Is there some significance if he rode up the knoll or not? Is the proof he did not the Z film? What was blocking Bowers view Your idea that Bowers? lied about what he saw was because he talked to the others crosses the line of speculative entitlement imo
I never said Bowers lied Matt, didn't even suggest it, it's not what I think at all. Witnesses swapping stories with others before giving statements is a very bad thing for us, for factfinding.
No Bowers could not see anyone ride up the knoll on a bike from that tower, I know because I've seen pictures taken from inside it, haven't you? His view is blocked by the fence on it's own even without the foilage, he couldn't even see Hargis with his little run to the grass and back, that view of the entire section of street was blocked by the pergola. The first time he saw the parade was before the shooting even started for two brief seconds, the next as it approached Stemmons, I know this because I've studied the images of the view from inisde the tower.
It wouldn't be in the Zfilm, it came later, Haygood comes in around the 30s mark, approaches the curb directly in the Atkins film soon after and around 10s later still, Couch shows the same cop on his feet a little further down the curb holding his bike up, cop then runs up the knoll on foot,
Did another cop attempt to do the same thing that Haygood failed to? That's what some have speculated in order to explain it but not this chap, there's no evidence for it.
So Bowers could not have known about any bike cop getting off and running anywhere or riding up the knoll unless others talked to him.
Some speculation ends when you have the right image, if you can't find one I'll try and find it for you, IIRC Groden took the best one, a very nice wide shot.
Witnesses sometimes take in what they hear and make it part of their own memories, this is common place and you must know it, it's best avoided and in good policing italways is when possible and the idea is far from contoversial.