Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was, according to four government investigations,[n 1] the assassin of President of the United States John F. Kennedy, by firearm in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. A former U.S. Marine who had briefly defected to the Soviet Union, Oswald was initially arrested for the shooting murder of police officer J. D. Tippit, on a Dallas street approximately 40 minutes after Kennedy was shot, at 12:30pm local time. Soon suspected in the assassination of Kennedy as well, Oswald denied involvement in either killing. Two days later, while being transferred from police headquarters to the county jail, Oswald was mortally wounded by nightclub owner Jack Ruby in full view of television cameras broadcasting live.
