Self-defense is claimed in Laughlin killings

Kim Smith

Friday, July 19, 2002 | 9:43 a.m.

An Arizona man who, until Thursday, faced multiple murder charges in connection with a biker shoot-out was clearly acting in self-defense, his attorney said.

Defense attorney David Chesnoff said that now that prosecutors have dismissed charges against Calvin Schaefer, he hopes police will spend more time reevaluating the evidence in the case.

"I'm absolutely confident any actions taken by my client were purely in self-defense, and I hope that after a real extensive investigation the police will realize Mr. Schaefer had no intention of going to Laughlin for trouble," Chesnoff said.

District Attorney Stewart Bell, however, said what happened at the casino may not be known for months because police are still poring over hundreds of surveillance tapes.

Schaefer, a Chandler sheet metal worker, was the only person charged after an April 27 shooting at a Laughlin casino that left three dead.

Police alleged that Schaefer, a Hells Angel member, fired at least 11 shots in a confrontation between the Hells Angels and Mongols, both outlaw biker gangs.

Police said the Hells Angels, wanting to cause trouble, drove to Harrah's knowing that the Mongols traditionally stay there during the annual Laughlin River Run.

Three California men -- Jeramie Dean Bell, 27, of Hughson, Robert Emmet Tumelty, 50, of Stockton and Anthony Salvador Barrera, 43, of Rancho Cucamonga -- were killed.

On Thursday, prosecutors dismissed the charges against Schaefer, saying they could not provide defense attorneys hundreds of hours of videotapes before Schaefer's July 25 preliminary hearing.

Police are in the process of preserving portions of 600 hours of videotape digitally, a time-consuming process that required the purchase of special equipment.

To give the defense the videotapes now could jeopardize the integrity of the evidence and future prosecutions, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael O'Callaghan.

"I don't think (Chesnoff) can possibly know that it was self-defense because he has not had access to the video surveillance tapes," Bell said.

It's been almost three months since the incident and detectives are still looking at the "dozens and dozens" of tapes, Bell said.

"They are still only part of the way through the process, and it will take several more months to finish the process," Bell said. "When they get done (detectives, state and federal prosecutors) will get together and sort out the evidence and charge anyone who committed a crime."

While some self-defense claims are easily proved, some are not, Bell said.

"You don't have the right to start a fight and when someone swings at you say 'I was acting in self-defense' (after you swing back)," Bell said. "You've got to look at the whole night's events. In this case, we've got to re-create the whole evening and find out who is who and who was where at every moment."

It's not an easy task to do when many of the people at Harrah's that morning were wearing black leather jackets or vests, Bell said.