Waco Siege

The Waco siege began on February 28, 1993, and ended violently 51 days later on April 19. The siege began when the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), accompanied by several members of the media, attempted to execute a search warrant at Mount Carmel Center ranch, a property of the religious sect Branch Davidians located in the community of Elk, Texas nine miles (14 kilometers) east-northeast of Waco, Texas.

On February 28, shortly after the attempt to serve the warrant, an intense gun battle erupted, lasting nearly two hours. In this armed exchange, four agents and six Branch Davidians were killed. Upon the ATF's failure to execute the search warrant, a siege was initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The siege ended 50 days later when a fire destroyed the compound when a second assault was launched. Seventy-six men, women and children, including the sect leader, David Koresh, died in the fire.