On June 5 , 1968 , Smith and fellow newsman Bill Lawrence were anchoring coverage of the California presidential primary that had stretched to 3 a.m. New York time . As the closing credits for the special were airing , word came in that U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York had just been shot . ABC simply showed a wide shot of the chaotic newsroom for several minutes until Smith was able to confirm the initial story and go back on the air with a special report . He and Lawrence continued at their anchor desks for several more hours for reports of Kennedy 's condition
just been shot
Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
Howard K. Smith