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Police Officer J. D. Tippit

Police Officer J. D. Tippit's story is one of many pulled from the files of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial that will ring familiar. It could be a name, a place, or an unforgettable moment in history, but chances are you know these officers, or at least the stories surrounding them.

After reading this unforgettable moment in history, visit the memorial site…click link below:

It was around 11:30 a.m. and Dallas Police Officer J. D. Tippit had come home for lunch as he did every day. But he ate quickly, telling his wife he had to get back to work since most of his fellow officers were downtown for President John F. Kennedy's motorcade.

The date was November 22, 1963 . After lunch, Officer Tippit started working a beat in a section of town called South Oak Cliff. He was riding in his patrol car when the radio call went out. President Kennedy had been shot and all officers were instructed to move closer to the downtown area to look for the assailant.

It was approximately 1:00 p.m. when Officer Tippit, an 11-year police veteran, stopped his car to question a suspicious young man who fit the assassin's description. After some brief conversation through the passenger side window, Officer Tippit exited his vehicle and approached the suspect. But, before any more questions could be asked, the man pulled out a gun and shot J.D. Tippit four times. The 39-year-old officer died on the way to the hospital. He left behind a wife, Marie, and three young children.

Meanwhile, witnesses saw the suspect run into a local movie theater. They notified police, who surrounded the theater and went in to make the arrest. When police confronted the man, he struck one of the officers in the face, pulled his pistol and attenpted to shoot the officer. But, the gun misfired and the man was finally subdued, all the while screaming "police brutality." He was taken to police headquarters and booked for the murder of Officer J. D. Tippit. His name was Lee Harvey Oswald.

A bus transfer slip found on Oswald confirmed that he had come to Oak Cliff from the area of town where President Kennedy had been shot. Subsequent evidence would conclusively link Oswald to the President's assassination. Two days later, on November 24, Lee Harvey Oswald was shot and killed by Jack Ruby while being transferred from the city jail.

Source: NLEOMF,Inc.