At 12.30pm on Friday November 22nd 1963, President John F. Kennedy of the United States of America was fatally shot as his motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Having been rushed to the nearby Parkland Hospital, the 46 year old President was declared dead half an hour later. Although forensic, ballistic, and eyewitness evidence overwhelmingly points to Lee Harvey Oswald as the lone gunman, the assassination has since become the focus for numerous conspiracy theories regarding the identity of the killer.
Kennedy’s trip to Dallas was part of a wider 2-day tour of Texas through which he hoped to bring feuding Democrats in the state together. Having arranged to attend and speak at a luncheon, Kennedy’s team arranged to take a meandering 10-mile route in order to secure maximum exposure before the Dallas crowds. This route was released to the press a number of days beforehand so that the public had ample time to plan their viewing location.
The 22nd November began wet, but by the time the journey began the rain had cleared so the roof was left off the presidential limousine. Barely five minutes away from its destination, the motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza and gunshots rang out as it passed the Texas School Book Depository. Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired three shots from the sixth floor of the building. A rifle was later recovered from the scene and bullets from the limousine were ballistically matched to that gun.
Oswald was later found and charged with murder, which he denied. He was himself fatally shot two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby.
