“Fear not the path of Truth for the lack of People walking on it.” – Robert F. Kennedy

Assassination Records

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Background

On June 5, 1968, an excited crowd filled the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles to celebrate Robert F. Kennedy’s victory in the California primary. Around 12:15 a.m., just as he finished a speech and exited through the hotel kitchen, gunfire erupted in the cramped hallway.

Bullets struck Senator Kennedy in the head and body; he collapsed, grasping a rosary. Aides and bystanders rushed to his side, but the wounds were grave.

An ambulance sped him to Good Samaritan Hospital, where doctors fought to save him. Despite their efforts, Robert F. Kennedy was pronounced dead at 1:44 a.m. on June 6, surrounded by his family.

Moments after the shooting, police apprehended Sirhan Sirhan, a 24-year-old Palestinian, at the scene. He was charged with the assassination and carried a .22-caliber revolver, later confirmed as the murder weapon.

On June 7, as the nation mourned, Kennedy’s body was flown to New York City. There, thousands paid their respects before his funeral Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where his brother Edward delivered a heartfelt eulogy.