Woman Rights Marcher Slain

Mar. 26, 1965 - A 39-year-old white mother of five from Detroit who took part in yesterday’s voting rights demonstration in Montgomery, Ala., was shot to death last night while driving her car as a shuttle service for some of the demonstrators.

Col. Al Lingo, head of Alabama state troopers, identified her as Viola Gregg Liuzzo, wife of Anthony Liuzzo, Teamsters Union official in Detroit.

Lingo said papers on the woman’s body and in her car indicated she was a member of the transportation committee of the five-day Selma-to-Montgomery rights march for Negro voters which ended yesterday when more than 30,000 demonstrators gathered in front of the Capitol in Montgomery.

The FBI said it was investigating.

The fatal shooting occurred about 9 p.m. local time on a lonely two-lane stretch of U.S. Highway 80 about three miles east of a four-lane section and not far from a marshy section of the county known as Big Swamp, campsite for the second night of the voters’ march.

A Negro demonstrator, Leron Moton of Selma, was riding in the front seat with Mrs. Liuzzo. He escaped injury when the car went out of control following the shooting of the driver and stalled along the shoulder of the road.

Moton said the woman had taken one carload of marchers back to Selma and was returning to Montgomery for another load.

Two shots, apparently from a high-powered rifle, were fired at the car, but Lingo said he did not know whether the shots came from another car or from the side of the road.

One bullet reportedly hit the top of the car, the other going through the window on the driver’s side and striking Mrs. Liuzzo in the head. 

Lingo said Moton left the car and hitchhiked back to Selma, where he reported it to the police. He was being held in custody as a material witness.

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