how did mlk die

Martin Luther King Jr. died after being fatally shot on April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was struck by a single rifle bullet fired by James Earl Ray at 6:01 p.m. King was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. The bullet caused severe injuries, including fracturing his jaw and severing his spinal cord, which proved to be fatal. The assassination led to widespread mourning and civil unrest across the United States.