The Dallas Morning News on Sunday followed-up on the story of the 170 individuals arrested in connection with a shootout in Waco, Texas in May of this year. From that huge number of accused, arrested, and investigated, the state has brought charges against exactly zero for the shooting deaths of nine people.
Of the 135 people originally ordered to wear GPS ankle monitors, all but 22 have been allowed to remove them, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported Sunday. Their lawyers have reached agreements with prosecutors to modify the conditions of their pre-trial release.
After initially locking up more than 170 people in connection with the May 17 incident outside Twin Peaks restaurant, McLennan County prosecutors have not charged anyone with the shooting deaths of nine people. At least 20 others were hurt.
Those arrested were charged with engaging in organized criminal activity.
You may recall that, at the time, the Waco shootout was a cause celebre for both gun control, and against the chorus of voices about violence in Ferguson last year, and in Baltimore only a month before the shootout. In those incidents, very few arrests were made in comparison with the days of violence, number of incidents and of course, eyewitnesses and video footage. But as Jazz Shaw notes, this same weekend one person was at last charged in connection with those Baltimore riots.
In the case of the Waco gang fight, it seems despite over 170 suspects, and, obviously, at least that many eyewitnesses, no serious charges will be brought. In fact, they can’t even determine if anyone died from police firing into the melee.
I don’t want to beat a dead horse here, but body cameras aren’t only for things that happen off the beaten path. Just saying.