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@reason the facts of the case are somewhat complicated. I believe at least 4 or 5 of the dead guys were killed by police gunfire; in the aftermath, the cops basically mass arrested everyone in the vicinity, including guys who were just having a hamburger.
@reason My understanding: Twin Peaks in Waco was a place that was a destination for bikers on Sunday afternoons. That included casual bikers, innocuous clubs like Bikers For Jesus, and yes the Cossacks and the Bandidos, the 2 big rival outlaw clubs in Texas. /1
@reason Cossacks & Bandidos usually showed up (by agreement) at different times, but on that day they overlapped. A fight broke out between them - something like 15 people total - over who had right to "Texas" rocker patch on jacket. Yes, stupid, but outlaw MCs are territorial. /2
@reason In any case local cops were primed due to some previous dustup there and were on the scene quickly, including SWAT unit. Cops say they heard shots go off and began opening fire. Police fire hit many of the victims. /3
@reason When it was over there were 9 dead - 6 Cossacks, 1 Bandido, 1 Scimitar, and 2 guys who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Cops later admitted to firing at least 12 rounds, at least 4 hitting victims who died. /4
@reason in the aftermath, cops basically cordoned off the area, and arrested everybody in sight who had a motorcycle or a leather vest - 192 people in total. Over 100 vehicles were confiscated. Each person was given a $1 million bond. /5
@reason Many of the arrested lost their jobs, businesses, savings, for no reason. The nature of the police response and the arrests almost insured that convictions couldn't happen. The original DA lost his re-election over the whole shitshow. /6
@reason Contrary to the headlines that suggest a wild 200-man caged death match Texas biker shootout, with the cop showing up too late to save the day, it appears the cops themselves were responsible for the a great deal of the mayhem. /7 finito
