> If LHO had tried to shoot him, he would have been shot. He wasn't.
The snap that never was:
I have always taken it on faith that during his arrest at the Texas
Theater, Lee Harvey Oswald took out his gun and attempted to shoot
arresting Officer M.N. McDonald. This is based on accounts of an audible
"snap" that was heard. Later, we read accounts that the only reason
Oswald's attempted murder of McDonald didn't succeed because of a bent
primer or a "misfire"
I would like to contend that perhaps the "snap" that was heard was
either
the sound of something else, or was accidently caused by the officers
seeing the gun and immediately reacting to take it away from Oswald and
that Oswald did not attempt to shoot Officer McDonald.
I say this for the following three reasons:
1)
Here are the accounts of the arresting officers filed with Police Chief
Curry on Decembers 2 - 5, 1963.
They can be found in the DAllas Police Archives, Box 2, Folder# 7
http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/box2.htm
E.L. Cunningham: "When I reached the seating area on the main floor,
several officers were in the process of disarming and handcuffing the
suspect. ...I did not see anything that indicated that any more force was
used than was absolutely necessary to effect the arrest".
Paul Bentley: "Just as I entered the lower floor, I saw Patrolman McDonald
fighting with this suspect. I saw this suspect pull a pistol from his
shirt, so I went to Patrolman McDonald's aid immediately"
Bob Carroll: "When I arrived at the lower floor, Lee Harvey Oswald was
resisting vigorously"...At this time I observed a pistol with the muzzle
pointed in my direction. I grabbed the pistol and stuck it in my belt..."
Ray Hawkins: "The subject stood up and as Officer McDonald started to
search him, he struck Officer McDonald in the face. The subject and
Offcier McDonald began to fight and both fell down in the seats. Officer
Walker and I ran toward the subject and grabbed him by his left arm. The
subject had reached in his belt for a gun and Officer McDoanld was holding
his right hand with the gun in it".
T.A. Hutson: "As I entered the row of seats behind the suspect he jumped
up and hit Officer McDonald in the face with his fist, Officer McDonald
was in the seat next to the one in which the suspect was originally
sitting, and the suspect was up out of his seat struggling with Officer
McDonald. I reached over the back of the seats and placed my right arm
around the suspect's neck and pulled him up on back of the seat. Officer
C.T. WAlker came up and was struggling with the suspect's left hand, and
as Officer McDonald struggled with with the suspect's right hand, he moved
it to his waist and drew a pistol and as Officer McDonald tried to disarm
the suspect, I heard the pistol snap".
K.E. Lyon: "Enroute to the City Hall, Oswald refused to answer all
questions. and he kept repeating, "Why am I being arrested? I know I was
carrying a gun, but why else am I being arrested"?
M.N. McDonald: "When I got within a foot of him, I told the suspect to get
to his feet. He stood up immediately, bringing his hands up about shoulder
high and saying, "Well it's over now". I was reaching for his waist
and he
struck me on the nose with his left hand. With his right hand, he reached
for his waist and both our hands were on a pistol that was stuck in his
belt under his shirt. We both fell into the seats struggling for the
pistol. ... I managed to get my right hadn on the pistol over the
suspect's hand. I could feel his hand on the trigger. I then got a secure
grip on the butt of the pistol. I jerked the pistol and as it was clearing
the suspect's clothing and grip I heard the snap of the hammer and the
pistol crossed over my left cheek, causing a four inch scratch".
As you can see from reading these reports, at no time in the first 10 to
12 days following the assassination, did any of the arresting officers on
the scene claim that Oswald tried to shoot M.N. McDonald. If the pistol
did go off and cause a "snap" of the hammer falling into place, it was
because McDonald jerked it out of Oswald's pants.
2)
When questioned by Captain Fritz on the afternoon of November 22nd, Fritz
did not accuse Oswald of trying to shoot Officer McDonald.
Fritz (4H214)
Mr. BALL. Did you ask him if he shot Tippit?
Mr. FRITZ. Oh, yes.
Mr. BALL. What did he say.
Mr. FRITZ. He denied it---that he did not. The only thing he said he had
done wrong, "The only law I violated was in the show; I hit the officer in
the show; he hit me in the eye and I guess I deserved it." He said,
"That
is the only law I violated." He said, "That is the only thing I have
done
wrong."
3)
If Oswald had attempted to shoot Officer McDonald, why were no charges of
attempted murder filed as they were in the case of Governor Connally?
I believe that the account of Oswald trying to shoot McDonald was invented
after the fact.
All I can find is this. It does not sound like the same arrest report, because
the description at the bottom is different. This one - as you can see - has
"deceased" stamped on it. Clearly, this is not suspicious.
http://jfk.ci.dallas.tx.us/13/1383-001.gif
If yours is as described - it shows how thick they were. Writing
"deceased" in
a report supposedly written on the day of arrest screams of backdating.
One thing of interest in the report linked to above: Just above the names
of
arresting officers, it indicates that a box should be checked if any of the
following applied in relation to the arrest: drunk, drinking, cursed,
resisted, fought, injured before arrest, injured dring or after arrest,
officer(s) injured, special report.
Not one of those boxes was checked, yet we are expected to believe that Oswald
(a) resisted
(b) fought
(c) drew a pistol and attempted to murder McDonald
(d) McDonald incurred injuries to his face and hand
(e) two other officers incurred ankle injuries
SEE X & Y below
How can they fill out the arrest sheet 10 minutes BEFORE the arrest actually took place? X
If Oswald tried to shoot McDonald, WHY wasn't it marked on the sheet below? Y
