Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, leaders of the Black Panther Party, were killed during a pre-dawn raid by the Chicago Police Department, coordinated with the FBI and Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Civil rights advocates and later investigations revealed that Hampton was drugged and shot multiple times while asleep, prompting widespread outrage and charges of extrajudicial murder.

• Fred Hampton was only 21 years old and had founded the Chicago chapter of the Black Panther Party in November 1968.

• He quickly became known for his charismatic leadership and revolutionary vision, forming free breakfast programs, health clinics, and a Rainbow Coalition that united poor Black, Latino, and white communities.

• Mark Clark, 22, was standing watch at the time of the raid and was also shot and killed.

Subsequent investigations uncovered that the FBI’s COINTELPRO program had targeted Hampton and the Black Panthers as part of a broader effort to disrupt civil rights movements.