</s>FD-302 (Rev. 4-15-64) FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION 1 Date 4/7/68 CHARLES STEPHENS, Apartment 6b, 422x South Main Street, Memphis, advised that on the afternoon of April 4, 1968, he was his wife at the above address. He stated on that about 3:30 pm on the above date, he began working on that at about 2:30 p.m. at the same time he was working to table model with radio to the kitchen and placed it on the table which was against the wall that was adjacent to the bathroom which was used by all tenants on his floor. As he bathroom was used to all tenants was placed it to the apartment to him, apartment 58, leave his room several times and go into the bathroom. Mr. STEPHENSS stated that he knew it was because he could hear the door of the apartment 5b. afternoon because he would go down the door to the apartment 58 open and then footsteps would go then hall to the bathroom, the bathroom door would go and then close. Mr. STEPHIENS said that during these various trips that the individual in Apartment 58 had made to the bathroom exception of to flush. He was in the bathroom that he failed the last time he went in the bathrooom. At this time he flushed to flush, he stated that the individual seemed to be spending the toilet. He stayed that this bathroom. At about 6:00 p. m. an undue length of time in this bathroom, At about 5:00 pm. as sounding like a gunshot come from the bathroom .. this noise, Mr.STEPHENS from the kitchen where he was repairing only radio. Mr.'s wife was able to open the door. only radio station of about 10 to 12 feet. Upon hearing he saw a man leave the bathroom carrying a package of about three feet long and wrapped in what appeared to be a newspaper. He saw feet long as he was wrapped in the apartment building. As this was happening WILLIE to leave the apartment Building. As This was out of his apartment ANSCUZ, who lived in Apartments 48, came out of this apartment and went to the bedroom. As the apartment was not looking out of the and went into the bathtub. As she was looked at his kitchen window which faced the Lorraine Hotel and saw out of a lot of policemen scurrying about and people running screaming in the vicinity of the hotel. 27 On 4/5/68 At Memphis, Tennessee File # ME 44-1987 SA JOHN W. BAUER SA STEPHENN M. DARLINGTON JWB:raj <loc_517><loc_906><loc_517><loc_921><loc_102><loc_922>Date dictated 4/5 /58 This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI. It is the property of the Fbi and is the FBI and is loomed to

Summary: The document contains witness accounts of events surrounding Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Key witnesses include individuals present at the motel, such as Marrell McCullough, Reverend James Orange, and staff members like Celorral Shavers and Walter Lane Bailey. Multiple accounts describe Dr. King being shot on the second-floor balcony around 6:00 PM, with no immediate evidence of a weapon or suspect fleeing the scene. Separate witness statements from Canipé Amusement Company employees detail a man dropping a suspicious package near the store, described as wrapped in green material and containing what appeared to be part of a gun barrel. A white car (possibly a Mustang) was observed fleeing the area, with no license plates visible. Law enforcement, including a deputy sheriff, arrived at the scene but did not stop the vehicle. The accounts highlight inconsistencies in timing, witness descriptions, and fragmented details due to the chaotic nature of the event.  

Key People:  
- **Marrell McCullough**: Witness who observed Dr. King on the motel balcony and heard the gunshot.  
- **Reverend James Orange**: Accompanied Dr. King to the hospital after the shooting.  
- **Celorral Shavers**: Maid at Lorraine Hotel; reported hearing a shot but saw no suspicious activity.  
- **Walter Lane Bailey**: Hotel owner who noted Dr. King’s unusual behavior and observed him lying on the balcony post-shooting.  
- **Solomon Jones**: Witness near the motel who described the direction of fire and a person glimpsed behind buildings.  
- **Reverend Lee**: Observed Dr. King fall from the balcony and noted the shot came from bushes on Mulberry Road.  
- **Guy Warren Canipe**: Owner of Canipé Amusement Company; reported hearing a gunshot and witnessing a man drop a package.  
- **Benelli Finley & Julius Graham**: Employees who visited Canipé’s store; observed the suspicious package and described the fleeing car as a white Mustang.  
- **Deputy Sheriff**: Arrived at Canipé’s store with a drawn gun but did not stop the vehicle.  

Key Locations:  
- **Lorraine Motel, Memphis, Tennessee**: Site of Dr. King’s assassination on the second-floor balcony facing Mulberry Street.  
- **Canipé Amusement Company (424 South Main Street, Memphis, TN)**: Location where a suspicious package was dropped and a white car fled the scene.  

Key Events:  
1. **Assassination at Lorraine Motel**: Dr. King was shot on the balcony of Room 306 around 6:00 PM; witnesses reported no visible weapon or suspect fleeing immediately.  
2. **Suspicious Package Drop**: A man dropped a bundle (approx. 2 ft x 1 ft x 6 inches, wrapped in cloth) near Canipé’s store, with part of a gun barrel visible inside.  
3. **Fleeing Vehicle**: A white car (possibly a Mustang) was observed pulling away from the scene; no license plates were seen.  
4. **Law Enforcement Response**: A deputy sheriff arrived at Canipé’s store with a drawn gun but did not stop the vehicle.  

Key Organizations:  
- **Memphis Fire Department**: Responded to the shooting incident at the Lorraine Motel.  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted an investigation into Dr. King’s assassination, as reflected in witness statements and records.  
- **Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)**: Contextualized Dr. King’s presence in Memphis during sanitation workers’ strikes.

MLK Declassified Files

44-kc-760_404058_170-02-part_5_of_8.pdf

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