Remembering Waco: 30 years later
WACO (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Thirty years ago today, the infamous 51-day standoff between law enforcement and the Branch Davidian compound in Waco came to a fiery end.
From Feb. 28, 1993, to April 19, 1993, over 70 people—including women, children and four ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) agents—were killed at or around the Mount Carmel Center in rural McLennan County. Dozens more were left injured.
And though the standoff began in 1993, the story began a year prior in May 1992, when the ATF began investigating David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, a religious cult group involved in the illegal manufacture and possession of machine guns and bombs.
After almost a year into their investigation—which involved interviews with former cult members and the undercover work of an agent—the ATF discovered the Branch Davidians had acquired the following weaponry, and subsequently attempted to serve an arrest warrant for Koresh and a search warrant of the compound.
- 136 firearms, including assault rifles and handguns
- 700-plus magazines
- 200,000-plus rounds of ammunition
- 110 upper and lower receivers for AR-15/M16 rifles
- Grenade-launcher attachments for AR-15/M16 rifles
- 400-plus empty M31 rifle grenades, along with black powder and other explosive chemicals
While attempting to serve these warrants, ATF agents were met with gunfire and a two-and-a-half-hour-long gunfight ensued. By the end of it, four agents were killed and nearly 30 more were wounded.
Later that afternoon, during a meeting at ATF headquarters, it was decided that the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations) would send Hostage Rescue Team units, as well as several SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams to resolve the situation. And over the next seven weeks, negotiators stayed in constant communication with individuals inside the compound, urging them to come out.
During this time, Koresh had 117 conversations with negotiators (amounting to approximately 60 hours), and released 21 children and 14 adults as a result.
On Day 51, as law enforcement attempted to force individuals out of the compoud by means of tear gas, the structure caught fire and was destroyed. Investigators would later determine that the individuals barricaded inside had set it ablaze.
The FBI believes 75 individuals were killed in the fire. Forty-one have been identified, Koresh being one of them. Nine cult members who escaped the fire were shortly arrested and later convicted on various charges.
The following law enforcement agencies assisted the ATF during the standoff, which remains one of the longest in U.S. history:
