Martin Luther King, Jr. Death Pictures

DoubleZ1013 · #1 ● 12-08-2012, 01:20 PM

On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the esteemed civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, a tragic event that shook the nation and the world. Dr. King was 39 years old at the time of his death, and his assassination marked a pivotal and sorrowful moment in the history of the civil rights movement in the United States.

Dr. King was in Memphis to support a sanitation workers' strike and was staying at the Lorraine Motel. He was standing on the motel's second-floor balcony in the late afternoon when he was struck by a single bullet. The shot, fired from a distance, hit him in the neck and jaw, inflicting fatal wounds. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The assassination led to an outpouring of grief and anger, sparking riots and demonstrations in over 100 cities across the United States. President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a national day of mourning, and the event significantly impacted the national and international discourse on civil rights and social justice.

James Earl Ray, a fugitive with a criminal record, was identified as the assassin. He was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport on June 8, 1968, and later pled guilty to murdering Dr. King, receiving a 99-year prison sentence. Ray's motives and whether he acted alone or as part of a conspiracy have been subjects of debate and various investigations over the years.

The first picture is before the assassination.
The second pic is after.
The third is King's aides opening the casket.
The fourth is at the funeral.
The fifth is a close-up.
The sixth is of his wife and five-year-old daughter. I always found that picture to be very sad and poignant.