The overwhelming consensus of the witnesses that day, who commented on the spacing of the shots, was that they heard a single shot or noise, followed by a delay and then closely bunched shots at the end of the attack.
Clint Hill was the closest person to the car who was licensed to carry a firearm and was familiar with what they sounded like. He described two shots only, and a third sound, which he surmised was the sound of the impact on the president's head from the last bullet. Two shots, three sounds. With the last two sounds almost simultaneous.
Many of the Secret Service agents in Dealey Plaza (those men who by occupation were most familiar with firearms said almost exactly the same thing.
In general, the witnesses you cite fall into a couple of different categories: Those who specified no time for the shooting and weren't specific enough to be certain they fit your scenario, those who were quite specific and who we can eliminate as fitting your scenario, and those who heard two shots on top of each other, almost simultaneous, which fits the Clint Hill two shots and one impact sound scenario.
Of course, we all know that witnesses are not infallible, but any rational person has to wonder how so many could have made exactly the same mistake.
You're assuming what you need to prove. Watch me point out the issues. Please tell me how you eliminate just two shots from Oswald's weapon and one impact from the head (sounding to many like a third shot).
Specific examples:
Motorcycle officer Clyde Haygood
Mr. Belin. Mr. Haygood. The last two were closer than the first. In other words, it was the first, and then a pause, and then the other two were real close.
"...two were real close". "real close" is meaningless. It could mean 1/10th of a second apart or 2.5 seconds apart. Nothing in here says there was a shot at Z285. Nothing says they were 1.5 seconds apart. He could be describing the sound of two shots, and an impact on the head, exactly as Clint Hill described.
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Secret Service agent Roy Kellerman, who rode in the front, passenger seat of the Presidential limousine, referring to the time between the last two shots he recalled,
Let me give you an illustration, sir, before I can give you an answer. You have heard the sound barrier, of a plane breaking the sound barrier, bang, bang? that is it.
"bang, bang".
Nothing in here says there was a shot at Z285. He could be hearing the sound of two shots, and an impact on the head, exactly as Clint Hill described.
QUOTE=Robert Harris;10740677]Secret Service agent William Greer who drove the Presidential limousine,
The last two seemed to be just simultaneously, one behind the other...[/QUOTE]
"The last two seemed ... simultaneously."
Nothing in here says there was a shot at Z285. Nothing says they were 1.5 seconds apart. He could be hearing the sound of two shots, and an impact on the head, exactly as Clint Hill described.
Secret Service agent George Hickey in the followup car immediately behind the President,
At the moment he was almost sitting erect I heard two reports which... were in such rapid succession that there seemed to be practically no time element between them.
"Two shots... practically no time element between them."
Nothing in here says there was a shot at Z285. Nothing in there says there were shots 1.5 seconds apart. He could be hearing the sound of two shots, and an impact on the head, exactly as Clint Hill described.
Secret Service agent Warren W. Taylor,
In the instant that my left foot touched the ground, I heard two more bangs and realized that they must be gun shots.
"In the instant my left foot touched the ground ... I heard two more bangs"
Nothing in here says there was a shot at Z285. He could be hearing the sound of two shots, and an impact on the head, exactly as Clint Hill described. One could claim he was saying two shots were instantaneous, which doesn't mean separated by 1.5 seconds.
Railroad superintendent Lee Bowers, who was well positioned fifteen feet above the ground in the railroad tower behind the Dealey Plaza pergola,
I heard three shots. One, then a slight pause, then two very close together.
"Two very close together".
That's too indistinct to say how much time separated them.
Nothing in here says there was a shot at Z285. He could be describing the sound of two shots, and an impact on the head, exactly as Clint Hill described.
Mary Woodward (reporter for the Dallas Morning News)
I heard a very loud noise.... And then I heard the second one, and this time I knew what had happened, because I saw the president's motion, and then the third shot came very, very quickly, on top of the second one.
"third shot ... on top of the second one."
Nothing in here says there was a shot at Z285. She could be hearing the sound of two shots, and an impact on the head, exactly as Clint Hill described. She aligns the second shot with the President's motion, which puts it after Z223 (when he raises his hands to his throat), not between Z285 and Z313 (the President is practically motionless in those frames).
Billy Lovelady, standing in the front entrance of the depository,
After he had passed and was about 50 yards in front of us I heard three shots. There was a slight pause after the first shot then the next two was right close together.
"two...right close together."
Nothing in here says there was a shot at Z285. He could be hearing the sound of two shots, and an impact on the head, exactly as Clint Hill described.
Edward Shields,
I heard one shot and then a pause and then this repetition - two shots right behind the other..
"two shots right behind the other..."
Nothing in here says there was a shot at Z285. He could be hearing the sound of two shots, and an impact on the head, exactly as Clint Hill described.
Mrs. Earle Cabell, who was riding with her husband,
It was in just a fleeting second that I jerked my head up and I saw something in that window, and I turned around to say to Earle, "Earle, it is a shot” and before I got the words out, just as I got the words out, he said, "Oh, no; it must have been a.." the second two shots rang out.
Nothing in the above says the last two shots were about two seconds apart. Nothing in the above says there was a longer pause between the first shot and the next two. It's just begging the question for you to assert otherwise.
Ladybird Johnson (wife of Lyndon Johnson),
..suddenly there was a sharp loud report; a shot. It seemed to me to come from the right, above my shoulder, from a building. Then a moment and then two more shots in rapid succession.
Nothing in the above says the last two shots were about two seconds apart. Nothing in the above says there was a longer pause between the first shot and the next two. It's just begging the question for you to assert otherwise.
Linda Willis, the fifteen year old daughter of Phil Willis (responding to a question about the number of shots),
Yes; I heard one. Then there was a little bit of time, and then there were two real fast bullets together.
"Two real fast bullets together."
Nothing in here says there was a shot at Z285. She could be hearing the sound of two shots, and an impact on the head, exactly as Clint Hill described.
Joe R. Molina.
... Of course, the first shot was fired then there was an interval between the first and second longer than the second and third.
Molina merely said the "interval between the first and second was longer than [the interval between] the second and third". Nothing in the above says the last two shots were about two seconds apart. His description above is too unclear to fit your scenario. It's just begging the question for you to assert otherwise.
James N. Crawford,
..the second shot followed some seconds, a little time elapsed after the first one, and followed very quickly by the third one..
Disingenuous. Crawford said, and of course you don't quote:
Mr. CRAWFORD - No, sir; I did not.
Mr. BALL - In your remark to Mary Ann Mitchell, did you say "If those were shots, they came from that window"?
Mary Ann Mitchell said Crawford said that:
Mr. BALL - You heard Jim Crawford say something about if they were shots - what were his words exactly?
Miss MITCHELL - Well, I'm not sure that he said - I think he just said, "Those shots came from that building," just assuming that everybody could have figured out by then that they were shots.
Motorcycle Police Officer, Marrion Baker,
..I looked up, as the shots started, I immediately looked up, you know. I was already facing ahead and I just kind of raised, I sighted up, and while I was looking-up, those other two shots came off.
Nothing in the above says the last two shots were about two seconds apart. Nothing in the above says there was a longer pause between the first shot and the next two. It's just begging the question for you to assert otherwise. Moreover, Baker thought all three shots came from the roof of the Texas School Book Depository building.
Barbara Rowland,
...the second and third were closer than the first and second.
Nothing in the above says the last two shots were about two seconds apart. It's just begging the question for you to assert otherwise.
Special Agent Forrest V. Sorrels in the lead car,
There was to me about twice as much time between the first and second shots as there was between the second and third shots.
That would mean the entire assassination lasted just 4.5 seconds, with just 3 seconds between the first and second shots, and 1.5 seconds between the second and third (if we grant, for the sake of argument, your shots at Z285 and Z313. That puts Sorrels' first shot at approximately Z230, not Z150-160 as you argue. If you want to peg that shot at Z223, fine. Now you're arguing Sorrels heard the supposedly suppressed shot, instead of the unsuppressed one. Sorrels doesn't support your scenario, unless you argue he was a poor judge of the time elapsed. But that would destroy your entire reason for including him.
Bonnie Ray Williams
... I remembered three shots, because there was a pause between the first two shots... The second and the third shot was closer together than the first shot and the second shot..
Nothing in the above says the last two shots were about 1.5 seconds apart. It really isn't specific enough to fit your scenario, except in the most general fashion. It's just begging the question for you to assert otherwise.
Etc. etc. etc.
Hank
