Officer That Oswald Killed to be Honored on JFK Assassination Anniversary

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund will pay tribute to Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit and remember the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 with a wreathlaying ceremony at 10:00 am on Friday, November 22, 2013, at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

Though that day 50 years ago represents a moment that touched people across the nation, it hit close to home for the Dallas Police Department and Officer J.D. Tippit’s family. Officer Tippit was patrolling the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas when he received an urgent message from dispatch. What had started as an average day on the job quickly shifted to one that required him to search for the president’s assassin.

Noticing a man who matched the suspect’s description, Officer Tippit pulled over on the 400 block of East 10th Street to question him. The man pulled out a .38 revolver and shot Officer Tippit four times. He died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, leaving behind his wife, Marie, and three young children.

“November 22, 1963 is a date that we will never forget,” said Memorial Fund Chairman and CEO Craig W. Floyd. “In the midst of the chaos following President Kennedy’s assassination, Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit was killed while doing his job,” he said. “His service and sacrifice are forever honored and remembered at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.”

Officer Tippit's name appears on Panel 63, Line 9, of the Memorial's East wall.