The Kill Zone: Reactions (Part 2 of 4)

This second post will deal primarily with some of the oddities that occurred that afternoon but were never fully explained or examined by the Warren Commission or the House Select Committee on Assassinations.

More witnesses claim to hear more than three shots.

• A.J. Millican, who was standing on the north side of Elm reported that he heard eight shots: three from the depository, two more from between the underpass and the depository (in other words, the fenced area of the knoll), and then finally three more shots from the same direction, but further back. A co-worker of Millican's claimed he heard at least five shots. Jesse Price, who was watching the parade from the Union Terminal Annex on the corner of Houston and Main, said that "there was a volley of shots, I think five and then much later...another one."

More after the jump...

 

There were two very suspicious men along Elm Street between the depository and the underpass; the "umbrella man" and the "dark-complected man."

•  The existence and the actions of the umbrella man and the dark-complected man are facts, to the extent that we know the umbrella was closed before and after the motorcade passed their positions. As seen in the Zapruder frame above, the umbrella is open, and other videos that day show him pumping it twice into the air. The man to his right can be seen pumping his fist into the air at the same time. There are two main theories concerning what these men were doing. The first is that the umbrella was actually a weapon, containing a tranquilizing dart that fired when opened (See photo titled "Umbrella Weapon" in the links box).  Testimony by CIA officials confirm this type of weapon was in existence in 1963. It could also explain Kennedy's relative lack of movement during the assassination. The second, and more widely accepted theory, is that both of these men were providing visual signals to the gunmen. This would mean, contrary to the findings of the Warren Commission, that President Kennedy was "killed by a crossfire coordinated by radiomen."What is even stranger is that after the assassination, the two men just sat down on the curb, as show in the top photo. Louis Steven Witt claimed to be the umbrella man in 1978, however the statements he gave in regards to his actions and positioning were found to be vague and inaccurate. 

Next in the list of intriguing characters is the woman identified as the "Babushka Lady," seen in Zapruder frame 288 standing behind Charles Brehm and his son.

• She was later indetified as Beverly Oliver. But what is most interesting about her is that she knew Jack Ruby. In fact, not long before, Ruby had introduced Ms. Oliver to a "Lee Oswald of the CIA." 

A few frames later in Z300, you can see Jean Hill (red coat) and Mary Moorman standing about two feet back from the curb as Kennedy's limo passes by.

• I have posted the photo Mary Moorman took just before the fatal headshot in the links section. Frame Z300 shows both of them standing on the grass, however Jean Hill claimed that in order to get the President to look her way, she jumped into the street and yelled "Hey Mr. President, look this way. We want to take your picture." Yet they are never shown to do so in the Zapruder Film. 
• Jean Hill also claimed to have seen a man fire a rifle from across the street, behind the picket fence on the grassy knoll. She also said she heard "four to six shots." 

The last discrepancy that I made of note of can be seen in the James Altgens photo (also posted in the links section).

• The Altgens photo was taken moments after the first shot hit President Kennedy. You will notice the two Secret Service men on the passenger side of the follow-up car turn and look back at the depository. The agents on the driver side, as well as the two motorcycle officers, appear to look to the front right side of the limo [towards the grassy knoll]. 
• There is a clear shot of the doorway to the depository. You can see a man standing on the far left side with a dark shirt worn open with a white t-shirt underneath. This man bares a striking resemblance to Lee Harvey Oswald. The Warren Commission identified this man, based on testimony of other depository workers, as Billy Lovelady. There are some inconsistencies in this finding. Lovelady claims to have been sitting on the steps, yet the man in the picture is clearly standing. Also, Lovelady recalls that his shirt was buttoned at the neck, yet as you can see in the picture, the shirt of the man in the photo is clearly open at the top. 

In Part 3, I will discuss the many possible locations of Lee Harvey Oswald in the depository before, during, and after the assassination.