The First Shot

[Andrew Mason]

It is clear from the evidence available that JFK was behind the foliage Z190-z200 and I think we can dispense with the notion the assassin would be firing through the oak tree. Obviously your only recourse is to question the validity of the evidence as it blows your notion of a shot this early out of the water. Interestingly it also refutes the memory of Phil Willis that he was startled by a shot this early.
At best you would have us believe the very instant JFK emerged from behind the last leaf of foliage the shot was taken. This makes no sense. The assassin may have tracked the limo through the foliage but the shot would have been taken once the limo was in the clear, say z223 

The FBI re-enactment, even with its many errors, shows that JFK was visible by z200.  A first shot at z223 is all perfectly reasonable and logical - except your reason and logic is not evidence and, more importantly, your conclusion does not fit large bodies of consistent evidence.  I will explain:

1. As you have noted, the evidence is rather overwhelming that JFK reacted to the first shot. There are at least 20 witnesses who saw him react immediately and not a single witness said that he continued to smile and wave after the first "horrible ear-shattering noise"

2. The shot pattern recalled by the vast majority of witnesses (over 40 by my count) was the last two shots were closer together but not so close as to be impossible to have been fired by the MC, which requires around 2.3 seconds to fire successive aimed shots.  There is strong evidence that at least one bullet was fired by Oswald's MC.  (There is also strong evidence that all three shots came from the SN using the MC).  In order for the first shot to have been at z223, the third shot could not have been as early as z313 in order to fit the shot pattern: 1.......2...3 and have close to 2.3 seconds between the last two shots. Therefore there must have been a third shot after z313.  There is quite a body of evidence that z313 was the last shot so one would have to discard that evidence.

3. If the SBT occurred at z223 then Gov. Connally (and his wife) was hallucinating when he said that he heard the first shot, realized it was a rifle shot and turned to look at JFK saying "oh, no, no, no" (as Nellie recalled) before the second shot hit him with an impact that he felt (but did not hear) and which Nellie saw.  So you have to throw out the Connally's evidence.  You also have to throw out Greer's evidence which is that he turned around to see Gov. Connally falling back onto his wife immediately after the second shot.  He is already lying down by z313.

The problem here is that everyone has looked at the zfilm and concluded that they can "see" the shot hitting both men at that time. They both react together if you assume that JFK is not already reacting behind the sign and just begins to react immediately as the bullet strikes him at z223 (another conjecture). JBC said he reacted to the first shot.  And JBC insisted that his reaction was well before he felt the second shot that hit him in the back. So we cannot judge by his reaction, even if it was "simultaneous" with JFK reacting, that he was hit in the back at that time if those reactions are to the first shot (which, as you agree, according to the evidence, there was only one shot to that point).

Btw do you have any reasonable explanation of why Connally's jacket suddenly billows a fraction of a second before both Kennedy and Connally simultaneously violently react?

As far as the jacket "bulge" is concerned, originally, this was a theory of a lapel flip until someone pointed out that the lapel was not struck.  Then the armchair Rorschach experts opined that it was a jacket "bulge". To suggest that a bullet exiting the right jacket pocket is going to bulge the jacket needed experimental confirmation. Certainly a bullet alone is not going to do that, as experiments showed.  That is because in order to impart momentum to the jacket the bullet has to lose momentum in passing through the cloth.  It loses so little momentum in passing through that jacket cloth that the bullet would not move the entire jacket panel significantly. So then the story changed to - oh, the jacket bulged because the impact from the spray of blood and tissue exiting from the chest caused this.  Again another conjecture without evidence or experimental support.  The jacket bears no evidence of such blood and tissue:


Oh, yes. But Nellie had the jacket cleaned.... and the story goes on.

What we see in those frames is a change in the amount of white shirt that is visible to Zapruder.  There is no discernible "bulge" in the jacket.  The decrease in white shirt is consistent with the jacket moving over it because JBC is moving.  After all, we agree that JBC is physically reacting. He is preparing to turn around as he does in subsequent frames. As he moves his right arm up from a resting position and he prepares to turn around to the rear, the jacket moves. 

[Dan O'meara]

All perfectly reasonable and logical - except your reason and logic is not evidence and, more importantly, your conclusion does not fit large bodies of consistent evidence.

My logic is based on the evidence provided by the re-enactment. At z186 JFK is passing behind thick foliage, by your own admission the FBI state he is not clear of this foliage until z207. Therefore JFK is behind the foliage from z190-z200. You cannot deny this logic.

1. As you have noted, the evidence is rather overwhelming that JFK reacted to the first shot. There are at least 20 witnesses who saw him react immediately and not a single witness said that he continued to smile and wave after the first "horrible ear-shattering noise"

Agreed

2. The shot pattern recalled by the vast majority of witnesses (over 40 by my count) was the last two shots were closer together but not so close as to be impossible to have been fired by the MC, which requires around 2.3 seconds to fire successive aimed shots.  There is strong evidence that at least one bullet was fired by Oswald's MC.  (There is also strong evidence that all three shots came from the SN using the MC).  In order for the first shot to have been at z223, the third shot could not have been as early as z313 in order to fit the shot pattern: 1.......2...3 and have close to 2.3 seconds between the last two shots. Therefore there must have been a third shot after z313.  There is quite a body of evidence that z313 was the last shot so one would have to discard that evidence.

I agree with the shot pattern. There may well be evidence for z313 as being the last shot but there is also a body of evidence for a shot after the headshot. In his analysis of ear-witness statements concerning the shots, Pat Speer identifies 26 witness he feels confident describe a shot after the headshot and 16 witnesses who are probably/possibly describing such a shot. How can this evidence be discarded?

3. If the SBT occurred at z223 then Gov. Connally (and his wife) was hallucinating when he said that he heard the first shot, realized it was a rifle shot and turned to look at JFK saying "oh, no, no, no" (as Nellie recalled) before the second shot hit him with an impact that he felt (but did not hear) and which Nellie saw.  So you have to throw out the Connally's evidence.  You also have to throw out Greer's evidence which is that he turned around to see Gov. Connally falling back onto his wife immediately after the second shot.  He is already lying down by z313.

JBC's testimony has been dealt elsewhere in this thread. The bottom line is this, it impossible for the shot at z271 (from the TSBD or anywhere near it) you are proposing to hit JBC causing the injuries he suffered as he is turned too far round in his seat. It's impossible.



Not only is JFK concealed behind the foliage for your first shot, JBC is turned too far round in his seat for the second!

The problem here is that everyone has looked at the zfilm and concluded that they can "see" the shot hitting both men at that time. They both react together if you assume that JFK is not already reacting behind the sign and just begins to react immediately as the bullet strikes him at z223 (another conjecture). JBC said he reacted to the first shot.  And JBC insisted that his reaction was well before he felt the second shot that hit him in the back. So we cannot judge by his reaction, even if it was "simultaneous" with JFK reacting, that he was hit in the back at that time if that was the first shot. 

Anyone who can "see" the shot has got insanely good eyesight. I can see them reacting in a very extreme way that indicates to me the have both been shot.

As far as the jacket "bulge" is concerned, originally, this was a theory of a lapel flip until someone pointed out that the lapel was not struck.  Then the armchair Rorschach experts opined that it was a jacket "bulge". To suggest that a bullet exiting the right jacket pocket is going to bulge the jacket needed experimental confirmation. Certainly a bullet alone is not going to do that, as experiments showed.  That is because in order to impart momentum to the jacket the bullet has to lose momentum in passing through the cloth.  It loses so little momentum in passing through that jacket cloth that the bullet would not move the entire jacket panel significantly. So then the story changed to - oh, the jacket bulged because the impact from the spray of blood and tissue exiting from the chest caused this.  Again another conjecture without evidence or experimental support.  The jacket bears no evidence of such blood and tissue:

The jacket bulge occurs before JBC begins to move in any meaningful way and can be seen as something clearly related to the extreme movements he makes immediately after the 'bulge'. That the right side of his jacket bulges and also happens to have a bullet pass through it is a great coincidence. The jacket bulges and for those passing it off as an effect of the wind, look at the flag at the front of the limo on JBC's side, it is barely moving giving a good indication of the wind speed at that moment.

[Andrew Mason]

My logic is based on the evidence provided by the re-enactment. At z186 JFK is passing behind thick foliage, by your own admission the FBI state he is not clear of this foliage until z207. Therefore JFK is behind the foliage from z190-z200. You cannot deny this logic.

There is nothing wrong with the logic. It is your premise: that the FBI reconstruction was accurate. You can see that in the 1963 film the tree in front of the TSBD, particularly the upper branches, was much thinner than in May 1964:
And they used the wrong car. 

On the other hand, there is evidence of a shot just before z204 (Phil Willis).

[Besides, I do not agree that the FBI z207 photo shows JFK not to be clear of the foliage before then, even as it looked on May 24/64.  The back of the car to the rear bumper is clear in their z207 position.]

I agree with the shot pattern. There may well be evidence for z313 as being the last shot but there is also a body of evidence for a shot after the headshot. In his analysis of ear-witness statements concerning the shots, Pat Speer identifies 26 witness he feels confident describe a shot after the headshot and 16 witnesses who are probably/possibly describing such a shot. How can this evidence be discarded?

It is not necessarily a matter of discarding all that evidence.  It is a matter of looking at all the evidence and interpreting it correctly before drawing conclusions.  I haven't read Pat Speers compilation but if you could direct me to it I will. 

When interpreting witness statements, one always has to look at all their statements and look at how long after the events the statement was given and look for consistency between statements if they gave more than one.

Emmett Hudson, for example, gave 3 statements.  He gave a statement on 25Nov63 saying that the last two shots were in rapid succession after the first shot but did not specify which one hit the President hit in the head.  But he said the first shot hit the President:

"He said he was looking directly at President Kennedy and saw his head slump to one side simultaneously with the loud report made by the first shot fired by the assassin."

In his 22July64 statement he said for the first time that he heard a shot after seeing the President hit in the head.  But he also said in that statement:

Mr. LIEBELER. Did it look to you like the President was hit by the first shot?
Mr. HUDSON. No, sir ; I don’t think s+I sure don’t.
Mr. LIEBELER. You don’t think he got hit ‘by the first shot?
Mr. HUDSON. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. You

which completely contradicts his earlier statement regarding shot #1. That kind of makes you wonder how well he recalled the events of Nov. 22/63 8 months later.

JBC's testimony has been dealt elsewhere in this thread. The bottom line is this, it impossible for the shot at z271 (from the TSBD or anywhere near it) you are proposing to hit JBC causing the injuries he suffered as he is turned too far round in his seat. It's impossible.

This is where "expert" evidence has to be examined very carefully.  That opinion came from Robert Frazier of the FBI.  But he is not an expert in human anatomy. Nor did he necessarily accurately understand all the details of the bullet path through JBC.   

The evidence is that there was a shot between the first shot which struck JFK and the head shot, that JBC was hit by it and that it was closer to shot #3 than to shot #1.  Hickey saw JFK's hair fly up but no damage on the second shot. Greer saw JBC falling immediately after the second shot. The Connallys said that JBC was hit by it.  Dave Powers said that JBC disappeared after it.  That is real evidence.

So when you say that it is "impossible" for such a second shot to have struck JBC you are relying on expert opinion that conflicts with a lot of evidence.  Moreover, when you look at the trajectory, the path to JBC's right armpit from the SN at z270 or so is almost directly from behind the car:


Using an accurate 3D model using this is what a trajectory from the SN to JBC's right armpit at z271 would have looked like:

Not only is JFK concealed behind the foliage for your first shot, JBC is turned too far round in his seat for the second!

Anyone who can "see" the shot has got insanely good eyesight. I can see them reacting in a very extreme way that indicates to me the have both been shot.

The jacket bulge occurs before JBC begins to move in any meaningful way and can be seen as something clearly related to the extreme movements he makes immediately after the 'bulge'. That the right side of his jacket bulges and also happens to have a bullet pass through it is a great coincidence. The jacket bulges and for those passing it off as an effect of the wind, look at the flag at the front of the limo on JBC's side, it is barely moving giving a good indication of the wind speed at that moment.

I never said it was the wind.  I am just saying that his jacket moves relative to the shirt as he moves.

[Dan O'meara]

There is nothing wrong with the logic. It is your premise: that the FBI reconstruction was accurate. You can see that in the 1963 film the tree in front of the TSBD, particularly the upper branches, was much thinner than in May 1964:
And they used the wrong car. 

On the other hand, there is evidence of a shot just before z204 (Phil Willis).

The Willis pic was taken at z202:

 (https://history-matters.com/archive/jfk/hsca/reportvols/vol6/html/HSCA_Vol6_0025b.htm)

This indicates a shot in the late z190's. JFK is covered by foliage at this time, evidence which refutes Willis' testimony.
I find it unlikely I'll be moved on a shot through the tree. JFK would have been in the clear before the shot was taken. That makes sense.
Willis is a key witness for you but others refute what he has to say and his photo shows nothing indicating a first shot.

It is not necessarily a matter of discarding all that evidence.  It is a matter of looking at all the evidence and interpreting it correctly before drawing conclusions.  I haven't read Pat Speers compilation but if you could direct me to it I will. 

In an earlier post you say "There is quite a body of evidence that z313 was the last shot so one would have to discard that evidence." but when it's pointed out that you would have to discard ear-witness evidence supporting a shot after the headshot it's suddenly "not necessarily a matter of discarding all that evidence". Hmmm...
Check out Pat Speer's work at PatSpeer.com

This is where "expert" evidence has to be examined very carefully.  That opinion came from Robert Frazier of the FBI.  But he is not an expert in human anatomy. Nor did he necessarily accurately understand all the details of the bullet path through JBC.   

The evidence is that there was a shot between the first shot which struck JFK and the head shot, that JBC was hit by it and that it was closer to shot #3 than to shot #1.  Hickey saw JFK's hair fly up but no damage on the second shot. Greer saw JBC falling immediately after the second shot. The Connallys said that JBC was hit by it.  Dave Powers said that JBC disappeared after it.  That is real evidence.

Greer has been thoroughly discredited, the Connally's evidence is all over the place and Hickey sees JFK's hair move.
At Speer's website you will come across many witnesses who describe a second shot head strike, that is also "real evidence"

So when you say that it is "impossible" for such a second shot to have struck JBC you are relying on expert opinion that conflicts with a lot of evidence.  Moreover, when you look at the trajectory, the path to JBC's right armpit from the SN at z270 or so is almost directly from behind the car:


Using an accurate 3D model using this is what a trajectory from the SN to JBC's right armpit at z271 would have looked like:

At no point did I say it was impossible for JBC to be struck by a bullet at z271. This is what I did say:

"it impossible for the shot at z271 (from the TSBD or anywhere near it) you are proposing to hit JBC causing the injuries he suffered as he is turned too far round in his seat. It's impossible."

Explain how the injuries JBC suffered could have been caused by a shot at z271 - a through-and-through chest wound which then struck his wrist.

I never said it was the wind.  I am just saying that his jacket moves relative to the shirt as he moves.

I said:

"The jacket bulge occurs before JBC begins to move in any meaningful way and can be seen as something clearly related to the extreme movements he makes immediately after the 'bulge'. That the right side of his jacket bulges and also happens to have a bullet pass through it is a great coincidence. The jacket bulges and for those passing it off as an effect of the wind, look at the flag at the front of the limo on JBC's side, it is barely moving giving a good indication of the wind speed at that moment."

The issue you raised was dealt with in the first part of the post. The part about the wind was "for those passing it off as an effect of the wind". This was a reference to earlier posts.

[Andrew Mason]

The Willis pic was taken at z202:

Yes 202 is correct. Also Rosemary Willis does her sharp right head turn beginning at z204:

In an earlier post you say "There is quite a body of evidence that z313 was the last shot so one would have to discard that evidence." but when it's pointed out that you would have to discard ear-witness evidence supporting a shot after the headshot it's suddenly "not necessarily a matter of discarding all that evidence". Hmmm...

It depends on what the witness says.  If Witness A says "There were two really fast shots after a pause and I think there may have been a shot after the head shot" you just have to be careful about what conclusion you draw.  If there is a lot of other more specific evidence (such as Altgens, Connallys, Powers, Hickey, Bennett, Kinney, Hill, Chisms, Woodward who are quite clear that the third and last shot was the head shot) you can use A's recollection of the last two shots being close together (because it fits many other independent similar recollections) but ignore his unsure evidence on the head shot not being the last shot.

Check out Pat Speer's work at PatSpeer.com

I have. I can't find his list of 26 witnesses that you mention. Maybe you could direct me to it.

At no point did I say it was impossible for JBC to be struck by a bullet at z271. This is what I did say:

"it impossible for the shot at z271 (from the TSBD or anywhere near it) you are proposing to hit JBC causing the injuries he suffered as he is turned too far round in his seat. It's impossible."

Explain how the injuries JBC suffered could have been caused by a shot at z271 - a through-and-through chest wound which then struck his wrist.

I believe you are mistaken in saying that it is a through-and-through chest wound.  It was not. It was astrike to the fifth rib that pushed the fifth rib inward causing a fracture of the fifth rib at the spine. It then penetrated the rib driving shards of rib bone down into the lower lobe of the right lung, according to Dr. Shaw.  I don't see how that can happen unless the bullet penetrated the rib from the outside in, not the inside out.  The bullet did not go through the lung but went around it yet was able to exit under the right nipple.  I suspect that is quite consistent with being hit in the right armpit while turned around but you may want to have a thoracic surgeon opine on that.  I ran it by a retired pathologist friend of mine several years ago and he thought it was certainly possible but he also said bullets often do very odd things when passing through a body and it is difficult to reconstruct the fine details.

As far as the wrist wound is concerned, that is much easier to do at z271 because his right wrist is pressed against the right side of his jacket.  This also solves the SBT problem of having the bullet deflect off the inside surface of the radius but instead of deflecting away from the point of contact it deflects a huge angle left around the point of contact, through the palm side and across his body to the left thigh.  That is really difficult to reconcile with physics.  On the other hand, if the second shot deflected off the wrist and fragmented as the wrist is positioned in z271, the fragments would go up and forward.  Greer said he heard or felt a concussive effect from the second shot.  His ear was about 12 inches from the impact dent on the windshield frame.  James Tague said he was struck on the second shot. Oh, and the left visor does appear to move forward from z271 to 272 and it appeared to have been hit by small fragments (although that is based on a photo of the visor at Parkland and as far as I can tell has not been verified as having been struck by a lead fragment).

[Pat Speer]

Andrew Mason wrote “there is a lot of other more specific evidence (such as Altgens, Connallys, Powers, Hickey, Bennett, Kinney, Hill, Chisms, Woodward who are quite clear that the third and last shot was the head shot).”

Let’s go through the earliest statements of these witnesses one by one in order of the first statements…

James Altgens (11-22-63 AP bulletin, around 12:39 CST) "President Kennedy was shot just as his motorcade left downtown Dallas. Mrs. Kennedy jumped up and grabbed him. She cried "Oh, no!" The motorcade sped on. Photographer James Altgens said he saw blood on the President's head. Altgens said he heard two shots but thought someone was shooting fireworks until he saw blood on the President. Altgens said he saw no one with a gun." (11-22-63 eyewitness account, presented as an AP dispatch at 6:49 PM. This more detailed account was also published in the 11-25-63 issue of Stars and Stripes.) "There was a burst of noise - the second one I heard - and pieces of flesh appeared to fly from President Kennedy's car. Blood covered the whole left side of his head. Mrs. Kennedy saw what had happened to her husband. She grabbed him exclaiming, "Oh, No!" The car's driver realized what had happened and almost as if by reflex speeded up towards the Stemmons Expressway. There seemed to be utter confusion. One motorcycle officer ran his cycle into the curb, almost falling off. Police came from everywhere as the President's car disappeared from sight. At first, I thought the shots came from the opposite side of the street. I ran over there to see if I could get some pictures. But it turned out to be just more confusion. Police ran in all directions in search of the assassin. I did not know until later where the shots came from. I was on the opposite side of the President's car from the gunman. He might have hit me. The motorcade was moving along in routine fashion until there was a noise like fireworks popping. I snapped a picture of the motorcade at just about that time, still unaware of what was happening. I cranked my camera for another shot. The procession still moved along slowly. Then came the second burst of noise."

Analysis: James Altgens heard two shots, the second of which was the head shot. Thought the shots could have come from the knoll.

John Chism (11-22-63 statement to Dallas Sheriff’s Department, 19H471) “we were directly in front of the Stemmons Freeway sign…When I saw the motorcade round the corner, the President was standing and waving to the crowd. And just as he got just about in front of me, he turned and waved to the crowd on this side of the street, the right side; at this point I heard what sounded like one shot, and I saw him “The President,” sit back in his seat and lean his head to his left side. At this point, I saw Mrs. Kennedy stand up and pull his head over her lap, and then lay down over him as if to shield him. And the two men in the front seat, I don’t know who they were, looked back, and just about the time they looked back, the second shot was fired. At this point, I looked behind me, to see whether it was a fireworks display or something. And then I saw a lot of people running for cover, behind the embankment there back up on the grass.”

Analysis: John Chism heard two shots, the second of which was the head shot. Thought the shots could have come from the knoll.

Marvin Faye Chism was John Chism’s wife and stood beside him and their son Ricky in front of the Stemmons Freeway sign. (11-22-63 statement to the Dallas Sheriff’s Department, 19H472) “As the President was coming through, I heard this first shot, and the President fell to his left. The President’s wife immediately stood over him, and she pulled him up, and lay him down in the seat, and she stood up over him in the car. The President was standing and waving and smiling at the people when the shot happened. And then there was the second shot that I heard…It came from what I thought was behind us and I looked but I couldn’t see anything. The two men in the front of the car stood up, and then when the second shot was fired, they all fell down and the car took off just like that.”

Analysis: Faye Chism heard two shots, the second of which was the head shot. Thought the shots could have come from the knoll.

First Lady of Texas Nellie Connally (11-22-63 press conference by Connally aide Julian Read, as found on youtube) "As Mrs. Connally recalls, just before they reached the triple underpass, the shot rang out, the first shot, and she feels quite sure that it did hit the President. Governor Connally, who was seated here, turned immediately to see what happened, and as he turned, he was struck. The President, according to Mrs. Connally, immediately slumped and Mrs. Kennedy grabbed him. A moment later Governor Connally slumped, and Mrs. Connally grabbed him. Both women grabbed the men almost simultaneously and ducked as much as possible to guard against any possible gunfire following that. Mrs. Connally says the next thing she recalls is the Secret Service man picking up a telephone in the car and getting instructions of "Let's proceed to the nearest hospital." (11-22-63 WFAA report on the approximately 2:00 PM press conference given by Connally aides Bill Stinson and Julian Read.) (Quoting Read, who had just spoken to Mrs. Connally.) “The car had turned to the left on Elm Street and was getting ready to go under the Triple Underpass. At that moment, Mrs. Connally said she heard a shot. Instantly, when she heard the shot, her husband turned to see what had happened and at that instant he too was shot. Mrs. Connally says she believes the first shot was the one that struck President Kennedy in the head. There was a second shot. That shot struck Governor Connally in the back, and coming out of his body in the right chest. There are reports of a third shot and Governor Connally has a wound on his wrist and that could be the result of that third pistol shot, although Mrs. Connally is not certain whether there was a third shot or not. She said immediately after the first shot Mrs. Kennedy grabbed her husband. After the second shot Mrs. Connally grabbed her husband. All four of them ducked down into the car to escape any further fusillade of shots.” (Notes written on 12-2-63, as reprinted in her book From Love Field, 2003) “then I heard a loud, terrifying noise…I turned and looked toward the President just in time to see him clutch his neck and see him sink down in his seat. There was no utterance of any kind from him…I had no sure knowledge as to what the noise was…Quickly, there was a second shot, John had turned to the right at the first shot to look back and then whirled to the left to get another look…John said, “No, No, No,” was hit himself by a second shot and said “My God, they are going to kill us all,” wheeled back to the right, crumpling his shoulders to his knees…I reached over and pulled him to me…Then came a third shot.”

Analysis: Nellie Connally believed there were three shots, the first which struck the President, and the second which struck her husband. She was only vaguely aware of a third shot. Assuming this third shot was the head shot, which rang out as she was pulling her husband down in the car, well, then, it would not be a surprise should she not have heard a shot immediately following this shot


Mary Woodward (11-23-63 newspaper article Witness From the News Describes Assassination written by Woodward for the Dallas Morning News) "We had been waiting about half an hour when the first motorcycle escorts came by, followed shortly by the President’s car. The President was looking straight ahead and we were afraid we would not get to see his face. But we started clapping and cheering and both he and Mrs. Kennedy turned, and smiled and waved, directly at us, it seemed. Jackie was wearing a beautiful pink suit with beret to match. Two of us, who had seen the President last during the final weeks of the 1960 campaign, remarked almost simultaneously how relaxed and robust he looked. As it turned out, we were almost certainly the last faces he noticed in the crowd. After acknowledging our cheers, he faced forward again and suddenly there was a horrible, ear-shattering noise coming from behind us and a little to the right. My first reaction, and also my friends’, was that as a joke, someone had backfired their car. Apparently, the driver and occupants of the President’s car had the same impression, because instead of speeding up, the car came almost to a halt. Things are a little hazy from this point, but I don’t believe anyone was hit with the first bullet. The President and Mrs. Kennedy turned and looked around, as if they, too, didn’t believe the noise was really coming from a gun. Then after a moment’s pause there was another shot and I saw the President start slumping in the car. This was followed rapidly by another shot. Mrs. Kennedy stood up in the car, turned half-way around, then fell on top of her husband’s body. Not until this minute did it sink in what actually was happening. We had witnessed the assassination of the President.”

Analysis: Mary Woodward saw Kennedy respond to the first shot, and not continue calmly waving, so she was mistaken as to the first shot missing. Her recollection that she saw Kennedy slump in response to the second shot, then, is most logically a reference to the head shot. As she heard a shot after this shot, then, it seems clear she heard a shot after the head shot. (This puts her in line with many of the closest witnesses, e.g Brehm, Moorman, Hill, Hudson, Summers, etc.) Thought shots could have come from the knoll.

Glen Bennett (notes written on 11-22-63, 24H541-542) "We made a left hand turn and then a quick right. The President's auto moved down a slight grade and the crowd was very sparse. At this point I heard a noise that immediately reminded me of a firecracker. I immediately, upon hearing the supposed firecracker, 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 shoot followed immediately and hit the right rear high of the boss's head. I immediately hollered to Special Agent Hickey, seated in the same seat, to get the AR-15. I drew my revolver and looked to the rear and to the left--high left--but was unable to see any one person that could have rendered this terrible tragedy." (11-23-63 report, 18H760) “The motorcade entered an intersection and then proceeded down a grade. At this point the well-wishers numbered but a few, the motorcade continued on down this grade en route to the trade mart. At this point I heard what sounded like a firecracker. I immediately looked from the right/crowd/physical area and looked towards the President who was seated in the right rear seat of his limousine open convertible, At the moment I looked at the back of the President I heard another firecracker 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. I immediately hollered “he’s hit” and reached for the AR-15 located on the floor of the rear seat. Special Agent Hickey had already picked-up the AR-15. We peered towards the rear and particularly the right side of the area. I had drawn my revolver when I saw SA Hickey had the AR-15. I was unable to see anything or one that could have fired the shoots.”

Analysis: Bennett’s original notes are a bit odd, what with his saying the head shot was the “second shot.” Did he mean that it was the second shot after the head shot? Or that it was, in fact, the second shot he heard? His report is so garbled, in fact, that we have reason to believe his typed-up report was written by someone else, based upon his notes. Still, when taken at face value, it appears that Bennett believed he heard three shots, with the second one hitting Kennedy in the back, and the third one striking his head.

Sam Kinney (11-22-63 report, 18H732) “The first shot was fired as we were going into an underpass…it appeared that he (the President) had been shot because he slumped to the left. Immediately, he sat up again. At this time, the second shot was fired and I observed hair flying from the right side of his head…I did hear three shots but do not recall which shots were those that hit the President.” (11-30-63 report, 18H730-731) “As we completed the left turn and on a short distance, there was a shot…I saw the President lean toward the left and appeared to have grabbed his chest with his right hand. There was a second of pause and then two more shots were heard. Agent Clint Hill jumped from the follow-up car and dashed to the aid of the President and first Lady in the President’s car. I saw one shot strike the President in the right side of the head.”

Analysis: Sam Kinney heard the second two shots bang-bang, but could not say for sure which one hit the President’s head. Still, his first report indicated that he thought it was the second one, and that the third shot missed. (This was in keeping with many of the closest witnesses.)

George Hickey (11-22-63 report, 18H765) “As 100-X made the turn and proceeded a short distance, I heard what seemed to me that a firecracker exploded to the right and rear. I stood partially up and turned to the rear to see if I could observe anything. Nothing was observed and I turned around and looked at the President’s car. The President was slumped to the left in the car. I heard what appeared to be two shots and it seemed as if the right side of his head was hit and his hair flew forward.” (11-30-63 report, 18H761-764) “Just prior to the shooting the Presidential car turned left at the intersection and started down an incline toward an underpass followed by 679x. After a very short distance I heard a loud report which sounded like a firecracker…I stood up and looked to my right and rear in an attempt to identify it. Nothing caught my attention except people shouting and cheering.  A disturbance in 679X caused me to look forward to the President’s car. Perhaps 2 or 3 seconds elapsed from the time I looked to the rear and then looked at the President. He was slumped forward and to his left, and was straightening up to an almost erect sitting position as I turned and looked. At the moment he was almost sitting erect I heard two reports which I thought were shots and that appeared to me completely different in sound from the first report and were in such rapid succession that there seemed to be practically no time element between them. It looked to me as if the president was struck in the right upper rear of the head. The first shot of the second two seemed as if it missed because the hair on the right side of his head flew forward and there didn’t seem to be any impact against his head. 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. Possibly four or five seconds elapsed from the time of the first report and the last. At the end of the last report I reached to the bottom of the car and picked up the AR 15 rifle, cocked and loaded it, and turned to the rear. At this point the cars were passing under the over-pass and as a result we had left the scene of the shooting. I kept the AR 15 rifle ready as we proceeded at a high rate of speed to the hospital.”

Analysis: Hickey, much as Kinney, heard the last two shots bang-bang. While he thought the second of these was the head shot, his recollection that JFK’s hair flew up with the first strongly supports that it was in fact the first of these shots that struck the President’s head.

Texas Governor John Connally (11-22-63 report of CBS News' Walter Cronkite, quoting Connally's aide William Stinson's circa 2:00 PM press conference) (On Connally's response when asked from which direction the shots came) "I don't know. I guess from the back. They got the President, too." (11-27-63 televised interview with Martin Agronsky, transcript printed in the 11-28-63 New York Times.) ”we had just turned the corner, we heard a shot; I turned to my left—I was sitting in the jump seat. I turned to my left to look in the back seat—the President had slumped. He had said nothing. Almost simultaneously, as I turned, I was hit and I knew I had been hit badly. I knew the President had been hit and I said, “My God, they are going to kill us all.” Then there was a third shot and the President was hit again and we thought then very seriously. I had still retained consciousness but the President had slumped in Mrs. Kennedy's lap and when he was hit the second time she said, or the first time—it all happened in such a brief span--she said “Oh, my God, they have killed my husband—Jack, Jack.” After the third shot, the next thing that occurred—I was conscious--the Secret Service man, of course, the chauffeur, had pulled out of the line--they said, “Get out of here…”

Analysis: John Connally heard only two shots—both of which he believed hit the President. He assumed that the third shot heard by others was the shot that hit him and that it had been fired in between the two shots striking Kennedy. But there is virtually no support that a shot was heard between these two shots. That the Connallys were only vaguely aware of the shot striking Kennedy in the head, and recalled this shot mostly in connection with the brain matter that rained down upon them afterwards, supports that with their dive down below the level of the seats for protection at this time they failed to hear the last shot heard by others.

Clint Hill (11-30-63 report, 18H740-745) “On the left hand side was a grass area with a few people scattered along it observing the motorcade passing, and I was visually scanning these people when I heard a noise similar to a firecracker. The noise came from my right rear and I immediately moved my head in that direction. In so doing, my eyes had to cross the Presidential automobile and I saw the President hunch forward and then slump to his left. I jumped from the follow-up car and ran toward the Presidential automobile. I heard a second firecracker type noise but it had a different sound—like the sound of shooting a revolver into something hard. I saw the President slump more toward his left. I jumped onto the left rear step of the Presidential automobile. Mrs. Kennedy shouted, "They've shot his head off;" then turned and raised out of her seat as if she were reaching to her right rear toward the back of the car for something that had blown out. I forced her back into her seat and placed my body above President and Mrs. Kennedy. SA Greer had, as I jumped onto the Presidential automobile, accelerated the Presidential automobile forward. I heard ASAIC Kellerman call SA Lawson on the two-way radio and say, "To the nearest hospital, quick." I shouted as loud as I could at the Lead car, "To the hospital, to the hospital." As I lay over the top of the back seat I noticed a portion of the President's head on the right rear side was missing and he was bleeding profusely. Part of his brain was gone. I saw a part of his skull with hair on it lieing in the seat...At approximately 2:45 A.M., November 23, I was requested by ASAIC to come to the morgue to once again view the body. When I arrived the autopsy had been completed and ASAIC Kellerman, SA Greer, General McHugh and I viewed the wounds. I observed a wound about six inches down from the neckline on the back just to the right of the spinal column. I observed another wound on the right rear portion of the skull. Attendants of the Joseph Gawler Mortuary were at this time preparing the body for placement in the casket.”

Analysis: Clint Hill heard only two shots, the second of which was the head shot. The different sound of the second shot, moreover, could have been the bang-bang heard by others, only blurred into one sound.

David Powers, another Kennedy assistant, rode in the middle seat to the right of O’Donnell. (Notes on a 4-8-64 interview with William Manchester, as reported in the TV documentary "The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After," 2009) "I am looking at the Presidential car. His hand was waving and now he put his hands slowly to his throat and slumps towards Jackie. And I say to Kenny 'I think the President's been hit.' Kenny and I not only saw the next one we heard it. We just saw that handsome head get blown off. We heard the shot and we heard the impact of the shot. It was the most sickening thing--like a grapefruit being thrown against a brick wall...At Parkland, I ran up to the Presidential car. His eyes were open. I opened the door and said 'Oh, my God, Mr. President!' I almost expected him to say 'I'm alright' because he never complained. A fragment of the bullet had come out of his forehead. I still get an ache in my head like a toothache where he was hit. I suppose it's just nerves."

Analysis: although Powers would later make statements in which he supported what was then believed to be the official scenario—that Connally was hit by the second bullet--his initial interview with Manchester indicates he had a clear recollection of but two shots—the second of which struck Kennedy in the head.

[Charles Collins]

Andrew Mason wrote “there is a lot of other more specific evidence (such as Altgens, Connallys, Powers, Hickey, Bennett, Kinney, Hill, Chisms, Woodward who are quite clear that the third and last shot was the head shot).”

Let’s go through the earliest statements of these witnesses one by one in order of the first statements…

James Altgens (11-22-63 AP bulletin, around 12:39 CST) "President Kennedy was shot just as his motorcade left downtown Dallas. Mrs. Kennedy jumped up and grabbed him. She cried "Oh, no!" The motorcade sped on. Photographer James Altgens said he saw blood on the President's head. Altgens said he heard two shots but thought someone was shooting fireworks until he saw blood on the President. Altgens said he saw no one with a gun." (11-22-63 eyewitness account, presented as an AP dispatch at 6:49 PM. This more detailed account was also published in the 11-25-63 issue of Stars and Stripes.) "There was a burst of noise - the second one I heard - and pieces of flesh appeared to fly from President Kennedy's car. Blood covered the whole left side of his head. Mrs. Kennedy saw what had happened to her husband. She grabbed him exclaiming, "Oh, No!" The car's driver realized what had happened and almost as if by reflex speeded up towards the Stemmons Expressway. There seemed to be utter confusion. One motorcycle officer ran his cycle into the curb, almost falling off. Police came from everywhere as the President's car disappeared from sight. At first, I thought the shots came from the opposite side of the street. I ran over there to see if I could get some pictures. But it turned out to be just more confusion. Police ran in all directions in search of the assassin. I did not know until later where the shots came from. I was on the opposite side of the President's car from the gunman. He might have hit me. The motorcade was moving along in routine fashion until there was a noise like fireworks popping. I snapped a picture of the motorcade at just about that time, still unaware of what was happening. I cranked my camera for another shot. The procession still moved along slowly. Then came the second burst of noise."

Analysis: James Altgens heard two shots, the second of which was the head shot. Thought the shots could have come from the knoll.

John Chism (11-22-63 statement to Dallas Sheriff’s Department, 19H471) “we were directly in front of the Stemmons Freeway sign…When I saw the motorcade round the corner, the President was standing and waving to the crowd. And just as he got just about in front of me, he turned and waved to the crowd on this side of the street, the right side; at this point I heard what sounded like one shot, and I saw him “The President,” sit back in his seat and lean his head to his left side. At this point, I saw Mrs. Kennedy stand up and pull his head over her lap, and then lay down over him as if to shield him. And the two men in the front seat, I don’t know who they were, looked back, and just about the time they looked back, the second shot was fired. At this point, I looked behind me, to see whether it was a fireworks display or something. And then I saw a lot of people running for cover, behind the embankment there back up on the grass.”

Analysis: John Chism heard two shots, the second of which was the head shot. Thought the shots could have come from the knoll.

Marvin Faye Chism was John Chism’s wife and stood beside him and their son Ricky in front of the Stemmons Freeway sign. (11-22-63 statement to the Dallas Sheriff’s Department, 19H472) “As the President was coming through, I heard this first shot, and the President fell to his left. The President’s wife immediately stood over him, and she pulled him up, and lay him down in the seat, and she stood up over him in the car. The President was standing and waving and smiling at the people when the shot happened. And then there was the second shot that I heard…It came from what I thought was behind us and I looked but I couldn’t see anything. The two men in the front of the car stood up, and then when the second shot was fired, they all fell down and the car took off just like that.”

Analysis: Faye Chism heard two shots, the second of which was the head shot. Thought the shots could have come from the knoll.

First Lady of Texas Nellie Connally (11-22-63 press conference by Connally aide Julian Read, as found on youtube) "As Mrs. Connally recalls, just before they reached the triple underpass, the shot rang out, the first shot, and she feels quite sure that it did hit the President. Governor Connally, who was seated here, turned immediately to see what happened, and as he turned, he was struck. The President, according to Mrs. Connally, immediately slumped and Mrs. Kennedy grabbed him. A moment later Governor Connally slumped, and Mrs. Connally grabbed him. Both women grabbed the men almost simultaneously and ducked as much as possible to guard against any possible gunfire following that. Mrs. Connally says the next thing she recalls is the Secret Service man picking up a telephone in the car and getting instructions of "Let's proceed to the nearest hospital." (11-22-63 WFAA report on the approximately 2:00 PM press conference given by Connally aides Bill Stinson and Julian Read.) (Quoting Read, who had just spoken to Mrs. Connally.) “The car had turned to the left on Elm Street and was getting ready to go under the Triple Underpass. At that moment, Mrs. Connally said she heard a shot. Instantly, when she heard the shot, her husband turned to see what had happened and at that instant he too was shot. Mrs. Connally says she believes the first shot was the one that struck President Kennedy in the head. There was a second shot. That shot struck Governor Connally in the back, and coming out of his body in the right chest. There are reports of a third shot and Governor Connally has a wound on his wrist and that could be the result of that third pistol shot, although Mrs. Connally is not certain whether there was a third shot or not. She said immediately after the first shot Mrs. Kennedy grabbed her husband. After the second shot Mrs. Connally grabbed her husband. All four of them ducked down into the car to escape any further fusillade of shots.” (Notes written on 12-2-63, as reprinted in her book From Love Field, 2003) “then I heard a loud, terrifying noise…I turned and looked toward the President just in time to see him clutch his neck and see him sink down in his seat. There was no utterance of any kind from him…I had no sure knowledge as to what the noise was…Quickly, there was a second shot, John had turned to the right at the first shot to look back and then whirled to the left to get another look…John said, “No, No, No,” was hit himself by a second shot and said “My God, they are going to kill us all,” wheeled back to the right, crumpling his shoulders to his knees…I reached over and pulled him to me…Then came a third shot.”

Analysis: Nellie Connally believed there were three shots, the first which struck the President, and the second which struck her husband. She was only vaguely aware of a third shot. Assuming this third shot was the head shot, which rang out as she was pulling her husband down in the car, well, then, it would not be a surprise should she not have heard a shot immediately following this shot


Mary Woodward (11-23-63 newspaper article Witness From the News Describes Assassination written by Woodward for the Dallas Morning News) "We had been waiting about half an hour when the first motorcycle escorts came by, followed shortly by the President’s car. The President was looking straight ahead and we were afraid we would not get to see his face. But we started clapping and cheering and both he and Mrs. Kennedy turned, and smiled and waved, directly at us, it seemed. Jackie was wearing a beautiful pink suit with beret to match. Two of us, who had seen the President last during the final weeks of the 1960 campaign, remarked almost simultaneously how relaxed and robust he looked. As it turned out, we were almost certainly the last faces he noticed in the crowd. After acknowledging our cheers, he faced forward again and suddenly there was a horrible, ear-shattering noise coming from behind us and a little to the right. My first reaction, and also my friends’, was that as a joke, someone had backfired their car. Apparently, the driver and occupants of the President’s car had the same impression, because instead of speeding up, the car came almost to a halt. Things are a little hazy from this point, but I don’t believe anyone was hit with the first bullet. The President and Mrs. Kennedy turned and looked around, as if they, too, didn’t believe the noise was really coming from a gun. Then after a moment’s pause there was another shot and I saw the President start slumping in the car. This was followed rapidly by another shot. Mrs. Kennedy stood up in the car, turned half-way around, then fell on top of her husband’s body. Not until this minute did it sink in what actually was happening. We had witnessed the assassination of the President.”

Analysis: Mary Woodward saw Kennedy respond to the first shot, and not continue calmly waving, so she was mistaken as to the first shot missing. Her recollection that she saw Kennedy slump in response to the second shot, then, is most logically a reference to the head shot. As she heard a shot after this shot, then, it seems clear she heard a shot after the head shot. (This puts her in line with many of the closest witnesses, e.g Brehm, Moorman, Hill, Hudson, Summers, etc.) Thought shots could have come from the knoll.

Glen Bennett (notes written on 11-22-63, 24H541-542) "We made a left hand turn and then a quick right. The President's auto moved down a slight grade and the crowd was very sparse. At this point I heard a noise that immediately reminded me of a firecracker. I immediately, upon hearing the supposed firecracker, 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 shoot followed immediately and hit the right rear high of the boss's head. I immediately hollered to Special Agent Hickey, seated in the same seat, to get the AR-15. I drew my revolver and looked to the rear and to the left--high left--but was unable to see any one person that could have rendered this terrible tragedy." (11-23-63 report, 18H760) “The motorcade entered an intersection and then proceeded down a grade. At this point the well-wishers numbered but a few, the motorcade continued on down this grade en route to the trade mart. At this point I heard what sounded like a firecracker. I immediately looked from the right/crowd/physical area and looked towards the President who was seated in the right rear seat of his limousine open convertible, At the moment I looked at the back of the President I heard another firecracker 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. I immediately hollered “he’s hit” and reached for the AR-15 located on the floor of the rear seat. Special Agent Hickey had already picked-up the AR-15. We peered towards the rear and particularly the right side of the area. I had drawn my revolver when I saw SA Hickey had the AR-15. I was unable to see anything or one that could have fired the shoots.”

Analysis: Bennett’s original notes are a bit odd, what with his saying the head shot was the “second shot.” Did he mean that it was the second shot after the head shot? Or that it was, in fact, the second shot he heard? His report is so garbled, in fact, that we have reason to believe his typed-up report was written by someone else, based upon his notes. Still, when taken at face value, it appears that Bennett believed he heard three shots, with the second one hitting Kennedy in the back, and the third one striking his head.

Sam Kinney (11-22-63 report, 18H732) “The first shot was fired as we were going into an underpass…it appeared that he (the President) had been shot because he slumped to the left. Immediately, he sat up again. At this time, the second shot was fired and I observed hair flying from the right side of his head…I did hear three shots but do not recall which shots were those that hit the President.” (11-30-63 report, 18H730-731) “As we completed the left turn and on a short distance, there was a shot…I saw the President lean toward the left and appeared to have grabbed his chest with his right hand. There was a second of pause and then two more shots were heard. Agent Clint Hill jumped from the follow-up car and dashed to the aid of the President and first Lady in the President’s car. I saw one shot strike the President in the right side of the head.”

Analysis: Sam Kinney heard the second two shots bang-bang, but could not say for sure which one hit the President’s head. Still, his first report indicated that he thought it was the second one, and that the third shot missed. (This was in keeping with many of the closest witnesses.)

George Hickey (11-22-63 report, 18H765) “As 100-X made the turn and proceeded a short distance, I heard what seemed to me that a firecracker exploded to the right and rear. I stood partially up and turned to the rear to see if I could observe anything. Nothing was observed and I turned around and looked at the President’s car. The President was slumped to the left in the car. I heard what appeared to be two shots and it seemed as if the right side of his head was hit and his hair flew forward.” (11-30-63 report, 18H761-764) “Just prior to the shooting the Presidential car turned left at the intersection and started down an incline toward an underpass followed by 679x. After a very short distance I heard a loud report which sounded like a firecracker…I stood up and looked to my right and rear in an attempt to identify it. Nothing caught my attention except people shouting and cheering.  A disturbance in 679X caused me to look forward to the President’s car. Perhaps 2 or 3 seconds elapsed from the time I looked to the rear and then looked at the President. He was slumped forward and to his left, and was straightening up to an almost erect sitting position as I turned and looked. At the moment he was almost sitting erect I heard two reports which I thought were shots and that appeared to me completely different in sound from the first report and were in such rapid succession that there seemed to be practically no time element between them. It looked to me as if the president was struck in the right upper rear of the head. The first shot of the second two seemed as if it missed because the hair on the right side of his head flew forward and there didn’t seem to be any impact against his head. 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. Possibly four or five seconds elapsed from the time of the first report and the last. At the end of the last report I reached to the bottom of the car and picked up the AR 15 rifle, cocked and loaded it, and turned to the rear. At this point the cars were passing under the over-pass and as a result we had left the scene of the shooting. I kept the AR 15 rifle ready as we proceeded at a high rate of speed to the hospital.”

Analysis: Hickey, much as Kinney, heard the last two shots bang-bang. While he thought the second of these was the head shot, his recollection that JFK’s hair flew up with the first strongly supports that it was in fact the first of these shots that struck the President’s head.

Texas Governor John Connally (11-22-63 report of CBS News' Walter Cronkite, quoting Connally's aide William Stinson's circa 2:00 PM press conference) (On Connally's response when asked from which direction the shots came) "I don't know. I guess from the back. They got the President, too." (11-27-63 televised interview with Martin Agronsky, transcript printed in the 11-28-63 New York Times.) ”we had just turned the corner, we heard a shot; I turned to my left—I was sitting in the jump seat. I turned to my left to look in the back seat—the President had slumped. He had said nothing. Almost simultaneously, as I turned, I was hit and I knew I had been hit badly. I knew the President had been hit and I said, “My God, they are going to kill us all.” Then there was a third shot and the President was hit again and we thought then very seriously. I had still retained consciousness but the President had slumped in Mrs. Kennedy's lap and when he was hit the second time she said, or the first time—it all happened in such a brief span--she said “Oh, my God, they have killed my husband—Jack, Jack.” After the third shot, the next thing that occurred—I was conscious--the Secret Service man, of course, the chauffeur, had pulled out of the line--they said, “Get out of here…”

Analysis: John Connally heard only two shots—both of which he believed hit the President. He assumed that the third shot heard by others was the shot that hit him and that it had been fired in between the two shots striking Kennedy. But there is virtually no support that a shot was heard between these two shots. That the Connallys were only vaguely aware of the shot striking Kennedy in the head, and recalled this shot mostly in connection with the brain matter that rained down upon them afterwards, supports that with their dive down below the level of the seats for protection at this time they failed to hear the last shot heard by others.

Clint Hill (11-30-63 report, 18H740-745) “On the left hand side was a grass area with a few people scattered along it observing the motorcade passing, and I was visually scanning these people when I heard a noise similar to a firecracker. The noise came from my right rear and I immediately moved my head in that direction. In so doing, my eyes had to cross the Presidential automobile and I saw the President hunch forward and then slump to his left. I jumped from the follow-up car and ran toward the Presidential automobile. I heard a second firecracker type noise but it had a different sound—like the sound of shooting a revolver into something hard. I saw the President slump more toward his left. I jumped onto the left rear step of the Presidential automobile. Mrs. Kennedy shouted, "They've shot his head off;" then turned and raised out of her seat as if she were reaching to her right rear toward the back of the car for something that had blown out. I forced her back into her seat and placed my body above President and Mrs. Kennedy. SA Greer had, as I jumped onto the Presidential automobile, accelerated the Presidential automobile forward. I heard ASAIC Kellerman call SA Lawson on the two-way radio and say, "To the nearest hospital, quick." I shouted as loud as I could at the Lead car, "To the hospital, to the hospital." As I lay over the top of the back seat I noticed a portion of the President's head on the right rear side was missing and he was bleeding profusely. Part of his brain was gone. I saw a part of his skull with hair on it lieing in the seat...At approximately 2:45 A.M., November 23, I was requested by ASAIC to come to the morgue to once again view the body. When I arrived the autopsy had been completed and ASAIC Kellerman, SA Greer, General McHugh and I viewed the wounds. I observed a wound about six inches down from the neckline on the back just to the right of the spinal column. I observed another wound on the right rear portion of the skull. Attendants of the Joseph Gawler Mortuary were at this time preparing the body for placement in the casket.”

Analysis: Clint Hill heard only two shots, the second of which was the head shot. The different sound of the second shot, moreover, could have been the bang-bang heard by others, only blurred into one sound.

David Powers, another Kennedy assistant, rode in the middle seat to the right of O’Donnell. (Notes on a 4-8-64 interview with William Manchester, as reported in the TV documentary "The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After," 2009) "I am looking at the Presidential car. His hand was waving and now he put his hands slowly to his throat and slumps towards Jackie. And I say to Kenny 'I think the President's been hit.' Kenny and I not only saw the next one we heard it. We just saw that handsome head get blown off. We heard the shot and we heard the impact of the shot. It was the most sickening thing--like a grapefruit being thrown against a brick wall...At Parkland, I ran up to the Presidential car. His eyes were open. I opened the door and said 'Oh, my God, Mr. President!' I almost expected him to say 'I'm alright' because he never complained. A fragment of the bullet had come out of his forehead. I still get an ache in my head like a toothache where he was hit. I suppose it's just nerves."

Analysis: although Powers would later make statements in which he supported what was then believed to be the official scenario—that Connally was hit by the second bullet--his initial interview with Manchester indicates he had a clear recollection of but two shots—the second of which struck Kennedy in the head.

Analysis:   

[Dan O'meara]

Yes 202 is correct. Also Rosemary Willis does her sharp right head turn beginning at z204:

The point of the Willis photo being at z202 is that it must have been a response to a shot in the late z190's, a time when JFK is travelling behind the oak tree. The re-enactment may not be accurate by a frame or two but you would have to clearly demonstrate the gross inaccuracies you are suggesting. I would suggest the re-enactment is not so faulty as to have JFK clear of the tree by z200.
And Rosemary Willis? Really? The little girl who stops running because she hears a gunshot that a car full of specially trained SS agents just a few feet away are completely oblivious to, including those who testified to reacting immediately to the 'ear-splitting', 'explosive' noise. Credulity is being stretched to breaking point.

It depends on what the witness says.  If Witness A says "There were two really fast shots after a pause and I think there may have been a shot after the head shot" you just have to be careful about what conclusion you draw.  If there is a lot of other more specific evidence (such as Altgens, Connallys, Powers, Hickey, Bennett, Kinney, Hill, Chisms, Woodward who are quite clear that the third and last shot was the head shot) you can use A's recollection of the last two shots being close together (because it fits many other independent similar recollections) but ignore his unsure evidence on the head shot not being the last shot.

It appears Pat has addressed this issue but I would like to add that the Chisms describe the first shot as happening directly in front of them, certainly not in accordance with a shot at z190-z200 and certainly more in line with a shot at z223.
Governor Connally, after viewing the Z-film, was convinced he was shot in the early z230's, another of your own witnesses refuting your model.

I have. I can't find his list of 26 witnesses that you mention. Maybe you could direct me to it.

Please point me to where I refer to such a list

I believe you are mistaken in saying that it is a through-and-through chest wound.  It was not. It was astrike to the fifth rib that pushed the fifth rib inward causing a fracture of the fifth rib at the spine. It then penetrated the rib driving shards of rib bone down into the lower lobe of the right lung, according to Dr. Shaw.  I don't see how that can happen unless the bullet penetrated the rib from the outside in, not the inside out.  The bullet did not go through the lung but went around it yet was able to exit under the right nipple.  I suspect that is quite consistent with being hit in the right armpit while turned around but you may want to have a thoracic surgeon opine on that.  I ran it by a retired pathologist friend of mine several years ago and he thought it was certainly possible but he also said bullets often do very odd things when passing through a body and it is difficult to reconstruct the fine details.

It appears credulity has reached beyond it's limits.



In the above pic ( a close-up of z272) we see JBC has turned at least 90 degrees in his seat from a forward facing position (I feel he is turned even further). To suggest that a shot from the TSBD, or anywhere near it, could strike JBC at the armpit, make at least a 90 degree turn, and exit through his chest under his right nipple seems fairly outlandish to say the least. It is certainly not a notion I would like to have to defend as it relies on the complete absence of logic and common sense.

As far as the wrist wound is concerned, that is much easier to do at z271 because his right wrist is pressed against the right side of his jacket.  This also solves the SBT problem of having the bullet deflect off the inside surface of the radius but instead of deflecting away from the point of contact it deflects a huge angle left around the point of contact, through the palm side and across his body to the left thigh.  That is really difficult to reconcile with physics.  On the other hand, if the second shot deflected off the wrist and fragmented as the wrist is positioned in z271, the fragments would go up and forward.  Greer said he heard or felt a concussive effect from the second shot.  His ear was about 12 inches from the impact dent on the windshield frame.  James Tague said he was struck on the second shot. Oh, and the left visor does appear to move forward from z271 to 272 and it appeared to have been hit by small fragments (although that is based on a photo of the visor at Parkland and as far as I can tell has not been verified as having been struck by a lead fragment).

Look at the pic. Is his right wrist pressed against the right side of his jacket? The answer is clearly no.
Your model is falling apart at the seams, the video evidence refutes it as does the re-enactment as do many of your own witnesses. Dragging Greer into it is a further sign of desperation. And Tague isn't that sure if he was hit by the second or third shot.
Other than that...