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Cops Lied About Waco Gang Shootout (Picture)
New details undermine police account of deadly shootout in Waco, Texas
By Tom Hall
21 May 2015
Three days after Sunday’s deadly shootout in Waco that left 9 dead and 18 injured, new details are beginning to emerge that call into question the official police version of events.
Shortly after the shooting, police claimed that the shootout stemmed from a meeting of five biker gangs at a Twin Peaks restaurant that had been called to mediate a dispute over “turf” between the Bandidos and Cossacks biker gangs. “They had rented out or asked for the outdoor bar area [in the restaurant] specifically for a meeting that they were having of a group of invited biker gangs,” Waco police spokesman Patrick Swanton told reporters at a press conference. The violence began shortly after an “uninvited” club, which has not been named by police, showed up in the parking lot looking for a confrontation.
It has since emerged that the meeting was actually a regular regional gathering of the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents, a motorcycle advocacy group that, while including Bandidos members in its leadership, also includes many non-violent motorcycle clubs, many of whom were in attendance at Sunday’s meeting. “We got mom-and-pop clubs, veteran clubs, religion clubs, all clubs in Texas were at that meeting—different kind of clubs from everywhere,” said a top Bandidos leader who identified himself as “Gimmi Jimmy,” listed as the chairman of the organization’s state office on its web site.
The gathering, which has been held twice a month for 18 years without any major incidents, is devoted to issues such as legislation affecting bikers. However, Waco police expressed frustration with the restaurant’s management for allowing the meeting on their premises, citing the fact that they are legally allowed to refuse service to known biker gangs. The location’s franchise has since been revoked by Twin Peaks’ management.
Eighteen Waco officers, including members of the Waco SWAT Team, plus a contingent of state troopers, were pre-positioned around the restaurant, in anticipation of a possible confrontation between the Bandidos and Cossacks, who had been engaged in violent confrontations over the past few months.
The Bandidos are the dominant motorcycle gang in the state, and other clubs require their permission to wear “bottom-rockers,” or patches at the bottom of their vests, claiming Texas as their region. Although the Cossacks, historically a much smaller group, have operated in Texas since the 1960s, they have apparently recently attempted to claim Texas as part of their territory without the permission of the Bandidos, sparking numerous violent incidents. MOREHERE
