A Waco police sergeant appealed to bike gangs for peace on Tuesday while lamenting that more violence was likely, three days after a chaotic gunfight at a Texas bikini bar left nine bikers dead, dozens injured and nearly 200 locked up in the city's jails.
"I will tell you that in the gang world and in the biker world that violence usually condones more violence," warned Sgt. Patrick Swanton, a spokesperson at the Waco Police Department, in a press conference held in the shuttered Twin Peaks restaurant's parking lot.
"Is this over? Most likely not. We would like it to be. We would ask there to be some type of truce between whatever motorcycle gangs are involved. We would encourage them to try and be a little more peaceful," he said.
Preliminary autopsy reports show the nine people killed in a large fight in Central Texas involving rival motorcycle gangs all died of gunshot wounds. The reports provided by a McLennan County justice of the peace show the nine men ranged in age from 27 to 65, and some were shot in the head, neck or torso.
Seven remain in the hospital with wounds sustained in the brawl. A total of 170 gang members were charged with engaging in organized crime. McLennan County Justice of the Peace W.H. Peterson set bond at $1 million for each suspect.
At least three bikers were "mistakenly released" on $50,000 bond, CNN reported.
What sparked the deadly gunfight
Sunday's gunfight erupted when an uninvited biker gang showed up to a meeting of several rival bike groups, Sgt. Swanton explained, sparking what police are calling a "turf war."
"When those individuals showed up there was a disturbance in the parking lot," he said, adding that police believe it began as a parking dispute or when one biker rode over another's foot.
Asked why the rival gang crashed the meeting, Swanton said he didn't know. "It's a gang. I have no idea why they wanted to show up and cause trouble."
The fight erupted outside Twin Peaks, and involved fists, chains, knives and guns. It soon spilled inside the facility, and there are crime scenes in the parking lot, the bathroom, the restaurant and the bar. Most of the evidence -- blood, bullets, shell casings and weapons -- has been recovered.
Approximately 135 motorcycles as well as 80 cars and trucks remain in the parking lot, Swanton said. The vehicles will soon be removed on a flatbed truck and escorted by a SWAT team, bound for an undisclosed secure location as evidence.
The investigation into the fight is ongoing and will continue for weeks, if not months, Swanton said thought it is being hampered by some who "are not being honest with us."
Threats to the officers involved
Over the past 48 hours police have received "credible, reliable threats" to law enforcement in and around Waco. Sgt. Swanton said they had "toned down a bit" on Tuesday, and police were thankful about that.
"There has been enough tragedy and bloodshed in Waco, Texas -- we would appreciate there not be any more," he said. "We are asking them to stand down. We are asking them to let us sort through our investigation."
There were 18 Waco police officers at the scene when the fight broke out, police said, noting that meant there were 18 officers who took part in a police-involved shooting. Most of them were witnesses, sitting in their parked cruisers when the first shots were fired. An estimated three or four officers actually fired at the bikers.
Local media have reported that nearly half of the dead bikers were killed by bullets fired by the police, though Sgt. Swanton said it was too early to tell who killed which bikers. Either way, he said, the police officers "saved lives."