David Koresh and the Waco Siege [Part 2 of 2]

The Waco Siege

A brief recap of part one.  We learned about David Koresh and his upbringing.  Throughout his life, he was drawn to religion and the teachings of the bible.  He took control of the Branch Davidians and assumed power over the followers.  He took all the women as his brides and forbade the men from any sexual acts, going as far as to “dissolve” their marriages.  Koresh was said to have molested and impregnated girls as young as 12.  Part one left off right as the ATF stormed Mt. Carmel in Waco, TX because the group had been stockpiling illegal weapons.

After speaking with both the ATF and Wayne on the phone, Sheriff Lynch was finally able to negotiate a cease fire. The shooting had stopped. No one was to do anything except gather their wounded. The ATF agents gathered all of their team members who’d been shot. Unfortunately, four of their agents were dead. 16 of their agents were wounded. Ambulances were brought out to transport the injured, but there weren’t enough to carry them all. Agents were moved out in truck beds, in cars, and one was even wrapped in a blanket and placed on the hood of a truck, held by other agents as they directed the driver. 

DID WE MENTION that during the shootout, the original news crew was parked behind the ATF trucks throughout the whole thing?? They were recording the entire time. The reporter told his cameraman that he needed to hide the tape, so they stuck it in his shirt. The ATF seemed irritated that the news had been there, seemingly because the raid hadn’t ended the way they’d planned. Their news unit was waiting away from the ATF, and the journalist and photographer quickly got the tape to their newsroom to be televised. 

The ATF mourned the agents that had been killed, but the Davidians hadn’t gotten away unscathed. It’s unknown how many Davidians were killed or ended up dead as a result of the initial gunfight, but many were injured. Little Heather Jones, who’d watched as one of the women in the compound was shot through the window, looked out into the hallway to see her grandfather, Perry Jones, crawling and screaming in pain. He’d been shot in the stomach and was begging for someone to end his life. One of the Davidians eventually killed Perry, knowing that they couldn’t send him out for medical care. Koresh was also critically wounded, with at least one gunshot wound in his lower abdomen/hip area. 

FBI Time

Clearly, things had not gone according to plan for the ATF. Unsure of their next steps, they contact the FBI, who sent resources to Waco, along with their Hostage Rescue Team (HRT). A command post was set up eight miles away at the local airport. The FBI was now the lead agency and hell-bent on resolving what the ATF had started. 

Communications were quickly initiated between law enforcement and the Davidians. ATF’s Jim Cavanaugh and the local Sheriff, Larry Lynch were speaking directly with Koresh, Steve Schneider, and Wayne Martin. 

At 00:30, there’s the first call between Koresh and Lynch.

The first and immediate demand from Koresh was media attention. He told negotiators that the local media had to play a message from him. Everyone was apprehensive about spreading anything that Koresh had to say, until he finally agreed to release two children from inside the compound each time his message was played. 

Though law enforcement was happy to have the children be released, their parents were very upset. Koresh told his followers, as well as the negotiators that his priority was spreading his message to the world. To appease the parents, when children were released, they would come out of the compound and be brought straight to the negotiators. They’d allow the children to talk to Koresh or to their parents on the phone and tell them they were okay.

It wasn’t long before Gary Noesner from the FBI was appointed as the lead negotiator. Phone lines within the compound were cut, only allowing outgoing calls to the negotiators. Armored vehicles moved closer to the building. Even over the phone, it was easy to tell that Koresh was getting frustrated. He assured Noesner that they were not considering suicide.

Within the first five days of the standoff, a total of 21 children and two adults were released from the compound. They were taken to the nearby Methodist Children’s home. In exchange, negotiators were forced to publicize more of Koresh’s messages. Early in the morning on Tuesday, March 2nd (day 3), Koresh recorded an audio tape of his religious teaching over an hour long. He’d demanded that this message be broadcasted nationally by The Christian Broadcasting Network. He promised the negotiators that if this message was broadcasted nationally, he and the rest of the Davidians would exit the compound calmly. Koresh said that he would come out first, followed by the children, the women, and the men. Steve Schneider, Koresh’s buddy, would be the last one out.

The message was broadcasted early that afternoon and law enforcement was excitedly anticipating the end of the standoff. Koresh told negotiations that he was ready to come out, that everyone was lining up to say goodbye to him. Negotiators just asked that Koresh and his followers come out while it was still light out. Ambulances were brought out in preparation of treating injured Davidians. 

The sun was beginning to set when negotiators got on the phone with Schneider. He told them that while the followers were saying goodbye to Koresh, he suddenly began to pray. He then told Schneider that he’d received a sign from God that he needed to wait. (I imagine Koresh was like ‘GOT EMMMMM’)

The ‘Ol Switcheroo

The FBI, who was obviously incredibly pissed that Koresh went back on his agreement, continued to compromise with Koresh. They dropped murder charges against the two elderly women who had left the compound the prior day.  Everyone was growing impatient and Koresh’s “explanations” weren’t helping. When explaining why he didn’t leave the compound as he’d agreed to, he said that he was no longer dealing with law enforcement’s “bureaucratic system of government” and was “dealing now with his Father”.

No perimeter had been established around Mt. Carmel, so it was difficult to tell where law enforcement should be. The FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team had several members that climbed onto the roof of the small house that the ATF had been occupying, set up their scopes, and were able to see what the front of the compound looked like. They were very concerned that they were unable to see the back of the compound. A plan was made by the HRT to take control of a detached garage area behind the compound, which was successful. Law enforcement now had visuals of the majority of the compound.

Over the next few days, negotiators continued to talk with Koresh and other Davidians over the phone, with no significant progress in ending the standoff. The HRT and other law enforcement agents were growing impatient with the lack of movement, though negotiators felt that they were successfully building trust between themselves and Koresh. They were playing the long game, despite pressure from others. 

On March 3rd, Koresh sent one of several videos of himself to negotiators. In this particular one, the FBI could see that he was critically wounded. Negotiators attempted to convince Koresh to come out for medical attention, that doctors were concerned that he’d get a blood infection and die. This didn’t sway Koresh. More videos were sent of Koresh, surrounded by some of the children or other Davidians, with Koresh instructing the children to say that they felt safe and happy.

On Friday, March 5th, 9-year-old Heather Jones was released from the compound. She had a note pinned to her jacket that was from her mother, saying that once all of the children are out, the adults will die. Again, Koresh denied any consideration of suicide. Koresh demanded that the FBI send in milk for the children, but they refused to do so unless more children were sent out. Koresh said he wouldn’t release any more of the children because they were all his biological descendants. Through more conversation, the FBI agreed to send in six gallons of milk for the children.

On Friday, March 12th, day 13 of the standoff, adult Davidian Kathy Schroeder left the compound. Her 3-year-old son Bryan had been released earlier during the standoff and she wanted to be with him. Kathy later said that she didn’t think that the people who were leaving the compound were being saved.

“Society thinks of people leaving Mt. Carmel as people getting their life saved. I don’t care about living. I care about living for God.”

Kathy was taken directly to see her son, which was captured on film. They said they needed to take Bryan to eat, and Kathy was taken out of the room and immediately arrested. Unfortunately for the negotiators, this was televised, which obviously deterred any other adult Davidians from coming out.

While the Davidians could see the news on television, so could the rest of the world. Local and national news stations flooded the area, eager to televise what happened next. Family members of Davidians also flocked to the area, hoping that their loved ones were safe. As the days went by, with no real progress in resolving the standoff, people began parking their cars near the news vans and selling merchandise, like bumper stickers and hats, either supporting the Davidians or criticizing the government. One of the men selling anti-government bumper stickers was none other than Timothy McVeigh, who would later go on to commit the Oklahoma City bombing.

The power inside the compound was shut off, leaving the Davidians without heat. The negotiators were forced to tell Koresh that his mother had hired an attorney to represent him. On March 19th, the FBI delivered documents from Koresh’s lawyers. This was done in an attempt to address concerns from the Davidians. In the meantime, several other adults exited the compound.

The FBI had started using more extreme tactics to try to push the Davidians out. They used bright lights that were focused directly into the compound. At night, they played extremely loud Christmas music over speakers, as well as Tibetan chants. They played the Nancy Sinatra song, “These Boots Were Made For Walkin’” for 24 hours on repeat. They played the sounds of a jet engine taking off, a door slamming, a rabbit being slaughtered. Nothing seemed to be working. Negotiators claimed that they were specifically taught NOT to use these sort of agitation/deprivation techniques because they only made things worse

Angry about the tactics being used and nearing their breaking point with having no power in the compound, Koresh and his men refused to speak with the negotiators. During a press conference on March 24th, the FBI called Koresh a liar and a coward.

Despite the Texas Rangers and the assistant US Attorneys advising against it, Koresh’s lawyer was allowed to meet with him at the compound. The lawyer told law enforcement that he wasn’t concerned about being harmed by the Branch Davidians, but was worried that one of the FBI snipers would shoot him. 

After his visit, the lawyer relayed to the FBI that the Davidians were going to leave the compound after they observed Passover. They observed Passover on Monday, April 5th, however no Davidians exited the compound.

Hostage Rescue Team

The hostage rescue team’s patience had run out quite some time ago. Most of them had been fully convinced since the standoff began, that Koresh wouldn’t be exiting the compound willingly. They were more than ready to breach the compound and force everyone out. On Friday, April 9th, day 41 of the standoff, Koresh sent two letters to the FBI, writing that they were being called to judgment. Several experts analyzed the letters and strongly believed that Koresh was psychotic NO SHIT and wouldn’t be leaving the compound willingly. 

After discussions with high-ranking FBI officials and the HRT commander, a plan to deploy tear gas was proposed. On Monday, April 12th, the plan was presented to US Attorney General Janet Reno. It’s reported that she asked several times, “Why now? Why not wait?” It was explained to her as, “not an all-out assault, but as a tactile whereby gas will be inserted in stages, initially into only one small area of the compound. The goal was to allow the exit through uncontaminated portions of the compound.” 

The FBI also showed Reno affidavits from the Branch Davidians that alleged child abuse going on in the compound. They did not show her any of the videos that Koresh had sent out of him sitting with the children. Allegedly, these videos were left out because it was thought that the videos may make people sympathize with Koresh and the Davidians.

Reno asked for more information regarding whether the compound’s water supply could be cut off and how long they believed that the Davidians could survive in the compound without further assistance. 

On April 14th, Koresh informed negotiators that he would not exit until he’d written his manuscript explaining The Seven Seals. The Seven Seals are the first series of God’s end-time judgements. By this time, it seemed that no one believed that Koresh would follow through on exiting. It was estimated that the Davidians were stocked with enough food and supplies to last a year. 

On April 17th, Reno approved the tear gas plan. The following day, she briefed President Bill Clinton on the plan, who left the decision in her court. It’s reported that when Reno approved the plan, she gave it “only a cursory review, leaving tactical decisions to those at Waco”.

Up in Flames

At 6AM, a message was read over the loudspeakers placed outside of the compound. The message said that the Davidians were under arrest and that they should come out. There was also a phone call placed to them, letting them know that tear-gas would be deployed shortly. At 6:02AM, two FBI combat vehicles inserted gas into the compound through spray nozzles.

Gunfire came shortly after. At 6:31AM, the HRT reported that the entire building was now filled with tear gas. Approximately one hour later, an FBI combat vehicle broke through the front of the building to make sure that gas was inserted into all rooms of the compound. Ferret rounds filled with tear gas continued to be deployed into the compound, while the hole in the building created by the combat vehicle was widened in order to allow the Davidians to leave through.

Around noon, several fires were started throughout the compound. Again, it is widely disputed as to who started the fires. One of the HRT reported seeing a male starting a fire inside the building. A total of nine Davidians escaped the compound and were immediately arrested. At 12:25PM, the FBI reported hearing “systematic gunfire” coming from inside the compound. They believed that Davidians were either killing themselves or each other. 

Finally, at 12:41PM, firefighters were brought in to fight the blaze, which had completely consumed the building. FBI representatives told the press that they were no longer negotiating, that the standoff was over.

The Davidians who escaped the blaze later told a different story. Before the tear gas was deployed, a message came over the loudspeakers saying, “Do not shoot, this is not an assault” over and over. The Davidians heard the pops of the tear gas being shot into the building. The adults had gas masks, but unfortunately, there were no gas masks that fit the children. Davidians filled buckets with water, soaked cloths in it, and held them over the children’s noses and mouths.

As soon as the first portion of tear gas was deployed, the Branch Davidians began shooting. The FBI said that they never fired back. Davidian David Thibadeau remembered the combat vehicles breaching the compound walls. He later said, “When the tanks started coming through the front door, I felt doomed at that point. I knew we were going to die.”

Everyone watched as the building burned, waiting for the Davidians to exit, but they didn’t. After the initial nine ran out, nobody else escaped. Everyone else inside, including David Koresh, was dead. 82 Branch Davidians, including 28 children, were dead. 

The Aftermath

The standoff had lasted a total of 51 days. Though it was over, people were shocked at what happened on April 19th. The public had questions, government officials had questions, and nobody seemed to have answers. Starting from the beginning, nobody knew who had actually tipped the media off that the raid was occurring. If this hadn’t happened, the ATF may have been able to successfully carry out their plan, without any casualties. It has long been rumored by law enforcement and the media that a member of the McClennan County Sheriff’s Office was the one who told the reporter on February 28th.

The accused sheriff deputy has consistently denied the rumors. Unfortunately, the journalists that were first on the scene were blamed by the ATF for the injuries and deaths of the 4 agents during the initial siege. No concrete evidence has ever been released by the government or law enforcement to back up these claims.

Regardless of how Koresh and the Davidians found out about the raid, a more important question stuck out. Why did the ATF continue with the raid, DESPITE having been warned by the undercover agent that the Davidians knew what was coming and were preparing, and likely armed. Again, no explanation has ever been offered to the public.

Though the media were easy scapegoats to blame for the botched, there were several other mistakes that were made by law enforcement and ultimately overlooked: just prior to the raid, ATF agents were getting ready near a busy interstate in their marked uniforms, helicopters’ engines were running more than an hour before the raid, which would’ve been abnormal in that area. All of these would have tipped off the Branch Davidians, however from accounts from surviving Davidians, it seems as though Koresh initially found out about the impending siege from the mailman.

A later investigation into the fire that ultimately consumed the compound revealed that it was started from within the building. The FBI said that Davidians intentionally started the fires. David Thibodeau said that no one inside had mentioned starting a fire and he doesn’t believe anyone inside the compound would have started the fires. 

While negotiations between the FBI and the Davidians had a lot of problems, negotiator Gary Noesner safely secured the release of 35 Davidians, mostly children. He was asked to step down as chief negotiator after four weeks. After he left, no more Davidians were released from the compound. Noesner later commented on how the intentions of the negotiators and the HRT differed drastically. He said, “They viewed me as an impediment to what they wanted…”

Noesner admitted that it would’ve been incredibly difficult to get everyone out, saying “It would have taken a long time, but impatience ended up undermining what we were doing.”

Noesner was at the FBI headquarters, watching as Mt. Carmel collapsed under the fire. He said it was the “saddest and most painful day” of his career.

A day after the standoff ended, President Clinton addressed the nation regarding what had happened. Janet Reno admitted that she felt that the end result was her fault. Representatives from across the United States were blaming the federal government for what happened. 

In early 1994, the 11 surviving adult Branch Davidians were put on trial for conspiracy murder charges regarding the death of the four ATF agents. The 10 men and one woman faced the possibility of life in prison without parole if they were convicted on all of the charges.

During the seven week trial, the 911 call from Davidian Wayne Martin that was made during the initial siege was played for the jury. They listened as Martin begged them to stop shooting because there were women and children inside. The Branch Davidian who’d left to be with her child, Kathy Schroeder, also testified, saying that the group did not have any plan to kill any law enforcement agents. Despite her unwavering support to Koresh and the Branch Davidians, Kathy did testify as to which roles each of the defendants played during the initial gunfire. She received a lighter sentence for doing so.

On the fourth day of deliberation, the jury returned with a verdict acquitting all 11 defendants of the conspiracy murder charges. Five of them were found guilty of aiding and abetting voluntary manslaughter of federal officers. One was found guilty of possessing a hand grenade. Another was found guilty of unlawfully possessing machine guns and aiding and abetting Koresh in the unlawful possession of machine guns. 

Exactly two years after the violent end of the standoff at Mt. Carmel, 24-year-old Timothy McVeigh deployed explosives outside of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 19 children. Though McVeigh grew up with a fascination with guns and dislike for the government, he was upfront after he was apprehended about the two events that sealed his hatred for the government: the standoff at Ruby Ridge between Randy Weaver, who’d failed to show up for his trial on weapons charges, and the ATF. The standoff left a US Marshal and a 14-year-old boy dead. 

The second event that truly upset McVeigh was Waco. (Remember, he was out there selling bumper stickers!) He, like many other Americans, was disgusted at how the government handled the situation. Unfortunately, McVeigh went on to commit one of the worst terrorist attacks in US history. Before his execution, he said that the Oklahoma City bombing was retribution for those who died at Ruby Ridge and Waco.

The original compound at Mt. Carmel burned completely to the ground on that day in April of 1993. The Branch Davidians who survived created a new branch named The Lord Our Righteousness. It’s based in a chapel on the property. 82 trees were planted near the chapel in memory of those who died during the standoff. There is reportedly also a memorial site for the ATF agents who died during the siege. 

 A tree was planted for David Koresh, but was promptly cut down by the pastor. #loser