Christopher Fawcett
When Lee Harvey Oswald was shot dead in 1963, Detective Jim Leavelle was handcuffing his left arm with his right hand.
On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while sitting in a convertible parade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas.
Jim Leavelle (dressed in bright colors) is escorting Lee Harvey Oswald when he was shot by Jack Ruby on November 24, 1963 Photo: Dallas Times Herald
Two days later, authorities escorted suspect Lee Harvey Oswald to the basement of the Dallas police station to transfer him from the municipal jail to the county jail.
"I told him: 'Lee, if someone shoots you, I hope they shoot right like you did,' Leavelle said in 2005." Oswald laughed and said to me: 'Grandpa
As they passed the group of reporters, nightclub owner Jack Ruby stepped out of the crowd, pulled out a revolver, and fired a shot at Oswald.
Leavelle, dressed in a light-colored suit, leaned back, looking shocked as she looked Ruby in the face.
Leavelle said he saw Ruby approaching but could not react.
As Oswald collapsed, Leavelle used her right hand to grab Ruby's left shoulder.
Leavelle began to participate in the investigation after Oswald was arrested at a movie theater accused of murdering police officer J.D.
"I didn't shoot anyone," said Oswald when interrogated.
"Most suspects would say 'I didn't shoot that cop' or 'I didn't shoot that person,'" Leavelle said.
The day after Oswald was killed, Leavelle drove Ruby to the Dallas County Prison.
Jim Leavelle was born on August 23, 1920 in Bogota, Texas, and grew up on a farm in northeastern Texas.
Luckily Leavelle was not injured in the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, but was later seriously injured in an accident on board.
Leavelle spent months investigating Kennedy's assassination and figuring out if Oswald had an accomplice.
Despite the conclusions of the authorities, many conspiracy theories spread about the assassination.
Leavelle died in August 2019 at the age of 99. One of the reasons why so many people remember Leavelle in the shooting of Oswald is that among the policemen there, he was only in light-colored clothing and a white hat.
