ATF requested assistance from the FBI on February 28, 1993 after ATF agents had attempted to serve an arrest and search warrant on the Branch Davidian Compound. Four ATF agents were killed, 20 agents wounded and an unknown number of Davidians were killed and wounded in the ensuing gun battle.
The FBI assembled a group of its best and most experienced negotiators from its Critical Incident Negotiations Team ("CINT"). The FBI's behavioral experts from its National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime ("NCAVC") were assigned to assess the behavior of Koresh and his followers. ATF specifically requested the assistance of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team ("HRT"), a highly trained and rigorously selected counter terrorist unit designed for high threat tactical assignments. FBI SWAT teams were deployed along with a full crisis management team consisting of three SACs and four ASACs supervising two command posts with full technical support. The FBI arrived at Mt. Carmel on February 28, set up its command posts and began telephone negotiations with the people inside the compound. It was estimated that over 100 men, women and children with nearly 250 weapons were inside the compound. The compound was stocked with a year's supply of food rations and was otherwise prepared to withstand an extended siege. David Koresh, the group's charismatic leader, had been wounded in the gun battle with ATF.
Early negotiations were successful, and twenty-one children and two elderly adults exited the compound during the first six days of the stand-off. On the evening of February 28, 1993 Koresh promised that if a recorded message from him were played on a certain radio station, children would be released from the compound two-by-two. The message was played for the first time at approximately 7:30 that evening. About an hour later two children, Angelica and Crystal Sonobe, were escorted out of the compound by their mother, who went back in. The message was rebroadcast and two more children, Rene Fagan and Nehara Fagan, were released. The next morning at 6:30 two more children were released; at 10:30 two more were released; at 4:00 two more were released; at 8:30 two more were released and at 11:00 two more were released.
The next day, on March 1, 1993 the negotiator asked Koresh if he was going to commit suicide and he replied "I'm not going to commit suicide." He also stated "if I wanted to commit suicide, I would have done it already." The negotiator asked Koresh, "Are you going to let any of your other people kill themselves or die in there?" Koresh replied "I'm not going to do that."
The night of March 1 Koresh advised that everyone would come out if a tape he recorded were played on the radio. On the morning of March 2, 1993 detailed arrangements were made for the surrender of Koresh and the other Davidians upon the playing of the tape. Koresh agreed he would be carried out on a stretcher and would go to a Bradley ambulance with three of the children, while everyone else would go to a waiting bus. Koresh was to exit first while Steve Schneider was to remain in the compound to coordinate the release of the remaining members at one minute intervals. Emergency and transport vehicles were positioned.
Koresh recorded his tape and at the negotiators' request recorded a preamble affirming his promise to surrender. During the day of March 2, two elderly women, Katherine Matteson and Margaret Lawson, and four children exited the compound. Koresh was questioned about suicide and stated, "I dont think anyone's going to commit suicide."
The tape was broadcast as agreed between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. an March 2. The Davidians then advised that they were moving Koresh down the stairs on the stretcher, but that he was in pain from his gunshot wounds suffered in the February 28 shoot-out. Progress was delayed when Koresh began a prayer session. Then Schneider began to preach to the negotiators. Finally, Schneider informed the negotiators that "God had told Koresh to wait". By the evening of March 2, other Davidians had come to the phone and advised the negotiators that "God had told Koresh to wait." Koresh would not come to the phone.