Waco: American Apocalypse

➤ Rated TV-MA
➤ Netflix

April 19 marks the 30th anniversary of the tragic destruction of the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, that claimed the lives of David Koresh and 75 of his followers, including 26 children. With some “material never seen before,” Netflix’s new series Waco: American Apocalypse revisits the 51-day standoff between the cult and federal agents that ended when the Branch Davidians ignited fires that consumed their compound.

Was the disaster preventable? In interviews, former ATF agents, FBI negotiators, Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) members, and Branch Davidians say so. Hostilities began when the Davidians fired on ATF agents serving a warrant for unlawful possession of automatic weapons. Four ATF agents and six cult members died following the “largest gunfight on American soil since the Civil War.”

Video clips and recorded phone conversations show how both sides inflamed tensions. The HRT made “aggressive” tactical moves without informing the negotiators, who assured Koresh no actions were occurring. Some negotiators are still angry to this day. The FBI lost credibility with Koresh, who rescinded a planned surrender. HRT sniper Chris Whitcomb sounds unapologetic: “[Our] business is to go into a building … and kill the bad guys.”

But the Davidians rushed headlong into destruction, swallowing Koresh’s blasphemies and doomsday preaching. “David was our Christ,” Kathy Schroeder says. She calls Koresh’s sexual relationships with underage girls “tenderness with God.”

John McLemore, a TV reporter on-site during the standoff, doesn’t fault the real God for the disaster: “Man made this happen.”