LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JUNE 5, 1968 42-year-old American senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel. The attacker was 24-year-old Sirhan Sirhan, who fired several shots at him with a .22-caliber revolver shortly after midnight. The assassination took place just moments after Kennedy celebrated his victory in the California Democratic primary.
Robert F. Kennedy
After his speech, Kennedy made his way through the hotel kitchen, stopping to greet employees and shake their hands. As he was shaking hands with 17-year-old busboy Juan Romero, Sirhan opened fire. Kennedy suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and five other people were injured. Among them were labor union official Paul Schrade, ABC News employee William Weisel, reporter Ira Goldstein, activist Elizabeth Evans, and 17-year-old volunteer Irwin Stroll.
The men present, including former Olympic champion Rafer Johnson and former American football player Rosey Grier, subdued and disarmed the attacker. Kennedy was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital, where doctors fought to save his life. Despite several hours of surgery, he died on June 6 at 1:44 a.m., nearly 26 hours after the shooting.
-
- Sirhan Sirhan
-
- Murder Weapon
Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of murder in 1969 and initially sentenced to death. The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole. He cited Kennedy’s support for Israel as his motive. The assassination shook the United States and led, among other things, to expanded Secret Service protection for presidential candidates.
READ MORE:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Robert_F._Kennedy
