The Waco Massacre occurred February 28, 1993 to April 19, 1993. This event was said to be America’s most infamous day. It all started when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms ( ATF) raided the Branch Davidian Compound to make arrests and search warrants as part of an investigation to search for illegal possessions of firearms and explosives there. The Branch Davidians was established by Victor Houteff and originated in 1955. The Branch Davidians were a group of people led by a leader who was said to be a messenger from god who came from a Seventh-day Adventist church who had different views from the church. This branch was established in 1929 by a man named Victor Houteff and then continued its way down to Vernon Howell, also known as David Koresh. David was born August 17, 1959 and grew up in Houston, TX. Growing up was hard for Koresh, he was teased by his classmates and eventually dropped out of high school. His passions were music and the bible, Koresh knew a grand part of the bible. He was brought into the Church of the Seventh-Day Adventist, his mom’s church, but eventually was kicked out…show more content… On that day the ATF agents surrounded the compound shooting tear gas canisters through the windows and filling up the compound with the gas through the vents. The Branch Davidians did not surrender which led to the second and last confrontation of the operation. Minutes later a fire initiated in a part of the compound making some of the people inside evacuate and flee the building. But the rest of the cult remained in the building. later, 2 more fires initiated and the many men, women, and children inside the compound were engulfed by the blazing building. This resulted in the deaths of 76 men, women, and children including the sect leader Koresh. 82 people died as a result of the Waco
