On February 28, 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms launched a raid on the Davidian Compound just outside of Waco, Texas, not knowing that it would lead to a 51 day standoff, the compound burning to the ground, and the loss of many lives, including 4 ATF agents – but lets not get ahead of ourselves. Lets look a little closer and dig a little deeper into the events leading up to this terrible tragedy. The Branch Davidians were a cult led by David Koresh, a man claiming to be the Messiah. He took many wives, including several as young as the age of 12. The Davidians lived at the Mount Carmel center near Waco, Texas. They were suspected of weapon trafficking, but this could never be proven until one fateful day… May 1992 – A UPS
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They were able to get a warrant for David Koresh’s arrest with the information they had and after a few complications planned a raid of the compound for February 28, 1993. It is unknown who shot first – the ATF claim the Davidians and the Davidians claim the ATF, but shots rang out causing confusing, chaos, and more shots. After 2 hours of shooting, a cease fire was called but not before 4 ATF agents and an unknown number of Davidians were killed. After the ATF withdrew, they were able to establish contact with David Koresh, then the FBI took over. In the first few days of negotiating, the FBI believed they had reached a breakthrough when they negotiated with Koresh an agreement that the Branch Davidians would peacefully leave the compound in return for a message, recorded by Koresh, being broadcast on national radio. The broadcast was made, but Koresh then told negotiators that God had told him to remain in the building and “wait”. Despite this, the negotiators managed to facilitate the release of 19 children, ranging from 5 months to 12 years old, without their parents. However, 98 people still remained inside the
They were able to get a warrant for David Koresh’s arrest with the information they had and after a few complications planned a raid of the compound for February 28, 1993. It is unknown who shot first – the ATF claim the Davidians and the Davidians claim the ATF, but shots rang out causing confusing, chaos, and more shots. After 2 hours of shooting, a cease fire was called but not before 4 ATF agents and an unknown number of Davidians were killed. After the ATF withdrew, they were able to establish contact with David Koresh, then the FBI took over. In the first few days of negotiating, the FBI believed they had reached a breakthrough when they negotiated with Koresh an agreement that the Branch Davidians would peacefully leave the compound in return for a message, recorded by Koresh, being broadcast on national radio. The broadcast was made, but Koresh then told negotiators that God had told him to remain in the building and “wait”. Despite this, the negotiators managed to facilitate the release of 19 children, ranging from 5 months to 12 years old, without their parents. However, 98 people still remained inside the