Officer J. D. Tippitt -- Laurel Land Cem., Dallas TX
N 32° 40.495 W 096° 48.945
14S E 704809 N 3617357
The grave of Dallas Police Officer J. D. Tippitt, who was killed while questioning Lee Harvey Oswald 45 minutes after Oswald shot President John F. Kennedy on 22 Nov 1963.
Waymark Code: WMP6H4
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/09/2015
Views: 16
Dallas Police Officer J. D. Tippitt was an 11-year member of the Dallas Police Department when he crossed paths with Lee Harvey Oswald on 22 Nov 1963.
After the President has been shot a few miles away in downtown Dallas, Dallas Police had put out a description of a man who they suspected had fired at the motorcade (at this point, news of the President's death was not public).
Officer Tippitt spotted Lee Harvey Oswald, who fitted the general description of the suspect, and spoke to him from his police car. When Tippitt got out of his car to approach Oswald, Oswald shot him three times in the chest and once in the head.
Oswald ran from the scene, but was spotted by several witnesses shooting Officer Tippitt, emptying spent cases from his handgun, and running into the Texas Theatre.
Oswald was arrested shortly after Tippitt's murder hiding in the Texas Theatre. He was initially charged with shooting Officer Tippitt, but as the day wore on, Dallas Police also suspected he had shot the President.
Officer Tippitt was buried in the Laurel Land Cemetery in Dallas. His grave is located in Section 62, Lot 1, Space 7.
In 2012, the State of Texas erected a historic marker in his honor across the street from where he was killed. Visitors today can see an X painted on 10th street, similar to the X on Elm Street in Dealey Plaza marking where President Kennedy was killed.
For a detailed biography of Officer Tippitt, see (
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