The FBI received contradictory reports on the possibility of Koresh 's suicide and was not sure about whether he would commit suicide . The evidence made them believe that there was no possibility of mass suicide , with Koresh and Schneider repeatedly denying to the negotiators that they had plans to commit mass suicide , and people leaving the compound saying that they had seen no preparations for such a thing . There was a possibility that some of his followers would follow Koresh if he committed suicide . According to Alan A. Stone 's report , during the siege the FBI used an incorrect psychiatric perspective to evaluate Branch Davidians ' responses , which caused them to over-rely on Koresh 's statements that they would not commit suicide . According to Stone , this incorrect evaluation caused the FBI to not ask pertinent questions to Koresh and to others on the compound about whether they were planning a mass suicide . A more pertinent question would have been , " What will you do if we tighten the noose around the compound in a show of overwhelming power , and using CS gas , force you to come out ? " Stone wrote : The tactical arm of federal law enforcement may conventionally think of the other side as a band of criminals or as a military force or , generically , as the aggressor . But the Branch Davidians were an unconventional group in an exalted , disturbed , and desperate state of mind . They were devoted to David Koresh as the Lamb of God . They were willing to die defending themselves in an apocalyptic ending and , in the alternative , to kill themselves and their children . However , these were neither psychiatrically depressed , suicidal people nor cold-blooded killers . They were ready to risk death as a test of their faith . The psychology of such behavior — together with its religious significance for the Branch Davidians — was mistakenly evaluated , if not simply ignored , by those responsible for the FBI strategy of " tightening the noose " . The overwhelming show of force was not working in the way the tacticians supposed . It did not provoke the Branch Davidians to surrender , but it may have provoked David Koresh to order the mass-suicide . The Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995 caused the media to revisit many of the questionable aspects of the government 's actions at Waco , and many Americans who previously supported those actions began asking for an investigation . By 1999 — as a result of certain aspects of the documentaries discussed below , as well as allegations made by advocates for Branch Davidians during litigation — public opinion held that the federal government had engaged in serious misconduct at Waco . A '' Time '' poll conducted on August 26 , 1999 , for example , indicated that 61 percent of the public believed that federal law enforcement officials started the fire at the Branch Davidian complex
Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
Waco siege