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Waco Blunders Through Its 'Biker Shootout' Investigation
The Atlantic ^ | December 22, 2015 | Conor Friedersdorf

Posted on 12/22/2015 7:58:49 AM PST by don-o

The criminal-justice system in Waco, Texas, continues to boggle the mind. Last month, a grand jury in McClellan County held a marathon session to consider whether District Attorney Abel Reyna had presented enough evidence to justify indictments in the shootout at a May gathering of bikers where nine people were killed. In the wake of those killings, 177 bikers were arrested. Many proclaimed their innocence, and local authorities faced criticism for jailing so many individuals using fill-in-the-blank paperwork that didn't differentiate among the jailed.

Still, the November grand jury session returned 106 indictments at the end of one day, some against unknown figures who hadn't previously been arrested. And the citizen jurors would reconvene at a later date to consider the fate of 80 additional bikers. This, despite the fact that leaked surveillance footage certainly seems to depict many bikers who look surprised that bullets are flying and unprepared for a gunfight, not as if they were conspiring to murder a bunch of their rivals:

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: donutwatch; ibtg; inbeforetexasgator; nifong2; texas; waco
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To: Paladin2
“I also wonder if, when the AP reports that .223-caliber rifles were “the only type of weapon fired by police that day,” that includes ATF agents and all other law-enforcement officials responding to the scene”

Bingo.

21 posted on 12/22/2015 9:58:59 AM PST by bgill (CDC site, "We still do not know exactly how people are infected with Ebola")
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To: HiTech RedNeck

“Do we really want to be asking our governments to “run a railroad” this way?”

If the gangs would go out in the desert and have their wars instead of in a family venue ...


22 posted on 12/22/2015 10:10:28 AM PST by TexasGator
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To: don-o
"I believe the TP management denied that they had been approached by Waco PD."


23 posted on 12/22/2015 10:17:20 AM PST by TexasGator
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To: TexasGator

Wait a minute aren’t you the same one who went out there with alligations about unclassy breastaurants. Make up your mind.

Besides it is looking more and more obvious that the vast bulk of them had nothing more on their minds than the capability of self defense. There had been no melee for the 20 years. This is scapegoating par excellence.


24 posted on 12/22/2015 10:23:12 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

“Wait a minute aren’t you the same one who went out there with alligations about unclassy breastaurants. Make up your mind.”

It was at a public plaza with a family restaurant within pistol range ...


25 posted on 12/22/2015 10:25:28 AM PST by TexasGator
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To: don-o

Regarding the CoC& I meeting itself, in one of the hearings didn't it come out from law enforcement that they did not request that the meeting of May 17th be canceled?

Instead the questions ran more towards how much of the facility had been reserved/rented for the meeting, wasn't it? Only the patio, if memory serves. Followed by commentary including that the police decided to not have officers inside the facility.

26 posted on 12/22/2015 10:27:52 AM PST by BlueDragon (TheHildbeast is so bad, purty near anybody should beat her. And that's saying something)
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To: Boogieman
False. The police tried to stop it but the business owners would not cooperate.

The Waco Police screwed up then used the business as a scapegoat.

27 posted on 12/22/2015 10:28:36 AM PST by Prolixus (In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act)
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To: Boogieman
Our restaurant general manager and two franchisee operators spoke with law enforcement officials on several occasions before May 17th. Contrary to what is being widely reported, as best as we can determine at this time, no one from law enforcement ever told them to cancel the Sunday patio reservation.
28 posted on 12/22/2015 10:30:11 AM PST by don-o (I am Kenneth Carlisle - Waco 5/17/15)
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To: TexasGator

No matter, if you calculate something like the number of attacks per biker per visit per place nationwide, you would get something lower than what is seen in public in a lot of supposedly civilized areas of America.

But somehow it’s just ordinary crime in Chicago or NYC. It’s EEEEEEEVIL BIKERS in Waco.


29 posted on 12/22/2015 10:30:30 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: don-o
-- Statistics I read indicated that only 10% or so of indictments result in a trial. --

That's about right. But the prosecution is at an early stage. Given the nature of "speedy" in Texas, the DA has a year or two before trial, and might squeeze a plea anytime between now and then.

I kind of doubt it though. Defense shouldn't be awfully expensive. No experts. Cookie cutter motions to dismiss, short trials seeing as how the state doesn't have much in the way of evidence, etc.

The 90% plead out figure is on a base where likely 95-99% of those accused actually committed a crime, and a plea deal is a good deal for them.

30 posted on 12/22/2015 10:33:40 AM PST by Cboldt
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To: TexasGator

Make that, it’s a COLLUSION of EEEEEEEVIL BIKERS....


31 posted on 12/22/2015 10:33:42 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Cboldt

They are going to have to figure out a face saving way to avoid a political humiliation.

Just you wait... Donald Trump will probably say something good about bikers and then heads will start exploding.

If you calculate the odds of a melee like this at all the places bikers visit over the course of years, it gets pretty low. Of course when calculating odds of melees, nobody ever does that for police (and not those called to scenes of melees in progress), do they? I’d be curious to see how they stack up.


32 posted on 12/22/2015 10:38:09 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

“No matter, if you calculate something like the number of attacks per biker per visit per place nationwide, you would get something lower than what is seen in public in a lot of supposedly civilized areas of America.”

Where else have you seen 200+ gangsters involved in a shooting in a family plaza?


33 posted on 12/22/2015 10:38:59 AM PST by TexasGator
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To: Boogieman
-- The police tried to stop it but the business owners would not cooperate. --

So says Stroman, speaking for the police. Testimonial evidence by DPS doesn't back him up (it contradicts him), and the franchise operator disagrees with him too.

-- You do realize it would have been a violation of the 1st Amendment for the police to do much more than that, don't you? --

What exactly would the cops do that was a violation of (somebody's) first amendment right? I've suggested the cops arrest a few of the ringleaders either on open warrants or some pretense. They could let them go after questioning if there isn't a valid charge. Cops hassle people all the time. You can beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride.

34 posted on 12/22/2015 10:39:10 AM PST by Cboldt
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To: TexasGator

How many shots were fired, and at whom and by whom?

Many people consider police to act like gangsters sometimes, lining up to defend even the most dubious cases with all their union might.


35 posted on 12/22/2015 10:40:21 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Cboldt

Someone figured it better to go for the grand bust, it appears. Not thinking that they were not going after doormats.


36 posted on 12/22/2015 10:41:55 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

TexasGator is a distraction. I recommend shunning it. He adds no facts, argues irrelevant points, changes the subject, is all around dishonest in argument, etc. One can safely assume that every single thing he posts on the subject is misleading or false.


37 posted on 12/22/2015 10:44:16 AM PST by Cboldt
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To: HiTech RedNeck
"How many shots were fired, and at whom and by whom?"

Documented by the autopsies:

Manuel Issac Rodriguez, 40, Allen, one gunshot wound in the head and one in the back. Head: Medium Caliber NOT from police .223; Back: Medium Caliber NOT from police .223

Matthew Mark Smith, 27, Keller, one gunshot wound in the back and one in the abdomen.

Back: Medium Caliber NOT from police .223; Abdomen: Not Determined

Jesus Delgado Rodriguez, 65, New Braunfels, one gunshot wound to the head and one in the back. Head: Medium Caliber NOT from police .223; Trunk: Undertermined

Richard Matthew Jordan II, 31, Pasadena, one gunshot wound to the head. Head: Medium Caliber NOT from police .223

Richard Vincent Kirschner Jr., 47, Wylie, one gunshot wound to the top of the head, one to the left knee and one in the buttocks. Knee: Medium Caliber NOT from police .223; Buttocks: Small Caliber .223 or .22

Wayne Lee Campbell, 43, Fort Worth, one gunshot wound to the head. Trunk: Small Caliber .223 or .22

Daniel Raymond Boyett, 44, Waco, shot two times in the head. Head: Medium Caliber NOT from police .223; Abdomen: Medium Caliber NOT from police .223; Head: Undetermined

Charles Wayne Russell, 46, Tyler, shot once in the chest. Chest: Small Caliber .223 or .22

Jacob Lee Rhyne, 39, Ranger, shot once in the neck and once in the abdomen.Neck: Undertermined; Abdomen: Undetermined

Spaz. Arm: Not Available ... yet!

38 posted on 12/22/2015 10:48:35 AM PST by TexasGator
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To: Cboldt

“TexasGator is a distraction. I recommend shunning it. He adds no facts, argues irrelevant points, changes the subject, is all around dishonest in argument, etc. One can safely assume that every single thing he posts on the subject is misleading or false.”

‘RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)’


39 posted on 12/22/2015 10:50:47 AM PST by TexasGator
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To: TexasGator
Where else have you seen 200+ gangsters involved in a shooting in a family plaza?

Of course a troll would call diving for cover and running away the same thing as a shooting. Trolls roll like that.

40 posted on 12/22/2015 10:51:18 AM PST by don-o (I am Kenneth Carlisle - Waco 5/17/15)
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