[I’m not interested in a debate on who killed JFK. There’s enough of that in the GD archives. This is strictly for people who believe that LHO, acting alone, killed the president.]
One of the questions about the JFK assassination is “Why didn’t LHO shoot as he was heading toward him, instead of waiting until he had turned the corner, and was headed away?”
I’ve heard two different explanations:
A) He (LHO) was looking in the man’s face, and probably found it hard to pull the trigger looking at him directly.
B) Another, that moving toward him presented a “dropping” target while moving away presented a constantly “rising” target, and “rising” targets are easier to keep re-acquiring than “dropping” targets. Any marksmen care to comment on that one?
The direction and angle the sun was shining from would also have an effect if it were to hit the front glass of his scope. This might have contributed to his choice.
Actually, the motorcade moved north down Houston St., which is straight, towards the School Book Depository. At the SBD, the motorcade turned left and headed west on Elm St., which curves to the left and goes slightly downhill to enter the Triple Underpass.
Here’s a link to a map of Dealey Plaza. Zoom in to get a better perspective.
The SBD sits on the northwest corner of Houston and Elm. The window on the sixth floor that Oswald allegedly fired from is on the corner of the building closest to the intersection of the two streets.
I had a college professor who was a huge Kennedy Assassination buff. He showed us a slide show of some of the photographs taken by the motorcade watchers that day (it was the most photographed murder in history). In one photo taken by a spectator from behind the motorcade as it drove down Houston toward the SBD, I could clearly make out the image of someone in the corner window on either the 5th or 6th floor. If Oswald had fired on the motorcade as it approached on Houston, I’m pretty certain someone would have seen him. Since the motorcade had already passed the “sniper’s perch”, everybody’s focus had already moved down Elm St. and away from Oswald.
The shooting took place around 12:30 noon on November 22. The sun would have been pretty much overhead at that time of day, but maybe at a slightly lower angle in the southern sky since it was late autumn. However, the SBD was on the north side of the motorcade both as it came down Houston and as it turned and headed away on Elm. The sun would have been opposite of Oswald no matter which street he chose to shoot towards (although it probably would have been much less of a problem as he turned his scope towards Elm.)
It’s almost taboo to reckon that someone shot JFK from the front anymore.
Every time I here someone explain that JFK was shot going away from the depository by Oswald, it seems as if they are grasping at straws and technicalities.
I believe in the most reasonable approach:
If Oswald was soley responsible, if at all, he would have plugged JFK full of holes while he was coming up the road towards the depository. it is not reasonable to conclude he waited…and waited…then watched them turn. For goodness sake, you line up the target and blast it. “Golly, I’d better wait for the car to be heading away from me at an incredible degree of difficuly” Doubt it.
Think like an assassin. “When this mother f’er rolls up the road I’m gonna blast his f’in head off” …you look for your target and when he finally shows, it’s orgasmic to look at him and take him out. PERIOD.
Take into consideration the fact the JFK’s head blowing backwards (I’ve heard the explanations that it’s possible to hit him from behind and move his head backwards - puhlease) and you have to be reasonable and conclude that Oswald didn’t act alone, or didn’t do it.