Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin

Ray arrived in Selma, Alabama, after four days on the road. He checked into a hotel and tracked King’s movements on local news. The next day, March 23, Ray drove to Atlanta, where he waited for King to return. While he waited, Ray developed his plan. He drove to Birmingham, where he bought a high-powered hunting rifle and two boxes of ammunition. 

Meanwhile, King was trying to organize a march supporting Memphis’s striking sanitation workers. The first attempt was canceled because of a random snowstorm. On March 28, the second attempt at a march unraveled when a group of young protesters turned violent. King was marching with his close friend and advisor, Ralph Abernathy. He knew that his presence at a violent protest “would undermine the reputation he had earned for seeking justice through peaceful means” (109), so he and Abernathy fled. King was determined to plan a third march, even though some of his aides and advisors argued against it. They also argued against the upcoming Poor People’s March, and King finally left the meeting in frustration.