Taschner’s Saga: From Jail to Gun Store to Shoot-Out

Robert Gary Taschner purchased the rifle that he used in a bloody shoot-out with sheriff’s deputies one day after he was released on bail for various gun and drug charges, Escondido police said Tuesday.

Escondido Police Capt. Mike Stein said that Taschner purchased the Norinco Model 845 .223-caliber semiautomatic assault rifle on Dec. 4 at the Escondido Gun Exchange on East Valley Parkway. The next day--two days after he was released from jail--Taschner killed one deputy and wounded two others in a daylong confrontation with Escondido police and a sheriff’s SWAT team.

Taschner, 37, was also under the influence of methamphetamines--commonly called speed--when he barricaded himself inside an apartment and exchanged gunfire with police, Stein said. Deputy Coroner Max Murphy confirmed that toxicological tests done during the autopsy revealed traces of the drug, but refused to say how much of the drug Taschner had ingested.

Taschner killed Deputy Lonny Brewer and wounded two others when sheriff’s deputies attempted unsuccessfully to storm his apartment. He was eventually killed when he ran out of the burning apartment, firing the rifle from the hip, and was shot several times by a deputy.

Television news tapes also showed a deputy firing his pistol at point-blank range at Taschner’s head as he was held on the ground by other deputies. Escondido police said there was a purpose for the final shot, but have refused to disclose it.

Coroner David Starke said his office is awaiting an autopsy report and declined to speculate on which shot actually killed Taschner.

On Tuesday, Stein said that Taschner, who was a gun enthusiast, purchased the .223-caliber rifle legally. Under California law, there is a 15-day waiting period when a person buys a handgun, while the state attorney general’s office checks the buyer’s background. However, there is no waiting period when purchasing a rifle or shotgun.

The rifle used by Taschner in the gun battle sells for about $395 and is made in China.

“There was no way that the people at the Escondido Gun Exchange would know that this person shouldn’t have had the rifle. The rifle was purchased legally and there were no laws broken,” Stein said.

The manager of the gun store, who identified himself only as Chuck, declined to discuss the sale of the rifle to Taschner.

“We neither confirm or deny anything about any of our customers,” he said. “You’ll have to talk to the Escondido police on this because we don’t have any comment.”

Taschner was arrested Dec. 1 and charged with multiple gun and drug charges. Escondido police said that Taschner was a known drug user and they confiscated an arsenal of weapons when they arrested him. Police said that Taschner posted bail Dec. 3 and purchased the weapon used in the shoot-out on the following day, when the deadly chain of events that ended in a bloody siege began.

On Dec. 4 at 10:30 p.m., Escondido police were called to the apartment complex where Taschner lived when a neighbor reported that he had fired a shot through the wall into her apartment. When police arrived, they found no sign of Taschner.

Unwilling to Talk

At 4:15 a.m. the next day, police received another call about shots fired at the apartment complex and found Taschner inside his apartment. Police said that Taschner was unwilling to talk to police negotiators and appeared to be on drugs. The sheriff’s SWAT unit was called and arrived at the scene about 7:20 a.m.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Rich Hendrickson said that deputies believed that Taschner was armed only with a revolver and at 10 a.m. decided to storm the apartment by knocking down the front door. Taschner met the deputies with a burst of rifle fire, sending them in retreat. Brewer, a seven-year Sheriff’s Department veteran, died in the gunfire, while Deputies Chuck Wagner and Scott Rossall suffered minor wounds.

Law enforcement officials said 300 shots were fired during the siege, before Taschner was killed about 4:30 p.m.

The sheriff’s SWAT unit has come under criticism from several sources, including members of the San Diego Police Department’s SWAT team, for storming the apartment. Critics said deputies should have waited and attempted to negotiate with Taschner, since there were no hostages involved.

Support for Decision

However, Escondido Police Chief Vincent D. Jimno said that he supported the decision to assault Taschner’s barricaded apartment.

“The suspect had an extensive commanding view of the surrounding area from his apartment,” Jimno said in a statement released by his office. “He maintained the high ground position. Because of his advantageous position, it made it extremely difficult for police to safely isolate the suspect so he could not harm the public and the police staff in the area. The situation itself dictated the decisions that had to be made.”