Waco biker gang shootout: What we know so far – and what we don't

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/18/waco-biker-gang-shootout-what-we-know

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WHAT WE KNOW

Nine people are dead

Eight people were pronounced dead at the scene and one other died in hospital a few hours later. Police said that all nine were members of two motorcycle gangs, the Bandidos and the Cossacks. Sergeant Patrick Swanton, a spokesman for the Waco police department, said it was “one of the most violent scenes” he’d seen in his career. The bodies have now been sent off for autopsy.

… and 18 injured

In addition to those killed, 18 people were injured and taken to area hospitals. All those injured were members of biker gangs, according to police, with no officers, bystanders or shoppers hurt.

Related: Texas police charge more than 170 people linked to deadly biker gang shootout

170 arrested on charges relating to capital murder

At last count, 170 people were apprehended by local police from the scene of the shootout on Sunday, Swanton said at a press conference on Monday, but this number is subject to change. The figure was revised down from an earlier figure of 192, as police initially were not sure how many people they had detained due to the chaos on scene. Waco police transformed the city’s Convention Center into a staging area overnight to hold those arrested; most at the site had been or were in the process of being booked into the McLennan county jail.

They have now all been charged with engaging in organized crime in reference to the shooting at Twin Peaks. Swanton said this is a capital murder charge because of the number of victims killed at one site.

“The number of shots, who shot who and all of that will be part of our investigative process and won’t be released right away,” Swanton said. Officers found more than 100 weapons at the scene.

Gangs involved

Police said that the shootout involved members from five different motorcycle gangs, including the Bandidos, the world’s second largest biker gang, and the Cossacks, a smaller Texas-based outfit. Photographs of arrests at the scene showed several members of the Scimitars biker gang were also present. Swanton declined to elaborate on the groups’ specifics. “You won’t hear their name from us here today,” Swanton said. “We’re not about to give them the respect of knowing their names. We don’t care.”

At a press conference on Monday, Swanton said the fight started in the Twin Peaks restroom and quickly escalated to the patio/bar area. Shots were fired inside the restaurant by rival gang members at each other, Swanton said, before the fighting moved swiftly into the parking lot.

Police involvement

Sergeant Swanton said that 18 police officers, including command staff, were present at the scene prior to the multiple shootings, as they had been alerted to the presence of multiple biker gangs in advance. “We have been made aware over two months that rival gangs are meeting here and that the potential for violence is increasing,” Swanton said of Twin Peaks.

Once the fighting moved into the parking lot outside Twin Peaks, the bikers turned their guns away from each other and towards police, who returned fire, Swanton said, reportedly “possibly wounding and possibly killing several”. It is not yet clear how many, if any had been killed by police fire.

The officers on scene became involved in the gunfight within a matter of seconds from the initial indication that there was a disturbance inside.

Local, state and federal law enforcement officials descended on the scene and many are still present, “providing support and manpower”, Swanton said. Swat officers are still on the scene, providing protection.

Related: Waco shootout: who are the Bandidos motorcycle gang?

Twin Peaks franchise license revoked

The restaurant’s liquor sales will be revoked for at least seven days “due to the ongoing danger” it presents to the community, Swanton said, but they will be open for food sales. The Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission is conducting a parallel investigation into the incident, which raised the possibility of further violence.

A spokesperson for the Twin Peaks parent company issued a statement on Monday saying that it was revoking the franchise from the Waco location.

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

Why the fight started

Multiple theories abound as to why the gang members had gathered that evening at Twin Peaks, though none are conclusive. Steve Cook, a Kansas City-area police officer who said he has worked undercover in gangs linked to the Bandidos, said the fight appeared to have started as turf war between the Cossacks and the Bandidos. Citing police sources, he told the Washington Post that he understood the shootout started because the Cossacks, backed by the Hells Angels, had challenged the Bandidos for control of Texas.

Twin Peaks involvement

Twin Peaks and Waco police are at odds over their versions of events. Twin Peaks’ local franchise owner said on Sunday night that they had been cooperating with police’s investigation and had had ongoing, “positive” communications with police. Swanton later addressed those comments, calling them “a fabrication” and saying that police had attempted to get the local management to assist but that they “would not cooperate”.

The restaurant had hosted biker groups in the past, police said. “We’ve been here over the past two months because of the problems we’ve had with biker gangs here at Twin Peaks,” Swanton said. “We have attempted to work with local management of Twin Peaks to no avail. They have continued to allow these bikers to gather here and this is the culmination of what has occurred.”