I’ve been tracking this story since it began, and now it appears to have ended. Big surprise. [stderr][stderr] The US justice system seldom fails to disappoint.
A judge has dropped the remaining charges against the Waco, TX “bikers”* who started a violent gun-battle between themselves and the police.
Is calling themselves “cossacks” cultural appropriation?
Well, that’s all done now, and justice seen to be done. I can remove the reminder from my calendar because there’ll be no more news. I guess that waiting nearly 4 years to kill the story was sufficient.
Meanwhile, the American justice system clings like a drowning man to the death penalty so that occasionally someone who can’t afford to buy their way out of the system, gets a lethal injection. [stderr] The US is a christian nation, of the biblically unforgiving kind, unless you’re white.
To be a bit fair, it sounds like the police and SWAT team did a fair job of screwing up the crime scene, and it’s possible or even likely that some of the casualties were “friendly” fire from cops and who knows who all else.
By the way I just noticed that the cop who is “guarding” all the bikers with his AR-15 in penis substitute pose – it’s not loaded. No clip in the housing. There’s a metaphor somewhere in there.
These are Texas cops. They’re lethal if you’re black but if you’re a big pasty-white guy you’re good to go. Even if you’ve just been in a gunfight with the SWAT team. Let’s let bygones be bygones.
* scare-quoted “bikers” – they’re biker cosplayers. The whole gun-battle sounds like a thug-LARP session between clubs of guys who should have resolved their differences at a bowling alley, or perhaps with Magic The Gathering.
I suspect it was because they could afford lawyers more than anything else.
Maybe his name is Barney Fife and he has his one bullet loaded into the chamber. Of course, he should be careful in that case so he doesn’t shoot himself in the foot.
I have to disagree with the claim that the officers weapon was unloaded. The magazine would be obscured by the yellow tape in the photograph. The rear of the magazine would be in the same position as the tip of the officers right index finger.
David@#3:
The rear of the magazine would be in the same position as the tip of the officers right index finger.
Maybe; I haven’t hauled around an M-16 since the 80s, but I seem to recall there wasn’t that much room between the trigger group and the magazine well.
Hey!
The M:TG community already has an asshole problem. We don’t need these guys to make it worse.
I think I’m with David. I can’t quite tell in the pic, but it looks like the police tape is obscuring the area twixt the slip ring and the trigger, so I think it would be difficult to see the magazine. It may be an artifact, but there is a bit of light spot just to the left of the cop’s trigger-finger’s fingernail that might be the curved back edge of a magazine.
Also, I think it’s silly to carry an unloaded assault rifle in a tactical sling at the ready, when they have a loaded handgun holstered. I found it much easier to carry an assault rifle across the back in a standard sling. Or, you know, just leave it in the squad car with the shotgun and whatnot…
Also, I never quite understood the leather vest/biker thing. Leather jackets make sense, since they provide arm protection and can be water resistant, but a vest doesn’t offer any protection whatsoever.
I can’t remember enough details to find it with my subpar google skills, but earlier this week I ran across an article where the police confronted somebody with mental illness (who was unarmed), and in the process of shooting them, also shot two bystanders, and charged the man for them shooting the bystanders. So, now not only do you have to worry about getting shot by the cops, you have to worry about being legally responsible for the cop’s bad aim and firearm practices…