How could former Marine sharpshooter Oswald miss everything with his first shot?

[Kevin Balch]

Why then would Oswald take such a difficult shot when in a few seconds there would be much better opportunities? Why didn’t the men on the floor just beneath him not hear the shot? Or anyone else in the building for that matter?

He had the presence of mind not to take a shot while the limo was on Houston St. which is understandable because he would be more easily spotted. And he did not arrange the snipers nest for such a shot.

[John Corbett]

Why then would Oswald take such a difficult shot when in a few seconds there would be much better opportunities? Why didn’t the men on the floor just beneath him not hear the shot? Or anyone else in the building for that matter?

He had the presence of mind not to take a shot while the limo was on Houston St. which is understandable because he would be more easily spotted. And he did not arrange the snipers nest for such a shot.

Because he had a better chance of hitting JFK if he took that shot than if he did not. As Wayne Gretzky correctly observed, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take". The later shots were still available to him. Taking an early low percentage shot improved his chances of success.

Given that Oswald succeeded in doing what he set out to do, I don't see much sense in second guessing his decisions.

[Kevin Balch]

Because he had a better chance of hitting JFK if he took that shot than if he did not. As Wayne Gretzky correctly observed, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take". The later shots were still available to him. Taking an early low percentage shot improved his chances of success.

Given that Oswald succeeded in doing what he set out to do, I don't see much sense in second guessing his decisions.

So only the later shots were heard? For some reason.

[John Corbett]

So only the later shots were heard? For some reason.

Some heard the first shot. Some didn't. Some heard it but didn't recognize it as a gunshot. This divergence of opinion illustrates just how unreliable eye and ear witnesses can be. If they were reliable, we wouldn't have these disparities.

[Tom Graves]

So only the later shots were heard? For some reason.

The digitally enhanced Robert Hughes clip appears to show a person wearing a white ("tee"?) shirt standing and moving around in the Sniper's Nest window as the limo is turning onto Elm Street.

If Oswald was standing/crouching during his first, sharply-downward-angled shot, the muzzle of his short-rifle was probably just inside the building, making that shot sound somewhat muffled compared to his next two shots when the muzzle was outside the building.