My Time Trial, Depository To Tippit Scene

[Bill Brown]

While in Dallas last month, I performed a time trial (with a conspiracy advocate at my side) from the front of the Depository building to Tenth & Patton.  Here are my results...

From the front steps of the Depository, I walked east on Elm to the spot where Oswald got on the McWatters bus. 6:55

Allow for 4 minutes on the bus (per McWatters' testimony). 4:00

From the point Oswald got off the bus, I walked over to the Greyhound station to where Whaley's cab was parked. 3:26

I drove from that spot to the intersection of Beckley & Neely. 4:53

(Side note: I got stopped at 3 traffic lights and paused the stop watch at all 3 until the light turned green)

I walked from Beckley & Neely (where Oswald exited Whaley's cab) back to the rooming house front door: 5:54

I allowed 1 minute to be back inside the room ("Just long enough, I guess, to grab a jacket and put it on" - Earlene Roberts). 1:00

I allowed 1 minute to stand at the bus stop. 1:00

From the bus stop outside the rooming house, I walked to the spot of Tippit's patrol car. 12:20

Total time.... 39:28

 

If I leave the front steps of the Depository at 12:33 pm, then I am at the patrol car on Tenth Street between 1:12 pm and 1:13 pm.

And Oswald probably would have walked from the rooming house to Tenth & Patton quicker than my 12:20 time.

Unsolved History, the Gary Mack/Dave Perry Oswald double did it in less than 11:20.

There is no problem with whether or not Oswald was able to get to the Tippit shooting in time.

[Jarrett Smith]

While in Dallas last month, I performed a time trial (with a conspiracy advocate at my side) from the front of the Depository building to Tenth & Patton.  Here are my results...

From the front steps of the Depository, I walked east on Elm to the spot where Oswald got on the McWatters bus. 6:55

Allow for 4 minutes on the bus (per McWatters' testimony). 4:00

From the point Oswald got off the bus, I walked over to the Greyhound station to where Whaley's cab was parked. 3:26

I drove from that spot to the intersection of Beckley & Neely. 4:53

(Side note: I got stopped at 3 traffic lights and paused the stop watch at all 3 until the light turned green)

I walked from Beckley & Neely (where Oswald exited Whaley's cab) back to the rooming house front door: 5:54

I allowed 1 minute to be back inside the room ("Just long enough, I guess, to grab a jacket and put it on" - Earlene Roberts). 1:00

I allowed 1 minute to stand at the bus stop. 1:00

From the bus stop outside the rooming house, I walked to the spot of Tippit's patrol car. 12:20

Total time.... 39:28

 

If I leave the front steps of the Depository at 12:33 pm, then I am at the patrol car on Tenth Street between 1:12 pm and 1:13 pm.

And Oswald probably would have walked from the rooming house to Tenth & Patton quicker than my 12:20 time.

Unsolved History, the Gary Mack/Dave Perry Oswald double did it in less than 11:20.

There is no problem with whether or not Oswald was able to get to the Tippit shooting in time.

Thanks, Bill, for putting this to rest. Oswald killed Tippit at 1:15 and had plenty of time to get there. This part of the case is closed.

[Benjamin Cole]

BB-

Always great to do primary and original research. Thanks.

Some issues:

1. DPD'er Gerald Hill calling from the murder scene that an "automatic" pistol was used to murder Tippit. I apologize in advance, but I could swear I saw an interview of Hill on Youtube, in color, in which Hill said he looked at the bottom of the shells and thought he saw the word "auto" imprinted. That said, LHO was clever enough to salt a murder scene with "auto" shells, while carrying a revolver. Still, this has always bothered me.

2. The witness statements on the time (too early to have murdered Tippit) of LHO's arrival at the Texas Theater.

3. OTOH, credible shoe-store manager Johnny Brewer said he saw LHO actively furtively, and then sneaking into the TT.

LHO's behavior post-JFKA has always suggested complicity in the JFKA, and my take is he was involved.

The Tippit shooting is murky though.

Caveat emptor and draw your own conclusions.

[Bill Brown]

BB-

Always great to do primary and original research. Thanks.

Some issues:

1. DPD'er Gerald Hill calling from the murder scene that an "automatic" pistol was used to murder Tippit. I apologize in advance, but I could swear I saw an interview of Hill on Youtube, in color, in which Hill said he looked at the bottom of the shells and thought he saw the word "auto" imprinted. That said, LHO was clever enough to salt a murder scene with "auto" shells, while carrying a revolver. Still, this has always bothered me.

2. The witness statements on the time (too early to have murdered Tippit) of LHO's arrival at the Texas Theater.

3. OTOH, credible shoe-store manager Johnny Brewer said he saw LHO actively furtively, and then sneaking into the TT.

LHO's behavior post-JFKA has always suggested complicity in the JFKA, and my take is he was involved.

The Tippit shooting is murky though.

Caveat emptor and draw your own conclusions.

Hi Ben.

1.  As for whether or not the shell casings found at the scene were from a revolver or automatic...

First, eyewitnesses described watching the killer manually removing shell casings from the weapon.  An automatic weapon automatically ejects the shell casing as each round is fired.

Second, if fired from an automatic weapon, how did it come to be that the shell casings were found nowhere near the patrol car where the killer was standing as he fired each round?  The two casings found by the Davis sisters were found literally over 100 feet from the patrol car.

2.  Witness statements on the time of the shooting being too early for Oswald to murder Tippit...

First... Scoggins said it was around 1:20.  He radioed in to his dispatcher after the gunman fled past him and though it took a bit of time to get through, the dispatcher said the report from Scoggins came in at 1:23.

Second... Ted Callaway testified that after hearing the five gun shots, he ran out to the sidewalk on Patton.  This was a little over a half block south of the shooting scene.  Callaway saw a man (who he later identified as Oswald) cutting across Patton as he (Oswald) made his way south on Patton (towards Callaway's position).  Callaway hollered out to the man  as the man continued south on Patton past Callaway's position.  Callaway testified that the man was running and holding a gun.  Callaway saw the man head west on Jefferson (the same direction as the theater).

Once the man turned west onto Jefferson, Callaway ran a "good hard run" up to the corner of Tenth and Patton.  Callaway, noticing the stopped patrol car, went to the car and saw the officer (Tippit) lying dead in the street.  Callaway said the first thing he did was to grab the police car radio and report the shooting.  He said he didn't know if anyone had reported it yet, so he decided to report it himself.

To recap, Callaway hears the shots.  Runs to the sidewalk.  Sees the gunman run south on Patton the entire block from Tenth to Jefferson.  Runs the two-thirds of a block up to the shooting scene.  Goes over to the police car and the first thing he does is grab the radio and report the shooting to the police dispatcher.

How much time do you believe passed from the time Callaway heard the shots to the time he reported the shooting on the police radio?

Let's say two minutes pass from the time Oswald shoots Tippit to the time Oswald turns the corner from Patton onto Jefferson.  This is a little over one block and Oswald was running.

Let's say it takes Callaway one minute when he made the "good hard run" the two-thirds of a block from his location to the patrol car.

If these two time estimates are anywhere close to being correct, then Callaway is at the patrol car roughly three minutes after the shots rang out.  Let's add another full minute for error.  So we have Callaway at the patrol car using the police radio about four minutes after the shots rang out.

Here's the thing... Callaway's report to the dispatcher while using the patrol car radio took place at 1:19/1:20.

Do the math and work it backwards.  At 1:19/1:20, Callaway makes the call.  If four minutes have passed (and that's being generous, in my opinion) since the shots rang out, then the shots rang out around 1:15.

[John Corbett]

When I was in Dallas back in 2008, I did a time trial of my own from the rooming house to the scene of the Tippit murder. Walking at my normal pace, I took just under 13 minutes and stopped briefly at a traffic light.

Of course we don't know precisely what route Oswald took as he had several choice of where he could have made the move over toward Patton.

All we can do is show what was possible, not how Oswald actually did it. We don't know precisely when Oswald left the rooming house so it's impossible to say when he arrived at 10th and Patton nor how long his conversation with Tippit lasted.

[Bill Brown]

When I was in Dallas back in 2008, I did a time trial of my own from the rooming house to the scene of the Tippit murder. Walking at my normal pace, I took just under 13 minutes and stopped briefly at a traffic light.

Of course we don't know precisely what route Oswald took as he had several choice of where he could have made the move over toward Patton.

All we can do is show what was possible, not how Oswald actually did it. We don't know precisely when Oswald left the rooming house so it's impossible to say when he arrived at 10th and Patton nor how long his conversation with Tippit lasted.

Agreed.

Your time trial supports the idea that it is faulty to state that it takes 15 minutes to walk from the rooming house to Tenth & Patton, as many conspiracy advocates incorrectly claim.