10 Photos Taken Only Moments Before Tragedy Struck

John Lennon And His Eventual Killer

John Lennon was an English musician who co-founded the most commercially successful and influential band in history, The Beatles. In his late 30s, Lennon became more of an activist and pacifist than an active musician and based himself in Manhattan, New York City. This shocking photograph shows John Lennon's killer having an album signed by the artist earlier in the day. This picture was taken in the same place where Lennon would eventually meet his untimely death just hours later. The killer's name is Mark David Chapman who was born in Texas and remains in prison for the murder. At around 10:50 PM on December 8, 1980, Chapman shot Lennon five times in the center of his back after hanging around outside his apartment complex. The gunshot wounds were very damaging, and Lennon was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.