The Siege at Waco, it all started on April 19th, 1993 with the group called The Branch Davidians collecting a huge supply of illegal weapons, including machine guns and grenade launchers. These illegal weapons are what brought the FBI to the Branch Davidian compound. When the officers arrived 51 days before on February 28th, 1993 shooting had broken out. The shooting was between the Branch Davidians and the federal officers. After hours of continued gunfire the two ended it with a standoff or tie. Four federal officers were dead along with two of David Koresh's followers. That evening after the gunfire was stopped, the FBI started negotiations with the Branch Davidians about surrendering the weapons. During the first two weeks of negotiations a number of Davidians decided to leave the compound. After 6 weeks of negotiations no progress was made, there were still 83 people left inside the compound. It didn’t seem like David Koresh or any of his followers remaining in the compound at Mt. Carmel would ever be coming out alive.
The plan to finally end the 51 day standoff had gone into action on April 19th, 1993 at 6 am. FBI negotiators warned Koresh that if he and his followers did not leave the compound that they would be gassed, Steve Schneider, the main negotiator for David Koresh, responded to the FBI by hanging up the phone and throwing it out the window. Moments later armored tanks punched holes in the compound walls and began firing tear gas into the compound. To the agent’s surprise this plan didn’t work, people didn’t come streaming out of Mt. Carmel. The FBI announced on the speakers that this was not an attack yet the people of the compound didn’t see it that way and began firing against the tanks raising the situation level to crisis.
The tanks pulled away just as they had been ordered to in the event they were fired on, in their place 4 smaller tanks called, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, moved in to deliver gas in a more effective way. The Bradley fighting vehicles shot canisters of gas into the compound. These canisters held more tear gas, that would spread after being shot into the buildings. The attempts of these canisters were made in vain due to high winds that day leading to the gasses being blown away by gusts of wind. After 6 hours no one had emerged from the compound, but something appeared to be happening inside the building.
At 12pm flames shot out of a second story window! There was a fire! Flames appeared in three different locations in the compound. The fire was being set by the Davidians in an attempt of mass suicide. Some of the people escaped but not enough, many lives were lost that day to the siege at Waco.
The plan to finally end the 51 day standoff had gone into action on April 19th, 1993 at 6 am. FBI negotiators warned Koresh that if he and his followers did not leave the compound that they would be gassed, Steve Schneider, the main negotiator for David Koresh, responded to the FBI by hanging up the phone and throwing it out the window. Moments later armored tanks punched holes in the compound walls and began firing tear gas into the compound. To the agent’s surprise this plan didn’t work, people didn’t come streaming out of Mt. Carmel. The FBI announced on the speakers that this was not an attack yet the people of the compound didn’t see it that way and began firing against the tanks raising the situation level to crisis.
The tanks pulled away just as they had been ordered to in the event they were fired on, in their place 4 smaller tanks called, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, moved in to deliver gas in a more effective way. The Bradley fighting vehicles shot canisters of gas into the compound. These canisters held more tear gas, that would spread after being shot into the buildings. The attempts of these canisters were made in vain due to high winds that day leading to the gasses being blown away by gusts of wind. After 6 hours no one had emerged from the compound, but something appeared to be happening inside the building.
At 12pm flames shot out of a second story window! There was a fire! Flames appeared in three different locations in the compound. The fire was being set by the Davidians in an attempt of mass suicide. Some of the people escaped but not enough, many lives were lost that day to the siege at Waco.