|
06/10/93
Transcript of 911 call details first moments of cult siege
This is a partial transcript of a 911 call from the Branch Davidian cult compound outside Waco to the McLennan County Sheriff's Department on Feb. 28, as a raid on the compound by federal agents was under way. Speakers are cult leader David Koresh; one of his lieutenants, Wayne Martin; Lt. Larry Lynch, a sheriff's deputy; and a dispatcher.
Dispatcher: 911. What's your emergency.
Mr. Martin: There are men, 75 men around our building shooting at us.
Dispatcher: OK, just a moment.
Lt. Lynch: Hello, hello . . . Hello, hello, this is Lt. Lynch. May I help you?
Mr. Martin: Yeah, there are about 75 men around our building shooting at us in Mount Carmel.
Lt. Lynch: Mount Carmel?
Mr. Martin: Tell them there are women and children in here and to call it off.
Lt. Lynch: All right, all right . . . Hello? I hear gunfire. Oh (expletive). Hello? Who is this? Hello?
Mr. Martin: Call it off!
Lt. Lynch: Who is this? Hello? Hello? God almighty! Hello? Who is this coming from?
Dispatcher: (unintelligible) Wayne Martin.
Lt. Lynch: Wayne Martin? Hello? Wayne?
Dispatcher: (unintelligible) Did he hang up?
Lt. Lynch: No, he's on the line. Can hear the shots in the back. (Lt. Lynch and the dispatcher talk about what might be happening while they try to get Mr. Martin back to the phone. Then a 30-second cut in the tape.)
Unknown male: . . . He wants to die here.
Dispatcher: 911.
Mr. Koresh: Hello, this is David Koresh. We've been attempting to call you guys.
Dispatcher: This is who, sir?
Mr. Koresh: David Koresh. Mount Carmel center. We're being shot all up out here.
Dispatcher: OK, where are you?
Mr. Koresh: Where am I? I'm at Mount Carmel center.
Dispatcher: OK, hang on just one second.
Mr. Koresh: All right.
(A voice in the background is heard saying, "Go ahead. I can barely hear you.' That is followed by the sound of someone yelling, "CAR! CAR!,' a possible reference to a type of assault rifle similar to an AR-15 that was later found in the compound.)
Dispatcher: Don't hang up, David. I have someone to talk to you. . . . Are you in the compound? Are you in the complex?
Mr. Koresh: Yeah. I've got a man on a cellular phone.
Lt. Lynch: Yeah, this is Lynch.
Mr. Koresh: Hey, Lynch. That is sort of a funny name there.
Lt. Lynch: (laughter) Who am I speaking with?
Mr. Koresh: This is David Koresh.
Lt. Lynch: OK, David.
Mr. Koresh: The notorious. What did you guys do that for?
Lt. Lynch: What I'm doing is trying to establish some communication links with you.
Mr. Koresh. No, no, no, no, no. Let me tell you something. You see, you brought a bunch of guys out here, and you killed some of my children. We told you we wanted to talk. How come you guys try to be ATF agents? How come you try to be so big all the time?
Lt. Lynch: OK, David.
Mr. Koresh: There is a bunch of us dead and a bunch of you guys dead. Now, that's your fault.
Lt. Lynch: OK, let's try to resolve this now. Tell me this. Now, you have casualties. How many casualties? Do you want to try and work something out? ATF is pulling back. We're trying to . . .
Mr. Koresh: Why didn't you do that first?
Lt. Lynch: OK, all I'm doing is handling communications. I can't give you that answer, David.
Mr. Koresh: OK.
Lt. Lynch: OK.
Mr. Koresh: What is the deal? You pull your guys out. I want to talk, but I want to talk, I want to talk on a-what do you call it Steve, the . . .
Lt. Lynch: I couldn't hear you. I've got Wayne Martin on the other phone, so go ahead now.
Mr. Koresh: Wayne Martin?
Lt. Lynch: Yes, he's on the other phone with me. I've been talking to him, but you're the man that I need to talk to, David.
Mr. Koresh: Well, let me tell you something. In our great country here, the United States, you know, God's given us a rich history of patronage, but we're not trying to be bad guys.
Lt. Lynch: OK.
Mr. Koresh: But the thing of it is this. Look at the God . . . I know it sounds crazy to you, but you will find it out sooner or later.
Lt. Lynch: No, no. Sure. We all will.
Mr. Koresh: There are seven seals in his right hand. The question that theology has overstepped . . . not even opened that book. Now, that's what I've done. It's your Bible. There are seven seals. Now there are things in that Bible that have been held as mysteries about Christ.
Lt. Lynch: Yes, sir.
Mr. Koresh: Now, what it says in Revelations 22, because I come quickly, my reward is with me. The statement is, what did Christ receive in heaven from the father? He received the book of the seven seals.
Lt. Lynch: Yes, sir.
Mr. Koresh: Now, when I'm told by the theological department that they are going to ruin me because of what I present out of the book, just because they can't present it, and I can, there's a meaning to that.
Lt. Lynch: OK.
Mr. Koresh: There are prophecies . . .
Lt. Lynch: Let me, can I interrupt you for a minute?
Mr. Koresh: Sure.
Lt. Lynch: We can talk theology, but right now . . .
Mr. Koresh: No. This is life. This is life and death.
Lt. Lynch: What I'm talking about . . .
Mr. Koresh: Theology is life and death.
Lt. Lynch: Yes, sir. I agree with that.
Mr. Koresh: You have come and stepped on my perimeter.
Lt. Lynch: OK.
Mr. Koresh: See, we serve God first. Now we will serve God of the church. Now, we are willing and we have been willing all this time to sit down with anybody. You've sent law enforcement out here before.
Lt. Lynch: Yes, sir.
Mr. Koresh: And I've laid it straight across the table. I said if you want to know about me, sit down with me, and I'll open up a book and show you the seven seals. Just like I told Robert. You know Robert, don't you? (An apparent reference to an ATF undercover agent inside the compound earlier that day.)
Lt. Lynch: Yes, sir.
Mr. Koresh: That guy that-your agent.
Lt. Lynch: Yes sir.
Mr. Koresh: You see, we've known about this. I've been teaching it for four years. We knew you were coming and everything. You see, we knew before you even knew.
Lt. Lynch: Yes, sir. Well . . .
(More sermonizing from Mr. Koresh)
Lt. Lynch: OK, let me ask you this. The present situation. Let's start resolving it, and then we can sit down and talk. Right now, we've got everybody to cease firing. OK? So that's what we want. Now we're pulling the guy back from the door. ATF is going to pull the guy back from the door.
Dispatcher: They want to know if they can get their injured officer.
Lt. Lynch: All right. Can they come now, David, with your guarantee and pick up their injured officer without being fired upon?
Mr. Koresh: Look, I cannot communicate with everybody here.
Lt. Lynch: OK, do you have any way-is there anybody that can- do you have a facility to communicate with the rest of the folks there in your house?
Mr. Koresh: Well, we would have if you all guys would have talked with us.
Lt. Lynch: OK, but right now, what ATF is wanting to do is to take their injured troop out of your area, OK? What you're telling me is that you can't control your folks because you have no communications. Is that correct?
Mr. Koresh: Well, if you could give us some time, we can probably get the message around.
Lt. Lynch: OK, would you start?
Mr. Koresh: How many individuals are you planning on sending to take the wounded away?
Lt. Lynch: Stand by. (talks to dispatcher) How many troops are going to remove that injured ATF agent?
Dispatcher: (unintelligible.)
Lt. Lynch: Stand by, David. We're having a heck of a problem with communications. Stand by just a second. All right, they are going to send in four men to move-Wayne is shooting again. Hold on just a second. Ask Wayne to please cease fire.
Dispatcher: He says it's not his gunshots.
Mr. Koresh: Well, I'll tell you. What are they going to be dressed in?
Lt. Lynch: Pardon me?
Mr. Koresh: Are they going to be dressed in white, unarmed?
Lt. Lynch: All right, stand by. No, they'll be in their blues or dark blue uniforms.
Mr. Koresh: All right. What are they . . .
Lt. Lynch: Pardon me?
Dispatcher: (unintelligible.)
Lt. Lynch: David? David? Damn. I've lost that. (Phone line is lost. A dispatcher calls back and gets an answering machine. Lt. Lynch then repeatedly asks someone to pick up the phone, and finally, a voice answers.)
Lt. Lynch: Hello? Who is this? Is this Wayne? Hello, this is Lynch, sheriff's office.
Mr. Martin: Tell them to call it off.
Lt. Lynch: Wayne?
Mr. Martin: Tell them to call it off.
Lt. Lynch: Who is this? Wayne?
Mr. Martin: Tell them to pull back.
Lt. Lynch: What?
Mr. Martin: Tell them to pull back.
Lt. Lynch. Who is this? Wayne?
Mr. Martin: It doesn't matter.
Lt. Lynch: Listen, calm down and talk to me for a minute. OK? Who is this? Calm down and talk to me. Who is this?
Mr. Martin: Wayne.
Lt. Lynch: Tell me what's happening, Wayne. This is Lynch at the sheriff's office. Tell me what's happening, Wayne. Talk to me, Wayne. Let's get this thing resolved, Wayne.
Mr. Martin: We got women and children in danger. (More exchanges in which Lt. Lynch asks Mr. Martin to cease firing.)
Mr. Martin: I have a right to defend myself. They started firing first.
Lt. Lynch: OK, lets resolve this, Wayne, before someone gets hurt. Okay, I'm trying to make contact with the forces outside, okay?
Mr. Martin: Okay. (An exchange between Lt. Lynch and a dispatcher, during which he asks Mr. Martin not to hang up)
Mr. Martin: Someone is firing at me.
Lt. Lynch: Pardon me?
Mr. Martin: They're still attacking.
Lt. Lynch: All right.
Mr. Martin: There's a chopper of more of them.
Lt. Lynch: What?
Mr. Martin: Another chopper with more of people and guns going off. Here they come.
Lt. Lynch: All right, Wayne. (unintelligible). (An exchange ensues in which Lt. Lynch tries to reach ATF's communications van. As he tries, he pleads with Mr. Martin not to keep firing. He also asks Mr. Martin where he is inside the compound, and as more shooting erupts, Mr. Martin says he is at the "south wall.')
Mr. Martin: They got me. (Gunshots.)
Lt. Lynch: Okay. (gunshots) Are you returning fire, Wayne?
Mr. Martin: No.
Lt Lynch: All right. (prolonged gunfire) Why are they still shooting, Wayne? (more gunfire.)
Mr. Martin: Because that's how (unintelligible, followed by more gunshots.) (Mr. Martin then insists that ATF must "back off,' and Lt. Lynch continues trying to reach ATF communications. He also tells Mr. Martin to tell fellow cultists to stop firing, and Mr. Martin agrees.)
Mr. Martin: I have to pass the word.
Lt. Lynch: Okay, start passing the word. Tell them just to hold their fire. (gunfire) Tell them not to return fire. (Gunfire.)
Mr. Martin: OK. (More discussion about cease fire and further attempts to reach the
communications van.)
Mr. Martin: I-we hold fire. You ask them to hold fire.
Lt. Lynch: Wayne . . .
Mr. Martin: I passed the word.
Lt. Lynch: Okay, Wayne, how many casualties. Tell so I can get some help to you when this thing calms down.
Mr. Martin: I don't know yet.
Lt. Lynch: Try to get me a head count, Wayne. Work with me so we can get some help to people so they don't lay there without help.
Mr. Martin: I'll do right now.
Lt. Lynch: OK. Thanks. (To himself) I can't believe this.
|
Back to Top
