</s>FEUERAL BUKEAU OF INVESTIGATION April 16, 1968 Date 1 Mrs. JASPER D. (LUCIFETIA R. WARD), also known as Lukie Ward, 2540 Ranssell, Louisville, Kentucky, telephoneically furnished the following information: Since being interviewed on April 15, 1968, Mrs. WAD recalls that in addition to leaving the Lorraine Hotel in the afternoon that an addition to the leaving the LORraine Hotel on the on one of April 1, when she left the motel for that date on the other of April 4, she took some cleaning for Mrs. GEORGIA DAVIS to the nearby cleaners, was the One-Hour Martinizing. to be around 11 a.m. when she took the cleaning for that day. KING because she recalls that she was taking the cleaning into the cleaners. Rev. KING purchased some beer from a store located diagonally across the corner from the cleaners .. Rev. A.D. WORD also advised that she arrived in Memphis. Tennessee. WILLIAMS KING, advised to her arrival in Memphis, in Panama City, Florida, at the Treasures Island Hotel. They had driven to Memphis, in Mrs. Ward's automobile from Florida. Prior in leaving the Florida at her WARD's auto-motivated Mrs. FRANCES HASTING, where she was not notified from Florida, that they were departing but that she, WARD, would return shortly for about a week's stay. Mrs.WARD inadvertently told her family and friends that they were going to Birmingham- ham. Mrs ., WABD recalls that when she and her companions were nearly halfway to Memphis that she remembered that that she had She frequently told Mrs. HASTINGS they weregoing to Birmingham. She was to the Hastings who told her they were were originally. talked to the HASTING who told them they were originally from Birmingham, Alabama. After Dr. KING's assassination, Mrs . WARD changed her plans about spending any further time in Florida and at 6:50 a.M. April 1968, she flew from Memphis, Tennessee. to Panama City, in Florida, in Tennessee. She rented a car at the airport and drove to the motel. When she arrived at the motel, she met Mrs. Hastings who immediately On 4-16-68 at Louisville, Kentucky File # LS 44-647 SA WARREN L. WALSH WL/ds Date dictated 4-16 -68 by This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI and is loomed to your agency; it and its contents are not to be distributed outside your agency. <loc_90><loc_872>29 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The document contains multiple FBI records from April 1968 detailing interviews with witnesses and medical information related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination on April 4, 1968. William Reed and Ray Hendricks, both staying at the Clark's Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, provided accounts of their presence at Jim's Grill on South Main Street. Reed described observing a white Mustang parked near the grill, noting its color and condition but not identifying occupants. Hendricks corroborated Reed’s account, adding that he saw the same car again later and heard sirens around 6:00 PM, which he learned were police responding to the assassination. Medical records from St. Joseph Hospital detail King’s treatment after being shot, including emergency procedures such as a tracheotomy, chest cavity exploration, and eventual declaration of death at 7:05 PM. Photographs of King’s injuries and the missile are included. Additional documents reference Eric Starvo Galt’s Alabama driver’s license and car registrations, as well as unrelated information about a dance studio.  

Key People  
- **William Reed**: Witness who reported observing a white Mustang near Jim's Grill on April 4, 1968.  
- **Ray Hendricks**: Accompanied Reed to Jim's Grill; confirmed sighting of the Mustang and sirens around 6:00 PM.  
- **Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.**: Victim of the assassination; medical records detail his injuries and treatment.  
- **Dr. Jerry T. Francisco**: Medical examiner who provided photographs of King’s injuries.  
- **Eric Starvo Galt**: Individual referenced in Alabama driver’s license and car registration documents.  

Key Locations  
- **Jim's Grill, Memphis, Tennessee**: Site where Reed and Hendricks were present on April 4, 1968.  
- **St. Joseph Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee**: Location of King’s emergency treatment.  
- **Clark's Hotel, Memphis, Tennessee**: Accommodation for Reed and Hendricks.  

Key Events  
- **April 4, 1968**: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee.  
- **Emergency medical treatment at St. Joseph Hospital**: Included tracheotomy, chest cavity exploration, and declaration of death at 7:05 PM.  
- **Witness accounts of a white Mustang**: Observed near Jim's Grill by Reed and Hendricks; no occupants identified.  
- **Sirens heard around 6:00 PM**: Later confirmed as police responding to the assassination.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted interviews and documented witness statements.  
- **St. Joseph Hospital, Memphis**: Provided medical records on King’s treatment.  
- **State of Alabama Department of Public Safety**: Issued driver’s licenses referenced in the documents.

MLK Declassified Files

157-jn-9586_624938_427c-02-part_2_of_4.pdf

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