Warren Commission (02 of 26): Hearings Vol. II (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (02 of 26): Hearings Vol. II (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. HILL. We were running still 12 to 15 miles per hour, but in the
curve I believe we slowed down maybe to 10, maybe to 9.
Mr. SPECTER. How far back of the President's automobile was the
Presidential followup car when the President's followup car had just
straightened out on Elm Street?
Mr. HILL. Approximately 5 feet.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, as the motorcade proceeded at that point, tell us
what happened.
Mr. HILL. Well, as we came out of the curve, and began to straighten
up, I was viewing the area which looked to be a park. There were people
scattered throughout the entire park. And I heard a noise from my right
rear, which to me seemed to be a firecracker. I immediately looked
to my right, and, in so doing, my eyes had to cross the Presidential
limousine and I saw President Kennedy grab at himself and lurch forward
and to the left.
Mr. SPECTER. Why don't you just proceed, in narrative form, to tell us?
Representative BOGGS. This was the first shot?
Mr. HILL. This is the first sound that I heard; yes, sir. I jumped from
the car, realizing that something was wrong, ran to the Presidential
limousine. Just about as I reached it, there was another sound,
which was different than the first sound. I think I described it in
my statement as though someone was shooting a revolver into a hard
object--it seemed to have some type of an echo. I put my right foot, I
believe it was, on the left rear step of the automobile, and I had a
hold of the handgrip with my hand, when the car lurched forward. I lost
my footing and I had to run about three or four more steps before I
could get back up in the car.
Between the time I originally grabbed the handhold and until I was up
on the car, Mrs. Kennedy--the second noise that I heard had removed a
portion of the President's head, and he had slumped noticeably to his
left. Mrs. Kennedy had jumped up from the seat and was, it appeared to
me, reaching for something coming off the right rear bumper of the
car, the right rear tail, when she noticed that I was trying to climb
on the car. She turned toward me and I grabbed her and put her back in
the back seat, crawled up on top of the back seat and lay there.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, referring to Commission Exhibit No. 354, would
you mark an "X", as best you can, at the spot where the President's
automobile was at the time the first shot occurred?
Mr. HILL. Approximately there.
Mr. SPECTER. And would you mark a "Y" at the approximate position where
the President's car was at the second shot you have described? What is
your best estimate of the speed of the President's car at the precise
time of the first shot, Mr. Hill?
Mr. HILL. We were running between 12 to 15 miles per hour, but no
faster than 15 miles per hour.
Mr. SPECTER. How many shots have you described that you heard?
Mr. HILL. Two.
Mr. SPECTER. Did you hear any more than two shots?
Mr. HILL. No, sir.
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