Waco biker shooting: Prosecutors drop all charges in deadly shootout

[Calista241]

Source: NBC News

No one will be convicted or otherwise held accountable for the 2015 shootout between rival biker gangs in Waco restaurant parking lot that left nine people dead and at least 20 injured, prosecutors in Central Texas said Tuesday.

In a statement announcing all charges will be dropped in the deadliest biker shooting in U.S. history, McLennan County District Attorney Barry Johnson said any further effort to prosecute the case would be a "waste of time, effort and resources."

"In my opinion, had this action been taken in a timely manner, it would have, and should have, resulted in numerous convictions and prison sentences against many of those who participated in the Twin Peaks brawl," Johnson said. "Over the next three years the prior district attorney failed to take that action, for reasons that I do not know to this day."

The shooting outside a Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco on May 17, 2015, involved rival biker gangs, the Bandidos and Cossacks, and occurred as bikers from various groups were gathering to talk over matters of concern. Fights and gunfire broke out. Waco police officers monitoring the gathering also fired on the bikers, killing at least two.



Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/waco-biker-shooting-prosecutors-drop-all-charges-deadly-shootout-n990341

[SHRED]

1. Unbelievable

[NCDEM4EVR]

2. Not really, it's Texas after all

[DBoon]

6. "Forget it, Jake, it's Texas."

the futility of finding uncorrupt law enforcement

[safeinOhio]

12. I'd bet half of the force are gang members.

[paleotn]

15. And the other half are white supremacists.

[maxsolomon]

3. Next up: Trump invites the murderers to the White House.

Or at least to a summit at the Bundy Ranch.

[sarisataka]

4. IIRC forensics

Showed most deaths/ injuries were caused by police gunfire, shooting indiscriminately I to the mass of people. Perhaps that was a factor in the prosecution turns it into a royal Charlie Foxtrot

[appal_jack]

8. The police may have even started it iirc.

Too lazy to chase the source, but I remember reading back then some details that made the whole situation stink like a pig sty...

-app

[rocktivity]

13. Yes, I remember it well

Last edited Wed Oct 23, 2019, 09:11 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141098406

And with trump's affinity for bikers, maybe he placed his thumb on the scale...


rocktivity

[Strelnikov_]

19. Thats the way I remember the 'independent' investigations indicated it started

That is, the lawyers representing the various gang members. The consensus was that the cops heard a shot, and opened up.

The meet up had been held in the past, and was to be peaceful with mutual disarmament. Basically, it was a business meeting to get beyond the petty arguments and network to make some money, albeit illegally. Further lending credence to the lawyers sequence of events.

The cops, on the other hand . . .

[Mr Tibbs]

5. I have had multiple Trumpers and others before them tell me that bikers are just good ol' boys

Business men who like to ride their bikes on the weekend.

When you point out to them that they are organized crime gangs they get upset. I don't doubt this line of thinking had something to do with this.

[Mr Tibbs]

10. Were the Cossacks and Banditos in Waco gang members?

Or were they just "Biker guys and gals out for a weekend spin?"

[Mr Tibbs]

14. I think you missed my point

Point being, Republicans see biker gangs as "Good ol' boys"/

[rockfordfile]

16. Would you really trust your family's safety in Texas?

[trc]

17. I live in Waco, this has been the expected result for a while now

The previous prosecutor screwed this up so badly, cost innocent people their livelihoods, failed to file charges in anything like a timely manner and overall just fucked up. The result of the previous prosecutor not doing his job correctly lead directly to this new prosecutors actions. Keep in mind, these MC's/Bike clubs have a strong no snitching code that hampers prosecution. "Nobody saw nothing." Can't prove who held what weapon so can't pin any killing on any individual...this was a cluster fuck from the beginning and the law suits flowing from those inappropriately arrested (there were 177 arrested but only a handful were actually involved). Businesses were lost, careers hampered and damage to reputations were profound. Most of the folks at the Twin Peaks were from other Motorcycle Clubs just enjoying an MC meetup and not in any way involved, but they were arrested and many charged none-the-less. Had the previous prosecutor not sought to indict so many, he could have indicted those directly involved in the Bandidos and Cossacks and worked out those cases. But instead he chose to dilute the the actual indictments with folks who never should have been charged. This latest announcement is a direct result of the previous prosecutors failures. This is not a conspiracy by republicans to not arrest folks, this was a failure of the Waco district attorney Abel Reyna and his office, nothing more.
The meeting between the cossacks and the bandidos was a side bar that just happened to take place at the Waco Twin Peaks when other MC's were also gathering to meet and eat.

[okaawhatever]

18. Thanks for the info nt

[Strelnikov_]

20. Thanks. You filled in some blanks for me. n/t