Threats of retaliation against law enforcement after a wild biker gang brawl that left nine dead in Waco, Texas, are "toning down," a police spokesman said Tuesday.
In the hours after the Sunday afternoon shooting, authorities distributed bulletins warning that law enforcement officers were at risk of being targeted by biker gangs. One, from the U.S. Border Patrol office in Del Rio, Texas, said it had received information that gang members had "issued orders to shoot and kill uniformed law enforcement officers," CBS Dallas reported. Another, from the Texas Joint Crime Information Center, said members of the Bandidos and Cossacks, two of the five gangs involved in the bedlam, "reportedly have been instructed to arm themselves with weapons and travel to north Texas," according to CBS Dallas and The New York Times.
But on Tuesday, Waco police Sgt. Patrick Swanton said things seemed to have receded. "We think those threats are toning down a bit," he told reporters.
The nine people killed in the brawl outside a Twin Peaks sports bar belonged to the Bandidos and Cossacks, authorities have said. Police officers, warned of possible violence, were at the scene, and opened fire as well. Police have acknowledged that the officers may have fired some of the fatal shots.
Eighteen more people were injured, and more than 170 gang members were taken into custody on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity.
IN-DEPTH
— Jon Schuppe
Alastair Jamieson of NBC News and Reuters contributed to this report.