UCLA Honors Two Black Panther Party Member Students Who Were Slain on Campus in 1969

On January 17, 1969, two African-American students were shot and killed on the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles. The two students, Alprentice Carter and John J. Huggins Jr., were both members of the Black Panther Party. The shooting allegedly occurred during a dispute over leadership of the new black studies program at UCLA.

The alleged shooter was never apprehended. Two others were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and were given life sentences. Both escaped from prison in 1974. One of the two lived as a fugitive in Suriname for 20 years before giving himself up. The other conspirator remains at large.

Now a plaque honoring the slain students will be placed in a glass case in the classroom building where the murders occurred.