I appreciate that. But we hold a small minority view on this board as both CTers and LNers don't like this evidence.
The problem for most LNers is that the evidence does not fit with the first shot miss and second shot SBT which seems to be the current SBT scenario preference (it has changed over the years from a first shot SBT at around z207 preferred by the WC to a second shot SBT al la Dr. Lattimer/Gerald Posner at z223 or so). The 3 shot, 3 hit scenario (which was the original assumption by the FBI) is the only scenario that fits all of the evidence. But the evidence is being discarded because it does not fit with what both LNers and CTers imagine that they can see happening to JBC by z230. Both camps believe they can tell he is hit in the torso by z230. CTers say he was hit around z230 on the second shot, the first being around z207 so there must have been 2 shooters. The LNers say that JFK and JBC are both hit by the SBT second shot at z223 with the first phantom shot missing the entire limo and disappearing without a trace at about z150-160. All the witnesses who recalled what JFK did immediately after the first shot, with the possible exception of SA Bennett, said that he reacted in a way consistent only with the way JFK is reacting when he emerges from behind the Stemmons sign in the zfilm. No one said he continued to smile and wave, let alone for 2-3 seconds afterward. Not even Bennett.
SA Glen Bennett said in his initial notes written shortly after the events (CE 2112, 24 H 542):
"At this point I heard a noise that immediately reminded me of a firecracker. I immediately, upon hearing the supposed fire cracker, looked at the Boss's car. At this exact time I saw a shot that hit the Boss about 4 inches down from the right shoulder; a second shot followed immediately and hit the right rear high of the Boss's head."
That very much looks to me like two shots. It could be that he was saying he heard the "supposed fire cracker" noise and immediately looked at the President and saw where a shot had hit - about 4 inches down from the right shoulder. Or, as most LNers interpret it, he heard the loud fire cracker noise and then immediately saw the second shot hit Gov. Connally (without mentioning a second shot sound). That is is an odd way to say it.. It is further complicated by the fact that the day after the events he gave a statement saying that there were three shots:
""At this point I heard what sounded like a fire-cracker. I immediately looked from the right/crowd/physical area/ and looked towards the President who was seated in the right rear seat of his limosine open convertible. At the moment I looked at the back of the President I heard another fire-cracker noise and saw the shot hit the President about four inches down from the right shoulder. A second shot followed immediately and hit the right rear high of the President's head."
Bennett does say that the third shot followed immediately after the shot that hit the president four inches down from the right shoulder. So unless he thinks that 5 seconds (the time from z223 to z313) is "immediately" the second shot hitting JFK does not fit what is apparent in the zfilm.
Here are just some of the witnesses who said the last shot hit JFK in the head:
[SA Glen Bennett (quoted above)
Photographer Ike Altgens (7 H 517): "There was not another shot fired after the President was struck in the head. That was the last shot-that much I will say with a great degree of certainty."
SA George Hickey (CE 1024 18 H 762): "The last shot seemed to hit his head and cause a noise at the point of impact which made him fall forward and to his left again."
Governor Connally: (3 H 133): the third shot sounded, and I heard the shot very clearly. I heard it hit him. I heard the shot hit something, and I assumed again-it never entered my mind that it ever hit anybody but the President. I heard it hit. It was a very loud noise, just that audible, very clear.
Immediately I could see on my clothes, my clothing, I could see on the interior of the car which, as I recall, was a pale blue, brain tissue,
Nelly Connally (3 H 147): The third shot that I heard I felt, it felt like spent buckshot falling all over us, and then, of course, I too could see that it was the matter, brain tissue, or whatever, just human matter, all over the car and both of us.
David Powers (7 H 473: "I noticed then that the President moved quite far to his left after the shot from the extreme right hand side where he had been sitting. There was a second shot and Governor Connally disappeared from sight and then there was a third shot which took off the top of the President’s head")
SA Wm. Greer (2 H 119): Mr. SPECTER. Was it at about that time that you heard the third shot?
Mr. GREER. Yes, sir; just as soon as I turned my head. [he is seen turning his head for the last time at about z305 just before the head shot]
While one can theorize that these witnesses are wrong and that there was a shot after the head shot, I prefer to stick with evidence. Why the shooter would fire again after such an obvious hit also does not make much sense either.
What follows is based on the comprehensive witness analysis at Pat Speer's website. The analysis mainly focusses on what eye and ear-witnesses had to say about the shots - the amount, pattern, timing and whether there was a shot after the headshot at z313. From his analysis I count 26 witnesses he is confident identify a shot after the headshot, a further 8 who are probably describing such a shot and another 8 who are possibly describing a shot after the headshot.
John Templin In a letter to [Pat Speers], written in March. 1998, Templin related his experience at the time of the assassination: the motorcade past (sic] us about 15 to 20 feet we heard what appeared to be a motorcycle backfire. As it did, the President's shoulders came up and he slumped down slightly on the back of the seat … As the car went a few feet more, the second shot was fired hitting President Kennedy with such force that I could see his hair actually depart from his skull...My (sic) attention was to look behind us and see if we could see anyone or anything. We could not determine where the shots came from other than from our left.' Templin (continued in his letter): 'Did the first shot strike the President? Yes.' Interestingly enough,
Templin pointed out to me that while he believed that only three shots were fired, he stated that 'the third shot missed everything.'
Marilyn Willis(6-19-64 FBI report, CD1245 p. 44-45) “Mrs. Willis advised when the motorcade passed on Elm Street in front of where she was standing she heard a noise that sounded like a firecracker or a backfire. A few seconds following this she stated she heard another report and saw the top of President Kennedy’s head “blow off and ringed by a red halo.”
She stated she believes she heard another shot following this.” James Worrell (3-6-64 UPI article on Worrell in the Dallas Times-Herald) "He said he was standing directly below the sixth floor of the depository when he heard a shot. 'I looked up real quick and saw the barrel fire again. I looked to see where it hit and saw President Kennedy hit in the back of the head.
Then I looked up again and saw it fire a third time.
J W Foster(3-26-64 FBI report based upon a 3-25-64 interview, CD897 p.20-21) “Just as the vehicle in which President Kennedy was riding reached a point on Elm Street just east of the underpass, Patrolman Foster heard a noise that sounded like a large firecracker…he realized something was wrong because of the movement of the President. Another report was heard by Patrolman Foster and about the same time the report was heard, he observed the President’s head appear to explode, and
immediately thereafter, he heard a third report which he knew was a shot. Malcolm Summers (No More Silence p.102-107, published 1998) “ I heard three shots altogether…Then, when Jackie reached over and grabbed John, she was saying, “Oh, no! Oh, God no!” or something to that effect…Then I knew immediately that he had been hit…I thought he might have been ducking…When I heard her say that was after the second one had already hit. Apparently, that was the head wound.…as to the spacing of the shots, there was much more time between the first one and the second two, the second and the third. They were real close.”
Mary Moorman (11-22-63 article in the Dallas Times-Herald) "Mrs. Moorman, who snapped a picture just at the time the President was shot, and said: 'I took the picture exactly at the moment the shot rang out. My Polaroid shows Kennedy slumped over in the car and it shows Jackie leaning towards him. I heard Mrs. Kennedy say 'My God, he's been shot.'
I heard another shot or two and I turned to my friend and we got on the ground.'"
Charles BrehmThe first one hit the president—there was no doubt whatsoever--because his face winced and he grabbed himself and he slumped down. I do believe without any doubt that the second one hit him because he had an immediate reaction with that second shot.
I do know there was a third shot but as I said by that time I had grabbed my boy and started to go.
Hugh Aynesworth(March-May 1964 account written for the Dallas Morning News, published in the 2013 book JFK Assassination: The Reporters' Notes.) "Then came the first shot. I looked instinctively at one of the motorcycles to see if it was an exhaust. A woman near screamed. I saw a face look into mine briefly with a lost look, much as mine must have been. Then another shot. This was a shot I knew. I recall darting my eyes to the President's open limousine, now slipping down Elm St. to the viaduct. The president jerked his head. I could not tell if he were looking to see what the noise was, but I recall thinking he was only jerking his head to wave at the people on the other side of the grassy slope. His hair seemed to jump up. Later I understood why. Some of the vehicles in the caravan seemed to come to almost a complete stop. Others crept along. I could not tell who was in charge.
Then a third shot, clearer now, for I somehow almost expected it.
These are just a handful of the more unambiguous statements. It's not a question of theorizing these witnesses are wrong or the ones you quote are. They are clearly contradictory statements and this is the problem, these witness statements are useful up to a certain point but cannot be solely relied upon to give us a definitive answer about the timing of the shots. Anyone trying to ascertain the timing of the shots who uses witness statements is forced to cherry-pick. They can only be used to enhance arguments derived from other evidence (video, photographic etc).
As for your point about the missing third shot, I agree, it's a weakness of the model I am presenting, not an insurmountable problem but a problem none-the-less. Assuming all three shots are meant to be head shots - the first is close, the second is on the mark but the third, when the sniper's eye should be in, goes awry. I can speculate that
perhaps, because the gap between the second and third shots is so tight this hurried shot missed it's mark or
perhaps the sudden appearance of Clint Hill in the sniper's sights caused him to pull his shot at the last second or
perhaps.... more speculation, which is all it is.
