The grim reality of what happened at Twin Peaks during the biker shootout was made clear to the jury on Thursday as the trial for Bandido Jake Carrizal rolled into day 12. Prosecutors showed video from inside and outside the restaurant after the shooting ended and the crime scene was still fresh.
The video showed an empty restaurant with dead bodies sprawled out everywhere, and blood smeared all over the floor. Amber Richardson, City of Waco crime scene technician, walked through the Twin Peaks shooting video of the scene right after the deadly shootout. Everything from bloody bandanas to guns, brass knuckles, and multiple dead bodies. Richardson was called to Twin Peaks around 2:30 p.m. on May 17, 2015, and was assigned to the patio and interior area of the restaurant.
“Basically, I just started my camera, and I began walking around through the scene how it was when I arrived. I did not touch anything the even the water was still running,” Richardson said.
The defendant Jake Carrizal watched stoically as the video played. Also on Thursday, Waco Police Crime Scene Technician Jennifer Scrivner testified about collecting evidence such as Rebel Riders and Bandido’s vests inside of a pick-up truck and a Ford F-150 at Twin Peaks. She also collected many pistols, shot guns, and ammunition inside those vehicles.
The Waco police Sergeant Keith Vaughn was in charge of the crime scene unit took. He took the stand on Thursday and told the jury that 154 guns were recovered from the scene, and more than 400 other weapons. He has been with the Waco Police Department for 32 years, and said he never worked a scene this large in all his career.
Sergeant Vaughn filmed video of the bloody crime scene about 30 minutes after the Twin Peaks shooting. He told prosecutors he was the first crime scene supervisor to arrive. Vaughn admitted Waco Police did not have the man power to work this gruesome scene, and he relied heavily on other law enforcement agencies to gather weapons and shell casings. Vaughn told prosecutor Amanda Dillon when the video was taken it was still a very active crime scene.
“We'll you don’t know who the good guys are, or who the bad guys are or anything. At that point you are worried about officer safety and citizen safety, and trying to get the scene under control. At that time it was nowhere near under control,” Vaughn said.
Multiple times during the trial there was mention of a yellow helmet. On Monday, a former Twin Peaks employee testified that she saw a biker in a yellow helmet pull out a gun, and shoot another biker. The defendant Jake Carrizal is known to have worn a yellow helmet, but prosecutors have not made it clear if Carrizal was wearing a yellow helmet the day of the shooting. There was a strong feeling in the court room on Thursday that is where they are headed.
Trial resumes Friday at 9:00 a.m.