Waco Siege

Waco Siege
The Mount Carmel Center engulfed in flames on April 19, 1993
Date	February 28 – April 19, 1993
Location	Mount Carmel Center, near Waco, Texas, U.S. 31°35′45″N 96°59′17″W / 31.59583°N 96.98806°W / 31.59583; -96.98806Coordinates: 31°35′45″N 96°59′17″W / 31.59583°N 96.98806°W / 31.59583; -96.98806
Causes	Suspected weapons violations
Goals	ATF attempted to serve search and arrest warrants. FBI attempted to end ensuing siege.
Result	Four ATF agents and six Branch Davidians killed in initial raid, followed by an additional 76 members killed in the ensuing raid. A 51-day siege ensued, ending with an FBI assault during which the compound burned down, killing 76 people inside including David Koresh. Eleven people who left the compound were arrested.
Parties to the civil conflict
ATF FBI Texas ARNG Alabama National Guard Branch Davidians Unknown number of armed adult members of the Branch Davidian home and church (maximum residents during siege 132)
Lead figures
Phillip Chojnacki Chuck Sarabyn Jeff Jamar Richard Rogers Ann Richards David Koresh † Steven Schneider † Wayne Martin †
Casualties
4 ATF agents killed, 16 wounded. 6 killed on February 28. 76 killed on April 19.
Mount Carmel Center Location within Texas

Branch Davidians

The Waco siege was a siege of a compound belonging to the group Branch Davidians by American federal and Texas state law enforcement and US military between February 28 and April 19, 1993. The Branch Davidians, a sect that separated in 1955 from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was led by David Koresh and lived at Mount Carmel Center ranch in the community of Elk, Texas, nine miles (14 kilometers) east-northeast of Waco. The group was suspected of weapons violations, causing a search and arrest warrant to be obtained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The incident began when the ATF attempted to raid the ranch. An intense gun battle erupted, resulting in the deaths of four government agents and six Branch Davidians. Upon the ATF's failure to raid the compound, a siege was initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the standoff lasting 51 days. Eventually, the FBI launched an assault and initiated a tear gas attack in an attempt to force the Branch Davidians out of the ranch. During the attack, a fire engulfed Mount Carmel Center. In total, 76 people died, including David Koresh.

Much dispute remains as to the actual events of the siege. A particular controversy ensued over the origin of the fire; an internal Justice Department investigation concluded in 2000 that sect members themselves had started the fire. The events near Waco, and the siege at Ruby Ridge less than 12 months earlier were both cited as the primary motivations behind the Oklahoma City bombing that took place exactly two years later.