MLK Assassination
Adam Skyles
Basic Info
What: The assassination of Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr.
When: April 4, 1968
Where: Memphis, TN at the Lorraine Motel
Why: James Earl Ray was an outspoken racist, but there's no solid evidence as to why he shot Dr. King other than that. Dr. King's family has come out and said that the believe Ray to be innocent, stating that Ray was hired or forced to assassinate Dr. King. Ray has come out and said that he was not even the one who shot King, but rather that he met a man in Canada during his time there who orchestrated and executed his plan to kill King.
How: Reports given said that Ray stood in the bathtub of his hotel room a block away from the Lorraine Motel, where he balanced his rifle on a window ledge and shot Dr. King as he stood on the balcony giving his speech.