Crime History - Guns blazing, men go after Truman at Blair House
By: Scott McCabe
Examiner Staff Writer
November 1, 2009
On this day, Nov. 1, in 1950, Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempted to assassinate President Truman at the Blair House in Washington.
Collazo and Torresola wanted to take down Truman to bring world attention to the independence cause of Puerto Rico. Truman was an odd target because he supported a greater Puerto Rican autonomy.
Around 2 p.m., Torresola approached White House police officer Leslie Coffelt in the guardhouse and shot him three times. While Torresola turned his weapon on another officer, Coffelt staggered out of the shack and killed Torresola with a single shot to the head. Coffelt, a former D.C. police officer, died later that day.
Collazo was shot in the chest and arrested.
The attempt on his life did not affect Truman's schedule and he kept his appointments that day, explaining, "A president has to expect these things."
Collazo was sentenced to death, but Truman commuted the sentence to life imprisonment. He died in 1994.
-- Scott McCabe
