On February 28, 1993, at approximately 9:30 a.m. Central Time, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) came under heavy gunfire while attempting to execute an arrest warrant for Vernon Howell, otherwise known as David Koresh. The warrant authorized Koresh's arrest for federal firearms and explosives violations. An accompanying search warrant authorized the ATF agents to search the compound where Koresh and his followers, known as the Branch Davidians, lived near Waco, Texas. Four ATF agents were killed and sixteen were wounded during the shootout with the Branch Davidians on February 28. Additionally, a number of individuals inside the compound were killed and injured; however, the number killed by ATF gunfire cannot be precisely determined.
Within a few hours of the incident, and at the request of ATF officials, the FBI dispatched trained negotiators to the scene in Waco. By that afternoon, the FBI, in cooperation with the ATF and Department of Treasury officials, had also sent in advance units of its elite Hostage Rescue Team. The next day (March 1, 1993), also at the request of Treasury Department officials, the FBI became the lead agency responsible for resolving the standoff with the Branch Davidians.
The Branch Davidians, an offshoot of the Seventh Day Adventists, strongly believed that the Second Coming of Christ was imminent, and that the end of the world was approaching rapidly. The Davidians had armed themselves heavily in anticipation of an apocalyptic showdown with government agents, who they likened to the Babylonians and Assyrians of Biblical times. David Koresh had been the "prophet" or leader of the Davidians since 1987.
When the FBI assumed responsibility for resolving the standoff, it faced an unknown number of men, women, and children who had barricaded themselves in a large compound, and who refused to surrender. They were heavily armed with hundreds of weapons, including fully automatic machine guns and .50 caliber rifles, and with hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition. They had already demonstrated their willingness to use those weapons on February 28.
During the next 51 days, over 700 law enforcement personnel participated in the effort to end the standoff. Between 250 to 300 FBI personnel were present in Waco at any given time, along with hundreds of officers and agents from other federal, state, and local agencies.
Negotiations, perhaps more accurately characterized as discussions, began with Koresh, Steve Schneider (Koresh's chief lieutenant), and others during the gunfight on the 28th. These discussions continued over the telephone, as well as face-to-face, until April 19, 1993. overall, the FBI spoke to approximately 54 individuals inside the compound for approximately 215 hours.
Between February 28 and March 23, 1993, 35 Davidians (14 adults and 21 children) departed the compound. In addition, another 9 Davidians (all adults) survived the fire that destroyed the compound on April 19. Evidence developed by the FBI strongly suggests that most or all of the individuals who left before the fire were "expelled" because Koresh considered then weak or troublemakers.
The FBI's paramount objective throughout the standoff was to convince Koresh and the others inside the compound to surrender peacefully, without any further loss of life. Accordingly, the FBI operated under rules of engagement prohibiting any FBI agent from firing a weapon, unless the agent or another person was in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm. The FBI did not fire a single shot during the entire standoff, including during the tear gas operation on April 19, when the Davidians repeatedly fired on the FBI.
The FBI's strategy for obtaining a peaceful surrender was to attempt to negotiate with Koresh and his followers, while also employing tactics to gradually increase the pressure on those inside the compound. Those tactics included periodically tightening the perimeter around the compound, denying certain comforts such as electricity, and broadcasting loud music and irritating sounds over loudspeakers. According to many agents involved in the standoff, the negotiations and tactical components of the FBI's overall approach were not always coordinated and., on occasion, were in conflict with each other.