This is a list of successful assassinations, sorted by location. For unsuccessful assassination attempts on heads of state, see List of heads of state and government who survived assassination attempts. For unsuccessful assassination attempts on people other than heads of state, see List of people who survived assassination attempts.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2014) |
For the purposes of this article, an assassination is defined as the deliberate, premeditated murder of a prominent figure, often for religious, political or monetary reasons.
Africa
The Americas
Antigua and Barbuda
| Date | Victim(s) | Method | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 December 1710 | Daniel Parke, British governor of the Leeward Islands | Beating | Several members of a mob. | An angry mob captured Parke in his house, beat him severely, and dragged him out to die of his wounds.[1] His last words to his tormentors, as he lay dying, were reported as: "Gentlemen, you have no sense of honor left, pray have some of humanity."[2] |
Argentina
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1828 | Manuel Dorrego, Governor of Buenos Aires Province | Juan Lavalle | |
| 1835 | Facundo Quiroga, Governor of La Rioja Province | ||
| 1838 | Alejandro Heredia, Governor of Tucumán Province | ||
| 1841 | José Cubas, Governor of Catamarca Province | Mariano Maza | |
| 1841 | Marco Avellaneda, Governor of Tucumán Province | Mariano Maza | |
| 1861 | Antonino Aberastain, Governor of San Juan Province | ||
| 1870 | Justo José de Urquiza, former president of Argentina and Governor of Entre Ríos Province | ||
| 1889 | Ricardo López Jordán, soldier, politician, and former governor of Entre Ríos Province | ||
| 1908 | Mariano Santillán, Jr., National Deputy for Santiago del Estero Province | ||
| 1909 | Ramón Falcón, chief of the National Police | Simón Radowitzky | Assassinated by anarchists as a retaliation for his brutal repression of workers. |
| 1921 | Amable Jones, Governor of San Juan Province | ||
| 1929 | Carlos Washington Lencinas, former Governor of Mendoza Province | ||
| 1935 | Enzo Bordabehere, National Senator for Santa Fe Province | Ramón Valdez Cora | Killed during a session of the Argentine Senate. |
| 1969 | Augusto Vandor, Metalworkers Union (UOM) Secretary General | Killed in commando attack by the Ejército Nacional Revolucionario (National Revolutionary Army), a far-left Peronist splinter group. | |
| 1970 | Pedro Aramburu, former de facto president of Argentina | Executed by the Peronist guerrilla Montoneros in revenge for the abduction of Evita's body and for the execution of those implicated in a 1956 failed uprising, during Aramburu's dictatorship. | |
| 1970 | José Alonso, CGT Secretary General | Montoneros | |
| 1972 | Oberdan Sallustro, Director of FIAT Argentina | ERP | |
| 1973 | José Ignacio Rucci, CGT Secretary General | Montoneros | |
| 1973 | Juan Manuel Irrazábal, Governor of Misiones Province | Argentine Anticommunist Alliance | Killed with Vice-Governor César Ayrault by bomb placed in Beechcraft Queen Air plane. |
| 1974 | Arturo Mor Roig, former Interior Minister | Montoneros | |
| 1974 | Carlos Mugica, Catholic Third World priest | Rodolfo Almirón (Argentine Anticommunist Alliance) | |
| 1974 | Rodolfo Ortega Peña, National Deputy for Buenos Aires Province | Argentine Anticommunist Alliance | |
| 1974 | Atilio López, former Vice-Governor of Córdoba Province | Argentine Anticommunist Alliance | |
| 1974 | Silvio Frondizi, University of Buenos Aires law professor | Argentine Anticommunist Alliance | |
| 1974 | Carlos Prats, exiled Chilean general, former Commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army | Michael Townley | Killed by the secret service of the Pinochet dictatorship |
| 1975 | Hipólito Acuña, National Deputy for Santa Fe Province | Montoneros | |
| 1975 | John Egan, U.S. Honorary Consul in Córdoba | Montoneros | |
| 1975 | Ramón Rojas, National Deputy for San Juan Province | Fernando Otero | Killed at the behest of Vineyard Workers' Federation (FOEVA) leader Delfor Ocampo.[3] |
| 1975 | Alberto Manuel Campos, Mayor of General San Martín Partido, Buenos Aires Province | Montoneros | |
| 1976 | Miguel Ragone, former governor of Salta Province | Army Gen. Luciano Menéndez | Abducted and killed by right-wing task force made of up of Army and provincial police officers led by Menéndez. |
| 1976 | Zelmar Michelini, exiled Uruguayan senator, founder of the Broad Front | Killed after the 1976 Argentine coup as part of Operation Condor involving the collaboration between military dictatorships in the Southern Cone. | |
| 1976 | Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz, exiled former speaker of the Uruguayan House of Representatives | Killed alongside Zelmar Michelini | |
| 1976 | Juan José Torres, exiled former military President of Bolivia | Killed as part of Operation Condor | |
| 1976 | Enrique Angelelli, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of La Rioja | Luis Estrella | Beaten to death after Angelelli's car was run off the road on orders from III Army Corps Chief Luciano Menéndez. |
| 1977 | Juan Carlos Casariego de Bel, Chief Foreign Investments Adviser at Economy Ministry | Army Capt. Héctor Vérgez | Casariego had objected to a $400 million payout for the nationalization of the bankrupt CIADE electric company - one of whose top shareholders was the Economy Minister, José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz. |
| 1978 | Miguel Tobías Padilla, Undersecretary for Coordination at Economy Ministry | Montoneros | |
| 1985 | Osvaldo Sivak, banker | José Benigno Lorea, police officer | Killed following ransom kidnapping by the Aníbal Gordon gang led by former Argentine Anticommunist Alliance operatives. |
| 1997 | José Luis Cabezas, photojournalist for leading Argentine news weekly Noticias. | "Los Horneros" gang, led by Buenos Aires Provincial Police Inspector Gustavo Prellezo | Killed on orders from businessman Alfredo Yabrán. |
| 2019 | Héctor Enrique Olivares, National Deputy for La Rioja Province | Juan Jesús Fernández and Juan José Navarro Cádiz | Killed in attack directed at Olivares' aide, Miguel Yadón (dead on arrival), by businessman Rafael Cano Carmona. |
Bermuda
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Richard Sharples, Governor of Bermuda | Erskine "Buck" Burrows and Larry Tacklyn | Shot outside Bermuda's Government House. Sharples's aide-de-camp Captain Hugh Sayers was also killed. |
Bolivia
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 1829 | Pedro Blanco Soto, President of Bolivia | ||
| 11 June 1849 | Eusebio Guilarte, former acting president of Bolivia | ||
| 23 October 1861 | Jorge Córdova, former president of Bolivia | ||
| 23 March 1865 | Manuel Isidoro Belzu, former president of Bolivia | ||
| 27 November 1872 | Agustín Morales, President of Bolivia | ||
| 27 February 1894 | Hilarión Daza, former president of Bolivia | ||
| 17 June 1917 | José Manuel Pando, former president of Bolivia | ||
| 21 July 1946 | Gualberto Villarroel, President of Bolivia | ||
| 9 August 1967 | Che Guevara, revolutionary | Captured and executed by Bolivian Special Forces | |
| 24 May 1989 | Elders Jeffrey Brent Ball and Todd Ray Wilson, LDS Missionaries | ||
| 25 August 2016 | Rodolfo Illanes, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Bolivia | Protesting miners |
Brazil
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1678 | Ganga Zumba, leader of Quilombo dos Palmares | ||
| 1695 | Zumbi, leader of Quilombo dos Palmares | ||
| 1830 | Líbero Badaró, journalist | The assassination unleashed a wave of protests against the government of Pedro I of Brazil | |
| 1897 | Carlos Machado de Bitterncourt, Minister of War | Marcelino Bispo de Melo | See Attempted assassination of Prudente de Morais |
| 1908 | José Plácido de Castro, former president of the Republic of Acre | ||
| 1915 | Pinheiro Machado, Senator for Rio Grande do Sul | ||
| 1929 | José Gomes Duarte, Mayor of Bauru, São Paulo | Moacir de Almeida | |
| 1929 | Manuel Francisco de Sousa Filho, Federal Deputy for Pernambuco | Ildefonso Simões Lopes | |
| 1930 | João Pessoa Cavalcânti de Albuquerque, Governor of Paraíba | João Duarte Dantas | |
| 1938 | Virgulino Ferreira da Silva "Lampião", leader bandit of Cangaço | Killed during the Massacre of Angico, led by João Bezerra da Silva | |
| 1938 | Maria Gomes de Oliveira "Maria Bonita", bandit of Cangaço | José Panta de Godoy | Killed during the Massacre of Angico, led by João Bezerra da Silva |
| 1964 | Adib Shishakli, exiled Syrian military dictator | Nawaf Ghazaleh | |
| 1971 | Rubens Paiva, former Federal Deputy for São Paulo and critic of the Military dictatorship in Brazil | ||
| 1973 | Maurício Grabois, leader of the Communist Party of Brazil | ||
| 1975 | Vladimir Herzog, journalist | ||
| 1976 | Zuzu Angel, fashion designer and critic of the Military dictatorship in Brazil | ||
| 1988 | Francisco Alves "Chico" Mendes Filho, environmental activist | Darci Alves da Silva | Shot on the orders of the assassin's father, rancher Darly Alves da Silva |
| 1992 | Edmundo Pinto, Governor of Acre | ||
| 1996 | Paulo César Farias, President Fernando Collor de Mello's campaign treasurer | ||
| 2001 | Antonio da Costa Santos, Mayor of Campinas, São Paulo | ||
| 2001 | Aguinaldo Pereira da Silva, Mayor of Caraúbas, Rio Grande do Norte | [4] | |
| 2002 | Celso Daniel, Mayor of Santo André, São Paulo | ||
| 2002 | Tim Lopes, journalist | Elias "Maluco" Pereira da Silva André "Capeta" da Cruz Barbosa Cláudio "Ratinho" Orlando do Nascimento Maurício "Boizinho" de Lima Matias Claudino "Xuxa" dos Santos Coelho Elizeu "Zeu" Felício de Souza Ângelo "Primo" da Silva Reinaldo "Cadê" Amaral de Jesus Fernando "Frei" Sátyro da Silva |
Murdered by drug traffickers connected to Comando Vermelho and Amigos dos Amigos |
| 2002 | Lídia Menezes, Vice Mayor of Magé, Rio de Janeiro | [5][6] | |
| 2005 | Dorothy Stang, American nun | Raifran das Neves Sales | Killed by business interests |
| 2010 | Walderi Braz Paschoalin, Mayor of Jandira, São Paulo | ||
| 2016 | José Gomes da Rocha, former mayor of Itumbiara, São Paulo, and mayoral candidate | Gilberto Ferreira do Amaral | |
| 2016 | Kyriakos Amiridis, Greek ambassador to Brazil | Françoise de Sousa Oliveira and Sergio Gomes | Murdered by Gomes on the orders of Oliveira, and corpse burnt in an arson attack on a rental car.[7] |
| 2018 | Marielle Franco, human rights activist and City Councillor of Rio de Janeiro | Ronald Paulo Alves Pereira and Adriano Magalhães da Nóbrega | Assassination suspected to be linked with local militias[8] |
| 2018 | Gerson Camata, former Governor of Espírito Santo | Marcos Vinícius Moreira Andrade | |
| 2019 | Paulo Paulino Guajajara, Indigenous environmental activist | Murdered by illegal loggers [9] | |
| 2023 | Mãe Bernadete, community activist |
Canada
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 April 1868 | Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Father of Canadian Confederation | Patrick J. Whelan | |
| 14 December 1872 | William End, Magistrate in northern New Brunswick | He and his office set aflame by ex-convict. | |
| May 9 1880 | George Brown, Father of Canadian Confederation | George Bennett | |
| 21 October 1914 | William C. Hopkinson, immigration officer, British intelligence agent | Mewa Singh, Ghadarite sympathizer | |
| 29 October 1924 | Peter Verigin, Russian philosopher, activist, leader of the Community Doukhobors in Canada | Assassinated via train explosion. The explosion also killed member of the provincial legislature John McKie. Perpetrators never identified. | |
| 17 October 1970 | Pierre Laporte, Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour of Quebec | Bernard Lortie, Paul Rose, Jacques Rose, Francis Simard[10] | Kidnapped and murdered by the FLQ. |
| 27 August 1982 | Atilla Altıkat, Turkish diplomat | Assassinated by Armenian nationalists in Ottawa. | |
| 10 March 1993 | Dino Bravo, wrestler | Shot eleven times at his home in Vimont, Laval, Quebec. Believed to have been a result in his alleged role in illegal cigarette smuggling in Canada and his ties to the Cotroni Crime Family. | |
| 18 November 1998 | Tara Singh Hayer, founder of the Indo-Canadian Times, Journalist | Outspoken critic of extremism, key witness in the trial of the Air India 182 Flight Bombing. This was the third attempt on his life, the first was a thwarted bombing and the second, a shooting, had left him paralysed. | |
| 18 June 2023 | Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Sikh involved with the Khalistan movement | Four people currently arrested awaiting trial.[11] | Allegedly assassinated on orders of the India government for his role in the Khalistani movement. |
Chile
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1818 | Luis Carrera and his brother Juan José Carrera, independence war heroes | attributed to the head of the government, Bernardo O'Higgins | |
| 1818 | Manuel Rodriguez, lawyer and guerrilla leader, considered one of the founders of independent Chile | attributed to the head of the government, Bernardo O'Higgins | |
| 1837 | Diego Portales, entrepreneur, statesman and Minister of War | Colonel José Antonio Vidaurre | |
| 1970 | René Schneider, Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army | Was kidnapped and killed by far-right paramilitary squads, due to his opposition to any intervention of the armed forces to block the election of left-wing candidate Salvador Allende in 1970. | |
| 1971 | Edmundo Pérez Zujovic, former Secretary of Interior Affairs | ||
| 1973 | Victor Jara, left-wing singer | Killed after the coup of 1973. | |
| 1982 | Eduardo Frei Montalva, former President of Chile and opponent of the Pinochet dictatorship | Although he officially died by sepsis after a low-risk surgery, recent research suggests he was poisoned by the Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional. However, there is no absolute certainty about the real causes of his death.[12] | |
| 1982 | Tucapel Jiménez, trade-unionist | Killed by the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.[13] | |
| 1991 | Jaime Guzmán, right-wing Senator and former adviser to the Pinochet dictatorship | Killed by far-left guerrillas after the return of democracy. |
Colombia
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | Antonio José de Sucre, Venezuelan politician, statesman, soldier | Juan Gregorio Sarria, José Erazo, and three peons | |
| 1861 | José María Obando, former President | ||
| 1914 | Rafael Uribe Uribe, lawyer, journalist, diplomat, soldier | ||
| 1948 | Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, Liberal Party leader | His assassination sparked the Bogotazo and served as a catalyst for La Violencia | |
| 1984 | Carlos Toledo Plata, early leader of the M-19 guerrilla movement and member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia | ||
| 1984 | Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, Minister of Justice | The assassination was ordered by the Medellin Cartel | |
| 1985 | Tulio Manuel Castro Gil, Judge who had indicted Pablo Escobar | ||
| 1985 | Alfonso Reyes Echandia, Head of the Supreme Court. | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Fabio Calderon Botero, Supreme Court Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Pedro Elias Serrano Abadia, Supreme Court Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Dario Velasquez Gaviria, Supreme Court Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Jose Eduardo Gnecco Correa, Supreme Court Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Ricardo Medina Moyano, Supreme Court Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Alfonso Patiño Rosselli, Supreme Court Justice. | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Carlos Medellin Forero, Supreme Court Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Fanny Gonzalez Franco, Supreme Court Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Dante Luis Fiorillo Porras, Supreme Court Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Manuel Gaona Cruz, Supreme Court Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Horacio Montoya Gil, Supreme Court Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Carlos Horacio Uran Rojas, State Council Assistant Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Lizandro Juan Romero Barrios, State Council Assistant Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Emiro Sandoval Huertas, State Council Assistant Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Julio Cesar Andrade Andrade, State Council Assistant Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1985 | Jorge A Correa Echeverry, State Council Assistant Justice | Killed during the Palace of Justice Siege. | |
| 1986 | Guillermo Cano Isaza, Director of El Espectador newspaper | The assassination was ordered by the Medellin Cartel | |
| 1987 | Jaime Pardo Leal, Presidential candidate, leader of the Patriotic Union party | ||
| 1987 | Carlos Mauro Hoyos, Attorney General of Colombia | The assassination was ordered by the Medellin Cartel. | |
| 1989 | Teófilo Forero, National Organizing Secretary of the Colombian Communist Party | ||
| 1989 | Luis Carlos Galán, Presidential candidate, leader of the Colombian Liberal Party | Jaime Rueda | The assassination was ordered by the Medellin Cartel. |
| 1989 | Jorge Enrique Pulido, journalist, Director of Mundovision | The assassination was ordered by the Medellin Cartel | |
| 1989 | Waldemar Franklin Quintero, Commander of the Police of Antioquia | The assassination was ordered by the Medellin Cartel | |
| 1990 | Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa, Presidential candidate, leader of the Patriotic Union party[14] | Andres Arturo Gutierrez | |
| 1990 | Carlos Pizarro Leongómez, Presidential candidate, leader of the M-19 party | ||
| 1991 | Enrique Low Murtra, former Ambassador to Switzerland | The assassination was ordered by the Medellin Cartel | |
| 2 December 1993 | Pablo Escobar, drug lord | Search Bloc | Killed during a shoot out in Medellín |
| 2 July 1994 | Andrés Escobar, footballer | Believed to have been killed by criminal figures who lost money on bets after scoring an own goal in the 1994 FIFA World Cup | |
| 1994 | Manuel Cepeda Vargas, Senator, leader of the Patriotic Union party | ||
| 1995 | Alvaro Gómez Hurtado, former presidential candidate and director of El Nuevo Siglo newspaper | FARC has claimed responsibility for the assassination[15] | |
| 1999 | Jaime Garzón, journalist, activist and satirist | ||
| 2000 | Crispiniano Quiñones Quiñones, Colombian Army General | Assassinated by members of FARC | |
| 2001 | Consuelo Araújo, former Minister of Culture | Assassinated by members of FARC | |
| 2003 | Guillermo Gaviria Correa, Governor of Antioquia | Assassinated by members of FARC | |
| 2003 | Gilberto Echeverri Mejía, former Minister of Defense and adviser to Governor Gaviria (see above) | Assassinated by members of FARC | |
| 2009 | Luis Francisco Cuéllar, Governor of Caquetá | Assassinated by members of FARC | |
| 2021 | Germán Medina Triviño, former governor of Caquetá | Assassinated by members of FARC |
Costa Rica
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 August 1938 | Ricardo Moreno Cañas, doctor and politician, and surgeon Carlos Echandi | Beltrán Cortés | Killed as revenge for a failed surgery the two doctors had operated on Cortes. Moreno was shot to death inside his home, while Echandi was shot to death outside his door. Cortes also killed Canadian Arthur Maynard that same day.[16][17] |
Cuba
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 May 1935 | Antonio Guiteras, Revolutionary Socialist leader |
Curaçao
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 May 2013 | Helmin Wiels, leader of the Sovereign People party. | Elvis Kuwas |
Dominican Republic
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 July 1899 | Ulises Heureaux, president of the Dominican Republic | Ramón Cáceres, president of the Dominican Republic | |
| 19 November 1911 | Ramón Cáceres, president of the Dominican Republic | ||
| 30 May 1961 | Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, Dominican Republic dictator | Shot in ambush | |
| 16 February 1973 | Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó, military officer and former de facto leader | ||
| 6 June 2022 | Orlando Jorge Mera, Environment Minister | Favsto Miguel de Jesús Cruz de la Mota[citation needed] | Shot |
Ecuador
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | Gabriel García Moreno, President of Ecuador | Faustino Rayo | Shot outside Quito Cathedral, owing to his pro-religious views. |
| 1912 | Eloy Alfaro, former president of Ecuador | Killed by a mob of pro-Catholic soldiers in Quito | |
| 1999 | Jaime Hurtado and Pablo Tapia, communist legislators | Killed in Quito | |
| 24 July 2023 | Agustín Intriago, Mayor of Manta[18] | ||
| 9 August 2023 | Fernando Villavicencio, Presidential candidate and former legislator | Killed at a campaign rally in Quito[19] |
El Salvador
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Manuel Enrique Araujo, President of El Salvador | ||
| 1975 | Roque Dalton, poet and revolutionary | ||
| 1977 | Rutilio Grande García, S.J., Roman Catholic priest | ||
| 1977 | Alfonso Navarro Oviedo, Roman Catholic priest | ||
| 1978 | Ernesto Barrera, Roman Catholic priest | ||
| 1979 | Octavio Ortiz Luna, Roman Catholic priest | ||
| 1979 | Rafael Palacios, Roman Catholic priest | ||
| 1979 | Alirio Napoleón Macías, Roman Catholic priest | ||
| 1980 | Óscar Arnulfo Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador | Killed by right-wing death squad | |
| 1980 | Enrique Álvarez Córdova and five other leaders of the opposition Democratic Revolutionary Front (FDR) | Captured and killed by government aligned security forces. | |
| 1980 | Ita Ford, Maura Clarke, Dorothy Kazel, and Jean Donovan, American Roman Catholic nuns | Killed by the National Guard of El Salvador. | |
| 1983 | Marianella García Villas,[20] human rights lawyer and activist | Killed by the Salvadoran Armed Forces | |
| 1983 | Albert Schaufelberger, senior U.S. Naval representative | ||
| 1989 | Ignacio Ellacuría, Roman Catholic Jesuit priest | Killed by Atlácatl Battalion of the Salvadoran Army. | |
| 1989 | Ignacio Martín-Baró, Roman Catholic Jesuit priest | Killed by Atlácatl Battalion of the Salvadoran Army. | |
| 1989 | Segundo Montes, Roman Catholic Jesuit priest | Killed by Atlácatl Battalion of the Salvadoran Army. | |
| 1989 | María Cristina Gómez, teacher and community leader |
Grenada
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Maurice Bishop, Prime Minister of Grenada | Killed along with seven other politicians and businessmen in a coup that led to the United States invasion of Grenada a few days later | |
| 1983 | Jacqueline Creft, Minister of Education and Women's Affairs and domestic partner of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop | Killed along with Bishop and six other politicians and businessmen in a coup that led to the United States invasion of Grenada a few days later |
Guatemala
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | José María Reina Barrios, President of Guatemala | ||
| 1957 | Carlos Castillo Armas, President of Guatemala[21] | killed by bodyguard | |
| 1970 | Karl von Spreti, West German ambassador in Guatemala | ||
| 1979 | Alberto Fuentes Mohr, Social Democratic Party leader | ||
| 1979 | Manuel Colom Argueta, Mayor of Guatemala City | ||
| 1980 | Hugo Rolando Melgar Melgar, Law professor at San Carlos University and leftist leader | Efrain Rios Montt regime | Ambushed on his way to work by the Guatemalan Army |
| 1993 | Jorge Carpio Nicolle, journalist and founder of the National Centre Union | ||
| 1998 | Juan José Gerardi Conedera, Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Guatemala | ||
| 2012 | Valentín Leal, legislator and former governor of Alta Verapaz | ||
| 2013 | Carlos Castillo Medrano, Mayor of Jutiapa |
Guyana
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 November 1978 | Leo Ryan, Member of the US House of Representatives | Members of the Peoples Temple in Jonestown | Shot to death in Guyana while investigating human rights violations by members of the Peoples Temple. |
| 13 June 1980 | Walter Rodney, Guyanese historian and political figure | ||
| 22 April 2006 | Satyadeow Sawh, Agriculture Minister | Murdered along with his brother, sister and a security guard, by masked gunmen dressed in military fatigues |
Haiti
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 October 1806 | Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Emperor of Haiti | ||
| 28 July 1915 | Vilbrun Guillaume Sam, President of Haiti | Killed by a mob | |
| 14 July 1963 | Clément Barbot, aide to President François Duvalier | Killed after launching a failed coup | |
| 11 September 1993 | Antoine Izméry, businessman and Lavalas supporter | ||
| 14 October 1993 | Guy Malary, minister of justice | ||
| 3 April 2000 | Jean Dominique, journalist | ||
| 14 July 2005 | Jacques Roche, journalist | ||
| 7 July 2021 | Jovenel Moïse, President of Haiti | Killed by Colombian mercenaries posing as US Drug Enforcement Administration agents. See Assassination of Jovenel Moïse |
Honduras
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1862 | José Santos Guardiola, President of Honduras | ||
| 1966 | Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, former President of El Salvador | ||
| 2008 | Mario Fernando Hernández, deputy speaker of the National Congress for the Liberal Party | ||
| 2016 | Berta Cáceres, environmental and indigenous rights activist | David Castillo, former military intelligence officer | |
| 2021 | Francisco Gaitán, Mayor of Cantarranas | Wilfredo Velásquez |
Jamaica
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 April 1987 | Carlton Barrett, musician, drummer, and member of The Wailers | Shot by a gunman outside his home in Kingston. Barrett's widow, Albertine Barrett, was subsequently jailed in 1991, after being convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. Sentenced with her were taxi driver Glenroy Carter, her reputed lover, and Junior "Bang" Neil, a mason, who the prosecution alleged was responsible for the actual shooting. | |
| 11 September 1987 | Peter Tosh, musician, songwriter, and member of The Wailers | Armed gunmen led by Dennis "Leppo" Lobban | Shot twice in the head after being held hostage and tortured for hours during an armed robbery attempt at his home in Kingston. Killed alongside herbalist Wilton "Doc" Brown and disc jockey Jeff 'Free I' Dixon. Several others in the house were wounded, including Tosh's common law wife Andrea Marlene Brown, Free I's wife Yvonne ("Joy"), Tosh's drummer Carlton "Santa" Davis, and musician Michael Robinson. |
| 2 June 1999 | Junior Braithwaite, musician, singer, and member of The Wailers | Shot and killed along with fellow musician Lawrence Scott in Kingston | |
Mexico
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 June 1520 | Motecuhzoma II Xocoyotl, Emperor of the Aztec Alliance | ||
| 14 February 1831 | Vicente Guerrero, former President of Mexico | Lured, captured, and executed by firing squad in a plot orchestrated by conservative political rivals in Cuilapan, Oaxaca. | |
| 13 November 1863 | Ignacio Comonfort, former president of Mexico | Ambushed and killed by conservative guerillas during the Second French Intervention in Mexico near Chamacueros, Guanajuato (present-day Comonfort). | |
| 22 February 1913 | Francisco I. Madero, President of Mexico[21] | Killed in a coup along with Vice-president José María Pino Suárez. See Ten Tragic Days. | |
| 7 March 1913 | Abraham González, revolutionary, governor of Chihuahua and mentor to Pancho Villa | Officers under President Victoriano Huerta | |
| 7 October 1913 | Belisario Dominguez, Senator of the Congress of the Union for Chiapas | Officers under President Victoriano Huerta | Abducted and shot in Mexico City under orders from Huerta after giving a memorable speech in the Senate denouncing him. |
| 10 April 1919 | Emiliano Zapata, revolutionary | Officers under Colonel Jesús Guajardo | Shot at Hacienda de San Juan in Chinameca, Morelos |
| 20 May 1920 | Venustiano Carranza, President of Mexico[21] | Killed in a revolt led by Álvaro Obregón | |
| 20 July 1923 | Francisco "Pancho" Villa, revolutionary[22] | Unknown, most likely attributed to a plot orchestrated by future President Plutarco Elías Calles | Shot while being driven in an open car at Parral, Chihuahua. His bodyguards Rafael Madreno and Claro Huertado were also killed. |
| 3 January 1924 | Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Governor of Yucatán | Murdered as part of a plot by rogue army officers as part of a larger rebellion waged by former interim president Adolfo de la Huerta beginning the previous year. Executed by firing squad alongside three of his brothers, Wilfrido, Benjamin, and Edesio, and eight of their friends in Mérida, Yucatán. | |
| 10 June 1924 | Salvador Alvarado, revolutionary and former governor of Yucatan | Killed in an ambush near Palenque, Chiapas in retaliation for supporting the rebellion of Adolfo de la Huerta against then-President Alvaro Obregon | |
| 17 July 1928 | Álvaro Obregón, President-elect[22] | José de León Toral | Killed by a pro-Catholic sympathizer as part of the Cristero War |
| 10 January 1929 | Julio Antonio Mella, Cuban revolutionary | Unknown | |
| 11 April 1938 | José Antonio Urquiza, political activist and co-founder of the National Synarchist Union | Isidro Parra | Stabbed twice by Parra, a farmer employed under him, while on a visit to Apaseo el Grande, Guanajuato to settle a land dispute |
| 20 August 1940 | Leon Trotsky, exiled Russian communist leader[22] | Ramón Mercader, an agent of the NKVD posing as a journalist | Killed by penetrating head injury from an ice axe in his residence in Coyoacan, Mexico City. |
| 23 May 1962 | Rubén Jaramillo, revolutionary, politician, and agrarian rights activist | Killed by Federal Judicial Police officers and soldiers raiding his home in an extrajudicial operation near Xochicalco, Miacatlán, Morelos. His wife, Epifanía, three stepsons, were subsequently taken and shot on the premises; the only surviving member of the family was a stepdaughter. | |
| 3 June 1974 | Octavio Muciño, footballer | Jaime Antonio Muldoon Barreto | Shot at a Guadalajara restaurant after a physical altercation. Muldoon Barreto then fled to Spain and was never charged upon his return to Mexico in 1980, which was widely attributed to the influence and power possessed by the Muldoon Barreto family within the Mexican government. |
| 30 May 1984 | Manuel Buendía, journalist and political columnist | Suspected that figures within the PRI wanted him killed. | |
| 9 February 1985 | Enrique Camarena, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Agent | Abducted and killed by the Guadalajara Cartel with the assistance of figures within the Mexican government and law enforcement agencies | |
| 7 February 1986 | Carlos Loret de Mola Mediz, journalist and former Governor of Yucatán | ||
| 16 May 1992 | Chalino Sánchez, singer-songwriter | Executed on a farm in Culiacán, Sinaloa by two men posing as police officers hours after he had received a death threat via a note live on stage. The two men are believed to have been associated with the local cartel. | |
| 24 May 1993 | Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo, Roman Catholic Cardinal of Guadalajara | Sinaloa Cartel boss, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, may have also been involved. | Shot at Guadalajara Airport, along with 6 other people, by the Tijuana Cartel using the San Diego-based Logan Heights Gang, either after his car was misidentified as belonging to the Sinaloa cartel or to silence Posadas regarding his denunciation of possible connections between government and drug cartels; some recent speculation that an anti-church group was involved. |
| 23 March 1994 | Luis Donaldo Colosio, Presidential candidate of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional[14] | Mario Aburto | Assassinated at a campaign rally in the Lomas Taurinas neighborhood of Tijuana. |
| 28 September 1994 | José Francisco Ruiz Massieu, Secretary-General of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional | Daniel Aguilar Treviño | Shot while leaving a PRI party meeting in Mexico City. PRI deputy Fernando Rodríguez González confessed to authorities that he hired Aguilar Treviño and his cousin to commit the murder. Aguilar Treviño confessed that he was paid US$500,000 (equivalent to that of $1,038,026.32 in 2023) by Rodríguez González himself to commit the crime. |
| 7 June 1999 | Paco Stanley, comedian | Luis Alberto Salazar Vega | |
| 19 October 2001 | Digna Ochoa, human rights lawyer | ||
| 22 June 2004 | Francisco Ortiz Franco, contributing editor to Zeta Magazine | ||
| 25 November 2006 | Valentín Elizalde, banda singer | Gunmen led by Raúl Hernández Barrón | Ambushed and killed by gunmen by Hernández Barrón after leaving a concert in Reynosa, Tamaulipas along with his chauffeur and assistant. It is widely believed that Elizalde was killed for his concert performances of the corrido, "A Mis Enemigos", which contains lyrics believed to antagonize drug trafficking gang Los Zetas.[23] Hernández Barrón was later killed in a shootout with Mexican Federal Police in Reynosa on July 26, 2014 alongside several cartel members. |
| 8 May 2008 | Édgar Eusebio Millán Gómez, Commissioner of the Federal Preventive Police | Alejandro Ramírez Báez | Murdered after arriving at his home in Mexico City by being shot at eight times in the chest and once in the hand on behalf of the Beltrán-Leyva Organization in retaliation for the arrest of co-founder Alfredo Beltrán Leyva. |
| 19 June 2010 | Jesús Manuel Lara Rodríguez, Mayor of Guadalupe, Chihuahua | ||
| 28 June 2010 | Rodolfo Torre Cantú, former member of the Chamber of Deputies and gubernatorial candidate in Tamaulipas | ||
| 14 September 2012 | Eduardo Castro Luque, businessman and deputy-elect to the Chamber of Deputies | ||
| 16 September 2012 | Jaime Serrano Cedillo, former member of the Chamber of Deputies | Stabbed in the chest with a knife by his wife during an argument that morning. Taken to a nearby hospital by his family where he was later pronounced dead. | |
| 15 November 2012 | María Santos Gorrostieta Salazar, physician and former mayor of Tiquicheo, Michoacán. | Kidnapped by armed gunmen while driving her daughter to school in Morelia, Michoacán on the 12 November. Gorrostieta Salazar pleaded with her abductors to let her daughter go unharmed, and then agreed to go with the kidnappers. On 15 November, police identified the body after farm workers from the rural community of San Juan Tararameo in Cuitzeo found the corpse on their way to work. Post-mortem reports indicated that she died of a traumatic brain injury, the result of severe blows to the head. She had previously survived three attempts on her life, one of which took the life of her husband José Sánchez Chávez in 2009. | |
| 17 October 2016 | Vicente Bermúdez Zacarías, federal judge | Unknown | Killed by a gunman approaching behind him in broad daylight while out on a morning jog in Metepec, State of Mexico. Suspect fled the scene with an accomplice nearby. No clear motive has been established in Bermúdez Zacarías' murder, but may be possibly linked to his role as presiding judge in Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's extradition process, or his complaints against fellow colleagues and court predecessors for judicial irregularities. In October 2019, his ex-wife Marisol Macías Gutiérrez was arrested for allegedly masterminding her ex-husband's murder in a scheme to claim his life insurance plan. |
| 8 June 2018 | Fernando Purón Johnston, former mayor of Piedras Negras, Coahuila | Shot while leaving a debate hall while running for Mexico's general election.[24] | |
| 18 December 2020 | Aristóteles Sandoval, former governor of Jalisco | Saúl Alejandro Rincón Godoy (El Chopa), was later gunned down by Mexican military forces nearby. | Gunned down while having dinner at a local restaurant in Puerto Vallarta. |
| 13 May 2021 | Abel Murrieta Gutiérrez, lawyer, former congressman, and former attorney general of Sonora | Unknown, attributed to Caborca Cartel | Shot and killed while standing on a street corner in Ciudad Obregón distributing flyers for his campaign for the municipal presidency. A female campaign worker was also injured. The attack was attributed to the Caborca Cartel, the same group that had carried out the massacre on Murrieta's clients, the LeBarón family, in 2019.[25][26] |
| 29 June 2023 | Hipólito Mora, farmer, politician, and vigilante self-defense group leader | Ambushed and shot at by unidentified gunmen in La Ruana, Buenavista, Michoacán along with three of his bodyguards. | |
| 22 July 2024 | Milton Morales Figueroa, General Coordinator for the Tactical Strategy and Special Operations Unit of Mexico City police. | "Cartel hitmen"[27] | Shot twice in the head by hitmen who pulled up in an SUV outside of a chicken shop in Coacalco de Berriozábal, State of Mexico while out with his family. Pending Investigation. |
| 25 July 2024 | Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda, academic, businessman, former rector of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa, former mayor of Culiacán, and deputy-elect | Shot in his vehicle and subsequently died of his wounds at a private hospital in Culiacán. Pending investigation. |
Nicaragua
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 February 1934 | Augusto César Sandino, Nicaraguan revolutionary | National Guard members led by Anastasio Somoza García | |
| 21 September 1956 | Anastasio Somoza García, President of Nicaragua[14] | Rigoberto López Pérez | |
| 10 January 1978 | Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, newspaper editor and anti-Somoza opposition leader | ||
| 16 February 1991 | Enrique Bermúdez, founder and former commander of the Contras |
Panama
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 January 1955 | José Antonio Remón Cantera, President of Panama | Killed at racetrack by machine gun[21] | |
| 31 July 1981 | Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera, Maximum Leader of the Revolution and de facto leader of Panama | Alleged to be the United States by Manuel Noriega and his attorney | Likely killed in an aircraft accident by a radio detonated bomb –– but not confirmed. Much speculation has existed surrounding this incident, and few confirmed sources. |
| 13 September 1985 | Hugo Spadafora, guerrilla fighter and political activist | Manuel Noriega (suspected) |
Paraguay
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 April 1877 | Juan Bautista Gill, President of Paraguay | Killed in a plot instigated by Juan Silvano Godoi[citation needed] | |
| 31 December 1878 | Cirilo Antonio Rivarola, former president of Paraguay | ||
| 17 September 1980 | Anastasio Somoza Debayle, exiled former president of Nicaragua | 7 Sandinistas | |
| 23 March 1999 | Luis María Argaña, vice president of Paraguay | Ambushed[14] |
Peru
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 June 1541 | Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conquistador | Killed in a power struggle between fellow conquistadores | |
| 23 November 1871 | Mariano Melgarejo, exiled former President of Bolivia | ||
| 26 July 1872 | Jose Balta, President of Peru | Ordered shot by Tomás Gutiérrez in retaliation for his brother's death | |
| 26 July 1872 | Tomás Gutiérrez, interim President of Peru | Killed by a mob | |
| 2 February 1873 | Mariano Herencia Zevallos, former interim President of Peru | ||
| 16 November 1878 | Manuel Pardo, former president of Peru and president of the Peruvian Senate | ||
| 30 April 1933 | Luis M. Sánchez Cerro, president of Peru | Abelardo de Mendoza | Shot by a member of the suppressed American Popular Revolutionary Alliance. See Assassination of Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro. |
| 15 February 1992 | María Elena Moyano, a community organizer in Villa El Salvador | ||
| 29 September 2023 | Quinto Inuma Alvarado, tribal leader and conservationist | Genix Saboya Saboya, Belustiano Saboya Pisco, and one other, hired by Segundo Villalobos Guevara[28] |
Suriname
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 December 1982 | Bram Behr, journalist | Victim of the December murders | |
| 8 December 1982 | Eddy Hoost, former Minister of Justice and Police | Victim of the December murders | |
| 8 December 1982 | André Kamperveen, athlete and former minister | Victim of the December murders | |
| 8 December 1982 | Gerard Leckie, academic | Victim of the December murders | |
| 8 December 1982 | Surendre Rambocus, military officer | Victim of the December murders |
Trinidad and Tobago
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 December 1699 | José de León y Echales, Spanish governor of Trinidad | Killed during the Arena Massacre | |
| 1 August 1990 | Leo Des Vignes, MP | Killed during the Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt | |
| 10 June 1995 | Selwyn Richardson, former Attorney-General | ||
| 4 May 2014 | Dana Seetahal, senator |
United States
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 May 1815 | David Ramsay, Delegate of the United States Continental Congress | William Linnen | Shot on Broad Street in Charleston, South Carolina with a Horseman's Pistol. |
| 7 November 1837 | Elijah Parish Lovejoy, minister, editor, and abolitionist | Killed by a pro-slavery mob. | |
| 22 June 1839 | Major Ridge, Cherokee leader | Bird Doublehead and James Foreman | Killed by a group of people who blamed Ridge, who signed the Treaty of New Echota, for the deaths of 4,000 Cherokees on the Trail of Tears. His son, John, and his nephew, Elias Boudinot, were also killed. |
| 27 June 1844 | Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism and 1844 presidential candidate | Armed mob killed him and his brother, Hyrum, at the Carthage, Illinois, jail. | |
| 14 April 1865 | Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States | John Wilkes Booth | Was shot while watching the play Our American Cousin in the presidential box at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. Lincoln died the next morning on 15 April across the street in a boarding house. Booth and accomplice David Herold hid in a barn in Virginia. Herold surrendered. When Booth refused to go out, the troops set the barn on fire. Booth remained inside the barn but was fatally shot in the neck by Union soldier Boston Corbett. |
| 22 October 1868 | James M. Hinds, U.S. Representative from Arkansas | George Clark | Killed by a Ku Klux Klan member as part of intimidation of Republicans. |
| 2 July 1881 | James A. Garfield, President of the United States | Charles J. Guiteau | Shot by Guiteau while waiting for a train at a Washington train station. Garfield did not die until September 19, 1881. |
| 14 July 1881 | Billy the Kid, Outlaw | Pat Garrett | Shot by Garrett after a 2 month long manhunt in Fort Sumner, New Mexico Territory. |
| 18 March 1882 | Morgan Earp, Sheriff | Shot while playing billiards at the Campbell & Hatch Billiard Parlor in Tombstone, Arizona by Cowboys in retaliation for the Earp Brothers' killings of previous Outlaws. | |
| 3 April 1882 | Jesse James, Outlaw | Robert Ford and Charles Ford | Shot in the back of the head in St. Joseph, Missouri. |
| 15 October 1890 | David Hennessy, Police Chief of New Orleans | Mafia assassins | |
| 8 June 1892 | Robert Ford, Outlaw | Edward Capehart O'Kelley | Shot in the neck with a shotgun while in his tent saloon in Creede, Colorado. |
| 28 October 1893 | Carter Harrison Sr., Mayor of Chicago | Patrick Eugene Prendergast | Killed after assailant was rejected for appointment to a patronage position. |
| 3 February 1900 | William Goebel, Governor of Kentucky | Unknown political opponents | Uncertain, but killed in the context of a disputed, fraudulent election. |
| 6 September 1901 | William McKinley, President of the United States | Leon Czolgosz | Czolgosz shot McKinley while he was shaking hands at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Died on September 14. |
| 21 October 1905 | Tomasso Petto, mobster in the Morello Crime Family | Giuseppe de Primo (suspected) | Shot while walking home from a butcher shop in the village of Browntown, Pennsylvania. |
| 30 December 1905 | Frank Steunenberg, Governor of Idaho | Harry Orchard | Killed by a mining company informant in an attempt to cast blame on a labor union. |
| 25 June 1906 | Stanford White, prominent architect | Harry Kendall Thaw | Thaw had harbored an obsessive hatred of White, believing he had blocked Thaw's access to the social elite of New York. White had also had a previous relationship with Thaw's wife, the model and chorus girl Evelyn Nesbit. |
| 29 February 1908 | Pat Garrett, Old West lawman, customs agent | Jesse Wayne Brazel (suspected) | Shot while traveling from Las Cruces, New Mexico. |
| 11 May 1921 | Anthony D'Andrea, mafia boss | Shot while entering his apartment in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. | |
| 6 November 1928 | Arnold Rothstein, crime boss | Shot at Park Central Hotel at Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, New York and died 2 days later at the Stuyvesant Polyclinic Hospital. | |
| 6 March 1933 | Anton Cermak, Mayor of Chicago | Giuseppe Zangara | Shot struck Cermak instead of intended target President Franklin Roosevelt. |
| 8 September 1935 | Huey Long, U.S. Senator from Louisiana and a potential 1936 U.S. presidential candidate | Carl Weiss | Shot with a handgun in the abdomen after attending a meeting at the State Capital building to help pass "House Bill Number One" by the son-in-law of Long's long-time opponent, Judge Benjamin Henry Pavy, and died two days later. Weiss was shot and killed by Long's bodyguards. |
| 11 January 1943 | Carlo Tresca, anarchist organizer | ||
| 20 June 1947 | Bugsy Siegel, mobster | Shot while reading a newspaper in Virginia Hill's home in Beverly Hills, California. | |
| 19 April 1951 | Philip Mangano, Caporegime and Vincent "The Executioner" Mangano, Head of the Mangano Crime Family | Albert Anastasia (suspected) | Both brothers disappeared on 19 April 1951, with Philip's being discovered in a marshland area of Jamaica Bay in Brooklyn on the same day having been shot three times, while Vincent's was never discovered. Both were presumed to have been killed on the orders of family underboss Albert Anastasia. |
| 25 October 1957 | Albert Anastasia, crime boss of the Murder, Inc. Corporation | Vito Genovese and Carlo Gambino | Shot multiple times while in the barber shop of the Park Sheraton Hotel at 56th Street and 7th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan |
| 9 February 1960 | Adolph Coors III, heir to the Coors Brewing Company | Joseph Corbett, Jr. | Murdered in failed kidnap-for-ransom attempt. |
| 12 June 1963 | Medgar Evers, African-American U.S. civil rights activist and leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Mississippi.[14] | Byron De La Beckwith | Shot by a Ku Klux Klan member, who was convicted in 1994. |
| 22 November 1963 | John F. Kennedy, President of the United States | Lee Harvey Oswald | Shot while traveling in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. See Assassination of John F. Kennedy |
| 24 November 1963 | Lee Harvey Oswald, assassin of John F. Kennedy | Jack Ruby | Shot on live television in the basement of the Dallas police department. |
| 21 June 1964 | James Chaney, Andrew Goodman & Michael Schwerner, civil rights activists | Ku Klux Klan | Abducted and executed by members of the Ku Klux Klan for their work on the Freedom Summer campaign in an attempt to get African-Americans to register to vote in Neshoba County, Mississippi. |
| 21 February 1965 | Malcolm X, black Muslim leader | Talmadge Hayer, a member of the Nation of Islam | Killed in a Manhattan banquet room as he began a speech. See Assassination of Malcolm X |
| 10 January 1966 | Vernon Dahmer, President of the Forrest County chapter of NAACP | The White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan led by Samuel Bowers | His home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi was fire bombed on the night of January 10, 1966 by the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan leaving Dahmer severely burnt before ultimately dying from smoke inhalation and severe burns to his lungs. |
| 25 August 1967 | George Lincoln Rockwell, leader of the American Nazi Party | John Patler, a former aide | Shot in the chest as he was leaving a laundromat. |
| 4 April 1968 | Martin Luther King Jr., U.S. civil rights activist[14] | James Earl Ray[29] | Ray pleaded guilty but later recanted, while a 1999 civil trial convicted restaurant owner Loyd Jowers and 'unknown others', while also noting that 'governmental agencies were parties' to the plot.[30] See Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. |
| 5 June 1968 | Robert F. Kennedy, U.S. Senator from New York and a leading 1968 Democratic presidential candidate | Sirhan Sirhan | Shot after giving a speech after winning the California primary. Died 26 hours later on 6 June. Sirhan was convicted on 17 April 1969, and less than a week later was sentenced to death.[31] The sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972 after the California Supreme Court, in its decision in California v. Anderson, invalidated all pending death sentences imposed in California prior to 1972. |
| 13 June 1969 | Clarence 13X, religious leader, founder of the Five-Percent Nation | Was killed in an ambush while in the lobby of his apartment building in New York City. | |
| 9 August 1969 | Sharon Tate, actress; Jay Sebring, celebrity hairstylist; Abigail Folger, coffee heiress; and her boyfriend, Wojciech Frykowski | The Manson Family | All were stabbed multiple times at Tate's home in Los Angeles, California. |
| 10 August 1969 | Leno LaBianca, supermarket executive | LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, were stabbed multiple times at their home in Los Angeles, California. | |
| 4 December 1969 | Fred Hampton, deputy chairman of the Black Panther Party | Chicago Police Department, with involvement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation | Killed by the Chicago Police Department in a raid. The status of this as an assassination is somewhat disputed; however many sources see this as an assassination or at least a politically motivated extrajudicial execution, with support from the FBI's COINTELPRO program.[32][33][34][35][36][37] |
| 6 November 1973 | Marcus Foster, School District Superintendent in Oakland, CA | Donald DeFreeze, Joe Remiro and Russ Little | Killed by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army. |
| 30 June 1974 | Alberta Williams King, mother of Martin Luther King Jr., and Edward Boykin, church deacon | Marcus Chenault | Killed while her husband was preaching at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. |
| 13 November 1974 | Karen Silkwood, nuclear whistleblower and union activist | Run off the road while on her way to provide documents to The New York Times about negligent safety and security at a nuclear-waste reprocessing facility in Cimarron, Oklahoma. | |
| 21 September 1976 | Orlando Letelier, Chilean ambassador to the United States during the administration of President Salvador Allende | Michael Townley | Killed along with his American assistant, Ronni Moffitt, by a car bomb placed by Chilean DINA agents. |
| 29 June 1978 | Bob Crane, actor and musician | Found beaten to death in Scottsdale, Arizona. | |
| 27 November 1978 | Harvey Milk, San Francisco Supervisor, first openly gay elected official in the US, and gay rights activist, and George Moscone, mayor of San Francisco | Dan White, former San Francisco Supervisor who opposed Milk's advocacy | See Moscone–Milk assassinations |
| 29 May 1979 | John H. Wood Jr., District Judge | Charles Harrelson | Shot dead in the parking lot of his townhouse in San Antonio, Texas by Harrelson who was hired by drug dealer Jamiel Chagra. |
| 21 March 1980 | Angelo "The Gentle Don" Bruno, Boss of the Philadelphia Crime Family | Antonio Caponigro (alleged) | Shot in the back of the head with a shotgun while waiting at the intersection of 10th Street and Snyder Avenue in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His murder is credited with sparking the 4 year Philadelphia Mob War which went on to claim over 20 lives. |
| 18 April 1980 | Antonio Caponigro, Consigliere | Philadelphia Crime Family | Executed by the Commission along with his brother-in-law for their involvement in the death of Angelo Bruno, their bodies were found in the trunk of a car in The Bronx battered and naked. |
| 28 October 1980 | Frank Sindone, loan shark | Philadelphia Crime Family | Found dead in an alley behind a variety store in South Philadelphia after being shot three times in the head for his involvement in the death of Angelo Bruno. |
| 8 December 1980 | John Lennon, British musician, member of The Beatles | Mark David Chapman | Shot and killed by a former fan of the Beatles, who grew to resent Lennon due to statements and actions that he perceived as anti-Christian (most prominently Lennon's joke that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus") and hypocritical. See Murder of John Lennon. |
| 15 March 1981 | Philip "The Chicken Man" Testa, crime boss of the Philadelphia Crime Family | Peter Casella & Frank Narducci Sr. (allegedly) | Blown up by a nail bomb while entering his twin house on 2117 Porter Street in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. |
| 30 March 1981 | Thor Nis Christiansen, serial killer | Stabbed to death in the exercise yard at Folsom State Prison by an unknown assailant likely due to the severe sexual nature of his murders. | |
| 13 July 1981 | Ken McElroy, attempted murderer, pedophile, criminal | The Town of Skidmore, Missouri | Shot in broad daylight while sitting in his truck in front of Main Street in Skidmore, Missouri in front of a crowd of 30-46 people. |
| 19 September 1981 | Frank Piccolo, caporegime | Paul Castellano (suspected) | Shot to death in a telephone booth on a street in Bridgeport on the orders of Paul Castellano for his encroachment on the Genovese Crime Family's control of rackets in Connecticut. |
| 13 May 1982 | Frank Monte, Consigliere | Harry Riccobene | Shot with a sniper rifle in South Philadelphia on the orders of high-ranking crime boss Harry Riccobene during the Scarfo-Riccobene Gang War. |
| 10 January 1983 | Roy DeMeo, mobster | The Gambino Crime Family | Found dead in the trunk of his car in the parking lot of the Veruna Boat Club in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn having been shot multiple times. |
| 20 January 1983 | Allen Dorfman, insurance agency owner, consultant to IBT | the Chicago Mafia (alleged) | Shot to death in the parking lot of the Lincolnwell Hyatt in Lincolnwood, Illinois. |
| 18 June 1984 | Alan Berg, radio talk-show host | Jean Craig, David Lane, Bruce Pierce, and Richard Scutari | Killed by members of the white nationalist group The Order. |
| 15 October 1984 | Henry Liu, Taiwanese-American writer | Wu Tun and Tung Kuei-sen | Allegedly killed by Kuomintang agents. |
| 6 September 1985 | Tscherim Soobzokov, Circassian spy, politician, SSObersturmführer, and Nazi fugitive | Robert Manning (suspected) | Received multiple death threats from those claiming to represent the Jewish Defence League, although they denied involvement |
| 14 September 1984 | Salvatore Testa, underboss for the Philadelphia Crime Family | Nicodemo Scarfo | Shot dead on the side of the road in Gloucester Township, New Jersey on the orders of the current boss Nicodemo Scarfo. |
| 11 October 1985 | Alex Odeh, Arab anti-discrimination group leader | Irv Rubin, Robert Manning, Andy Green, Keith Fuchs (suspected) | Killed when a bomb exploded in his Santa Ana, California office. |
| 16 December 1985 | Paul Castellano, crime boss of the Gambino Crime Family and Thomas Bilotti, mobster | John Gotti | Shot to death in an unsanctioned hit at Sparks Steak House in Midtown Manhattan on East 46th Street near Third Avenue. |
| 19 February 1986 | Barry Seal | Luis Carlos Quintero-Cruz, Miguel Vélez, Bernardo Antonio Vázquez and other members of the Medellín Cartel | Shot 6x outside of the Salvation Army Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and died almost instantaneously.[38] |
| 13 April 1986 | Frank DeCicco, underboss of the Gambino Crime Family | Victor Amuso & Anthony Casso | Killed while on a visit to Castellano loyalist James Failla in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn under the orders of Vincent Gigante and Anthony Corallo of the Lucchese Family. |
| 29 April 1986 | Alejandro González Malavé, undercover policeman | Killed in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. | |
| 13 June 1986 | Vladimir Reznikov, gangster | Joseph Testa & Anthony Senter | Ambushed and shot dead by Testa in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York City while collecting money owed to him for a fraudulent gas license. |
| 16 June 1986 | Anthony Spilotro, Mobster | Chicago Outfit | Spilotro and his brother were found beaten to death and buried in a cornfield in the Willow Slough preserve near Enos, Indiana.[39] |
| 22 August 1989 | Huey Newton, founder of the Black Panther Party | Tyrone Robinson | Killed by member of the Black Guerrilla Army (BGA). |
| 16 December 1989 | Robert Vance, Federal Appeals Judge | Walter Leroy Moody | Moody was convicted in 1991 of sending Judge Vance a mail-bomb as a personal vendetta; however, attorney Daniel Sheehan has claimed Judge Vance was assassinated to influence the outcome of the Iran-Contra litigation Avrignan v. Hull. |
| 18 December 1989 | Robert E. Robinson, lawyer, civil rights activist, and city councilmember | Walter Leroy Moody | Targetted via mail bomb for his work with the NAACP. |
| 5 November 1990 | Meir David Kahane, Member of the Israeli Knesset, founder of the JDL and the Kach Party, Zionist | El Said Nosair | Killed by an Arab gunman in a Manhattan hotel who was found guilty of conspiracy charges linking him to Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, "the blind sheik", Al Qaeda's point man in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Kahane's assassination was Al Qaeda's first act of terror on US soil. |
| 13 April 1991 | Bobby Boriello, mobster | Frank Lastorino | Shot seven times outside his home on Bay 29th Street Bensonhurst, Brooklyn on the orders of Lucchese Crime Family underboss Anthony Casso. |
| 21 May 1991 | Ioan P. Culianu, Romanian historian of religion, culture, and ideas | Killed at the University of Chicago where he taught at the University of Chicago Divinity School Swift Hall, allegedly due to opposition to his writings. | |
| 10 March 1993 | David Gunn, abortion provider | Michael F. Griffin | Shot outside his clinic. |
| 29 July 1994 | John Britton, physician, abortion provider | Paul Jennings Hill | Shot at his clinic. |
| 31 March 1995 | Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, singer and songwriter | Yolanda Saldívar | Shot in Corpus Christi, Texas by fan club manager. |
| 30 September 1995 | Stretch, rapper | Ronald Washington (suspected) | Shot four times in the back during a car chase before crashing at 112th Avenue and 209th Street in Queens, New York. |
| 13 September 1996 | Tupac Shakur, rapper | Orlando Anderson (suspected) | Shot in Las Vegas after leaving a boxing match. |
| 9 March 1997 | Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, rapper | Wardell Fouse (suspected) | Shot in Los Angeles. |
| 15 July 1997 | Gianni Versace, fashion designer | Andrew Cunanan | Shot on his home's front steps in Miami. |
| 19 October 1998 | Tommy Burks, member of the Tennessee Senate | Byron (Low Tax) Looper | Shot and killed on his property in Cookeville, Tennessee by his Republican Party opponent a month before the election. |
| 23 October 1998 | Barnett Slepian, physician, abortion provider | James Charles Kopp | Shot in his kitchen. |
| 15 February 1999 | Big L, rapper | Gerard Woodley (suspected) | Killed in a Drive-By-Shooting after being shot nine times at 45 West 139th Street, New York City. |
| 30 October 2002 | Jam Master Jay, rapper | Karl Jordan Jr. & Ronald Washington (suspected) | Shot dead in his recording studio on Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. |
| 23 July 2003 | James E. Davis, member of the New York City Council | Othniel Askew | Shot in the torso while introducing Askew on the balcony of the New York City Hall. |
| 23 November 2003 | Adolfo Bruno, caporegime with the Genovese crime family | Arthur Nigro | Shot five times in the parking lot of the Society of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Club in Springfield, Massachusetts after a hit had been ordered by the acting boss of the Genovese crime family Arthur Nigro. |
| 1 November 2004 | Mac Dre, rapper | Anthony "Fat Tone" Watkins (alleged) | After performing a show in Kansas City, Missouri along with other Thizz Entertainment members the groups Van was shot at by an unknown assailant while traveling on U.S. Route 71 causing the van to crash and Mac Dre was later pronounced dead at the scene from a bullet wound to the neck. |
| 8 December 2004 | Dimebag Darrell, musician | Nathan Gale | Shot while performing onstage at the Alrosa Villa Nightclub in Columbus, Ohio. |
| 19 April 2005 | Blade Icewood, rapper | Murdered while at the car wash on West 7 Mile Road and Faust Street on the West Side of Detroit, Michigan after an unknown assailant pulled up on his Range Rover and fired 17 rounds into the passenger's side. | |
| 1 January 2007 | Darrent Williams, football player | Crips Gang Members | Killed in a drive-by-shooting after an unknown assailant pulled up next to his rented Hummer H2 limousine in downtown Denver, Colorado. |
| 2 August 2007 | Chauncey Bailey, Oakland Tribune journalist | Devaughndre Broussard | Shot on the street in Oakland. |
| 7 February 2008 | Mike Swoboda, Mayor of Kirkwood, Missouri | Charles "Cookie" Thornton | See Kirkwood City Council shooting |
| 20 April 2008 | VL Mike, rapper | Shot multiple times while exiting his vehicle on 4700 block of Miles Drive in New Orleans, Louisiana and later died at University Hospital. | |
| 31 May 2009 | George Tiller, physician | Scott Roeder | Shot by anti-abortion extremist as he ushered at his church. |
| 1 July 2010 | Lele El Arma Secreta, rapper, drug trafficker | LA ONU | Found with 24 gunshot wounds in a car in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. Believed to have been ordered by LA ONU, a group he had allegedly been a member of according to the United States Department of Justice. |
| 8 January 2011 | John Roll, Chief Judge | Jared Lee Loughner | Shot by Loughner along with his main target Gabrielle Giffords in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona during the Congress on Your Corner meeting. |
| 17 June 2015 | Clementa C. Pinckney, South Carolina Senator | Dylann Roof | Shot and killed by Roof during the Charleston Church Shooting in South Carolina. |
| 10 June 2016 | Christina Grimmie, singer | Kevin Loibl | Shot while signing autographs in Orlando, Florida. |
| 18 June 2018 | Jahseh "XXXTentacion" Onfroy, rapper and singer | Michael Boatwright | Shot while in his car in Deerfield, Florida. |
| 18 June 2018 | Jimmy Wopo, rapper | Killed during a drive-by-shooting in Pittsburgh's Hill District neighborhood in Pennsylvania and died an hour later at UPMC Presbyterian. | |
| 30 October 2018 | Whitey Bulger, crime boss of the Winter Hill Gang | Fotios Geas, Paul J. DeCologero & Sean McKinnon (accused) | Found beaten to death with a padlock-sock and a shiv in his wheelchair after being transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Hazelton, West Virginia. |
| 31 March 2019 | Nipsey Hussle, rapper and producer | Eric Ronald Holder, Jr. | Shot in front of his clothing store, Marathon Clothing, in South Los Angeles. |
| 11 November 2020 | MO3, rapper | Kewon Dontrell White & Devin Maurice Brown | Hunted down and shot to death while he was driving on the Interstate 35 in Dallas, Texas. |
| 17 November 2021 | Young Dolph, rapper | Justin Johnson, Cornelius Smith & Shundale Barnett (suspected) | Shot twenty two times while picking up cookies for his mother at Makeda's Homemade Butter Cookies in Memphis, Tennessee. |
| 18 February 2023 | David G. O'Connell, Catholic bishop | Carlos Medina (alleged) | Shot at his home in Los Angeles, California. |
Uruguay
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 February 1868 | Bernardo P. Berro, former President of Uruguay | ||
| 19 February 1868 | Venancio Flores, former president of Uruguay | ||
| 25 August 1897 | Juan Idiarte Borda, President of Uruguay | Avelino Arredondo | Shot by a supporter of José Batlle y Ordóñez |
| 23 February 1965 | Herberts Cukurs, Latvian aviator and fugitive war criminal | Mossad | Killed for his role in the Holocaust in Latvia |
| 10 August 1970 | Dan Mitrione, U.S. Office of Public Safety advisor | Tupamaros | |
| 15 November 1992 | Eugenio Berríos, Chilean chemist who worked for the DINA during the Pinochet dictatorship | Chilean Government | Killed in Uruguay by Chilean secret services for "knowing too much". |
Venezuela
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 June 1830 | Antonio José de Sucre, independence leader | |||
| 13 November 1950 | Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, President of Venezuela[21] | Rafael Simón Urbina | ||
| 13 November 1950 | Rafael Simón Urbina, opponent of President Juan Vicente Gómez and assassin of President Carlos Delgado Chalbaud | |||
| 21 October 1952 | Leonardo Ruiz Pineda, member and one of the founders of Acción Democrática | Dirección de Seguridad Nacional | Assassinated by dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez's political police[40] | |
| 18 November 2004 | Danilo Anderson, state prosecutor | |||
| 17 May 2011 | Wilfred Iván Ojeda, journalist | |||
| 2 April 2012 | Jesús Aguilarte, governor of Apure | |||
| 1 October 2014 | Robert Serra, member of the National Assembly | |||
| 6 May 2016 | Germán Mavare, A New Era politician | |||
| 15 January 2018 | Óscar Alberto Pérez, Venezuelan rebel leader and Investigator for the Cuerpo de Investigaciones Científicas, Penales y Criminalísticas. | Venezuelan National Guard | ||
| 8 October 2018 | Fernando Albán, Justice First councilman | Bolivarian Intelligence Service | In May 2021, Nicolás Maduro's Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, admitted that Albán did not commit suicide, as initially reported by government officials, but was killed.[41] | |
| 6 March 2019 | Alí Domínguez, journalist | |||
| 16 October 2019 | Edmundo Rada, Popular Will councilman | Special Action Forces officers suspected of the killing.[42][43] |
Asia
Europe
Oceania
Australia
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 February 1894 | William Paisley, Mayor of Burwood, New South Wales | William Redfearn | Murder-suicide by Redfearn |
| 23 June 1975 | Shirley Finn, brothel keeper, nightclub operator and socialite | Possibly killed in retaliation for being a whistle blower. | |
| 4 July 1975 | Juanita Nielsen, newspaper publisher, journalist and urban heritage activist | Disappeared. Ruled a murder at a 1983 coronial inquest. | |
| 15 July 1977 | Donald Mackay, anti-drugs campaigner | ||
| 17 December 1980 | Şarık Arıyak, Turkish Consul General | Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide | |
| 10 January 1989 | Colin Winchester, Assistant Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police | ||
| 5 September 1994 | John Newman, New South Wales State Member for Cabramatta | Phuong Ngo, local club owner and political opponent |
New Caledonia
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 May 1989 | Jean-Marie Tjibaou, Kanak independence leader | Djubelly Wéa |
New Zealand
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 February 1962 | James Patrick Ward, barrister | Unknown | Killed by a parcel bomb. Assailant was never identified. |
Samoa
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 July 1999 | Luagalau Levaula Kamu, Minister of Public Works | Eletise Leafa Vitale, son of the victim's disgraced predecessor Leafa Vitale |
Palau
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 June 1985 | Haruo Remeliik, President of Palau | Unknown |
Solomon Islands
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 August 2002 | Augustine Geve, Minister for Youth, Women and Sports | Ronnie Cawa, Francis Lela, Harold Keke |
West Papua
| Date | Victim(s) | Assassin(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 April 1984 | Arnold Ap, songman and ethnomusicologist | Shot in back by an Indonesian military unit upon release from prison[44] | |
| 14 March 1996 | Thomas Wainggai, Independence leader | Allegedly poisoned by Indonesian intelligence officers in Cipinang prison.[44] | |
| 10 November 2001 | Theys Eluay, West Papuan Independence movement leader | Assassinated by Kopassus officers after attending a military dinner in Jayapura[44] | |
| 16 December 2009 | Kelly Kwalik, West Papuan guerrilla leader | Assassinated by Detachment 88 officers in Timika[44] | |
| 14 June 2012 | Mako Tabuni, Chairman of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) | Assassinated by Detachment 88 officers in Jayapura[45] |
See also
- List of assassinated anticolonialist leaders
- List of assassinations by car bombing
- List of assassinated and executed heads of state and government
- List of assassinated serving ambassadors
- List of Israeli assassinations
- List of Iranian assassinations
- List of heads of state and government who survived assassination attempts
- List of people who survived assassination attempts
- List of terrorist incidents
- List of fictional assassins
- List of assassinations by the Assassins
References
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