Black Panther leader Fred Hampton is shot dead in his bed during a pre-dawn raid by Chicago police and the FBI.
At a Glance
- Date
- 4 December 1969
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois
- Key people
- Fred Hampton, Mark Clark
- Category
- Civil Unrest & Racial Violence
- Source
- Hampton v. Hanrahan civil litigation records · Britannica
What It Meant Then
His killing exposed the lethal reach of COINTELPRO against Black activists.
What It Means Now
Hampton is remembered as a charismatic organizer of multiracial coalitions.
Also on 4 December
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Fred Hampton Is Killed in a Police Raid.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/fred-hampton-is-killed-in-a-police-raid/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Fred Hampton Is Killed in a Police Raid. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/fred-hampton-is-killed-in-a-police-raid/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Fred Hampton Is Killed in a Police Raid.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/fred-hampton-is-killed-in-a-police-raid/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.