# Why was Oswald a suspect so soon after the shooting? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 18, 2014, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661 "2014-10-18T06:03:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/1 "2014-10-18T06:03:33Z")
I thought there was a APB out on him within a few minutes. Did anyone see him with a rifle? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/2 "2014-10-18T13:06:24Z")
> **[Timeline of the John F. Kennedy assassination | Lee Harvey Oswald](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_John_F._Kennedy_assassination#Lee_Harvey_Oswald)** > > Oswald was confronted by Dallas patrolman Marion L. Baker and Texas School Book Depository superintendent Roy Truly in the second-floor lunchroom. Baker let Oswald pass after Truly identified Oswald as an employee. Oswald was next seen by a secretary as he crossed through the second-floor business office carrying a soda bottle. He left the building through its front door at approximately 12:33 p.m. Initially, Truly and Occhus Campbell, the Texas School Book Depository's v Estimates of when the de... Here’s the timeline - I don’t see when the APB was issued. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/3 "2014-10-18T13:12:22Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > I thought there was a APB out on him within a few minutes. Did anyone see him with a rifle? He was pursued and arrested as a suspect in the killing of Officer Tippet. He was tied to the JFK shooting after that. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/4 "2014-10-18T14:02:08Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > He was pursued and arrested as a suspect in the killing of Officer Tippet. He was tied to the JFK shooting after that. But Tippett approached him because he matched the description on the APB. IIRC, after the police secured the school book depository, they realized that only one employee was missing who was there earlier that day: Oswald. So his description went out across the wire… ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/5 "2014-10-18T16:09:21Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > But Tippett approached him because he matched the description on the APB. IIRC, after the police secured the school book depository, they realized that only one employee was missing who was there earlier that day: Oswald. So his description went out across the wire… That’s pretty much it. Shooting happens. Sensible observers realize it came from the TBD. Sniper’s nest, with casings, found. Rifle found. Employees quizzed. One found missing. APB issued. Tippitt shot. LHO cornered and captured in nearby theater. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/6 "2014-10-18T17:09:53Z")
Oswald was stopped on the stairs by a Dallas police officer but he was cleared by his supervisor. he then left the building shortly before it was locked own. When a headcount was performed after it was surmise that the Texas Book Depository was the probable sniping location, the only employee missing was Lee Harvey Oswald. An All Points Bulletin was put on Oswald and he stupidly killed Officer JD Tippit when he was stopped by him on the street. Had Oswald gone to ground or immediately left the Dallas area instead of wandering around like the moron that he was, it may have been days or weeks until he was discovered. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/7 "2014-10-18T17:21:33Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > Had Oswald gone to ground or immediately left the Dallas area instead of wandering around like the moron that he was, it may have been days or weeks until he was discovered. That was all part of his clever plan…to…um…conspire. The actual assassination was really carried out by the secret sniper on the grassy knoll with the umbrella gun containing a ricin-laced bullet. If you notice, it was a guy wearing a black porkpie hat and a goatee. Although no one knows his real identity, his code name was “[Schrödinger](https://media.dayoftheshirt.com/images/shirts/HbDoavVV2mf3/teevillain_i-am-the-danger-zone.full.png)”. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/8 "2014-10-18T17:33:45Z")
Mild hijack, but we just saw _X-Men: Days of Future Past_ and… **sigh**. Another ignorant generation conditioned to believe in the magic bullet by fictionalizing something “everybody knows.” ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/9 "2014-10-18T17:38:39Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > That was all part of his clever plan…to…um…conspire. > > The actual assassination was really carried out by the secret sniper on the grassy knoll with the umbrella gun containing a ricin-laced bullet. If you notice, it was a guy wearing a black porkpie hat and a goatee. Although no one knows his real identity, his code name was “[Schrödinger](https://media.dayoftheshirt.com/images/shirts/HbDoavVV2mf3/teevillain_i-am-the-danger-zone.full.png)”. > > Stranger Yes, the “conspiracy” uncovered by Jim Garrison that a staggering number of people knew the complete details of. Except, of course: [ol] [li]Who ordered it[/li][li]Who the actual shooter was[/li][li]And why someone would tell them the details of a secret plan[/li][/ol] Other than that…. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/10 "2014-10-18T17:45:37Z")
Worst…conspiracy…EVER! ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/11 "2014-10-18T18:06:04Z")
Jim Garrison couldn’t seem to figure out that gay people in the 1960s might have an underground culture because, you know, gay, in the early 1960s, and when he found one, he somehow jumped to the conclusion that it must be some kind of criminal conspiracy, and since Oswald had been in New Orleans trying to set up his Fair Play for Cuba group (unsuccessfully), well, that must be what the gay underground was for, and therefore, there was a whole conspiracy to kill the president that originated in New Orleans long before Oswald moved to Dallas-- which, OMG! he did specifically to assassinate Kennedy! Yeah! that makes total sense! I think Garrison could have used a little Thorazine. Yes, I actually slogged through his awful book. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/12 "2014-10-18T18:44:39Z")
If Oswald had stayed in the building, maybe he could have been cleared enough to blow town before being tied to the rifle. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/13 "2014-10-18T18:53:20Z")
The evidence is that his planning was shoddy and his thinking was probably clouded by shock (maybe even a trace of guilt). The CIA really blew it picking him, but then, they should have learned not to trust the Mob’s advice after the both were thrown out of Cuba. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/14 "2014-10-18T19:53:06Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > That was all part of his clever plan…to…um…conspire. > > The actual assassination was really carried out by the secret sniper on the grassy knoll with the umbrella gun containing a ricin-laced bullet. If you notice, it was a guy wearing a black porkpie hat and a goatee. Although no one knows his real identity, his code name was “[Schrödinger](https://media.dayoftheshirt.com/images/shirts/HbDoavVV2mf3/teevillain_i-am-the-danger-zone.full.png)”. > > Stranger He was one mysterious cat. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/15 "2014-10-18T20:18:47Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > He was one mysterious cat. “Respect the statistical mechanics.” Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. Oh well, I’ll work on it before I publish my thesis. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/16 "2014-10-18T20:40:35Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > “Respect the statistical mechanics.” > > Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. Oh well, I’ll work on it before I publish my thesis. It was worth a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/17 "2014-10-19T00:27:11Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > If Oswald had stayed in the building, maybe he could have been cleared enough to blow town before being tied to the rifle. I think that’s hard to say. He was seen carrying a long paper bag into the building, and that was also found near the rifle. He told his friend that it was curtain rods. If that is true, Mr. Oswald, then where are the curtain rods that you brought to work? I think that Oswald’s experience with shooting at General Walker had taught him that the best way to get away with the crime was by foot, and he had no reliable alibi for his actions at work, so he had to flee. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/18 "2014-10-19T01:07:22Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > Oswald was stopped on the stairs by a Dallas police officer but he was cleared by his supervisor. he then left the building shortly before it was locked own. When a headcount was performed after it was surmise that the Texas Book Depository was the probable sniping location, the only employee missing was Lee Harvey Oswald. > > An All Points Bulletin was put on Oswald and he stupidly killed Officer JD Tippit when he was stopped by him on the street. Had Oswald gone to ground or immediately left the Dallas area instead of wandering around like the moron that he was, it may have been days or weeks until he was discovered. This is the bit I’m asking about, are you saying that shortly after the shooting every employee of the building thought,“Oh well, the presidents been shot, lets get back to work” No one decided to stay in the street and watch the events unfold. No one thought," bugger work, I’ll watch TV" and went home. If I was standing in the street and saw the president shot in the head, I would not be back to work anytime soon. And when they did the headcount (how long does it take to headcount a six storey building?), when they found Oswald was missing why did they immediately say,“he’s the shooter” instead of ,“He may be standing outside with the rest of the crowd” How many employees were at work that day? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/19 "2014-10-19T03:14:38Z")
There were not many employees… I want to say a dozen, it might have been two. The sniper’s nest and rifle had been found. One employee who had been there was missing. The odds of it being a coincidence were small. An APB was a natural and correct call, even if it turned out Oswald was innocent and some unknown had done the shooting. At the least, he was a person of interest and needed to be questioned. Had he been innocent, being stopped by Tippit should have been no particular deal. Shooting a cop seems excessive for a man who had no reason to suspect he was in any trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661/20 "2014-10-19T04:00:26Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Had he been innocent, being stopped by Tippit should have been no particular deal. Shooting a cop seems excessive for a man who had no reason to suspect he was in any trouble. I agree, the shooting of Tippit was a clincher as far as I’m concerned. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-oswald-a-suspect-so-soon-after-the-shooting/701661.md?page=2)