It was the shot heard ‘round the world, but not the one you’re thinking of. Most people know the name Lee Harvey Oswald. They know the motorcade, the Texas School Book Depository, and the tragedy in Dealey Plaza. But the story took a bizarre, violent turn two days later that changed American history forever. If you’ve ever wondered who did Jack Ruby kill, the answer is Lee Harvey Oswald, the man accused of assassinating President John F. Kennedy.
It happened in a basement.
The date was November 24, 1963. A Sunday. Millions of Americans were glued to their television sets, mourning a president and waiting to see the man who had supposedly pulled the trigger. Oswald was being moved from the Dallas Police Headquarters to the county jail. The scene was chaotic. Reporters were everywhere. Cameras were rolling. Then, out of the crowd stepped a man in a fedora. He lunged forward and fired a single round from a .38 caliber Colt Cobra revolver into Oswald’s abdomen.
Oswald gasped. He slumped. He was dead within two hours.
The Man in the Fedora: Why Jack Ruby Stepped Out of the Shadows
Jack Ruby wasn't some high-level political operative. Or at least, he didn't look like one. He was a local Dallas nightclub owner. He ran a place called the Carousel Club. He was known to be "chummy" with the Dallas police—he’d give them free drinks, hang out at the station, and generally try to act like a big shot.
Honestly, Ruby was a bit of a character. He was impulsive. High-strung. Some people called him "Sparky" because of his quick temper. So, when people ask who did Jack Ruby kill, they often follow it up with "Why?"
Ruby’s own explanation was a mix of patriotism and misplaced chivalry. He claimed he wanted to spare Jacqueline Kennedy the pain of returning to Dallas for a trial. He said he wanted to show the world that Jews had guts (Ruby was Jewish). He portrayed himself as a grieving citizen who just snapped.
But the Warren Commission—the official body tasked with investigating the JFK assassination—didn't find a massive conspiracy involving Ruby. They concluded he acted alone. Of course, that hasn't stopped sixty years of theories. People look at his ties to the mob. They look at his debts. They wonder if he was "silencing" Oswald so the real truth would never come out.
A Quick Breakdown of the Victim: Lee Harvey Oswald
To understand the weight of Ruby's act, you have to look at Oswald. He was a former Marine who had defected to the Soviet Union and then came back. He was a self-proclaimed Marxist. When Ruby killed him, he didn't just kill a man; he killed the chance for a public trial. He killed the chance for Oswald to speak under oath.
- Age at death: 24
- Location of shooting: Dallas Police Headquarters basement
- Time of death: 1:07 PM at Parkland Memorial Hospital (the same hospital where JFK died)
The Chaos of the Basement
You have to realize how different things were in 1963. Security was a joke by modern standards. Ruby basically just walked down a ramp. He knew the cops. Nobody stopped him.
The footage is haunting. You can find it on YouTube easily. Oswald comes out, flanked by detectives. He looks thin, a bit defiant. Then Ruby’s arm flashes into the frame. Pop. The sound isn't as loud as you'd expect. It’s a dull thud. Oswald’s face contorts in pain, and the police swarm Ruby.
"Jack, you son of a bitch!" one detective reportedly yelled. They knew him. That’s the craziest part. They recognized the shooter immediately.
Was it a Setup?
There are layers to this. Some people point to the timing. Ruby arrived at the Western Union office nearby just minutes before the shooting to send a wire transfer to one of his dancers. If he was a professional hitman, why was he doing errands right before the job?
Others argue the police must have let him in. How else do you get into a secure basement with a loaded gun when the most famous prisoner in the world is being moved?
The truth is probably messier. Dallas PD was under immense pressure. They were disorganized. Ruby was a fixture in that building. He had been hanging around the police station for days, even posing as a reporter at a press conference the night before. He was hiding in plain sight.
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What Happened to Jack Ruby After the Shooting?
Ruby didn't get away with it, obviously. He was caught on live TV. He was tried for "murder with malice" in 1964.
The trial was a circus. His lawyer, Melvin Belli, tried to argue that Ruby had "psychomotor epilepsy"—basically that he was in a fugue state and didn't know what he was doing. It didn't fly. The jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death.
But Ruby never made it to the electric chair.
He spent the next few years in prison, becoming increasingly paranoid. He started claiming there was a conspiracy to kill the Jews of America and that he was being framed. In 1966, his conviction was actually overturned on the grounds of an improper change of venue and the admission of certain testimonies. A new trial was scheduled to take place in Wichita Falls.
He never made it there either.
Ruby fell ill. Doctors found he had lung cancer that had spread to his liver and brain. He died of a pulmonary embolism on January 3, 1967.
Why We Still Talk About Who Jack Ruby Killed
The reason who did Jack Ruby kill remains a top search query isn't just about the murder itself. It’s about the vacuum of information it created.
Because Oswald died, we never got a defense. We never saw the evidence tested in a court of law. Ruby’s bullet created a permanent hole in the American narrative. It birthed the "grassy knoll" era of skepticism. If Ruby hadn't stepped out of that crowd, the last sixty years of American culture might look very different.
Think about it.
If Oswald had lived, maybe he would have confessed. Maybe he would have named names. Or maybe he would have been acquitted. By killing him, Ruby ensured that the Kennedy assassination would remain an eternal mystery.
The Mob Connection
You can't talk about Ruby without talking about the Mafia. Ruby had ties to New York and Chicago mobsters. He knew guys like Sam Giancana and Santos Trafficante. In the years since, researchers like G. Robert Blakey (who led the House Select Committee on Assassinations in the 70s) have suggested that Ruby might have been "recruited" by the mob to kill Oswald.
The theory goes: The mob helped kill JFK, and they used Ruby—a guy who owed them favors and was already dying or unstable—to shut Oswald up.
It’s a compelling story. But the evidence is circumstantial. Ruby always denied it. Even on his deathbed, he maintained he was just a guy who loved his country and loved JFK.
The Legacy of a Single Bullet
Jack Ruby is buried in Westlawn Cemetery in Chicago. His headstone is simple. It doesn't mention the basement. It doesn't mention the revolver.
But his legacy is everywhere. Every time you see a conspiracy theory on the internet, you’re seeing the ripples of what happened in that Dallas basement. Ruby turned a tragedy into a saga. He turned a crime into a myth.
Facts to remember about the Jack Ruby incident:
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- The weapon was a .38 Colt Cobra.
- The shooting happened at 11:21 AM.
- Ruby was 52 years old at the time of the shooting.
- Oswald’s last words were essentially a groan of pain; he didn't make a formal statement after being shot.
How to Research the Jack Ruby Case Further
If you're looking to dig deeper into the world of 1960s Dallas, there are a few places you should start that aren't just random forums.
- The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza: They have an incredible archive of photos and film from the weekend of the assassination.
- The Warren Commission Report: It’s dry, it’s long, but it’s the foundational document. You can read the sections on Ruby’s background and his movements leading up to the shooting.
- "Contract on America" by David Scheim: This is one of the better-researched books regarding the potential organized crime links to Ruby.
- The JFK Records Act: In recent years, thousands of documents have been declassified. Searching the National Archives for "Jack Ruby" will yield raw FBI files that were kept secret for decades.
Key Takeaways
Basically, Jack Ruby killed Lee Harvey Oswald. He did it in front of a live television audience, making it the first "real-time" murder most people had ever seen. While he claimed he did it for the Kennedy family, his actions fueled decades of conspiracy theories that persist to this day.
If you want to understand the JFK assassination, you have to understand Jack Ruby. He wasn't just a bystander; he was the man who closed the book before we could finish the final chapter.
Next Steps for History Buffs:
Check the National Archives digital database for the latest declassified memos from the CIA regarding Jack Ruby's activities in the 1950s. Many of these documents highlight his travel to Cuba, which adds a whole new layer to the "Why" behind his actions.
Visit the Dallas Police Department’s historical exhibits if you’re ever in Texas. Seeing the physical space of that basement helps you realize just how close the crowds were to the most high-profile prisoner in American history. It was a different world. It was a world that ended the moment Ruby pulled that trigger.