W
Waco siege
The Event Federal agents attempt to raid the
Branch Davidian compound, and a fifty-one-day
standoff ensues
Date February 28-April 19, 1993
Place Waco, Texas
The siege ended when the compound burned to the ground,
resulting in seventy-six deaths. Subsequent congressional
hearings were held questioning the motives, responsibility,
and accountability of the federal agencies involved. The inci-
dent, along with events that occurred at Ruby Ridge, Idaho,
was also intricately linked with the Oklahoma City bombing
perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh on April 19, 1995.
The Branch Davidians were a religious sect led by
David Koresh that resided at a large compound in
Waco, Texas. Koresh believed that he was the final
disciple of Jesus Christ and was sent to Earth to
spread the religious teachings of God. He also be-
lieved that it was his responsibility to prepare a
group of armed individuals who represented a good
and pure segment of society to do battle with an
armed apostate. In order to accomplish this objec-
tive, Koresh and his followers stockpiled weapons
that would be used in this “epic battle” between
good and evil; there was also evidence that the
Davidians had stockpiled weapons because they
were involved in the sale of firearms as a method of
keeping the compound operational. Koresh also be-
lieved that it was his responsibility to create this army
of religious soldiers. Koresh taught his followers that
he would need to have multiple sexual partners and
bear multiple children with the women in the com-
pound while the other men in the compound re-
mained celibate.
The Siege The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and
Firearms (ATF) had long been investigating Koresh
and the activities that were occurring at the Davidian
compound. On February 28, 1993, the ATF at-
tempted to implement a surprise raid of the com-
pound to serve arrest and search warrants for vari-
ous offenses, including child abuse, statutory rape,
and weapons charges. However, the Davidians were
tipped off that a raid was coming and refused to al-
low ATF agents to enter the compound. A shoot-out
ensued that resulted in the deaths of four federal
agents and sixteen injuries.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) subse-
quently took over the investigation and negotiations
at the compound. A fifty-one-day standoff between
the Davidians and the federal government eventu-
ally ended when the compound burned to the
ground on April 19, killing seventy-six Davidians,
twenty-one of whom were children. The fire was
started shortly after the federal government began
pumping tear gas into the compound in an attempt
to end the standoff.The Aftermath In July of 1995, the U.S. House of
Representatives held congressional hearings on the
events at Waco to determine what started and esca-
lated the standoff. Testimony and evidence were
presented suggesting that both the Davidians and
federal agents shared responsibility for the eventual
outcome. Evidence was presented suggesting that
the Davidians were stockpiling weapons and that
Koresh was having sexual relations with underage
female occupants of the compound. Psychologist
Bruce Duncan Perry studied twenty-one children
who were released from the compound during the
standoff and testified that the children had also
been subjected to harsh corporal punishment and
emotional abuse.
However, evidence also emerged that implied
that the federal government was, at worst, complicit
in the events that started and escalated the standoff.
At best, federal agents grossly mishandled the initial
raid and the ensuing negotiations. Testimonial evi-
dence was entered that the ATF was motivated to
conduct the raid as a way of attaining positive press
coverage of the agency after the Ruby Ridge debacle
in 1992. In addition, testimony suggested that the
ATF was informed by embedded undercover agents