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FATAL SHOT

One of the last pictures taken of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Bettmann/Bettmann Archive. American Public Television.
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Bettmann
One of the last pictures to be taken of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. seen speaking to a mass rally April 3, 1968 in Memphis, Tenn., when he said he would not halt his plans for a massive demonstration scheduled for April 8 in spite of a federal injunction. The Nobel Peace Prize Winner was assassinated by a sniper on April 4.

Thursdays, Aug. 11, Aug. 18 and Sept. 1, 2022 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2 / On demand now with KPBS Passport!

Can one assassination change the world? History shows that it often triggers a political turning point, leading to countless more deaths and deeply damaging social change. FATAL SHOT uses forensic research and hard facts to go inside the minds of the perpetrators, and how these acts have affected the course of world history, from the assassinations of Archduke Franz Ferdinand to President John F. Kennedy.

FATAL SHOT: Preview

EPISODE GUIDE:

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Episode 1: “From One Death, Many” - encore Thursday, Aug. 11 on KPBS 2 - The assassinations of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana, and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin have something key in common: these political assassinations triggered war, genocide and the deaths of countless others. When politically motivated assassins kill, the outcome is often the same: from one death many.

Episode 2: “Disrupters of Peace” - encore Thursday, Aug. 18 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and John F. Kennedy were proponents of peace and progressive ideals. Who, then, were the individuals driven to annihilate their dreams? We examine the lives of these assassins, the events that propelled them to take their fatal shot, and the legacy that those who were killed left behind.

Rare studio photograph of Mahatma Gandhi taken in London England UK at the request of Lord Irwin, 1931.
Dinodia Photos / Alamy Stock Pho/Alamy Stock Photo. American Public Television
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https://www.alamy.com
Rare studio photograph of Mahatma Gandhi taken in London England UK at the request of Lord Irwin, 1931

Episode 3: "Clandestine Killers" - encore Thursday, Aug. 18 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Information is power but it can also be dangerous. People are killed if they know too much. From Mujahideen leader Ahmad Shah Massoud and former Russian secret service agents Alexander Litvinenko and Sergei Skripal, to Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, go behind the secretive world of assassins and the extraordinary methods used to silence the outspoken.

Episode 4: ”Brainwashed Assassins" - encore Thursday, Sept. 1 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Brainwashing is achieved in many ways, but its target is always a susceptible mind. From suicide squads and murderous cult members to deluded misfits hell-bent on fame, explore how the mind can be manipulated, transforming ordinary individuals into lethal assassins.

assassination attempt on President Reagan, March 30, 1981
Courtesy of American Public Television
Chaos outside the Washington D.C. Hilton Hotel after the assassination attempt on President Reagan, March 30, 1981.

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The series is available on demand with KPBS Passport, a benefit for members supporting KPBS at $60 or more yearly, using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn how to activate your benefit now.