45 Years Ago We Lost Martin Luther King To Blinding Hatred. That Night, This Helped Us See Again. 45 years ago, on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was taken from us by a hatefulassassin's bullet. Rioting enveloped our country , in at least 110 cities, with the exception of a few places. Here's why Indianapolis didn't burn. ORIGINAL : By Robert F. Kennedy .