There was complete silence in the elevator.  Captain Will Fritz had just hung up the phone.  The call from the basement gave word that Jack was in place and ready if not entirely willing.   Fritz and detectives L.C. Graves and Jim Leavelle knew what would happen in mere seconds.  The prisoner alone was oblivious.

Ruby spent a sleepless night, desperately searching for a way out of this DPD-ordered killing yet still keep his clubs open.   He called FBI headquarters in Washington and tipped them about what would soon go down, frantically hoping that his attempt would be thwarted. 

In the basement the elevator doors slid open but the group hesitated, pointing fingers toward where they obviously needed to go.  With Graves on the suspect’s left and Leavelle on his right, the group proceeded cautiously down the hall and through the double doors.  Fritz was to provide protection from the front but suspiciously was a good six to eight feet forward and off to the right.

*         *          *

Rather than requesting an attorney, Oswald would have been better served seeking the advice of street criminals who knew the ropes.  They all knew that to kill a cop meant you’ve seen your last sunrise.  In 1963 Dallas, as in nearly all large urban areas, this was the most effective way of protecting officers’ lives, extralegal though it may have been.

DPD had Jack Ruby in its back pocket.  His clubs were on the edge of the law and everybody played the game.  They convinced him he’d be a hero.  He may have been wise to them but to protect his livelihood he had no choice   Within minutes of Jack’s pistol shot, City Hall issued misleading red herring leaks to WFAA that Ruby and Oswald may have known each other and Jack needed to “shut him up.” 

Because J.D. Tippit’s fellow officers sent a message to those who needed to understand it, his ultimate sacrifice nor only helped capture the presidential assassin but ensured that Oswald suffered his just punishment and likely saved the lives of untold brave officers for years to come.

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The Final Truth: Solving the Mystery of the JFK Assassination

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1490350578