9 dead bikers ID'd; businesses allowed to reopen
WACO, Texas — It will take time to fully unravel the amount of violence that unfolded in just seconds Sunday afternoon at a Waco restaurant. But as of 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Central Texas Marketplace where the shootout occurred reopened for business.
The Twin Peaks restaurant, where the violence began, remains closed, according to a Waco Police Department post on Facebook.
Nine motorcycle gang members were killed and 18 others were injured Sunday. According to the preliminary autopsy results, all nine men killed died from gunshot wounds either to the head, neck, or torso, and each death is listed as a homicide.
They have been identified as:
• Richard Matthew Jordan II, 31
• Jesus Delgado Rodriguez, 65
• Charles Wayne Russell, 46
• Daniel Raymond Boyett, 44
• Wayne Lee Campbell, 43
• Jacob Lee Rhyne, 39
• Richard Vincent Kirschner Jr., 47
• Manuel Issac Rodriguez, 40
• Matthew Mark Smith, 27
According to driver's license records, four of the men are from North Texas. Records for Wayne Lee Campbell trace back to addresses in Fort Worth and Arlington; Richard Vincent Kirschner Jr., to Wylie; Manuel Issac Rodriguez to Allen; and Matthew Mark Smith to Keller.
Of the 18 injured in the violence, seven remained in the hospital as of Tuesday morning. Of those still hospitalized, all are stable and most are improving, said Waco police spokesman Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton.
More than 170 were arrested after the violence, which Swanton warns may not be over.
The sergeant said violence usually begets violence when it comes to biker gangs, so when asked if the threat was over, he replied "most likely not." He called for the gangs to let the bloodshed stop.
"We would ask that there be some kind of truce between whatever motorcycle gangs are involved," Swanton said. "We ask them to be peaceful and let the violence stop."
The investigation could take "weeks, if not months," police said.
"We are in the process of diagramming every piece of evidence, every vehicle, every blood spot, every body that was there," Swanton said.
Eighteen officers and four state troopers were just outside the Twin Peaks restaurant before the violence erupted just after noon on Sunday.
"These officers were not undercover," Swanton explained. "We wanted our presence to be known by the bikers that were here. There was no doubt they knew we were out here."
Swanton said that the officers positioned at the restaurant ahead of time were among the best trained in the department and were in marked vehicles in the parking lot and driveway. He said they were not inside of the Twin Peaks because management at the restaurant declined to cooperate.
"If you have a police department asking for your assistance as a business, you ought to pay attention to that; if you don't, bad things can happen," Swanton said.
Police said autopsies will determine how many of those killed were shot by officers. Swanton said it was still to be determined how many officers fired their weapons, but he said three to four was a good estimate.
Waco police said the fight started in the bathroom of the Twin Peaks restaurant at the Central Texas Marketplace shopping center.
Swanton said Tuesday one biker group made up of several smaller gangs had reserved the outdoor portion of the restaurant on Sunday, and the dispute began when a rival group showed up uninvited.
The dispute quickly spilled out into the main dining area when the shooting started, investigators added.
The restaurant contradicted authorities, claiming "no violence started inside the restaurant."
"What happened inside the restaurant was that people sought safety inside, where they assisted each other and came to the aid of patrons, staff and management," a statement issued Wednesday by the Twin Peaks franchise read.
Police said biker gang members used guns, knives, brass knuckles and chains. More than 100 weapons were taken into evidence.
Intelligence officials said the bloodshed was the result of a turf war between two of the gangs.
"I am not about to give them the respect of mentioning their names," Swanton said. "They're not here to drink beer and eat barbecue; they came with violence in mind."
Swanton said there had been "credible, reliable threats" on law enforcement officers in Waco, but that those had "toned down" in the last day. He said there is still a large contingent of local, state, and federal law enforcement in the city and that police hope things will continue to tone down through the holiday weekend.
The Twin Peaks restaurant chain is based in Addison. Its Waco location was operated by a franchisee. The company offered this statement on Monday:
"Unfortunately, the management team of the franchised restaurant in Waco chose to ignore the warnings and advice from both the police and our company, and did not uphold the high security standards we have in place to ensure everyone is safe at our restaurants. We will not tolerate the actions of this relatively new franchisee, and are immediately revoking their franchise agreement."
Twin Peaks is ending "bike night" at each of its 76 locations around the country.
The Waco franchisee said in a statement Monday that it was "disappointed" with the "sudden decision" by Twin Peaks to sever its relationship. "We will continue to assist the authorities in any way possible that will assist in their efforts to bring the wrongdoers to justice," said a statement issued by Waco franchisee spokesperson Leigh Strope.
In the last 24 hours, many people have heard the names of the Bandidos and Cossacks gangs for the very first time, but the Texas Department of Public Safety has them on the radar for a while. In fact, a bulletin went out just a few weeks ago, warning that these two groups could be ready to clash.
DPS says Bandidos claim Texas as "their" state, and demand other gangs pay dues to operate here, something that the Cossacks have reportedly refused to do.
On Wednesday, a planned rally in the tiny town of Mingus, Texas, was canceled with the Palo Pinto County Commission voting to close the road leading to the planned gathering area.