The FBI’s 51-Day Siege of a Texas Cult Ended in Flames & Little-Known Memorial

The Waco Siege, Texas

David Koresh claimed he was a prophet. The FBI said he was dangerous.

After an almost two-month standoff, tear gas and fire turned the Branch Davidian compound into a death trap. Seventy-six souls lost, including kids.

This is the story and where to find the memorial.

David Koresh and the Branch Davidians

David Koresh was born Vernon Wayne Howell in 1959 and joined the Branch Davidians in 1981.

This religious group had been around since the 1930s, living quietly on their land outside Waco called Mount Carmel.

By 1987, Koresh had taken over.

Tipping Off the ATF

The trouble started in 1992 when ATF began investigating reports that the group was illegally converting semi-automatic weapons to fully automatic.

A postal worker had tipped off authorities about suspicious deliveries to their gun store.

The feds spent months planning a raid to arrest Koresh and search for illegal weapons.

The ATF Arrives at the Compound

On February 28, 1993, everything went wrong.

The Davidians were alerted to the impending raid by a local postman, who was also a cult member. When more than 70 ATF agents arrived to serve warrants, the heavily armed cult members were waiting in ambush.

A 2-Hour Gunfight

Nobody knows who fired first, but the gunfight lasted over two hours. Four ATF agents were killed and 20 wounded, while six Branch Davidians died.

Koresh himself was shot and badly hurt. After the shooting stopped, nearly 900 federal agents surrounded the compound, and the FBI took control of what became a 51-day standoff.

Negotiating with the Branch Davidians

Those 51 days were a media circus. The world watched as FBI negotiators tried to talk Koresh out while tactical teams played loud music, shined spotlights, and crushed cars to pressure the group.

Koresh allowed more than 30 followers to leave, mostly children, but he and about 80 others stayed inside, waiting for what they believed was God’s plan.

The Waco Siege Ends

The end came on April 19, 1993. At 6 AM, the FBI began spraying tear gas into the compound using armored vehicles that punched holes in the walls.

For more than five hours, they deposited 400 tear-gas canisters inside. Then, around noon, fires broke out in multiple places at once.

Final Death Count

After the fire died down, FBI agents searched the ruins. They found 76 bodies in the blackened debris.

Twenty-five children died in the fire. David Koresh was killed by a gunshot to his forehead.

Some victims died from breathing smoke, others from gunshot wounds, and some were crushed when the building fell apart.

The Children and Women

Search teams found 18 children and 9 women dead inside a concrete bunker at the bottom of the compound’s main tower. Koresh had told mothers to take their children to this safe room when the FBI attack began.

The group had practiced going there before. Even though the bunker had strong walls, toxic smoke seeped in.

Most people inside died from breathing this smoke.

Courts Convict Eight Branch Davidians

Four months after the fire, twelve surviving Branch Davidians faced charges. They were accused of helping kill federal officers and having illegal weapons.

Four were found not guilty of all charges. Eight others were convicted, but only for weapon crimes, not murder.

All convicted Branch Davidians went to prison. By 2007, all had served their time and were free.

Remnants of the Waco Siege

Today, a few Branch Davidians still live on the property, waiting for Koresh to return from the dead.

The original compound is gone, but you can visit the site where it all happened, marked by a simple memorial in that Texas field.

Visiting the Branch Davidian Memorial Park

The Branch Davidian Memorial Park at 1781 Double EE Ranch Road is open 10 AM to 6 PM, but only when the gates are unlocked since it’s private property. There’s a $10 per car donation box to help maintain the site.

The site sits at the end of a long gravel road about 15 minutes from downtown Waco.

A memorial stone and small chapel mark where 76 people died on April 19, 1993. The current Branch Davidian group welcomes respectful visitors to walk the grounds.

For more context, visit the Waco Siege exhibit at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum (100 Texas Ranger Trail) which displays artifacts and timelines from the 1993 tragedy.

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