This Day in History: Martin Luther King Jr. Is Assassinated (Saturday, April 4th)

This Day in History: Martin Luther King Jr. Is Assassinated (Saturday, April 4th)

This Day in History: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Is Assassinated April 4, 1968 King was shot and killed as he stood on the second floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN.

The “apostle of nonviolence” had gone to Memphis in support of a sanitation workers' strike.

Widely recognized as the most prominent face of the American Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King was just 39 years old.

In a prophetic speech the night before his murder, King stated that, “I’ve seen the promised land.

I may not get there with you." Petty criminal James Earl Ray was arrested two months later and eventually pleaded guilty to King's assassination.

After being sentenced to 99 years in prison, Ray recanted his confession.

Questions of a conspiracy to assassinate Dr. King continue to linger.

King's death sparked riots in more than 100 American cities.

On April 9, tens of thousands of mourners lined the streets of Atlanta, GA, to pay their respects on the day the civil rights icon was laid to rest.