Difference between revisions of "United States Capitol shooting incident (1954)"

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The United States Capitol shooting incident of 1954 was an attack on March 1, 1954 by four Puerto Rican nationalists who shot 30 rounds using automatic pistols from the Ladies' Gallery (a balcony for visitors) of the House of Representatives chamber in the United States Capitol.

The attackers, Lolita Lebrón, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Andres Figueroa Cordero, and Irving Flores Rodríguez, unfurled a Puerto Rican flag and began shooting at the 240 Representatives of the 83rd Congress who were on the floor during debate over an immigration bill.

Five representatives were shot in the attack. The wounded lawmakers were Alvin M. Bentley (R-Michigan), who took a bullet to the chest, Clifford Davis (D-Tennessee), who was shot in the leg, Ben F. Jensen (R-Iowa), who was shot in the back, as well as George Hyde Fallon (D-Maryland) and Kenneth A. Roberts (D-Alabama). House pages helped carry Alvin Bentley off the House floor. Future congressmen Bill Emerson and Paul E. Kanjorski were two of the congressional pages who were serving on the floor during the incident.^[1]

The attackers were immediately arrested. All the attackers were given minimum sentences of 70 years in prison, after their death sentences were commuted by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Assailants freed

Figueroa Cordero was released in 1978. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter freed the remaining assailants. Their release coincided with Fidel Castro's release of several American CIA agents being held in Cuba on espionage charges.

Quote

Before God and the world, my blood claims for the independence of Puerto Rico. My life I give for the freedom of my country. This is a cry for victory in our struggle for independence . . . The United States of America is betraying the sacred principles of mankind in their continuous subjugation of my country . . . I take all for responsible.

– Lolita Lebrón^{[citation needed]}, from a handwritten note found in her purse after the attack

See also

• Truman assassination attempt
• Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
• Ponce Massacre
• Jayuya Uprising
• Nationalist attack of San Juan
• Utuado Uprising
• Río Piedras massacre
• Grito de Lares
• Puerto Rican Independence Party

References

External links

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2008)

General references:

• "A Terrorist in the House" by Manuel Roig-Franzia, The Washington Post Magazine, February 22, 2004, pg. W12.
• "No one expected attack on Congress in 1954" Holland Sentinel, February 29, 2004

Biographies from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress:

• BENTLEY, Alvin Morell (1918-1969)
• DAVIS, Clifford (1897-1970)
• FALLON, George Hyde (1902-1980)
• JENSEN, Benton Franklin (1892-1970)
• ROBERTS, Kenneth Allison (1912-1989)
• Carlos ‘Carlito’ Rovira (March 2006). "Lolita Lebrón, a bold fighter for Puerto Rican independence". S&L Magazine. 

1. ↑ Michael Barone and Grant Ujifusa (1993). The Almanac of American Politics 1994. Washington, D.C.: National Journal. p. 749. ISBN 0-89234-057-6.