On the evening April 4, 1968 a shot rang out aimed at Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., striking him in the chin and neck, almost certainly killing him instantly. The murder sent the country into a tailspin and changed the outcome of the Civil Rights movement. Several photos taken for EBONY and others from the Associated Press have been stored in the EBONY archives for decades tell part of the story of that fateful day.
Dr. King walking across the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.
King speaking at Mason Temple the day before his assassination.
The rear of a rooming house opposite of the Lorraine Motel where the shot that killed King came from.
View the full slideshow on EBONY.
