The Historic Dallas Plaza Where JFK’s Motorcade Made a Fatal Turn in 1963

Dealey Plaza, Texas

On a sunny Friday in Dallas, President Kennedy’s motorcade turned onto Elm Street at 12:30 PM.

Three shots rang out from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. Within seconds, America changed forever.

Here’s what happened that day, preserved at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

The Presidential Motorcade Enters Dealey Plaza

President Kennedy came to Dallas on November 22, 1963, during a trip across Texas to build support before the next election. Newspapers published his route days before he arrived.

Kennedy rode in an open-top car with his wife Jacqueline, Texas Governor Connally, and Connally’s wife Nellie. The car entered Dealey Plaza at 12:30 p.m., moving slowly at 11 miles per hour.

Nellie turned to Kennedy and said, “Mr. President, they can’t make you believe now that there are not some in Dallas who love and appreciate you, can they?” Kennedy smiled and replied, “No, they sure can’t.” These were the last words he spoke.

Abraham Zapruder Films The Assassination

Abraham Zapruder, a 58-year-old clothing maker, almost left his camera at home that day. His assistant convinced him to go back for it, saying he’d regret missing the chance to film a president.

Zapruder stood on a concrete ledge on the grassy knoll for a better view. From there, he filmed the motorcade with his new Bell & Howell movie camera.

His 26-second film captured the entire shooting. The 486 frames of color footage became the most important record of the assassination.

After showing the film to Secret Service agents, Zapruder sold it to Life magazine for $150,000.

The First Shot Strikes The President

The president’s car turned left from Houston Street onto Elm Street, passing the Texas School Book Depository building. Suddenly, gunshots echoed across Dealey Plaza.

Most people heard three shots. The first bullet hit Kennedy in the back of his neck and came out through his throat.

This same bullet then struck Governor Connally, who sat in front of Kennedy. The bullet passed through Connally’s back and chest, broke his wrist, and stopped in his thigh.

Investigators later called this the “single-bullet theory” because one bullet caused seven wounds in two men. Kennedy grabbed his throat while Connally yelled, “My God, they’re going to kill us all!”

The Fatal Head Shot

The Zapruder film shows the moment when a second bullet hit Kennedy’s head. The impact blew away part of his skull and brain.

Zapruder later said he saw the president’s head “explode” through his camera. The shot threw Kennedy backward against the car seat.

Jackie Kennedy turned toward her husband then climbed onto the back of the moving car. People later learned she was reaching for a piece of her husband’s skull that landed on the trunk.

This awful moment in frame 313 of the film was too graphic for the public to see until 1975, twelve years after the shooting.

Secret Service Agent Clint Hill’s Response

Secret Service Agent Clint Hill rode in the car behind the president. When he heard shots, he jumped out and ran toward Kennedy’s vehicle.

Hill climbed onto the back of the speeding car and pushed Jackie back into her seat. He spread his body over the president and first lady to shield them from more shots.

He held on as the car raced away from Dealey Plaza. Hill wasn’t sure if more bullets would come and wanted to protect the first couple with his own body.

Photos of Hill’s brave dash to the president’s car became some of the day’s most powerful images.

The Race To Parkland Hospital

The driver, Secret Service Agent Bill Greer, hit the gas after the shots. The president’s car sped onto Stemmons Freeway toward Parkland Memorial Hospital, just minutes away.

Cars in the motorcade reached 80 miles per hour during this desperate race. Police officers cleared traffic and escorted the vehicles.

When they arrived, doctors saw Kennedy had a massive head wound. They rushed him to Trauma Room One, but couldn’t save him.

Governor Connally also had serious injuries from the shooting. Unlike Kennedy, surgeons were able to save his life after emergency operations.

Lee Harvey Oswald Flees The Scene

Lee Harvey Oswald, a 24-year-old former Marine, worked at the Texas School Book Depository. He had started the job just weeks earlier, on October 15, 1963.

That morning, Oswald brought a long package to work. He told a coworker it held curtain rods, but investigators later said it contained his rifle.

After firing the shots, Oswald quickly left the building before police blocked the exits. He took a bus, then a taxi to his rooming house to get his pistol.

Police found three empty bullet shells by a sixth-floor window. They also discovered a rifle hidden among boxes on the same floor, later matched to Oswald.

Officer J.D. Tippit’s Murder

About 45 minutes after Kennedy’s shooting, Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit was patrolling Oak Cliff, a neighborhood three miles from Dealey Plaza.

Tippit spotted Oswald walking on a residential street. The officer likely noticed Oswald matched the description of the suspect being broadcast over police radio.

When Tippit stopped and approached, Oswald pulled out a revolver. He shot Tippit multiple times at close range, killing him instantly. Witnesses saw Oswald run away.

He slipped into the nearby Texas Theatre movie house, where police arrested him at 1:50 p.m., less than 90 minutes after Kennedy was shot.

Kennedy Pronounced Dead

Doctors at Parkland Hospital tried desperately to save Kennedy. They performed emergency procedures but found the head wound too severe.

At 1:00 p.m., just 30 minutes after the shooting, doctors pronounced Kennedy dead. A Catholic priest gave him last rites.

Hospital staff placed Kennedy’s body in a bronze casket from a local funeral home. Secret Service agents took the casket to Air Force One at Love Field airport, ignoring local officials who wanted an autopsy done in Dallas.

Vice President Lyndon Johnson took the oath of office on the plane at 2:38 p.m., with Jackie Kennedy standing beside him in her blood-stained pink suit.

Jack Ruby Shoots Oswald

On Sunday morning, November 24, police prepared to move Oswald from police headquarters to the county jail. Television crews set up to film the transfer.

Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner, entered the police station basement. As officers led Oswald through the crowded space, Ruby stepped forward with a pistol.

Ruby shot Oswald in the stomach at point-blank range. Millions of Americans watched the shooting happen live on television.

Oswald fell to the ground and police rushed him to Parkland Hospital—the same place where Kennedy died. Oswald died at 1:07 p.m., never regaining consciousness after Ruby’s shot.

Visiting Dealey Plaza

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is located at 411 Elm Street, Dallas, Texas. You can visit Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Adult tickets cost $20, with discounts for seniors, youth, and children. The museum offers audio tours included with admission that guide you through the events of November 22, 1963.

From the sixth floor window where Oswald fired, you can see the exact assassination route along Elm Street. The grassy knoll and Zapruder’s filming location are freely accessible in the public plaza.

Free cell phone tours of outdoor assassination-related sites are available by calling 214-389-1199. The museum is accessible via DART rail to West End Station.

Read More on WhenInYourState.com:

• The Texas Castle That Survived America’s Deadliest Hurricane While an Entire City Washed Away in the 1900s
• Presidential Meetings Moved from the Oval Office to Under Oak Trees at This Texas Hill Country Ranch
• The Former Hotel That Became a World-Class War Museum in Small-Town Texas