Ray, Connally does tell us he was hit by the second shot.
He also tells us that he heard the first shot, turned to try to see JFK but couldn't.
Connally only assumed JFK was hit by the first shot.
What's so hard to understand ?
JBC many not have been sure that JFK was hit but he did notice that JFK had moved to his left so he could not see how he was by turning to the right. But Nellie and more than 20 others actually observed JFK after the first shot and noticed that JFK reacted as if he was hit by it and not by smiling and waving:
1. T.E. Moore (24 H 534, "President KENNEDY had reached the Thornton Freeway sign, a shot was fired and Mr. MOORE observed the President slumping forward in the Presidential car.") (heard 3 shots)
2. Nellie Connally (4 H 147. "I turned over my right shoulder and looked back, and saw the President as he had both hands at his neck.") (heard 3 shots)
3. David Powers (7 H 473: "I noticed then that the President moved quite far to his left after the shot from the extreme right hand side where he had been sitting. There was a second shot and Governor Connally disappeared from sight and then there was a third shot which took off the top of the President?s head") (heard 3 shots)
4. Bobby Hargis (heard 3 shots) (6 H 294):
??.I was next to Mrs. Kennedy when I heard the first shot, and at that time the President bent over, and Governor Connally turned around. He was sitting directly in front of him, and a real shocked and surprised expression on his face.
Mr. STERN. On Governor Connally?s?
Mr. HARGIS. Yes; that is why I thought Governor Connally had been shot first, but it looked like the President was bending over to hear what he had to say, and I thought to myself then that Governor Connally, the Governor had been hit, and then as the President raised back up like that (indicating) the shot that killed him hit him. I don?t know whether it was the second or the third shot. Everything happened so fast.
5. Gayle Newman (19 H 488: "President Kennedy kind of jumped like he was startled and covered his head with his hands and then raised up. After I heard the first shot, another shot sounded and Governor grabbed his chest and lay back on the seat of the car") (heard 3 shots)
6. William Newman (19 H 490 "The President jumped up in his seat, and it looked like what I thought was a firecracker had went off and I thought he had realized it.") (first (22Nov63) described only 2 shots and later (24Nov63) 3 shots)
7. John Chism (19 H 472 ?When I saw the motorcade round the corner, the President was standing and waving to the crowd. And just as he got just about in front of me, he turned and waved at the crowd on this side of the street, the right side; at this point I heard what sounded like one shot, and I saw him, "The President," sit back in his seat and lean his head to his left side.? (described 2 shots but not asked how many there were).
8. Faye Chism (19 H 471 ?As the President was coming through, I heard this first shot, and the President fell to his left.?) (described 2 shots but not asked how many there were)
9. James Altgens (7 H 520. He said his z255 shot was after first shot and before any other. It shows JFK reacting.) (more than 2 shots-not sure)
10. Abraham Zapruder (TV interview at 2:00 pm Nov. 22/63:
http://www.jfk.org/Research/Zapruder/Transcript.htm - " I heard a shot, and he slumped to the side, like this. Then I heard another shot or two, I couldn't say it was one or two) (2 or 3 shots, not sure)
11. SA Clint Hill (2 H 138, Recalled only two shots. After the first: "I saw President Kennedy grab at himself and lurch forward and to the left". CE1024, 18 H 742: "I saw the President hunch forward and then slump to his left."). (2 shots recalled)
12. Linda Willis (7 H 498. ? Yes; I heard one. Then there was a little bit of time, and then there were two real fast bullets together. When the first one hit, well, the President turned from waving to the people, and he grabbed his throat, and he kind of slumped forward, and then I couldn?t tell where the second shot went.) (heard 3 shots)
13. SA George Hickey (CE1024, 18 H 761. Perhaps 2 or 3 seconds elapsed from the time I looked to the rear and then looked at the President. He was slumped forward and to his left, and was straightening up to an almost erect sitting position as I turned and looked. At the moment he was almost sitting erect I heard two reports which I thought were shots and that appeared to me completely different in sound than the first report and were in such rapid succession that there seemed to be practically no time element between them.?) (heard 3 shots)
14. SA Sam Kinney (CE1024, 18 H 731. ?As we completed the left turn and on a short distance, there was a shot. At this time I glanced from the tailights of the President's car that I use for gaging distances for driving. I saw the President lean toward the left and appeared to have grabbed his chest with right hand. There was a second of pause and then two more shots were heard?). (heard 3 shots)
15. SA Emory Roberts (CE1024, 18 H 734. ?12:30 p.m. First of three shots fired, at which time I saw the President lean toward Mrs. Kennedy. I do not know if it was the next shot or third shot that hit the President in the head, but I saw ,,,what appeared to be a small explosion on the right side of the President's head, saw blood, at which time the President fell further to his left.?). (heard 3 shots)
16. Cecil Ault (24 H 534. Viewing from court house on Houston. Reported to have seen JFK rise up in his seat after first shot.) (heard 3 shots)
17. Harold Norman (3 H 191. ?but I know I heard a shot, and then after I heard the shot, well, it seems as though the President, you know, slumped or something,?) (heard 3 shots)
18. Malcolm Summers (Affidavit, 19 H 500 ?The President's car had just come up in front of me when I heard a shot and saw the President slump down in the car and heard Mrs. Kennedy say, "Oh, no", then a second shot and then I hit the ground as I realized these were shots.?) (described 2 shots - not asked how many shots he heard).
19. Mary Moorman (Affidavit, 19 H 487, ?As I snapped the picture of President Kennedy, I heard a shot ring out. President Kennedy kind of slumped over.? (heard 3 or 4 shots).
20. Jean Newman (Affidavit, 19 H 489, ?The motorcade had just passed me when I heard that I thought was a firecracker at first, and the President had just passed me, because after he had just passed, there was a loud report, it just scared me, and I noticed that the President jumped, he sort of ducked his head down and I thought at the time that it probably scared him, too, just like it did me, because he flinched, like he jumped. I saw him put his elbows like this, with his hands on his chest.?) (heard 3 or 4 shots in all ? Dallas PD 22Nov63)
21. Charles Brehm (Dallas Times Herald statement, Nov. 22, 1963 ?The witness Brehm was shaking uncontrollably as he further described the shooting. ?The first shot must not have been too solid, because he just slumped?.?) (heard 3 shots but said the second shot hit JFK in the head because he saw his hair fly up).
22. Pierce Allman, (WFAA radio interview, in which he states that he thought ?the President was ducking from the first shot?)
