On Nov. 24, 1963, only two days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, the man accused of killing the president, was shot and killed by a nightclub owner, Jack Ruby. Ruby’s actions sent shock waves throughout the nation and continue to be the subject of intense speculation and controversy to this day. This is the story of the man who gunned down Oswald, and the fallout from his fatal choice.
Oswald was then detained at the Dallas City Jail following his arrest for the murder of President Kennedy. The authorities, aware of the great public interest in the case and the possibility of vigilante action, had gone to great lengths security-wise to get Oswald to safety. Oswald was scheduled to be transferred from city jail to county jail on Nov. 24. It was during that transfer that a 52-year-old Dallas nightclub owner with ties to the underworld of that city, Jack Ruby, would take his fateful action.
Ruby had been a vocal critic of Oswald in the media, expressing his outrage over the assassination and his desire to avenge the death of Kennedy. On the morning of November 24, Ruby went to the Dallas Police Headquarters, where Oswald was being held. He waited in the basement parking garage, and when Oswald was being transferred to the county jail around 11:21 AM, Ruby stepped forward from the crowd of reporters and shot him at point-blank range.
### **The Shooting of Oswald**
As Oswald was being escorted through the basement of the police headquarters, surrounded by several officers, Ruby emerged from the crowd, pulled out a revolver, and fired a single shot into Oswald’s abdomen. The bullet struck Oswald in the liver and caused severe damage. Oswald collapsed to the ground, and Ruby was immediately subdued by nearby police officers. Oswald was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, the same hospital where President Kennedy had been pronounced dead just days earlier. Despite efforts to save him, Oswald died from his injuries at 1:07 PM.
The shooting was broadcast live on television, and millions of Americans witnessed Ruby’s shocking act in real time. The media coverage of the event further fueled conspiracy theories, as many wondered why Ruby would have taken such drastic action. Was it an act of revenge, or was there something more to his actions?
### **Ruby’s Motive and Trial**
Jack Ruby’s stated motive for shooting Oswald was his anger over Kennedy’s assassination. He claimed that he killed Oswald in a fit of grief and frustration, wanting to spare Jacqueline Kennedy from the trauma of having to face a trial. However, many believed there was more to Ruby’s actions. Some speculated that Ruby was involved in a conspiracy, while others argued that he acted impulsively without any greater political motive.
Ruby was arrested immediately after the shooting and charged with murder. His trial began in 1964, and he was convicted of murder with malice and sentenced to death. However, in 1966, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned his conviction, ruling that he had not been given a fair trial. Ruby was retried in 1967, and his conviction was again upheld. Despite this, Ruby’s death sentence was commuted to a prison term.
### **Jack Ruby’s Death**
On January 3, 1967, Jack Ruby died of a pulmonary embolism at the age of 55. He had been suffering from cancer for several months before his death, and his health had been deteriorating rapidly. Ruby’s passing came before he could fully address the myriad questions surrounding his actions. His death only deepened the mystery and contributed to the theories that the assassination of Kennedy, and Ruby’s subsequent murder of Oswald, were part of a larger conspiracy.
### **Legacy and Controversy**
Jack Ruby’s killing of Lee Harvey Oswald remains one of the most bizarre and controversial events in the history of the Kennedy assassination. While the official investigation concluded that Ruby acted alone and had no connection to any larger conspiracy, many still believe that his actions were part of a deeper plot. Whether Ruby was simply an emotionally driven man acting out of grief or whether his actions were tied to something much more sinister continues to be a topic of debate and speculation.
Ruby’s life and death are a reminder of the shock and chaos that surrounded the assassination of President Kennedy and the subsequent events that unfolded in Dallas. His role in the story of the Kennedy assassination remains a critical chapter, one that has left the world with more questions than answers.