Waco Texas and David Koresh By Candace and

Waco Texas and David Koresh By: Candace and Danny

David Koresh • His original name Vernon Wayne Howell, he changed his name on May 15, 1990. • He was the leader of the Branch Davidian religious sec, where he believed himself to be the final prophet. • His mother was 14 when she had him and his father was 20, before he was born his father left his mother for another teenager, so he never actually met him.

Cont. • At this point his mother became a violent alcoholic and left him with his grandparents to be raised, at age 4. • When David was 22 he had an affair with a 15 year old girl, who became pregnant.

Waco Incident • On February 28, 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms raided Mount Carmel. The raid resulted in the deaths of four agents and six Davidians. • The standoff continued, Koresh was seriously injured by a gunshot wound negotiated delays, possibly so he could write religious documents he said he needed to complete before he surrendered.

Crazy much? • The federal negotiators treated the situation as a hostage crisis despite a two hour video tape sent out by the Davidians in which the adults and older children/teens appeared to explain clearly and confidently why they chose of their own free will to remain with Koresh.

Final Countdown • The 51 -day siege of Mount Carmel ended on April 19 th when the U. S Attorney General approved recommendations FBI officials to proceed with a final assault. • The Branch Davidians were to be removed from their building by force. • In the course of the assault, the church building caught fire.

Deaths • Barricaded in their building, seventy-six Branch Davidians, including Koresh, did not survive the fire. • Seventeen of these victims were children under the age of 17. • Those who died were unable, or unwilling, to flee and that Steve Schneider, Koresh's right-hand man, probably shot Koresh and committed suicide with the same gun.

Records • Autopsy records indicate that at least 20 Branch Davidians were shot, including 5 children. And that the adults who died of gunshot wounds shot themselves after shooting the children.

After it all… • David Koresh is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, in Tyler, Texas. • On January 23, 2009, Koresh's mother, Bonnie Clark Haldeman, was stabbed to death in. Her sister, Beverly Clark, was charged with the murder.