Mr. WEITZMAN - After that, we entered the building and started to search floor to floor and we started on the first floor, second floor, third floor and on up, when we got up to the fifth or sixth floor, I forget, I believe it was the sixth floor, the chief deputy or whoever was in charge of the floor, I forget the officer's name, from the sheriff's office, said he wanted that floor torn apart. He wanted that gun and it was there somewhere, so myself and another officer from the sheriff's department, I can't remember his name, he and I proceeded until we----
Mr. BALL - Was his name Boone?
Mr. WEITZMAN - That is correct, Boone and I, and as he was looking over the rear section of the building, I would say the northwest corner, I was on the floor looking under the flat at the same time he was looking on the top side and we saw the gun, I would say, simultaneously and I said, "There it is" and he started hollering, "We got it." It was covered with boxes. It was well protected as far as the naked eye because I would venture to say eight or nine of us stumbled over that gun a couple times before we thoroughly searched the building.
Imo, this statement from Weitzman implies he was looking THROUGH the open space under the pallet of boxes ("the flat"), and that's why he saw the rifle on the floor on the south side of row of boxes that Boone was leaning over, hence both of them seeing the rifle about the same time.
Apparently some 8 or 9 people passed by that gap between the pallet of boxes and the wall of boxes closest to the staircase, and did not see the rifle. Weitzman suggests it was "covered with boxes" and was "well protected"