AFTER SHOOTOUT, CULT SENDS OUT MORE CHILDREN

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 2, 1993                   TAG: 9303020187
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WACO, TEXAS                                LENGTH: Short
AFTER SHOOTOUT, CULT SENDS OUT MORE CHILDREN
A heavily armed religious cult allowed more children to leave its bullet-scarred compound Monday as the FBI sent in reinforcements and negotiations to end the bloody standoff dragged through a second day.
More children remained in the compound, and a man who identified himself as a cult member said others would be released later.
Authorities kept up negotiations Monday, a day after a rain of gunfire killed four federal agents and two members of the sect, one reportedly a daughter of cult leader David Koresh.
Shortly after 7 p.m., authorities moved their command post farther from the compound. An hour later, reporters were ordered to clear the road into the compound. Then a convoy of 25 trucks, cars and vans carrying Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents in riot gear moved into the area.
At least 75 people remained in the compound about 10 miles east of Waco, about a third of them children, authorities said. Koresh, who says he is Jesus Christ, said many of the children were his.
Koresh began releasing the children late Sunday, letting four go before midnight and two more early Monday morning. He released four more Monday afternoon.
Questions arose Monday about why the assault failed. It had been planned for months, and agents practiced for "days and days and days," ATF spokeswoman Sharon Wheeler said.
"The problem we had is we were outgunned," she said. "They had bigger firearms than we had." Agents said those included at least one .50-caliber machine gun, firing bullets a half-inch in diameter.
Keywords:
FATALITY

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB