Posted on 12/16/2015 10:05:23 AM PST by don-o
Authorities still do not know who shot who among nearly 200 bikers caught in a deadly melee at the Twin Peaks in Waco but expect to soon have the scientific evidence to answer questions that for seven months have eluded them.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators are nearly finished with ballistics and other tests on 151 firearms, as well as 29 bullet fragments and 30 cartridge cases recovered from the scene that was especially complex given the number of people and guns involved.
It is unclear if the fragments being tested by the ATF are all that were believed to have been fired by civilians that May afternoon, but if so, would mark the first publicly revealed total for the number of rounds attributed to bikers.
Nine people were killed and about two dozen were wounded during the May clash, which started as a beef between the Bandidos and Cossacks motorcycle clubs and their supporters.
Findings should be complete by early January, said Rob Elder, head of the ATF's Houston Division, which is assisting Waco Police and McLennan County prosecutors.
"It is just a matter of sorting through it now and matching it up," Elder said. "We still have some waiting for physical evidence comparisons that I think will help clarify a bit."
Tests are expected to reveal who owned many of the weapons; who may have handled the weapons during the clash; and which bullets were fired from which guns.
Most of the firearms were handguns, but there were a few rifles and shotguns. All were taken from bikers at the scene or from their vehicles, according to authorities. Most had not been fired.
In addition to reviewing characteristics of each gun and fired bullet, the ATF has collected an array of fingerprint and DNA evidence, as well as sought to see if the guns had been fired in any other crimes, Elder said.
ATF agents have also interviewed 130 people as they attempt to draw a map that leads from where each firearm was manufactured to what role it might have had in the incident.
"Our role in this has been to help them process the evidence," Elder said. "We are not the lead agency in charge of the case. We are simply helping them with the firearms evidence."
Four of the dead are believed to have been struck by the same type of rifle bullets fired that day by Waco Police, according to ballistics tests done separately from the ATF by a private firm in Dallas.
So far, 106 bikers have been indicted on a charge of engaging in organized crime, and a grand jury is expected to continue looking at other defendants.
With the indictments, authorities have increased the death toll to 10, but they have not clarified where or when that person died. And no one thus far has been accused of any specific act of violence.
McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna declined to comment but said that facts will be aired in the courtroom.
"With respect to the Twin Peaks matter, this office will continue to do the right thing in seeing that justice is done and, at this time, refrain from discussing any facts outside of court proceedings," Reyna said in a prepared statement.
Lucien Haag, a New Mexico-based firearms and ballistics expert, said even with the ballistics and related work completed, it might be tough to know for sure who fired which gun or under what circumstances.
He said that, for example, a biker could say that amid the chaos he grabbed a gun that was left on the ground and sought to defend himself but did not realize that it had just been used to shoot someone else and dropped.
Still, Haag said that physical evidence is vital in such cases.
"When bad things happen, people's recollection is often flawed," he said. "They have things out of order. Have people wearing clothes they never wore and firing guns they never held."
Haag cautioned that some guns are a lot easier to connect to bullets than others, and bullets that have bounced off walls, pierced gas tanks or gone through a body can be mangled and tough to work with.
"We all like to solve puzzles, but these are high stakes: people are going to go to jail or be acquitted, hopefully on the physical evidence," Haag said.
Adam Reposa, an Austin lawyer who is representing a member of the Bandidos, said he is ready to review as much ballistics evidence as possible.
He said that in the case of his client, who was wounded, bullet fragments tore through him and kept moving.
“draw a map that leads from where each firearm was manufactured to what role it might have had in the incident. ‘
So predictable
Distancing themselves from involvement 'prior' to the TP shootings.
“30 cartridge cases recovered from the scene...”
Assuming the 30 includes any expended cases left in revolvers, and the 9 from police rifles, that leaves 21 shots. Some of these could be from police guns. Multiple shots likely came from the same gun. Since video shows at least one biker shooting, and probably shows any other non-police shooters, this really doesn’t seem like Sherlock Holmes’s toughest case. I am going to guess four or less bikers accounted for all the biker shots.
Will be very interesting to see what BATFE admits to.
It is taking the police a long time to cover up wrong doing.
The video would have been released already if it cleared the popo.
Was Lon Horiuchi there? /s
Does “in spirit” count?
I wonder where he hides
Truthful answers?
“30 cartridge cases recovered from the scene...”
The number has changed. It was 44, minus the 12 fired by the police.
Posted: Friday, June 12, 2015 11:59 am
By OLIVIA MESSER omesser@wacotrib.com
Waco Police Chief Brent Stroman said Friday that three Waco officers fired a total of 12 shots during the May 17 Twin Peaks shootout that killed nine people and injured 18, landing 177 suspects in jail.
Stroman said 12 shell casings were fired from police rifles and found at the scene. No other law enforcement officers from other agencies fired their weapons, he said.
So far, a total of 44 casings have been recovered, but Stroman said that total doesn’t include any casings that remained inside revolvers that were fired. All other shells found at the scene weren’t from law enforcement weapons, he said.
Interesting discrepancies. I presume there was no mystery about which guns the 12 police rifle casings came from, and perhaps 2 others.
He works for a gun manufacturer
The problem with that is there would be no legal justification to do so.
Very slow progress in this case - and that, in itself, looks suspicious.
X-ray inspections are very limited and can’t be done from drones. X-ray bans are used at the borders because all border crossers are subject to a full inspection as part of customs laws.’
“I have felt since day 1 on this incident that a simple LEO spot check of all vehicles for weapons attempting to enter the TP parking lot would have prevented this loss & injury of life. “
Perhaps all states and counties and cities should do spot checks for guns at their borders?
“How about x-raying the cars & trucks with overhead drones?”
Good idea. I am sure Obama already has thought of this.
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