Paul L. Guihard

On October 1, 1962, James Meredith became the first African-American student to register for classes at the University of Mississippi. On the night before Meredith’s registration, violent rioting broke out on the university campus. The rioting became so dangerously uncontrollable that President Kennedy ordered armed military troops to quell the violence. Hundreds were injured during the rioting, and two men died. One of those men, Paul Guihard, was a French reporter covering the Meredith desegregation story. Forensic evidence revealed that Guihard’s death was caused by a single .38 caliber bullet fired at close range entering his body through the back and striking his heart. There are no known witnesses to this shooting, and ballistic testing of the firearms seized during the rioting failed to produce a match to the .38 caliber bullet recovered from Guihard’s body. Despite an extensive investigation, no subject has ever been identified.