Complete Guide to the 1993 Waco Compound Standoff and Tragedy - Branch Davidians, David Koresh (Vernon Howell), Followers - ATF, FBI, Clinton Justice Dept., Janet Reno, Danforth and Treasury Reports

Professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction, this unique publication presents seven official reports on the standoff at the Waco, Texas compound of David Koresh (Vernon Howell) and his Branch Davidian followers, from the initial confrontation to the final fiery conclusion.

Contents: Justice Department Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas - February 28 to April 19, 1993 * Report of the Department of the Treasury on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Investigation of Vernon Wayne Howell Also Known as David Koresh September 1993 * Project Megiddo - FBI Assessment of Potential Domestic Terrorism in the Year 2000 * Interim Report to the Deputy Attorney General Concerning the 1993 Confrontation at the Mt. Carmel Complex, Waco, Texas, July 21, 2000 * The Tragedy at Waco: New Evidence Examined - Eleventh Report By The Committee On Government Reform * Report to the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of the Treasury: Department of Defense Military Assistance Provided at Branch Davidian Incident, August 1999 * Investigation Into the Activities of Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Toward the Branch Davidians - Committee on Government Reform and Oversight

On February 28, 1993, 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. On April 19, the FBI telephoned the compound at 5:591a.m. to inform the Davidians that tear gas would be released into the compound, and to assure them that the FBI was not launching an assault. At 6:02 a.m., an FBI tank with an attached boom began inserting gas into the compound. The Davidians opened fire on the FBI's vehicle within two minutes. At 12:07 p.m., the Davidians started simultaneous fires at three or more different locations within the compound. The fires rapidly engulfed the compound in flames and smoke. The remains of 75 individuals (50 adults and 25 children under age 15) were recovered in the ruins of the compound. At least 17 of those individuals died of gunshot wounds, including several children. Another child was stabbed to death. On August 6, 1993, a superseding indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Waco, Texas charging five of these individuals, along with seven others, with conspiracy to murder federal agents, as well as numerous other charges.