Remembering The 51 Day Standoff In Waco, Texas – 25 Years Later

Who Shot First?

Photo Credits: J.DAVID AKE/AFP/Getty Images

One of the first biggest controversies that came up was the debate between who shot first in the original raid on February 28, 1993. Rolland Ballesteros, a member of the ATF door team, claimed that he thought the shots originally came from the ATF dog team to take out the Branch Davidians dogs in the kennel. Although the Branch Davidians said that the ATF opened fire at the first door, the trial later insisted that the Branch Davidians shot first. Yet, Michael Caddell, the lead attorney for the Branch Davidians wrongful death lawsuit claimed that by studying the bullet holes in the door, they would be able to see who shot first. However, the door had been packed into a U-haul after the gunfight and was nowhere to be found after the fire. These findings raised an eyebrow.