Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Jack Ruby’s Fatal Shooting of Oswald

After Oswald had moved about 10 feet from the door of the jail office, Jack Ruby passed between a newsman and a detective at the edge of the straining crowd on the Main Street ramp. With his right hand extended and holding a .38 caliber revolver, Ruby stepped quickly forward and fired a single fatal bullet into Oswald’s abdomen.

Speculated Police Assistance to Ruby

The killing of Lee Harvey Oswald in the basement of police headquarters in the midst of more than 70 police officers gave rise to immediate speculation that one or more members of the police department provided Jack Ruby assistance which had enabled him to enter the basement and approach within a few feet of the accused Presidential assassin.

chapter VI, the Commission has considered whether there is any evidence

This chapter considers whether Jack Ruby received assistance from Dallas policemen or others in gaining access to the police basement on the morning of November 24, 1963, when he shot Lee Harvey Oswald. The Commission found no evidence that Ruby received any assistance, but his means of entry is significant in evaluating the adequacy of the precautions taken to protect Oswald. The chapter examines Ruby’s account of entering via the Main Street ramp, establishes a timeline of pre-shooting events, evaluates witness testimony, investigates alternative entry routes, debunks claims about a press badge or police car entry, reviews the police department’s investigation into possible complicity, considers whether Ruby received a tip about the transfer time, discusses the Dallas Police Department’s press access policy, and assesses the adequacy of security precautions. This chapter segment details the Commission’s analysis of security failures, uncoordinated law enforcement planning, and excessive press accommodation policies that created the conditions for Lee Harvey Oswald’s fatal shooting while in Dallas police custody. This chapter examines the Dallas Police Department and local prosecutorial authorities’ extensive public disclosure of investigation details related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the tangible harms caused by those disclosures, and the Commission’s formal assessment of the appropriateness and consequences of the authorities’ media policy. The Commission outlines its assessment of responsibility for press control failures and associated law enforcement breakdowns in the immediate aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, evaluating the roles of the Dallas Police Department and news media, documented press misconduct, and proposed measures to establish ethical standards for press conduct.

chapter VI, the Commission has considered whether there is any evidence

This chapter considers whether Jack Ruby received assistance from Dallas policemen or others in gaining access to the police basement on the morning of November 24, 1963, when he shot Lee Harvey Oswald. The Commission found no evidence that Ruby received any assistance, but his means of entry is significant in evaluating the adequacy of the precautions taken to protect Oswald. The chapter examines Ruby’s account of entering via the Main Street ramp, establishes a timeline of pre-shooting events, evaluates witness testimony, investigates alternative entry routes, debunks claims about a press badge or police car entry, reviews the police department’s investigation into possible complicity, considers whether Ruby received a tip about the transfer time, discusses the Dallas Police Department’s press access policy, and assesses the adequacy of security precautions.

Jack Ruby’s Basement Entry Assistance Assessment

The Commission assessed whether Jack Ruby received assistance in gaining access to the Dallas Police Department basement on November 24. Although more than a hundred policemen and newsmen were present in the basement during the 10 minutes before the shooting, none definitively observed Ruby’s entry. The Commission concluded that Ruby entered the basement unaided, probably via the Main Street ramp, and no more than 3 minutes before the shooting of Oswald. Two commission exhibits are referenced: Exhibit No. 2177 showing the jail office and immediate vicinity in the basement, and Exhibit No. 2636 showing Ruby shooting Oswald on November 24.

Ruby’s Main Street Ramp Entry Account

Three Dallas policemen testified that approximately 30 minutes after his arrest, Ruby told them he had walked to the top of the Main Street ramp from the nearby Western Union office and descended the ramp as Lieutenant Pierce’s police car emerged into Main Street. This information surfaced only days later because the officers did not promptly report it. Ruby refused to discuss his means of entry with other investigators on the day of his arrest, but in a December 21 interview and in a sworn deposition after his trial, he repeated the same explanation.