On June 12, 1963, NPR writes that someone made good on their threats against Evers’ life. Sometime after midnight, he returned to his Jackson, Mississippi home from an NAACP meeting (via the FBI). Medgar Evers College reports that he exited his car carrying t-shirts that read “Jim Crow Must Go” when he was shot in the back. His three children and wife heard the gunshot and found Evers bleeding to death outside. Although he was transported to the hospital, Medgar Evers died less than an hour later. He was only 37-years-old. History states that he was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
Per Medgar Evers College, the police discovered a rifle only 150 feet away from where Evers was shot and the FBI subsequently began to investigate his assassination. The National WWII Museum explains that the rifle had a fingerprint on it. The FBI was able to discern that it belonged to Byron De La Beckwith, a former U.S. Marine and known white supremacist. The FBI notes that it was clear that Beckwith was the murderer; he had a motive and had reportedly inquired about Evers’ home address before the shooting.
Additionally, Beckwith had an eye injury that investigators surimised had resulted from the rifle recoiling in his face. They believed that this is why he had abandoned the gun. Beckwith was charged and arrested with Evers’ murder soon after (per the NAACP). Despite the evidence, two separate trials with all white male jurors failed to convict Beckwith and he walked free.
