Tippit Shooting 1:15-1:16

[Tom Graves]

There is no need to assume anything. The shells are clearly marked.
It was not just ".38" It was "automatic .38"

Dear Michael,

How many bad guys do you figure were involved altogether in the planning, the patsying, the shooting, the getting away, and the all important (and ongoing!!!) cover up?

Just a few, or oodles and gobs?

-- Tom

[Tim Nickerson]

lame - Why would Hill guess at the caliber if it is written on the shell?
Add Davis sisters and Benevides to the equation and it gets worse

Gerald Hill | DPD
Mr. HILL. Right. And Poe showed me a Winston cigarette package that contained three spent jackets from shells that
he said a citizen had pointed out to him where the suspect had reloaded his gun and dropped these in the
grass, and that the citizen had picked them up and put them in the Winston package.

Domingo Benavides | CBS Special
"...They were looking all over the place for evidence and everything...and taking fingerprints and what have you...
So--I guess they were gonna just walk off and leave them...not knowing they was there..
and seeing I knew where they was at I walked over and picked up a stick..and picked them up and put them in a Winston package...
I think I picked up 2 and put them in the Winston package and as I was walking back I picked the other one up by hand I believe..."

Four shell casings were recovered from the scene of Officer Tippit's murder. According to the official report, two were found by one witness, and the remaining two by other individuals.

Sisters Virginia and Barbara Davis (also known as Jeanette) each discovered a shell casing in the bushes near the house they rented. However, this is where the chain of custody and the timeline of evidence collection become unclear.

Domingo Benavides was the closest eyewitness to the shooting and had a clear view of where the suspect discarded the shell casings. The Homicide Report, Police Report, and Official Autopsy Report all state that Officer Tippit was struck three times. Yet, four shell casings were recovered.

The first two casings, picked up by Benavides, were entered into evidence and are well-documented.
(though he claimed to have found 3)

The fourth shell was found by Virginia Davis several hours later, after the police had already left the scene. Despite multiple searches of the area earlier in the day, she and her sister Jeanette continued looking and eventually located the casing in the bushes around 5:30 p.m. They contacted the police, and Officer C.N. Dhority returned to the scene, conducted an additional search, and retrieved the shell around 7:00 p.m.

Of the four shell casings, three—identified as Q74, Q75, and Q77—have a relatively consistent and traceable chain of custody, although there are concerns regarding a brief detour made by a “sergeant in the crime scene search section” to the Texas Theater, which complicates the evidence handling process.

It is the third shell casing, designated Q76, that presents the most issues. Its chain of custody is questionable and has led to speculation that Captain Doughty (distinct from Officer Dhority) may never have actually handled it at all.

Hill had to have guessed the caliber. He never saw it written on the shell. He was wrong in his recollection that there were 3 shells in the package.

You have avoided addressing the fact that Oswald was seen removing shells from his gun. Why? If the gun was an automatic, why was he manually moving spent shells from it?

The shells found by the Davis girls have no chain of custody problems. That includes Q76. On June 18, 1964, Capt. G.M. Doughty positively identified it as the bullet that he received from Barbara Davis on Nov 22, 1963.

[Michael Capasse]

Hill had to have guessed the caliber. He never saw it written on the shell. He was wrong in his recollection that there were 3 shells in the package.

...as the story continues to evolve.

You have avoided addressing the fact that Oswald was seen removing shells from his gun. Why? If the gun was an automatic, why was he manually moving spent shells from it?

I'm not avoiding anything, and I'm not so sure all the shells were automatic.

Sam Guinyard makes it sound like he was kicking shells out with one hand along Patton
The attorney did nothing to clarify this. He said the man was 10 feet from him when he crossed Patton. 
No one else saw what is described below and I'm not aware of any shells found along Patton (except by the corner)
Benevides saw exactly where the shells had landed and gathered them all. Homicide report = only 3 wounds.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mr. GUINYARD. He came through there running and knocking empty shells out of his pistol and he had it up just like this with his hand.

Mr. BALL. With which hand?
Mr. GUINYARD. With his right hand; just kicking them out.

Mr. BALL. He had it up?
Mr. GUINYARD. Yes; he had it up just like this.

Mr. BALL. How was he kicking them out?
Mr. GUINYARD. He was rolling them with his hand--with his thumb.

Mr. BALL. Rolling them with his thumb?
Mr. GUINYARD. Checking them--he had the pistol up just like this [indicating].

Mr. BALL. Did he use his left hand any?
Mr. GUINYARD. No; I never did see him use his left hand.

Mr. BALL. He didn't?
Mr. GUINYARD. No, sir.

The shells found by the Davis girls have no chain of custody problems. That includes Q76. On June 18, 1964, Capt. G.M. Doughty positively identified it as the bullet that he received from Barbara Davis on Nov 22, 1963.

Will address in another post.

[Mitch Todd]

There is no need to assume anything. The shells are clearly marked.
It was not just ".38" It was "automatic .38"

That's right: he said "automatic .38" and not ".38 auto." ".38 auto" is a particular cartridge. "Automatic .38" is a semiautomatic weapon that fires ".38" caliber ammunition. And ".38" is generally understood to be shorthand for ".38 Special."  That is "Automatic .38" refers to a semiautomatic gun that shoots .38 special. Just like I've already said.

[Michael Capasse]

Guinyard claimed he was polishing a station wagon when he heard three gunshots. He said, “I raised up, trying to see where the shots were coming from.” He was looking around, and after the third shot, he saw Oswald running down Patton.

This is more than half a block away. Under oath, Guinyard testified that he saw the shooter reloading, rolling the shells with his thumb.
"No, I never saw him use his left hand"—What’s that supposed to mean? Was he dropping shells along Patton? How could he possibly see someone’s thumb at that distance?

His testimony contradicts what other witnesses said, and there's no consistency or reliability in his account—even before the lineups.
He said the man came down the east side (the side both he and the shooter were on). But Ted Callaway said the man was on the west side. Guinyard also claimed he got within 10 feet of the shooter before he crossed Patton, but the FBI measured Callaway’s position at 56 feet from the man. Callaway is ahead of Guinyard.

It’s clear he didn’t see what he said. Things no one else saw. In my opinion, he probably saw the man as he was running away. Honestly, Guinyard was likely one of the least reliable witnesses at the scene. He just went along with the narrative.

Levealle told Callaway to come down for the lineup and bring witnesses. Callaway tried to get Benavides, but he wouldn’t go. Markham had already left, and he didn’t know how to reach the cabbie.

"C'mon Sam, you’ll go with me."