Forty-six years ago today, Peter Worthington was an eyewitness to a key moment in history.

Worthington was standing just a few feet from Lee Harvey Oswald when Jack Ruby shot him dead.

In this exclusive video interview for Canoe.ca, Peter Worthington describes the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald in his own words...

Worthington, the founding editor of the Toronto Sun, was then a reporter for the Toronto Telegram. Following the shooting of President John F. Kennedy, Worthington was sent to Washington, then to Dallas to cover the transfer of accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald the police station to the courthouse.

Landing in Dallas after an all-night series of flights from Washington, the wily reporter decided to scout the location where Oswald was meant to be brought later in the day. The reconnaissance paid off: when Oswald arrived earlier in the day, and by a different route than had been planned, Worthington was there, along with a horde of other reporters and police officers.

But Worthington chose his spot well - almost too well. He was standing right next to Lee Harvey Oswald when Jack Ruby burst out of the crowd, thrust a revolver into Oswald's midriff, and fired a fatal shot.

At home in Toronto, the news team was following the transfer of Lee Harvey Oswald and therefore, saw Ruby shoot Oswald on live television, as did much of the world. When Worthington phoned in to tell his bosses that he had the story, he was surprised to learn they already knew - they'd seen him on TV. The reporter at the rival Toronto Star was not so lucky - he'd been set to photograph the later arrival, and missed the big story completely.

This photo, showing the young Peter Worthington and a Dallas policeman in the moments following the attack, was taken by a Telegram photographer. Note the rounded corners, high contrast and prominent grain of the TV screen. It's a remarkable photograph, as the action at the scene was incredibly fast-moving, and Worthington is difficult to make out among the many people present.

Toronto Telegram photo courtesy Sun archives.

For more conversation with Peter Worthington on video, see Worthington on Conservatism.