The incident at Ruby Ridge had involved a separatist family living in a cabin in rural Idaho. The family exchanged gunfire with federal marshals for 11 days, leading to the killing of three people and resulting in a wrongful death suit against the U.S. government that eventually paid over $3 million to the family. The situation in Waco was even more intense: A cult (or cultlike) organization was surrounded by federal authorities for 51 days in the spring of 1993, ending when the compound’s buildings caught fire and 76 people died inside.
