Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. KennedyUnited States. Warren Commission
History
Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
could not have been struck on the outside surface because of
the manner in which the glass broke and further because of the
lead residue on the inside surface. The cracks appear in the
outer layer of the glass because the glass is bent outward at
the time of impact which stretches the outer layer of the glass
to the point where these small radial or wagon spoke, wagon
wheel spoke-type cracks appear on the outer surface.[C3-103]
Although there is some uncertainty whether the dent in the chrome on
the windshield was present prior to the assassination,[C3-104] Frazier
testified that the dent “had been caused by some projectile which
struck the chrome on the inside surface.”[C3-105] If it was caused
by a shot during the assassination, Frazier stated that it would not
have been caused by a bullet traveling at full velocity, but rather
by a fragment traveling at “fairly high velocity.”[C3-106] It could
have been caused by either fragment found in the front seat of the
limousine.[C3-107]
[Illustration: COMMISSION EXHIBIT NO. 350
Windshield of Presidential limousine.]
EXPERT EXAMINATION OF RIFLE, CARTRIDGE CASES, AND BULLET FRAGMENTS
On the sixth floor of the Depository Building, the Dallas police
found three spent cartridges and a rifle. A nearly whole bullet was
discovered on the stretcher used to carry Governor Connally at Parkland
Hospital. As described in the preceding section, five bullet fragments
were found in the President’s limousine. The cartridge cases, the
nearly whole bullet and the bullet fragments were all subjected to
firearms identification analysis by qualified experts. It was the
unanimous opinion of the experts that the nearly whole bullet, the two
largest bullet fragments and the three cartridge cases were definitely
fired in the rifle found on the sixth floor of the Depository Building
to the exclusion of all other weapons.
Discovery of Cartridge Cases and Rifle
Shortly after the assassination, police officers arrived at the
Depository Building and began a search for the assassin and
evidence.[C3-108] Around 1 p.m. Deputy Sheriff Luke Mooney noticed a
pile of cartons in front of the window in the southeast corner of the
sixth floor.[C3-109] (See Commission Exhibit No. 723, p. 80.) Searching
that area he found at approximately 1:12 p.m. three empty cartridge
cases on the floor near the window.[C3-110] When he was notified of
Mooney’s discovery, Capt. J. W. Fritz, chief of the homicide bureau of
the Dallas Police Department, issued instructions that nothing be moved
or touched until technicians from the police crime laboratory could
take photographs and check for fingerprints.[C3-111] Mooney stood guard
to see that nothing was disturbed.[C3-112] A few minutes later, Lt.
J. C. Day of the Dallas Police Department arrived and took photographs
of the cartridge cases before anything had been moved.[C3-113]
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