Waco Siege- David Koresh- cult

The Texas town of Waco has, for many Americans, become synonymous with tragedy—ever since the 51-day Waco siege in 1993 between the federal government and an extremist religious sect called the Branch Davidians ended in a deadly fire.

The group, led by controversial self-proclaimed prophet David Koresh, was an offshoot of another group called Shepherd’s Rod, which was connected to the Seventh-day Adventists.

On February 28, 1993, in response to reports that the Davidians had been stockpiling illegal weapons at their compound, the Mount Carmel Center, in preparation for the end of the world, Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raided the property. Their goal: to search the premises and arrest Koresh for unlawful weapons possession. But the plan went south fast, with four federal agents and six Branch Davidians dying in a chaotic shootout. It’s still not clear who fired the first shot.