KFOX, WHAM, POLICE HANDOUTS, CNN

By Elizabeth Wolfe, Danya Gainor, CNN

(CNN) — Earlier this month, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a Cuban migrant had died at a Texas detention camp after experiencing “medical distress,” giving little detail of what led up to his final moments.

Now, a medical examiner ruled that the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos was a homicide, the Associated Press reported Wednesday – a revelation that is likely to heighten scrutiny of the facility after three of its detainees have died in recent weeks.

The 55-year-old’s body showed signs of struggle, with the autopsy report noting abrasions on his chest and knees and hemorrhages on his neck, AP reported. He died of asphyxia caused by compression of his neck and torso, the report said.

Lunas Campos died inside the Camp East Montana facility in El Paso the night of January 3, according to a release from ICE. The Department of Homeland Security told CNN in a statement that Lunas Campos “violently resisted staff” who tried to intervene while he was trying to kill himself.

But a witness told AP last week that Lunas Campos was handcuffed during the incident as at least five guards held him down. The witness said one guard put an arm around his neck and squeezed until he was unconscious.

The autopsy report notes witnesses saw Lunas Campos “become unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement,” but does not provide more detail, AP reported. It did, however, point to evidence of injuries to his neck, head and torso associated with physical restraint.

The homicide finding does not imply intent to kill, but that the victim’s death was caused by another person, Lee Ann Grossberg, an independent forensic pathologist who reviewed the autopsy, told The Washington Post.

CNN has reached out the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office for information on the autopsy.

ICE initially provided a less detailed account of what happened before the man’s death.

That day, Lunas Campos had been put in a segregated unit after he “became disruptive while in line for medication and refused to return to his assigned dorm,” ICE said in a January 9 release. Later on, staff “observed him in distress,” the agency said. Medical personnel and EMS were summoned, but he was pronounced dead shortly after 10 p.m.

In a statement Wednesday, a DHS spokesperson said the man was attempting suicide and “security staff immediately intervened to save his life.”

“Campos violently resisted the security staff and continued to attempt to take his life. During the ensuing struggle, Campos stopped breathing and lost consciousness,” the spokesperson said.

Lunas Campos had been in federal

By Lilit Marcus, CNN

Tokyo (CNN) — A group of tourists follows their guide into the building, where he explains the history and context of what they’re seeing, translating signs from Japanese into English.

Wide-eyed in awe, the travelers politely ask if it’s OK to touch things and take pictures. Finally, they’re given free rein to wander around on their own, and they purchase gifts for loved ones back home.

This isn’t a Shinto temple. It’s a Japanese konbini, or convenience store, called FamilyMart.

These tours are the brainchild of Serkan Toso, founder of the Japanese restaurant booking platform byFood, who was inspired by the thousands of social media videos he saw of tourists exploring konbinis and reviewing the different snacks. He realized there was an opportunity and hired Ryo Ito to give the company’s (and possibly Japan’s) first-ever konbini tours.

Ito, a Tokyo native, thinks there’s nothing unusual about popping into a konbini multiple times per day, whether to grab a household item he needs like a toothbrush or buy some onigiri for lunch. His tours take small groups into multiple konbinis, plus a grocery store and a department store, over the course of an afternoon.

For Ito, who has moved back to Japan after a few years in Hawaii, these tours aim “to tell the story of how we use the konbini in Japan, and how it’s related to our life.”

According to data from Expedia.com, 39% of travelers visit grocery stores or supermarkets while on vacation, and 44% are specifically shopping for local goods they can’t get at home.

The big three brands in Japan’s convenience-store market are 7-Eleven, Lawson’s, and FamilyMart. Of these, 7-Eleven is the biggest by footprint, with FamilyMart second.

FamilyMart’s first location opened in Sayama City, about 25 miles northwest of Tokyo, in 1973. Now, the brand says it has 16,400 stores in Japan and about 8,400 stores in other markets, including Taiwan, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Competition among konbini brands is fierce in Japan. But overtourism and the rise of social media have also made them hot spots for tourists and influencers.

Many of Ito’s guests ask him to recommend konbini “hacks” — fun, customized combinations of convenience-store products. He says one of his go-tos is a serving of canned coffee poured over ice, with pudding added on top. These are called arenji, or remixes, in Japanese.

Foreign visitors are getting in on the action, remixing Famichiki, a flat, breaded fried chicken cutlet that is one of FamilyMart’s biggest sellers.

TikTok displays endless variations of Famichiki mashups, including wedging the cutlet between two pancakes for a sweet-savory mix or sticking them inside a cheeseburger for a decadent, American-inspired meal.

Putting the convenience in convenience store

Kahlen Cheung, a Hong Kong native, believes it’s not a trip to Japan without a konbini visit.

“My experience with FamilyMart is always positive,” she says. Cheung goes to Japan two or three times per year, and on her latest visit she made a series of Instagram videos documenting her trip, including one showing off

By Elizabeth Wolfe, Danya Gainor, CNN

(CNN) — Earlier this month, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a Cuban migrant had died at a Texas detention camp after experiencing “medical distress,” giving little detail of what led up to his final moments.

Now, a medical examiner ruled that the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos was a homicide, the Associated Press reported Wednesday – a revelation that is likely to heighten scrutiny of the facility after three of its detainees have died in recent weeks.

The 55-year-old’s body showed signs of struggle, with the autopsy report noting abrasions on his chest and knees and hemorrhages on his neck, AP reported. He died of asphyxia caused by compression of his neck and torso, the report said.

Lunas Campos died inside the Camp East Montana facility in El Paso the night of January 3, according to a release from ICE. The Department of Homeland Security told CNN in a statement that Lunas Campos “violently resisted staff” who tried to intervene while he was trying to kill himself.

But a witness told AP last week that Lunas Campos was handcuffed during the incident as at least five guards held him down. The witness said one guard put an arm around his neck and squeezed until he was unconscious.

The autopsy report notes witnesses saw Lunas Campos “become unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement,” but does not provide more detail, AP reported. It did, however, point to evidence of injuries to his neck, head and torso associated with physical restraint.

The homicide finding does not imply intent to kill, but that the victim’s death was caused by another person, Lee Ann Grossberg, an independent forensic pathologist who reviewed the autopsy, told The Washington Post.

CNN has reached out the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office for information on the autopsy.

ICE initially provided a less detailed account of what happened before the man’s death.

That day, Lunas Campos had been put in a segregated unit after he “became disruptive while in line for medication and refused to return to his assigned dorm,” ICE said in a January 9 release. Later on, staff “observed him in distress,” the agency said. Medical personnel and EMS were summoned, but he was pronounced dead shortly after 10 p.m.

In a statement Wednesday, a DHS spokesperson said the man was attempting suicide and “security staff immediately intervened to save his life.”

“Campos violently resisted the security staff and continued to attempt to take his life. During the ensuing struggle, Campos stopped breathing and lost consciousness,” the spokesperson said.

Lunas Campos had been in federal custody since July, when he was arrested in Rochester, New York, as part of an immigration operation, ICE said. He was transferred to the El Paso facility in September.

After Lunas Campos arrived in the US in 1996, he amassed years of criminal charges and convictions, some of which are felonies, according to ICE. The agency cited 10 convictions between 1998 and 2009, including selling a controlled substance, armed robbery and sexual contact with a child under 11. Though a judge ordered him to be removed from the US in 2005, Lunas Campos was not deported because the government was unable to secure travel documents, ICE said.

In its announcement of the death, ICE said it is “committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in saf

Por Eric Levenson, Matthew J. Friedman, Shimon Prokupecz y Rachel Clarke, CNN

Un jurado declaró inocente a un exagente de la policía del distrito escolar de 29 cargos de poner en peligro o abandonar a menores en el caso relacionado con el tiroteo de 2022 en la escuela primaria Robb en Uvalde, Texas, que dejó 19 niños y dos maestros muertos.

La fiscalía en el caso afirmó que el exagente de la policía del Distrito Escolar Independiente Consolidado de Uvalde, Adrian Gonzales, no “siguió ni intentó seguir su entrenamiento de tirador activo” y no hizo nada para detener al atacante en los primeros momentos del tiroteo, a pesar de tener suficiente tiempo e información.

La defensa argumentó que Gonzales no vio al atacante cuando llegó a la escuela y trabajó para evacuar a los estudiantes de los salones de clase.

Gonzales se declaró inocente de 29 cargos de poner en peligro o abandonar a menores en relación con el tiroteo de mayo de 2022.

El juez Sid Harle leyó el veredicto en la corte después de que el jurado deliberara por poco más de siete horas. Gonzales habría enfrentado de seis meses a dos años en la cárcel y una multa de hasta US$ 10.000 por cada cargo, de haber sido declarado culpable.

El jurado de Texas comenzó las deliberaciones este miércoles, tres semanas después de iniciado el juicio de Gonzales.

En los argumentos finales de la mañana de este miércoles, el fiscal especial Bill Turner dijo a los jurados que pueden enviar un mensaje claro con su veredicto.

“Si es apropiado quedarse afuera, escuchando 100 disparos, mientras los niños están siendo masacrados, esa es su decisión para comunicarle al estado de Texas”, dijo. “Y de la misma manera, si eso no es apropiado, si no es así como esperamos que actúen los agentes encargados del deber de proteger a los niños, eso también saldrá de esta sala de audiencias”.

En respuesta, el abogado defensor Jason Goss dijo que un veredicto de culpabilidad enviaría un mensaje diferente a las fuerzas del orden: si tomas alguna acción en respuesta a un tiroteo, de igual forma podrías terminar sentado en la corte como acusado.

“Lo que le están diciendo a los agentes de policía es que no reaccionen, que no respondan”, dijo al jurado. “No podemos permitir que las fuerzas del orden se sientan así. Que si no son perfectos, si no toman una decisión perfecta, entonces es ahí a donde van”.

Los fiscales llamaron a 35 testigos, incluyendo maestros, padres, agentes de la ley y expertos médicos, mientras buscaban probar que Gonzales —el primer agente en responder al tiroteo— se enteró del movimiento del atacante y escuchó disparos pero no intentó detener el ataque.

La defensa llamó a solo dos testigos durante dos horas el martes. En cambio, concentraron sus energías en el contrainterrogatorio de los testigos de la fiscalía, buscando inconsistencias, planteando preguntas sobre lo que Gonzales sabía y cuándo lo supo, y cuestionando las acciones e inacciones de otros oficiales en la escena.

Gonzales no testificó en su propia defensa.

El juicio fue el primer caso penal derivado del tiroteo masivo de mayo de 2022 en la Escuela Primaria Robb en Uvalde, en el que un atacante de 18 años abrió fuego y mató a 19 niños y dos maestros e hirió a otros diez niños. Cientos de policías acudieron rápidamente a la escuela para responder, pero pasaron 77 minutos antes de que confrontaran y mataran al atacante, un período prolongado que ha generado años de investigaciones y señalamientos sobre la demora.

En 2024, Gonzales y el exjefe de policía del Distrito Escola

By Oscar Holland, CNN

(CNN) — In the days following the antisemitic attack at Australia’s Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead, a memorial site quickly filled with candles, stuffed toys, handwritten notes and thousands, perhaps even millions, of flowers.

Such spontaneous memorials are typically removed and their contents quietly disposed of. But Jewish artist Nina Sanadze saw a chance to immortalize the bouquets, even as their petals faded and decomposed. Before knowing precisely what she would do with them, she asked the Sydney Jewish Museum to help collect every flower from the site — more than three tons and counting — to transform into artworks commemorating Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in almost 30 years.

Even though authorities have now formally closed the memorials, flowers are still being laid, Sanadze said over the phone. “We’re going there, collecting fresh ones and preserving them,” she added, saying that “nothing is thrown away,” including leaves and seeds.

Drying and storing the rapidly deteriorating flowers was a huge logistical undertaking. The museum secured warehouse space and trucks to transport the plants in large black plastic bags, which Sanadze said “looked like body bags.” More than 100 volunteers have since helped dry the flowers, ironing them between tissues before sorting them “petal by petal, color by color,” she added. The artist also worked with professional florists to identify the various plant species.

“Some flowers are good at keeping color and look good when they’re dried, and some look brown. But it’s all part of the story.”

The pain of last month’s tragedy is still raw among the volunteers, many of whom hail from Sydney’s 44,000-strong Jewish community. The project has, however, proven therapeutic for many — including Sanadze herself.

“Honestly, we’re not talking about the attack at all. We’re just talking about flowers,” said the artist, who is based in Melbourne but spent weeks in the Sydney warehouse overseeing volunteers who’d come to help.

“Sometimes people just cry or come for a hug with a heavy, heavy heart.”

“I felt visceral anger,” she added of her reaction to the shooting, which Australia marks with a National Day of Mourning on Thursday. “But working with the flowers softened me again and softened my heart. It helped me, in that way, to process my anger.

“I cannot afford to fall apart. I think the minute I sit down, because I’m exhausted or feel really upset, I cannot get up from the couch. So it’s helped me keep going.”

Rising tide of antisemitism

With the preservation and sorting wrapping up earlier this week, Sanadze’s attention must now turn to more artistic matters. She has been given a year to complete the works ahead of the reopening of Sydney Jewish Museum, which is currently undergoing a major redevelopment and expansion.

Although best known as a sculptor, Sanadze envisages the project as a collection of mixed-media works, each using the flowers in different ways. She is, for instance, planning a series of paintings, based on photographs of the attack’s aftermath, that use pigments extracted from the petals.

The artist is also considering artworks featuring messages left by mourners, as well as an indoor garden grown from some of the recovered seeds. Decomposing plant matter will meanwhile be composted and used to make seats, flooring and tiles for the museum.

“I’m wondering whether we can have multiple rooms in the museum, where you go from room to room and the work unfolds with a variety of installations,” she said, adding that she is “going with the flow.”

Another of Sanadze’s ideas intersects w