On This Day: 1993

[Key Guy]

On Feb. 28, 1993, federal agents tried to arrest David Koresh at his Waco, Texas, compound. A gunfight ensued, killing 10 and beginning a 51-day standoff.

At 9:30 a.m., over 70 U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents approached the headquarters of the Branch Davidians, an apocalyptic sect of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

The agents, responding to reports of stockpiled weapons and child abuse, had planned the raid for eight months and hoped to "protect the children, neutralize the military force, and seize the arms," PBS says.

Koresh refused to surrender and a shootout erupted, leaving four ATF agents and six Davidians dead. The debate continues about who fired the first shot.

Over the next 50 days, Koresh negotiated by telephone with agents seeking the group’s voluntary surrender. Armored vehicles surrounded the headquarters. Most residents stayed inside, although 10 children were released to safety.

As the siege wore on, some agents argued for the use of force, but negotiators persisted and even “argued the Bible with Koresh,” according to the Crime Library Web site.

By mid April, authorities decided negotiations were futile, and newly appointed Attorney General Janet Reno approved the use of tear gas to flush out the compound's occupants.

On April 19, vehicles with spray booms pumped tear gas into the building, and agents fired pyrotechnic tear gas rounds at a nearby tornado shelter. Gunshots broke out and a fire started, engulfing the building. Seventy-five people, including Koresh and 21 children, died.

The tragedy sparked a heated public discussion about whether the violence could have been avoided. In 2000, a Texas court ruled that the agents were not responsible for the deaths, ending a lawsuit brought by a surviving member of the Davidian sect and the families of the deceased.

(http://www.findingdulcinea.com)

[LynnDel]

Yeah, I remember. It was on a Sunday, and I was listening to the radio, a day on which there is usually not much news, and suddenly my ears perked up when I heard the SDAs mentioned, which was really too bad, because that group could hardly be called SDA. It looks like even now they have it wrong. Their original beliefs had been left behind, and they'd moved onto something very sinister. It was a tragedy, but I hope lessons were learned on all sides.