On this day, Feb. 28, in 1993,agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms raided the Branch Davidian cult compound in Waco, Texas, prompting a gunbattle in which four agents and six followers of David Koresh were killed.
Koresh and his followers were accused of sexual abuse of children and stockpiling dozens of weapons and explosives.
The Branch Davidians had been tipped off about the early morning raid and were ready for the more than 100 agents. After a 45-minute shootout, the federal agents withdrew, beginning a protracted siege.
The 51-day standoff ended in an FBI assault in which the compound became engulfed in flames, killing 76 people, including 20 children and Koresh.
— Scott McCabe
