ATF agents fire guns and break into windows at the Mount Carmel Ranch compound on Feb. 28, 1993. This screenshot is from footage that appears in Linda Thompson's "Waco: The Big Lie."
Three agents involved in the ATF's disastrous Waco raid will discuss the event at a panel discussion in Washington D.C. hosted by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
The discussion, part of the "Witness to History" lecture series, is being billed as the first time agents involved in the raid have discussed it publicly.
On Feb. 28, 1993, the ATF raided a Branch Davidian compound to serve arrest and search warrants as part of an investigation into illegal possession of firearms and explosives. Following the failed raid, the FBI initiated a siege of the Mount Carmel Ranch compound. On April 19, the compound was destroyed in a fire after a second assault was launched.
The violent events that unfolded took the lives of four agents and 82 men, women, and children affiliated with the Branch Davidian religious sect.
The panel discussion will include expert analysis and firsthand accounts from those closely tied to the investigation, and will be moderated by Craig W. Floyd, chairman and CEO of the Memorial Fund. A Q&A session will allow audience members to interact with the panelists at the end of the discussion.
Panelists include retired ATF agents Bill Buford, Pete Mastin, and Jerry Petrilli. Dick Reavis, author of "The Ashes of Waco: An Investigation," will also join the panel.
The Feb. 7 event begins at 6 p.m. and will take place at the Pew Charitable Trusts Building, 901 E. Street NW. Admission is free and this event is open to the public. Register by Jan. 31.
