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Firing at shadows: the raid on Waco
Waco, Texas: Following the botched raid on the Branch Davidian compound, federal agents admitted to police that they fired blindly into windows without knowing what they were shooting at, a federal jury has been told.
Mr Michael Caddell, the lead counsel for the more than 100 Davidians and families suing the Federal Government over the raid, read the statements of more than two dozen agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to the jury.
They painted a picture of agents shooting at shadows and fluttering curtains after gunfire from the compound prevented them arresting the Davidian leader, David Koresh, on February 28, 1993.
Ten people, including four ATF agents, were killed in the hail of gunfire.
"A whole lot of shooting was going on in violation of instructions given to the agents," said Mr Jim Brannon of Houston, another lawyer for the plaintiffs. "You don't just shoot generally. You shoot at specific targets."
Mr Caddell said other key elements to the case were the FBI's deviation from a plan approved by the Attorney-General to end the stand-off, the FBI actions that caused the deadly fire, and the FBI's failure to have firefighting equipment on the scene.
The shootout led to a 51-day stand-off that ended on April 19 in an inferno that killed 80 Davidians, including 25 children.
In their lawsuit against the Government, survivors claim that ATF and FBI agents caused the deaths of innocent people both in the way the initial assault was conducted and in the way the siege was concluded.
Plaintiffs presented District Judge Walter Smith and the six-person jury with the statements ATF agents gave to Texas Rangers following the assault on the Mount Carmel compound.
"I didn't see anyone shooting at our people," one sniper, Mr Paul Smith, said. Mr Mark Murray, an agent, said: "At no time did I see any occupant, other than shadows moving."
Mr Caddell began the day with a video of children who died in the fire. As each child's image appeared on the screen, he gave the name, age and repeated, "never owned a gun, never fired a gun, never broke the law, never hurt anyone".
He also put forward a theory that militant Koresh followers may have started one of the three fires blamed in the deaths.
In his opening statement, Mr Mike Bradford, for the Government, told the jury that "the evidence will show that the responsibility [for the deaths] should not be placed on the shoulders of the brave men and women of the ATF and the FBI. David Koresh and the Branch Davidians themselves were responsible for those events."
The Houston Chronicle
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Slowpoke Rodrigo...he pack a gon...
"That which binds us together is infinitely greater than that on which we disagree" - Neal Knox
Firing at shadows: the raid on Waco
Waco, Texas: Following the botched raid on the Branch Davidian compound, federal agents admitted to police that they fired blindly into windows without knowing what they were shooting at, a federal jury has been told.
Mr Michael Caddell, the lead counsel for the more than 100 Davidians and families suing the Federal Government over the raid, read the statements of more than two dozen agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to the jury.
They painted a picture of agents shooting at shadows and fluttering curtains after gunfire from the compound prevented them arresting the Davidian leader, David Koresh, on February 28, 1993.
Ten people, including four ATF agents, were killed in the hail of gunfire.
"A whole lot of shooting was going on in violation of instructions given to the agents," said Mr Jim Brannon of Houston, another lawyer for the plaintiffs. "You don't just shoot generally. You shoot at specific targets."
Mr Caddell said other key elements to the case were the FBI's deviation from a plan approved by the Attorney-General to end the stand-off, the FBI actions that caused the deadly fire, and the FBI's failure to have firefighting equipment on the scene.
The shootout led to a 51-day stand-off that ended on April 19 in an inferno that killed 80 Davidians, including 25 children.
In their lawsuit against the Government, survivors claim that ATF and FBI agents caused the deaths of innocent people both in the way the initial assault was conducted and in the way the siege was concluded.
Plaintiffs presented District Judge Walter Smith and the six-person jury with the statements ATF agents gave to Texas Rangers following the assault on the Mount Carmel compound.
"I didn't see anyone shooting at our people," one sniper, Mr Paul Smith, said. Mr Mark Murray, an agent, said: "At no time did I see any occupant, other than shadows moving."
Mr Caddell began the day with a video of children who died in the fire. As each child's image appeared on the screen, he gave the name, age and repeated, "never owned a gun, never fired a gun, never broke the law, never hurt anyone".
He also put forward a theory that militant Koresh followers may have started one of the three fires blamed in the deaths.
In his opening statement, Mr Mike Bradford, for the Government, told the jury that "the evidence will show that the responsibility [for the deaths] should not be placed on the shoulders of the brave men and women of the ATF and the FBI. David Koresh and the Branch Davidians themselves were responsible for those events."
The Houston Chronicle
------------------
Slowpoke Rodrigo...he pack a gon...
"That which binds us together is infinitely greater than that on which we disagree" - Neal Knox