force by police. Of these, 95 percent of individuals were armed. Law enforcement officers use force when necessary to protect the public and themselves and discouraging them from doing so is dangerous,” he said.
Cosme went on to say that these representatives have absolutely no idea how quickly a situation can escalate from something that seems peaceful to a moment when an officer may be fighting to save their own life or the lives of bystanders.
“Furthermore, the proposed legislation seems ignorant of the reality of the situation in which force is necessary,” Cosme continued. “Situations escalate in seconds and law enforcement are often called to the scene of already volatile situations. Under this legislation, law enforcement must take the time to conclude the age, language, physical and mental condition of an active threat before even issuing conditional warnings to the individual.”
Now let’s look at the Dayton mass shooting that occurred just last month and how the quick response of law enforcement confronted the shooter and ended the mayhem just moments after it began.

Cosme says that if the PEACE law had been in effect, who knows how many more lives would’ve been taken.
“If these conditions were used in the Dayton, Ohio or other mass shootings these incidents may have been exacerbated by a delayed law enforcement response due to parameters outlined in this politically motivated legislation,” Cosme said.
To finish off his argument, Cosme reiterated to the two representatives that national standards already exist in order to keep officers from using deadly force when it was not justified.
”This legislation also neglects established precedent and policy on use of force which officers and agents dutifully follow in nearly every situation. Graham v. Connor, a unanimous Supreme Court decision, held that an objective reasonableness standard should be applied when determining the proper level of force. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s official policy regarding use of force already requires agents only use deadly force when necessary to protect against the imminent threat of death of serious bodily injury. All agencies have similar policies tailored to their mission,” he said.
It calls for peace… but it might actually put the lives of more Americans – especially police officers – in serious danger.

Looks like this one needs some attention.
 
Attacker, armed with a sword charged into a classroom at a vocational school (that is attached to a shopping center) in #Kuopio #Finland.

One killed, 10 wounded in sword attack at Finnish college
Chief inspector Mikko Lyytinen from the Eastern Finland Police Department attends a news conference in Kuopio, Finland, October 1, 2019. Hannu Rainamo/Lehtikuva/via REUTERS      ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. NOT FOR USE BY REUTERS THIRD PARTY DISTRIBUTORS. FINLAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN FINLAND.

A male student armed with a sword killed a woman and wounded nine others in an attack at a college in eastern Finland on Tuesday which the prime minister described as "shocking".

The suspected attacker, who was in his mid-twenties, used “a sabre-type of bladed weapon”, chief inspector Mikko Lyytinen said in the city of Kuopio where the attack took place around noon (0900 GMT). The motive for the attack was not clear.

A police spokesman put the toll at one dead and 10 wounded, including the suspect. He was seriously hurt when police opened fire on him at the college, located in a shopping center, Lyytinen said.

The suspect was caught eight minutes after the alarm was raised and the wounded were taken to Kuopio University Hospital.

The hospital’s chief physician, Antti Hedman, told Finland’s public broadcaster YLE that the victims were aged between 15 and 50, and more than half were female. Two were seriously hurt.

“Eight of the patients were less seriously injured, mostly with wounds from defending themselves,” Hedman said.

Police did not name the suspected attacker, but said he was a male Finnish citizen born in 1994.

Slideshow (9 Images)
One killed, 10 wounded in sword attack at Finnish college

Finland school attacker attacked fellow students with sword: police
A student attacked his fellow students at a vocational school in eastern Finland with a sword, Finnish police said, adding it was too early to comment on the attacker’s motive.

One woman died and ten people were injured in the attack. The wounded included a police officer and the attacker, who was seriously hurt when police opened fire to stop him, police told a news conference in Kuopio where the attack took place earlier on Tuesday.
 
There happened a shooting at another police station, this time in Trieste, Italy. According to more updated news two policemen are dead (not only injured) and the culprit - a criminal who carried out a robbery - got arrested.


Second attack in a police station since the knife attack in Paris:

 
Casino giant settles Vegas shooting lawsuits for up to $800m
1783371-289851554.jpg

Two years after a gunman rained gunfire on country music fans from a high-rise Las Vegas hotel, MGM Resorts International reached a settlement that could pay up to $800 million. (File/AP)

October 03, 2019 - LAS VEGAS: Two years after a gunman rained gunfire on country music fans from a high-rise Las Vegas hotel, MGM Resorts International reached a settlement that could pay up to $800 million to families of the 58 people who died and hundreds of others who were injured, attorneys announced Thursday.

It’s a major step to resolve hundreds of lawsuits in multiple states that seek compensation for a range of physical and psychological injuries from the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

Victims say the casino giant failed to protect 22,000 people at a concert venue it owns or stop the shooter from spending several days amassing an arsenal of assault-style weapons and ammunition in his suite at the Mandalay Bay resort.

The amount of the settlement depends on the number of plaintiffs who take part, according to a statement from Las Vegas law firm Eglet Adams, which represents nearly 2,500 victims and made the announcement just days after the second anniversary of the Oct. 1, 2017, massacre.

“Our goal has always been to resolve these matters so our community and the victims and their families can move forward in the healing process,” said Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts.

An independent administrator will be appointed by a court to dole out money from the settlement fund, attorneys and MGM said. They expect to wrap up the work by late next year.

MGM’s insurers will fund a minimum of $735 million. Depending on the number of victims who participate, the company will contribute more, up to $800 million, according to the victims’ attorneys.

“Today’s agreement marks a milestone in the recovery process for the victims of the horrifying events of 1 October,” Robert Eglet, a lead plaintiffs’ counsel, said in the statement. “While nothing will be able to bring back the lives lost or undo the horrors so many suffered on that day, this settlement will provide fair compensation for thousands of victims and their families.”

A country music festival became a killing ground when a 64-year-old retired accountant and high-stakes video poker player fired out the windows of his hotel room into the crowd.

Stephen Paddock killed himself as authorities closed in, and they found 23 assault-style weapons in his room, many equipped with bump stocks that allow firearms to fire rapidly like machine guns.

Police and the FBI found that Paddock meticulously planned the attack and theorized that he may have sought notoriety. But they said they never determined a clear motive.

As legal claims piled up, MGM drew outrage when it filed lawsuits last year against more than 1,900 victims, arguing it had no liability to survivors or families of slain victims under a federal law enacted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Another attorney for victims is planning a news conference Thursday in San Diego.
 
Safety At 'Joker' Screenings A Cause Of Concern For Some Moviegoers
CBS Los Angeles Oct. 4 2019


October 5, 2019 9:08AM PT
Weeks of controversial headlines aren’t getting in the way of a record-breaking weekend for Warner Bros.’ “Joker.”

After taking home $39.9 million in Friday domestic ticket sales — the biggest October opening day ever — the R-rated supervillain film is eyeing a huge $92 million weekend total.

That’s on the higher end of initial box office projections, which saw the film debuting in the $80 million to $95 million range. Either way, the film is likely to beat previous October opening weekend record holder “Venom,” which opened to $80.3 million last year.

“The Joker” has generated widespread controversy for its villainous depiction of evil, prompting some theaters to increase security. Additionally, family members of the 2012 Aurora shooting victims — a mass shooting that occurred at a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises — signed a letter to Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff expressing concerns about the film’s release. Although the families ultimately refrained from calling for “Joker” to be pulled from release, they did say the movie’s “sympathetic origin story… gave us pause.”

“Joker,” which is opening with the biggest release ever for an October film, premiered to early critical acclaim at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion, the festival’s highest prize. Star Joaquin Phoenix has also drawn early awards speculation for his turn as the classic DC villain.

“Joker” is also generating ticket sales overseas where it scored $32.7 million from 73 foreign markets, bringing its international total up to $57.2 million. Top Friday openers included the United Kingdom ($4.7 million), Mexico ($4.2 million), Japan ($1.9 million) and Spain ($1.4 million).

Behind “Joker” is Universal’s animated adventure “Abominable,” which took home $2.7 million in its second weekend. “Downton Abby” came in third with $2.4 million and STX’s fourth weekend of “Hustlers” scored another $1.9 million. Rounding out the top five was Warner Bros.’ fifth frame of “It: Chapter Two” which nabbed $1.4 million.

A movie theater in Huntington Beach, Calif., showing the film “Joker” was closed down on Thursday night after a “credible” threat was reported to police, the Huntington Beach Police Department said on Friday.

The final two showings of the movie at the Century Huntington Beach and XD theater in the Bella Terra shopping center were canceled after officers were sent to the scene. Showings resumed on Friday.

The Huntington Beach Police Department said in a statement that it had received information about a possible threat to the Century Theater in response to the opening of “Joker.”

“The police department deemed the threat was credible enough to provide a uniformed presence at the theater,” the statement said. “As the investigation continued, our officers worked with the managers of the theater, who determined they would cancel the final two showings of the movie and close the theater out of an abundance of caution. Based on the investigation, and in working with theater management, it was determined that the theater could safely reopen today and resume normal operation.”

The theater’s website on Friday showed that the facility was open for business as usual, with advance tickets for sale. The police did not provide any details about the nature of the threat.

“The Huntington Beach Police Department will provide patrols at Century Theater for the rest of this weekend,” the police added. “We are working in conjunction with the theater’s management as well as mall security to provide a safe environment to the public. This incident is currently under investigation, and no further details will be provided.”

The film’s themes of mental illness and its relationship to violence have caused theater owners and law enforcement to worry about the message “Joker” sends. New York and Los Angeles police are deploying officers to theaters screening the film this weekend. “Joker” premiered on Aug. 31 at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion — the festival’s highest prize.

Aug 28, 2019
 
The story is still updating but so far the reports state that in Manhattan, NY, a homeless man "randomly" murdered 4 other homeless men within a small area with a blunt object:


Four 'homeless' men battered to death in New York



Four men thought to be homeless have been battered to death in New York in the space of a single night, with a fifth critically injured, police say.

Their suspected killer was detained by police as an attack was in progress in Chinatown and the suspected weapon, a long metal object, was recovered.

All of the victims died of blunt trauma to the head and appear to have been asleep when they were attacked.

They were assaulted at three different locations in Manhattan.

The suspect, 24, is in custody but has not yet been charged, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Police are still investigating possible motives for the attacks and have not yet named the victims.

What else are US media reporting?

Police were alerted by an emergency call just before 02:00 (06:00 GMT).

The man who survived was the second to be attacked and was found a short distance away from the first. He was taken to New York's Downtown Hospital in critical condition. The other three men were killed a street away.

The attacks took place in both Chinatown and the Lower East Side, the New York Times reports.

Michael Baldassano, chief of Manhattan South detectives, described the weapon as a "pipe", said to be about 3ft (90cm) long.

The suspect himself was homeless, he added, and appeared to have carried out "random attacks", with nobody "targeted by race, age, anything by that nature".

Two victims were reportedly found in front of a shop and a third across the street.
 
What the main stream hides are the critical details.



Four people have been killed and at least five others injured after gunmen, who are still at large, entered a bar in Kansas City and started shooting.

The incident took place shortly before 1:30am at the Tequila KC bar on Central Avenue in downtown Kansas City.

Police say there was at least two attackers, who were armed with handguns. They fled the scene after the incident. Investigations have revealed that an earlier dispute inside the bar lead to the shooting.

Approximately 40 people were in the venue when the incident occurred and the victims were all Hispanic males, according to 41 Action News.


"Detectives are here and are looking at any surveillance," Officer Thomas Tomasic told the local news outlet. "This is definitely one of those that we’re going to do everything very slowly, very methodically and correctly."

One of the victims was in their late 50s, one was in his mid 30s and the other two were in their mid 20s. The injured people were transported to hospitals in the area and they are all believed to be in a stable condition.

Kansas City Mayor, David Alvey, said he will pray for the family of the victims and the assailants and the shooting was "sad for all those involved."

Gangbanger's.

 
From Israel.





PM: German synagogue attack is expression of rising anti-Semitism in Europe Merkel condemns attack, expresses ‘solidarity for all Jews’; Rivlin: ‘stunned and pained by terrible anti-Semitic murders’; Gantz: Berlin must increase fight against Jew hatred

Moments after the end of Yom Kippur, Israeli leaders expressed shock and outrage over the deadly attack Wednesday targeting a synagogue in the German city of Halle.

“The terror attack against the community in Halle, Germany, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for our people, is another expression of the rising anti-Semitism in Europe,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, moments after the holy day ended in Israel (while it was still ongoing in Germany).

“In the name of the Israeli people I send condolences to the families of the victims and wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured,” he went on. “I call on the German authorities to continue to act determinedly against the phenomenon of anti-Semitism.”

President Reuven Rivlin said he was “stunned and pained by the terrible anti-Semitic murders in Germany” that were committed during the holiest and most important day of the year for all Jews around the world. He called on German leaders and the entire free world to bring the full force of law against anti-Semitism and its results.

“We will continue to campaign for education and remembrance in the fight against anti-Semitism which raises its head again and again in Europe and across the world, based on the clear understanding that it is not a problem of the Jews alone, but threatens to destroy us all,” the president said.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening also released a statement expressing “shock” at the attack, noting that it continues to “follow developments with concern.”

A few minutes later, Foreign Minister Israel Katz took to Twitter to express his “deep shock” at the attack, saying it was “reminiscent of dark periods in Jewish history.” Katz, too, urged Berlin to do more to fight Jew hatred.

Numerous Israeli politicians, including opposition leader Benny Gantz, also released statements of condolences and calls on Berlin to increase its fight against Jew hatred.

“This incident, rooted in anti-Semitism, on the holiest day for the Jewish people, is one of many attacks against Jews throughout the world in recent weeks. It highlights the need for the international community to combat anti-Semitism – anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist movements alike,” Gantz said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the deadly shooting, her spokesman said, adding an expression of “solidarity for all Jews on the holy day of Yom Kippur.”

Merkel had “deep sympathy” for the victims’ loved ones, government spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted, adding the veteran chancellor’s “thanks to all the security forces who are still on the scene.”

The US Embassy in Berlin tweeted its condemnation of the attack as well. “This attack is an attack on all of us and the perpetrators must be held accountable. We mourn the victims of this senseless violence,” the tweet read.

The embassy announced that 10 Americans were in the synagogue at the time of the attack.

On Monday, the Central Council of Jews in Germany condemned German authorities for “negligence” after it released a man who attempted to run into a synagogue armed with a knife in central Berlin on Friday evening.

Agencies contributed to this report.





One tweeter commented that Rita Katz is an agent of Mossad

Official Twitter Account of Rita Katz, Director of SITE Intelligence Group LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/rita-katz

 
5 people have been stabbed by a man at a shopping centre in Manchester, UK. A video tweet shows officers apprehending the man with a taser. Terrorism officers are leading the investigation "Given the location of the incident and its nature".


5 stabbed at shopping center in Manchester, UK


James Morris
The Independent
Fri, 11 Oct 2019 12:43 UTC





machester stab
© John Greenhalgh via Reuters
Terrorism officers are investigating after five people were stabbed in the Manchester Arndale shopping centre on Friday.

Greater Manchester Police said a man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of serious assault and taken into custody.

The five victims have been taken to hospital but their conditions are unknown.

A force statement read: "Specialist officers are continuing to respond to an incident at the Arndale shopping centre in Manchester city centre.


"We can confirm that five people have been stabbed and taken to hospital.

"In these early stages we are keeping an open mind about the motivation of this terrible incident and the circumstances as we know them."

It went on: "Given the location of the incident and its nature officers from Counter Terrorism Police North West are leading the investigation as we determine the circumstances.

"A man in his 40s - who was arrested at the scene on suspicion of serious assault - remains in custody for questioning."

Social media posts showed a large number of officers at the scene and a suspect being Tasered.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "Shocked by the incident in Manchester and my thoughts are with the injured and all those affected.

"Thank you to our excellent emergency services who responded and who are now investigating what happened."

Freddie Houlder, 22, from Market Drayton, was in the Arndale when he heard "a load of screams just outside" the shop he was in.

He said a woman then came into the shop and told others "a guy just ran past the shop and tried to stab me".


Mr Houlder added: "Luckily she had quite a thick jacket - she thought originally it was a fake knife because of how easily it grazed off but police came in and said it was a real knife and she burst into tears."

He said he was evacuated several minutes later at which point he saw "a bunch of curtains covering someone seriously injured or dead, I don't know".


David Allinson, centre director at Manchester Arndale, said: "A serious incident has taken place at Manchester Arndale this morning.

"The centre has been evacuated while police investigate the incident.

"We are unable to comment any further as the incident is currently being handled by Greater Manchester Police, who we will continue to support with their investigation."
 
4 Dead in shooting at illegal gambling site in Brooklyn, NY
4 dead in shooting at illegal gambling site in Brooklyn
NEW YORK Oct. 13, 2019 - Gunfire broke out inside an illegal gambling club in Brooklyn early Saturday, police said, leaving four people dead, three wounded, and investigators trying to piece together what prompted the bloodshed.

The shooting inside the small, nondescript club started just before 7 a.m. as around 15 people were gambling with dice and cards, police said.

At a news conference hours later, Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said investigators were trying to determine if a gambling dispute, a robbery, or something else was to blame for the violence. "A bit of a chaotic scene," Shea said.

Two handguns were recovered. Multiple shots were fired and police didn't immediately say how many people might have been shooting.

The victims, who have not been identified, ranged in age from 32 to 49, Shea said. Two may have lived out of state and the rest were from neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn.

All of the people shot were men, save for one wounded woman. The injured were expected to survive. One additional person was hurt fleeing.

No one was immediately charged in the shooting, but police were questioning survivors and reviewing security camera footage.

"We have some individuals back at the 77th Precinct and we're trying to piece together exactly what transpired in that location," Shea said.

The unlicensed club, adorned with a sign identifying it as the "Triple A Aces Private & Social Event Space," was operating on the first floor of an older wood-frame townhouse on a block with some empty storefronts and boarded-up buildings.

The shooting was the second mass killing in New York in a week. Four homeless men were beaten to death , allegedly by another homeless man, on Oct. 5 in Manhattan's Chinatown.

Until those killings, the city had been on pace to challenge its post-World War II record for the fewest homicides. Last year it had fewer than 300 in a city of more than 8.5 million people.
 
Absolutely crazy situation in the northern Mexican city of Culiacán yesterday. The National Guard happened to come across one of the sons of "El Chapo" Guzmán (notorious drug baron now jailed in the US), so they grabbed him. In response, the cartel surrounded the NG, summoned dozens of sicarios (hitmen) from the region and started several shootings throughout the city, burning trucks, barricading roads and liberating prisoners from a jail in the process. The whole city was in a state of siege and spontaneous curfew as people ran into buildings not to go out again. Eventually the authorities gave in and released the so-called "Chapito" (little Chapo), apparently now head of the cartel. Some very dramatic videos appeared on social media - see the link below:

 
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