April 3 (UPI) -- Prosecutors said they dropped all criminal charges against 24 people accused of involvement in a Waco, Texas, biker shootout in 2015 that left nine people dead.
McLennan County District Attorney Barry Johnson on Tuesday said his office was dropping the cases to "end this nightmare that we have been dealing with in this county since May 17, 2015." He said further attempts to prosecute would be a "waste of time, effort and resources."
A Texas grand jury indicted 106 bikers after the shooting between rival motorcycle clubs -- the Bandidos and the Cossacks -- at a Twin Peaks restaurant. In addition to the dead, 20 people sustained injuries in the shootout.
Prosecutors haven't secured any convictions, and in November 2017, a judge declared a mistrial for Christopher Jacob Carrizal, the president of the Dallas chapter of the Bandidos. He was charged with directing the activities of a criminal street gang and two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity with the underlying offenses of murder and aggravated assault.
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The jury was deadlocked in Carrizal's case.
"There were nine people who were killed on that fateful day in Waco, Texas, and 20 injured, all of whom were members of rival motorcycle clubs/gangs, and the loss of life is a difficult thing," Johnson said. "But after looking over the 24 cases we were left with, it is my opinion as your district attorney that we are not able to prosecute any of those cases and reach our burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt."
Johnson took office in January, inheriting the cases from his predecessor, Abel Reyna. During his campaign, Johnson criticized Reyna for his handling of the cases.
