Robert,
This is a perplexing subject. You would think that many witnesses can't be
wrong. Assuming they are correct, we must reconsider the implications
pertaining to the timing of all 3 shots.
A majority of witnesses claim they heard a total of 3 shots and the first
shot missed. It is obvious shots were fired at z225 and z313. Those are
considered by most researchers to be the 2nd and 3rd shots fired at the
Limousine. When we measure the timing between those two frames we get 4.8
seconds. According to the witnesses you quote the interval between the 1st
and 2nd shot was even longer. If we go backward from z225 the most we can
go to is frame z133 which is 5.0 seconds earlier. There is some evidence
to sup****t z133: "One of the best witnesses is photographer Tina Towner.
Tina has always been specific that the first shot came just a second or
two AFTER she stopped filming; she actually stopped only a second or two
before Z133." Gary Mack
If the 1st shot was fired at z133 then the difference is only 2 seconds,
which may or may not account for the auricular perception re****ted by
these witnesses. Oddly enough z225 would then be halfway between the first
and last shot. If this is what happened then all 3 shots were fired in 9.8
seconds, which is interesting because some researchers now claim that 10
seconds may be closer to the truth.
There is a new theory put forth by Max Holland the first shot was fired
during the pause when Zapruder turned off his camera waiting for the
Presidential Limousine to make the turn from Houston to Elm. By the time
he restarted his camera the Limousine has completed the turn and is moving
down Elm, so it's possible LHO took his first shot prior to z133. If these
witnesses are correct in their perception of the time interval between
shots it would lend weight to Holland's theory.
The missing link is the first shot and there is no single reaction by
anyone to pinpoint it. The only hope is to piece together the collective
reactions of several people to give us some idea. There are several people
to watch in the film that may give a clue: Clint Hill, Agent Hickey,
Rosemary Willis, Governor Connally, and of course, the President.
Notice early in the film Hickey is sitting upright then suddenly leans to
his left and seems to be looking down at the street. Why? Rosemary Willis
said she was running with the Limousine until she stopped suddenly when
she heard a loud noise. Gov. Connally said he heard a loud noise that
sounded like a rifle shot and looked immediately to his right. We can
clearly see him turn to the right where he is not smiling and appears to
be staring intently at the crowd. By contrast the President seems to be
happy and enjoying the crowd until passing behind the road sign.
A ballistics expert who studied this case for over two decades is in
agreement the first shot missed the Limousine. He thinks it ricocheted off
the pavement causing a fragment of the bullet to strike the President in
the back of the head. He believes the President reacted to this flesh
wound by saying out loud, "My God, I've been hit!" Only Agent Kellerman
claims to have heard him say this. Doctors think the 2nd shot that pierced
the President's throat damaged his trachea so it would not be possible for
him to speak, therefore the words heard by Agent Kellerman must have been
a reaction to the 1st shot. No other passenger heard the President say
anything at all.
The person who prepared the President's body for burial noticed cement
particles on the President's face. A majority of witnesses believe the
first shot missed. Five out of six witnesses who saw a bullet strike the
pavement were sure it was the first shot fired. This shot missed everyone
on Elm Street, but a fragment may have nicked James Tague standing on Main
Street.
If JFK was struck by a fragment early in the film he doesn't appear to
react at all. If he was not struck by a fragment then he, like many other
people in the crowd, may have thought it was a firecracker or a motorcycle
backfire, so he paid no attention to it. The question is why would
Kellerman lie about hearing the President react? Could it be the President
was making a joke after hearing this first loud pop? Or is it possible JFK
was able to speak after the 2nd shot but quickly went into shock?
With all this in mind, study the body language of all these people and see
what you come up with.
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