Information AboutWaco Siege |
On February 28 1993 , the United States Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms And Explosives (ATF) attempted to execute a search warrant at the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel , a property located nine miles (14 km) east-northeast of Waco, Texas . An exchange of gunfire resulted in the deaths of four agents and six Davidians. A subsequent 51-day siege by the Federal Bureau Of Investigation ended on April 19 when the complex was destroyed by fire. 79 people, including 21 children and Davidian leader David Koresh , died in the incident. This has come to be known as the Waco Siege, '''Battle of Mt. Carmel''', or the '''Waco Massacre'''. HISTORY See Also: Branch Davidian The Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventist Church was formed in Los Angeles, California , during the 1930s, breaking away from the Seventh-day Adventist Church . As the group gained members, the leadership moved the church to a hilltop several miles west of Waco, which they named Mount Carmel , after a mountain in Israel mentioned in the Bible . A few years later, they moved again to a much larger site east of the city. The new Mount Carmel Center consisted of a main church building (constructed primarily of thin plywood, taking advantage of a lack of building codes at the time), administrative and storage buildings, and homes for the leadership and important visitors. The church announced at some point that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ was about to take place, and members were told to gather at the center to await this event. Many built houses, others stayed in tents, trucks or buses, and most sold their possessions. The compound was also called Ranch Apocalypse by the members, due to Koresh's apocalyptic teachings.[''Psychotherapy Networker'', March/April 2007, "Stairway to Heaven; Treating children in the crosshairs of trauma". Excerpt from the book ''The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog'' by Bruce Perry and Maia Szalavitz. By 1992, most of the land belonging to the group had been sold, and most of the buildings had been removed, or were being salvaged for construction materials to convert much of the main chapel and a tall water tank into apartments for the resident members of the group. Many of the members of the group had been involved with the Davidians for a few generations, and many had large families. ACCUSATIONS |
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