From: Gary Hunt at the Outpost of Freedom in Waco, Texas
Date: March 14, 1993On Sunday February 28, 1993 the Bureau or Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) began an assault on the Mt. Carmel Church complex near Waco, Texas. Alleged by the BATF was that Pastor David Koresh was in possession of illegal firearms. Armed with both an arrest warrant and two search warrants, all of which are currently sealed from public view in the local district court, the military assault began.
In reflecting back certain comments made by parties involved (Pastor Koresh, FBI. and BATF), together generate a vivid picture of the beginning of this event which should be recorded as very significant in American history.
Sharon Wheeler, spokesman for BATF, said shortly after the assault, "We were outgunned! They had weapons that could penetrate through doors, we did not!"
This past Wednesday, FBI spokesman Bob Ricks said that at the beginning of this affair Pastor David Koresh had been seen outside the church complex, at one point he turned, ran inside, and slammed the door. The people inside then began firing at the BATF forces.
Fitting the two pieces of the puzzle together a picture begins to develop by which we can begin to comprehend the events surrounding the shots heard "round the world!" BATF says that they could not shoot through the wooden doors at the church. We are told that the defenders "opened fire" after Pastor Koresh ran in and closed the door. We are told that Pastor Koresh was shot twice -- once in the side and once in the hand. We know from other government releases that the exit wound is in the back, meaning Pastor Koresh was facing the BATF when shot.
With these few statements, a sequence of events is deduced and can be corroborated by one of the radio broadcasts made by Pastor Koresh. On a local radio broadcast, Koresh was heard describing the initial events. He said that he was outside of the complex attempting to talk with agents when they began firing at him. He stated that they fired first. He then ran into the church and the church members began to defend the complex.
It appears that all three statements are true and are mutually supportive of each other only if we recognize that the statement by Bob Ricks had a significant omission - that omission was simply the events that proceeded Pastor Koresh's re-entry into the church.
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