</s>#3393 62-587-400 BULKY ENCLOSURE BIN # FBI - CENTRAL RECORDS CENTER HQ - HEADQUARTERS HQ-0092-0048WQ HQ HQ-0082-0049WQ. HQ Class/Case # Sub Vol Serial # 0682 567 1 400 ONLY 2/13/858555

Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The shooter was identified as Sirhan Sirhan.

Sirhan Sirhan, a 24-year-old Palestinian immigrant, had been stalking Senator Kennedy and had become increasingly obsessed with his presidential campaign. On the night of the shooting, Sirhan waited for Kennedy to leave the hotel's kitchen area after a speech, then pulled out a .22 caliber revolver and fired several shots at close range.

Kennedy was hit in the head and neck, and despite efforts to save him, he died the next morning at Good Samaritan Hospital. Five others were also injured in the shooting.

Sirhan was immediately apprehended by police and later confessed to the crime. He was charged with murder and attempted murder, and his trial began on March 2, 1969.

The investigation into the assassination revealed that Sirhan had been motivated by a desire to kill Kennedy because of his support for Israel in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Sirhan's own words, as recorded during a conversation with police, showed him to be obsessed with the idea of killing Kennedy and making a statement about the conflict.

The trial was marked by controversy over the use of hypnotic suggestion on witnesses and the admissibility of evidence related to Sirhan's mental state. In 1969, Sirhan was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. His sentence was later commuted to life in prison when California abolished the death penalty.

Other victims of the shooting included:

* Elizabeth Evans, a 26-year-old campaign volunteer who was shot in the back
* Sandra Serrano, a 27-year-old police officer who was shot in the leg
* Paul Schrade, a 53-year-old campaign volunteer who was shot in the scalp
* William Weise, a 32-year-old journalist who was shot in the abdomen
* Irwin Stroll, a 35-year-old businessman who was shot in the foot

The shooting and subsequent trial had significant implications for American politics and society, highlighting the tensions between Israel and the Arab world and raising questions about the role of mental illness in violent crime.

RFK Declassified Files

62-hq-587_bulky_400_sec_001_ser_400_only-part_1_of_6.pdf

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