Everett Collection Historical / Alamy Stock Photo
Fred Hampton led Illinois’s Black Panther Party from 1968 until his death the following year. His killing remains the subject of much scrutiny, as Hampton died after Chicago Police officers raided his West Side apartment on the morning of December 4, 1969. The police fired 99 shots, killing the 21-year-old Hampton and his fellow Panther, 22-year-old Mark Clark. The Panthers fired just once.
Shaka King s new biopic,
Judas and the Black Messiah, focuses on Hampton and the events leading up to his death, as well as the role paid informant William O’Neal a Black man who served as chief of security for the Black Panther Party played in helping the FBI infiltrate the Party and obtain information on Hampton, including the layout of his apartment. Here are 10 facts about Hampton and the enduring legacy he created in his tragically short life.