Originated from the report of the Warren Commission, a US Government report
“Famous Oswald Holding Rifle in Backyard Photo”
When President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, it truly shook the world. Americans were devastated and blindsided to see the young President shot down during his prime. Even Queen Elizabeth of England broke Royal protocol and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast, an honor reserved for high-ranking members of the Royal Family and Government. When the President was assassinated Americans were gripped with fear and uncertainty for the future. But the days and weeks following the assassination would be filled with confusion. To this day, unanswered questions remain about JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald’s untimely deaths but even the known facts are strange. However, the sad truth remains, Americans lost a President who was creating a path for a new progressive country, Police officer J.D. Tippet also lost his life, and Oswald never saw trial.
Nisie
The Outseers
November 21, 1963, Oswald asked a friend to drive him into Irving where he picked up a mysterious package. Inside the large paper bag was a rifle. Days before the president’s arrival, local Dallas newspapers published the route that President Kennedy and Governor Connelly were expected to take. Giving Oswald the exact coordinates of his target. Oswald had become disillusioned with the world around him and soon became more and more hostile. Allegedly his political views forced him to become estranged from American life as he became more dedicated to Marxist and Communist beliefs.
Picture of President Kennedy in the limousine in Dallas, Texas, on Main Street, minutes before the assassination. Also in the presidential limousine are Jackie Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally, and his wife, Nellie.
The morning of November 22, 1963, Oswald got ready for his job at the Texas School book depository. At that time, he was renting a room at a boarding home just a few miles from Dealey plaza. Oswald was prepared to make terrible history.
Many of Oswald’s co-workers claimed to have seen him on the 6th floor shortly before the ill- fated motorcade was to enter Dealey Plaza. A stack of boxes by the window offered the perfect, “snipers’ nest” to anyone trying to stay out of sight. At 12:30 pm three rifle shots were fired, and whiteness Howard Brennan stated he saw Oswald standing at the window with his rifle in hand. Chaos ensued as so many watched the gruesome sight of JFK being shot in the head. Governor Colony also suffered a gunshot wound. From the grassy Knoll Abraham Zapruder used his home video camera to shoot the entire event. The President was rushed to Parkland Hospital where was pronounced dead. The manhunt for Oswald was on.
Oswald made his way to the second-floor lunchroom where he encountered police who immediately drew their guns on him. But he easily got away when his boss gave him the clear to leave. That mistake would end up costing the life of one more innocent person.
Lee Harvey Oswald arrested at the Texas Theatre, Dallas, Texas, 22 November
Just ten minutes after he shot JFK, Oswald boarded a city bus but abandoned it just two blocks down and jumped into a taxi. He quickly entered his rooming house to change his clothes but left soon after. Just nine-tenths of a mile from his rooming house, Oswald was on foot when patrol officer J.D. Tippet pulled alongside him. But, after a quick verbal exchange, Oswald began to open fire, killing the officer. He fled the scene, according to Johnny Brewer, he saw the suspect hiding under the awning of the shoe store he was managing. Becoming wary of Oswald’s odd behavior, he began to follow him into the Texas Theatre. He snuck into the movie without paying. Having heard the radio announcement about the assassination, the ticket booth attendant and Brewer alerted police because Oswald matched the suspect’s description. Oswald got less than 20 minutes into “War is Hell”. When investigators and police apprehended Lee Harvey.
Officer J.D. Tippet
As police escorted Oswald into the station, reporters stopped him in the hallway asking if he committed the heinous crime. Oswald tried to explain to reporters his innocence, “They’ve taken me in because of the fact that I lived in the Soviet Union. I’m just a patsy!”.
The next day detectives were escorting Oswald through the Dallas Police headquarters basement when Jack Ruby snuck around to Oswald’s side- shooting him in the abdomen. Oswald screamed in agony and as the basement echoed with gunshots, one police detective recognized Jack Ruby and exclaimed, “Jack, you son of a bitch”. Reporters and onlookers rushed the scene, forcing police to draw their guns in an attempt to protect themselves and Oswald. Of course, it was too late, he would never see trial.
Many conspiracy theories exist today. Some believe there was a second shooter from the grassy knoll. Some whitenesses of the J.D. Tippet murder said the shooter did not match Oswald’s description. Of course, many people question the timeline from when the assassination occurred and his arrest at the Texas Theatre. The Zapruder film gave us the “Magic Bullet” theory, making this one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of all time. Sadly, no matter what answers may some day unfold- we still can’t bring back those who were lost in those two awful days.
Sources: Warren Commission Report: John F. Kennedy Assasination Investigation