Reactions to RFK Assassination (1968)

Just after midnight on June 5, 1968, 24-year-old Sirhan Sirhan fatally shot US Senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy as he exited through the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Sirhan fired multiple times, wounding five others besides Kennedy, before bystanders disarmed and subdued him. Kennedy died nearly 26 hours later. He had been at the hotel to address campaign supporters following his win in the California primary election. In this news segment for Houston’s KPRC-TV, an unidentified reporter asks individuals in Houston about effects of the assassination. One interviewee discusses how the incident might discourage others from seeking public office while another laments the possible ramifications to the ongoing struggle for racial equity. Later, Christian evangelist Billy Graham addresses the assassination during a press conference.