DALLAS (AP) — On Nov. 22, 1963, about 45 minutes after President John F. Kennedy died from a sniper’s bullets in downtown Dallas, Officer J.D. Tippit saw a man walking down a street in a nearby Oak Cliff neighborhood.
The man met the vague description of the man suspected of being Kennedy’s assassin. Minutes later, after Tippit got out of his patrol car, Lee Harvey Oswald opened fire, killing Tippit instantly.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy’s assassination and Tippit’s slaying. To mark the anniversary, Dallas police officers can wear a special badge paying tribute to the officer
It’s a gesture appreciated by the slain officer’s 85-year-old widow. Marie Tippit says the badge not only honors her husband but also all officers who have died in the line of duty.