</s>FD-302 (Rev. 4:15-64) FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION Date 4/7/68 1 ALFRED W. EATON, 4222) South Main Street, Apartment most advised that he had been in and out of the apartment most of the day he had taken in 1968. He had been drinking thirty of the days on April 4, 1968, and had been he was awakened by a loud noise and some common outside the boardhouse. He got out of bed, and looked out the back window of the house. He saw someone covering up a body across the house." EATON did not see the person who rented Apartment 58 in the rooominghouse. He also heard nothing in the other wing of the building (where Apartment 58 is located) after the shot was fired. EATTON said he was not back to bed shortly thereafter, and did not know what actually happened until the morning of April 5, 1968. 39 4/5/68 Memphis, Tennessee 44-1987 On 4/4/68 at SAS JACK D. VAHRENWALD File # EUGENE E. MEDORI / JDV.jms 4/6/68 by Date dictated This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI and is learned to your agency. It and its contents are not to be distributed outside your agency. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The declassified FBI and police records detail witness accounts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. Key witnesses described the incident occurring around 6:00 PM, with gunfire directed from areas near South Main Street or Mulberry Street. Multiple individuals reported hearing a loud noise (initially mistaken for a firecracker) and observing Dr. King fall backward onto the balcony of Room 302/303. Reverend Ralph Abernathy and others assisted him before calling for medical aid. The FBI compiled statements from witnesses, including hotel staff, motel guests, and nearby residents, but no conclusive evidence or direct identification of the shooter was provided. Items such as a blue suitcase, rifle box, and blanket were found near the Canipe Amusement Company at 424 South Main Street shortly after the shooting, though their connection to the crime remains unclear. Patrolmen noted skid marks from a white Mustang and observed vehicles parked near the Lorraine Motel, but no vehicle was definitively linked to the assassination. The documents emphasize fragmented testimonies with conflicting details about the shooter’s identity, location, and movements.  

Key People  
- **Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.**: Victim of the assassination at the Lorraine Motel.  
- **Reverend Ralph Abernathy**: Dr. King’s chief aide, present in Room 306 during the shooting.  
- **Marrell McCullough**: Funeral director and witness who observed Dr. King on the balcony before the shooting.  
- **Chauncey Eskridge**: SCLC counsel near the motel, noted the direction of gunfire.  
- **Solomon Jones**: Dr. King’s chauffeur, confirmed the gunshot and described a person fleeing westward.  
- **Rev. Lee Baldwin**: Room 308 occupant who identified the shot as a high-caliber rifle.  
- **Rev. Andrew Young**: Courtyard witness corroborating injury details.  
- **Celar Shavers**: Motel staff member who observed Dr. King on the balcony post-shooting.  
- **Walter Bailey**: Hotel owner, confirmed no prior threats against Dr. King.  
- **Guy Warren Canipe**: Amusement store owner who allegedly witnessed a white male disposing of items near his location.  
- **Patrolman DOLLARITE** and **Torrence N. Landers**: Memphis Police Department officers involved in responding to the scene and searching for evidence.  

Key Locations  
- **Lorraine Motel (406 Mulberry Street, Memphis)**: Site of the assassination; witnesses described gunfire originating from behind properties facing South Main Street or Mulberry Street.  
- **Canipe Amusement Company (424 South Main Street)**: Location where a blue suitcase, rifle box, and blanket were found shortly after the shooting.  
- **Rooming house behind the Lorraine Motel**: Area searched for footprints and evidence by officers.  
- **400 block of S. Main Street**: Driveway and parking area where skid marks from a white Mustang were observed.  

Key Events  
- **April 4, 1968, ~6:00 PM**: Dr. King was shot at the Lorraine Motel; witnesses reported gunfire directed toward South Main Street or Mulberry Street.  
- **Discovery of items near Canipe’s store**: A blue suitcase, rifle box (with a partially open rifle), and blanket were found within minutes of the shooting.  
- **Skid marks from a white Mustang**: Patrolman DOLLARITE observed skid marks near Canipe’s store, possibly indicating a vehicle fleeing the scene.  
- **Footprint search at Lorraine Motel**: Officers searched soft ground behind the rooming house and along Main Street but found no evidence.  
- **Witness accounts of shooter**: Multiple individuals described a white male in dark clothing or a hooded jacket, though no definitive identification was made.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Compiled witness statements and administrative records from the investigation.  
- **Memphis Police Department**: Officers including Patrolman DOLLARITE, Torrence N. Landers, and others responded to the scene and secured evidence.  
- **Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)**: Represented by Chauncey Eskridge, who provided witness testimony about the shooting.

MLK Declassified Files

157-jn-9586_624938_427b-01-part_2_of_4.pdf

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