North America

A hairstylist said in documents released by police yesterday that a client named Paddock spoke in the months before the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history that a Las Vegas Strip concert venue was susceptible to attack. The Police Department released about 2100 pages of police reports, witness statements and dispatch records after losing court battles to keep them secret. Witness names were blacked out so their claims could not be verified. Authorities have not determined what led Stephen Paddock to open fire last October from his high-rise hotel room onto an outdoor concert below, killing 58. The hairstylist told investigators on October 10 that the comments from the client in late June or July were strange. The stylist said the client mentioned he could not believe an outdoor arena was built because a shooter could fire into the crowd from the casino across the way.

Leaders of the notorious Mexican Mafia were charged with running a government-like operation to control drug trafficking from inside Los Angeles County jails that included ordering violence against those who didn’t obey. The US Attorney’s office charged 83 people in sweeping racketeering conspiracies that alleged they ran drugs and carried out assaults and murders. The gang comprises imprisoned Latino street gang leaders who control operations inside and outside California jails.