William Bradley Hunter (November 2, 1928 – April 23, 1964) was an American crime reporter for the

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

Independent Press-Telegram The ''Press-Telegram'' is a paid daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Coverage area for the ''Press-Telegram'' includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Ly ...

''. Hunter's 16-page special on the

assassination of John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Kennedy was in the vehicle with his wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onas ...

and the shooting of

Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at age 12 for truan ...

Jack Ruby Jack Leon Ruby (born Jacob Leon Rubenstein; March 25, 1911January 3, 1967) was an American nightclub owner who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Born in Chicago, R ...

, "Three Days in Dallas", was awarded the 1964 "Spot News Reporting" award of the

California Newspaper Publishers Association The California News Publishers Association (CNPA) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1888 that represents the daily, weekly, monthly, and campus newspapers of California. Its diverse membership consists of over 700 newspapers that elect ...

's "Better Newspaper Contest". A native of

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...

, Hunter had previously worked as a court reporter there for five years before becoming a crime reporter. On March 22, 1964, Hunter wrote a story for the ''Press-Telegram'' saying that Oswald had "assuredly" killed Kennedy.Tim Grobarty, ''

Press-Telegram The ''Press-Telegram'' is a paid daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Coverage area for the ''Press-Telegram'' includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, L ...

'', November 16, 2013
What's Hot: Long Beach reporter Bill Hunter was in the midst of the JFK conspiracy
/ref>

Death

On April 23, 1964, at around 2 am, Hunter was fatally shot while sitting at his desk in the press room at the Long Beach police headquarters by police officer, Creighton Wiggins. Wiggins initially claimed that his gun accidentally discharged when he dropped it on the ground, hitting Hunter in the heart as he sat reading a book. Hunter was killed instantly. After investigators concluded that the trajectory of the bullet was not consistent with a gun that was at ground level, Wiggins changed his story and said he had been playing "quick draw" with a fellow officer, Errol Greenleaf, and had fired his gun accidentally. Wiggins and Greenleaf, who said his back was turned at the time, were convicted of

involuntary manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

and received three-year probation sentences.Dave Reitzes, mcadams.posc.mu.edu
Dead in the Wake of the Kennedy Assassination: The Men Who Gathered in Ruby's Apartment
/ref> Hunter is interred at

Restland Memorial Park Restland Memorial Park is a cemetery located in an unincorporated area of Dallas County, Texas between Dallas and Richardson, Texas, Richardson, that was established in 1925. It is the final resting place of many prominent figures in the Dallas– ...

in Dallas. In 1991, George Robeson, a fellow ''Press-Telegram'' columnist, stated that gun-play between reporters and Long Beach officers was a fairly common occurrence. Robeson said, "Guns had been shoved in my ribs more than once. It was childish and terribly dangerous fun, and finally fatal. The only surprise is that it hadn't happened before." Nonetheless, Hunter's death is considered suspicious by some researchers pursuing

John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963, has spawned numerous conspiracy theories. These theories allege the involvement of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Mafia, Vice Pre ...

, as Jim Koethe (a reporter who went to Ruby's apartment with Hunter the night after Ruby shot Oswald) also died of homicide in 1964.There were three reporters taking part in the meeting in Ruby's apartment. While two of them died of separate homicides the next year, the third one, William "Willie" Allen (known for his photos from Dealey Plaza), was still alive decades later. Besides the reporters, Ruby's roommate George Senator was present, along with three lawyers who had previously worked for Ruby. One of these lawyers, Tom Howard, also died within two years of the meeting, but reportedly of a heart attack (he was 48).

Notes

References

4. Scheim, David E. Contract on America: The Mafia Murder of President John F. Kennedy. New York: Kensington Publishing Corp., 1988. page 51, ftnt page 499. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Bill 1928 births 1964 deaths 20th-century American non-fiction writers American crime reporters American male journalists People from Wichita Falls, Texas People shot dead by law enforcement officers in California Journalists from Texas 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American journalists Writers from Texas