The testimony of Floyd Guy Davis was taken at 9:30 a.m., on April 1, 1964, in the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building, Bryan and Ervay Streets, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. Wesley J. Liebeler, assistant counsel of the President's Commission.
Mr. LIEBELER. Mr. Davis, would you please rise and raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. DAVIS. I do.
Mr. LIEBELER. Please sit down. Mr. Davis, my name is Wesley J. Liebeler. I am a member of the legal staff of the President's Commission investigating the assassination of President Kennedy. I have been authorized by the Commission to take testimony from you and from other witnesses pursuant to authority granted to the Commission by Executive Order 11130, dated November 29, 1963, and joint resolution of Congress No. 137.
I understand that Mr. Rankin wrote to you, Mr. Davis, last week and indicated--in point of fact, the letter was returned to Washington and it was on my desk when I left. It was addressed to the Sports Drome Rifle Range and could not be delivered at that address. With the letter that Mr. Rankin originally sent to you, he enclosed a copy of the Executive order and joint resolution to which I just referred as well as a copy of the Commission's rules of procedure relating to the taking of testimony.
Since you didn't get copies of those documents nor the letter, I now hand you copies of those documents which you may keep for your own reference. It is my understanding that you were contacted by the Secret Service and requested to come here and give testimony. Technically, you are entitled to 3 days' notice. I don't expect you did get it but you are now here and I assume you have no objection to going ahead with your testimony at this point, is that correct?
Mr. DAVIS. That's right, yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. I want to inquire concerning the possibility that Lee Harvey Oswald engaged in rifle practice at a rifle range which would be, I am informed, one which you operated at 8000 West Davis, Dallas, Tex.
Before we get into the details of that, would you state your full name?
 

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Mr. DAVIS. Floyd Guy Davis.
Mr. LIEBELER. What is your address?
Mr. DAVIS. 2824 Byway.
Mr. LIEBELER. How old are you, sir?
Mr. DAVIS. Thirty-two.
Mr. LIEBELER. Where were you born?
Mr. DAVIS. In Louisville, Ky.
Mr. LIEBELER. When did you move to Dallas?
Mr. DAVIS. It was approximately 8 years ago.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you move here from Louisville?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. You have lived all your life in Louisville and Dallas, is that correct?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Am I correct in understanding that during the period October and November of 1963, you were the operator of the Sports Dome Rifle Range at 8000 West Davis?
Mr. DAVIS. That is D-r-o-m-e. It is Sports Drome.
Mr. LIEBELER. I was pronouncing it Dome.
Mr. DAVIS. I thought you were.
Mr. LIEBELER. Are you still operating that rifle range?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, we are.
Mr. LIEBELER. When did you commence operating it?
Mr. DAVIS. The exact date, I don't have, sir. It was about the first of October of last year.
Mr. LIEBELER. We are informed that the FBI has interviewed you and taken from you certain shell cases?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. For analysis in the FBI laboratory?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Could you tell us briefly the circumstances that led up to that, as far as you know.
Mr. DAVIS. Well, the only thing that I know that happened, there was some people that said that they had seen Oswald out at the range on three different occasions. I believe that it was on the 9th, the 10th, and the 17th of November. And they informed the FBI that he was out there. The two I am sure that contacted me was Mr. Malcolm Price or Howard Price and Garland Slack, and the FBI in turn came out and talked to us.
Mr. LIEBELER. Malcolm Price?
Mr. DAVIS. That is Malcolm Howard Price, is his full name.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you know his name yourself?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes; he worked with me.
Mr. LIEBELER. He worked with you?
Mr. DAVIS. He does now. At that time he was helping us out there trying to get the range started, and he has a heart ailment where he don't hold a regular job, so he helps us out there a little bit on the range.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he tell you that he had seen an individual who he thought was Oswald at the range?
Mr. DAVIS. He sure did.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he tell you what date he thought he saw this man?
Mr. DAVIS. He said on the 9th and the 10th and the 17th.
Mr. LIEBELER. Three different occasions?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. Were you there at the range on those days?
Mr. DAVIS. I was there, but not at the time that he was talking about on the 9th and the 10th. Now on the 17th, I was there, and the two individuals that he brought up in their testimony, I remember them being there, but I don't remember the faces.
Mr. LIEBELER. How do you mean you remember them being there?
Mr. DAVIS. Well, Mr. Slack, there was this booth No. 9 on the rifle range----
Mr. LIEBELER. On what date?
Mr. DAVIS. On the 17th; and I was holding the turkey shoot at the same
 

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time. Mr. Slack come to me and was complaining about someone shooting his target.
So there was two young fellows, I can remember the approximate height of them but I don't remember what their faces looked like, that were in booth No. 8. I do remember the person that was in booth No. 7, though, because I don't know whether you have talked to Mr. Charlie Brown in the last 2 weeks or not on this----
Mr. LIEBELER. Mr. Brown, the FBI agent, yes.
Mr. DAVIS. There was a fellow with a black beard in that booth No. 7, at the same time. I remember him because he was outstanding, you know, and I went to these fellows in booth No. 8, and was giving them heck about shooting at the wrong target. And this other fellow, I remember him because he wouldn't say anything to me. I tried to speak to him two or three different occasions, because he had a lot of guns, and I thought he would be a good customer.
Mr. LIEBELER. The fellow with the beard?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. He was how tall, approximately?
Mr. DAVIS. He was over 6 feet and he weighed a good 250 pounds. A big bruiser.
Mr. LIEBELER. I think we can assume that was not Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. DAVIS. They were trying to find him. Charlie Brown was trying to find this person, and 2 weeks ago on a Sunday morning I saw him in an automobile out on Davis, I believe it was.
Mr. LIEBELER. The big fellow with the beard?
Mr. DAVIS. The big fellow there with the beard. And I got the license number on the car and the type of car it was and called it into the office.
I haven't heard anything from Mr. Brown since then, whether he got the information, but I am sure he did when I turned it into the office.
Mr. LIEBELER. Now let's review this. Mr. Slack was in booth No. 9, is that correct?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. This big fellow was in booth No. 7?
Mr. DAVIS Right. And there was the two young fellows in booth No. 8. One of them was 5 foot 6 or 5 foot 7, somewhere in that vicinity, and the other one was about 6 foot, and he was blackheaded.
I can remember that, but as far as remembering their faces, with that turkey shoot we had 225 people that day, I can't remember what they looked like.
Mr. LIEBELER. You say that these two fellows, one was approximately 6 feet tall or over, is that correct?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Was heavy-set or slender?
Mr. DAVIS. No; he wasn't particularly heavy-set, he was just a medium build.
Mr. LIEBELER. He was not of a light build, however?
Mr. DAVIS. No; he wasn't. He was just about my size. I would say 160 to 170 pounds.
Mr. LIEBELER. How tall are you?
Mr. DAVIS. Six-one.
Mr. LIEBELER. And you weigh?
Mr. DAVIS. I weigh about 160, but I was a little bit heavier about that time.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you determine which of the fellows was shooting at Mr. Slack's target?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you speak to both of them or all three of them?
Mr. Mr. DAVIS. Not as an individual. I spoke to the group to be sure they were firing at the right target and to watch where they were facing because they were shooting at the wrong target.
Mr. LIEBELER. This Mr. Slack, now then, believes that one of the two of these fellows could have been Lee Harvey Oswald, is that right?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes; that's right.
Mr. LIEBELER. Mr. Slack has told you that?
 

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Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. And Mr. Price was also there the same day?
Mr. DAVIS. He said he was.
Mr. LIEBELER. He also indicated that he thinks one of those two gentlemen was Oswald?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. You yourself had an opportunity to observe both of these gentlemen, did you not?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes; I sure did.
Mr. LIEBELER. I want to show you some pictures which have been previously marked as Commission Exhibits Nos. 451, 453, 454, 455, and 456, and ask you if you recognize from these pictures the pictures of the individuals who were firing from booth No. 8, at your range on Sunday, November 17, 1963?
Mr. DAVIS. He sure looks familiar, but I couldn't say for sure. It sure looks familiar. This would have been the taller of the two, and this is almost.
Mr. LIEBELER. You pointed to Commission Exhibit 451, and you think that gentleman resembles the taller of the two men that were firing from booth No. 8?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes; he is about the same size. The face features, I seem to have seen them before, but as far as--it sure looks like him. I couldn't say definitely that it was him, but it sure looks a lot like him.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you see any resemblance between any of the pictures which I have shown and the shorter of the two men?
Mr. DAVIS. The face on the other one, I couldn't say what it looked like. So many of these pictures of Lee Harvey Oswald have been shown to me, and they started showing me things about the time it all happened, and I would hate to say that it was him. But definitely this fellow, the taller of the two fellows was about his built. He looked like he is about my size. He may be a little bit shorter in those pictures.
Mr. LIEBELER. What about the facial features of the gentleman on 451?
Mr. DAVIS. Like I say, the features of his face are familiar, they seem to be familiar to me, but as far as definitely saying that was the person out there I----
Mr. LIEBELER. You couldn't do that?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; but it does look familiar, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. I show you next a photograph that has previously been marked Pizzo Exhibit 453-B, which is a photograph of several individuals, one of whom has been marked by a green marker, I ask you if that picture bears any resemblance to either of the two men you saw firing from booth No. 8, at your rifle range on Sunday, November 17?
Mr. DAVIS. Like I said before I couldn't be too sure because I have saw so many pictures of this that look like Lee Harvey Oswald, that they get to running together with them when I get to thinking about them, and I would hate to say that it was, because I have saw pictures of him in all different forms, in the newspapers, in--and also some that the police have brought out there, and the Grand Prairie police brought them, and some of the FBI, and I would hate to say, because I was very much interested in the case at the time it did happen, because myself it was a blow to the business that I am in.
As far as someone with a high-powered rifle shooting the President like he did, I was afraid they were going to pass a bill which would stop that stuff, and it is like a hard blow to me.
Mr. LIEBELER. To your business at the range?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did your business actually fall off after the assassination?
Mr. DAVIS. It practically died on that thing. It just gradually--yesterday we had one person out there, compared to 80 and 90 when we first opened. Of course, they were in deer season. That had a lot to do with it.
Mr. LIEBELER. Have you ever been shown this picture that I just showed you before?
Mr. DAVIS. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. 453-B?
Mr. DAVIS. Not that particular shot.
 

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Mr. LIEBELER. I will show you an exhibit marked Pizzo 453-C, and ask you if you recognize that individual as being one of those who were at your range on the date we have been discussing?
Mr. DAVIS. I have saw that picture or similar one before.
Mr. LIEBELER. You have seen the picture before?
Mr. DAVIS. I have seen a picture similar to him before. There was a scar on his head, but as far as that is concerned, I don't believe I have saw the individual.
Mr. LIEBELER. You can't identify that individual as either one of the two that was at the range?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; definitely.
Mr. LIEBELER. Let me show you Exhibit 451 again and ask you if that individual appears to you to be the same individual as Lee Harvey Oswald, based on your observation of Oswald's picture in the newspaper and the press?
Mr. DAVIS. That this is Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mr. LIEBELER. Yes. Does that appear to you to be Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. It does not?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir. This Mr. Price did say that Oswald was in an old model Chevrolet when he was out there on this Friday, the 9th, because it was late in the afternoon when he came out there.
And Mr. Price helped him sight that rifle in. Helped him sight the scope in on the rifle, and he had two comments to say about that rifle, sir.
I am not for sure, I don't know anything about it, but he said that the markings, all but the serial number had been filed off of this particular rifle.
Mr. LIEBELER. Mr. Price did say that?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir. And he said that the scope was the clearest scope that he had ever seen for a small scope.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he tell you what size scope it was?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes; he told me, but as far as.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you remember what he said?
Mr. DAVIS. Not the exact size of it. I know there was several different sizes of scopes on there.
Mr. LIEBELER. The size of this scope is measured in terms of power?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes. There is 2, 2 1/2, 4, 6, and on up. And he knows the sizes, what he was talking about, but I don't know.
Mr. LIEBELER. How long have you known Mr. Price?
Mr. DAVIS. Well, I have actually only known him since the rifle range opened. But two of his boys has helped us at the racetrack or helped my wife last summer at the racetrack, all summer. And as far as an individual person, I didn't know him until we opened the gun range, other than just to speak to him.
Mr. LIEBELER. How old a fellow is he?
Mr. DAVIS. Mr. Price is approximately 35, and he does have a heart condition that the doctors won't let him work, as far as any work is concerned, and that is why he stays down at the range, more or less to wash it for us.
Mr. LIEBELER. In your opinion, is he a reliable fellow?
Mr. DAVIS. He is very reliable, or I wouldn't have him down there.
Mr. LIEBELER. You don't think he would say he saw Oswald if he didn't in fact see him?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir. In fact, he told us about this before we called the FBI. But he was afraid--he's got five children, and he was afraid that it was some Communist plot or some gang that had done this, and he was afraid for his children, or he would have called them sooner.
Mr. LIEBELER. He is not a publicity seeker?
Mr. DAVIS. No; he wasn't. I would say he was very sincere of this. It might have been a case about a double identity or someone that looked a lot like him. I would say definitely that he thought he saw him.
There was also some doctor or lawyer in Oak Cliff, and his son, that he saw him out there on the 17th.
Mr. LIEBELER. Was that on the 17th?
Mr. DAVIS. That was on the 17th.
 

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Mr. LIEBELER. Was that Dr. Wood?
Mr. DAVIS. I believe it was.
Mr. LIEBELER. Dentist?
Mr. DAVIS. He might be a dentist. They told us at the range--Charlie Brown, I believe, afterwards, of the FBI, said that he wasn't sure it was him, but they told us previously they were sure that it was Oswald.
Mr. LIEBELER. Has the FBI ever advised you as to the results of the tests they probably ran on or did run on the cartridge cases you gave them?
Mr. DAVIS. No; nothing. I asked them if they were all there when they returned them. He did return them, and he said they were all there, so I took it from that that they didn't find anything in the case.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you know whether the cases that you gave the FBI were cases that were used in a rifle that were used by these gentlemen that were firing from booth No. 8, on November 17, 1963?
Mr. DAVIS. From what Mr. Price told me, he was down at the range helping out on the particular target. He saw these fellows pick up all the shells and--they shot that day, which is very frequent, because they reload a lot of that ammunition, but these particular fellows did pick them up.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did your wife observe these two individuals on the 17th?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; she was in the office, she doesn't remember them, or she said before that she didn't remember them. She doesn't remember this part I was telling you about, about Slack coming to them and complaining about their shooting the wrong target.
Mr. LIEBELER. Who else said they saw Oswald on the 9th and 10th?
Mr. DAVIS. That was Mr. Price.
Mr. LIEBELER. That was Mr. Price?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes. Mr. Slack said he saw him on the 17th.
Mr. LIEBELER. The 17th only?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. Can you give me Mr. Slack's full name?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; I don't have it.
Mr. LIEBELER. He is just a customer of yours, is that correct?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir; Mr. Brown has talked to him before.
Mr. LIEBELER. Mr. Price was not at the range on the 17th?
Mr. DAVIS. Price was at the range on the 17th; yes, also.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he also say that he thinks that these gentlemen were with Mr. Oswald?
Mr. DAVIS. He thought this one individual that was with this taller fellow in booth No. 8, was Oswald.
Mr. LIEBELER. Both Mr. Slack and Mr. Price came to that conclusion, is that correct?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Am I correct in understanding then that both Mr. Price and Mr. Slack observed these two gentlemen on the 17th, but only Mr. Price observed them on the 9th and 10th, is that correct?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you know whether Mr. Price thinks they are the same men?
Mr. DAVIS. He definitely thinks that it is the same man Oswald on the 9th and 10th. I don't believe he said there was anyone with him, and that he come out there just at dark, right before dark and was driving an old-model Chevrolet, or was in an old model Chevrolet.
Mr. LIEBELER. Was it just a car or a station wagon?
Mr. DAVIS. I don't remember. He just said it was an old-model car, and he could have meant a station wagon when he said an old car.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you observe the rifle that these men at booth 8, were using?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. You did not at anytime observe it?
Mr. DAVIS. I possibly could have when I walked up there, but I didn't pay any attention.
 

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Mr. LIEBELER. And you wouldn't be able to identify that rifle if I showed you a picture of it now?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; when you see as many rifles as I do out at that range out there, it would be hard unless there was something outstanding about it.
Mr. LIEBELER. There was nothing outstanding about that that you can remember now?
Mr. DAVIS. I was more or less mad when I went down there, because someone was shooting at the wrong target.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you observe these two gentlemen leaving the range on the 17th?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; I sure didn't.
Mr. LIEBELER. Have you had experience with the sighting in of rifles?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. You are quite experienced in that field, as a matter of fact, are you not?
Mr. DAVIS. Well, I have taught myself in the past 5 months of operation of that gun range to where I can usually sight one in within 8 to 10 shots pretty close. Mr. Price is a gun enthusiast and he is real good at it, and he has been doing it for a long time.
Mr. LIEBELER. If a man purchased a rifle from a mail-order house that had a telescopic sight mounted on it, would you have any opinion as to what the accuracy of that rifle would be without it having actually been sighted in by actual firing of the rifle?
Mr. DAVIS. If the gun was anywhere near accurate, it would have to be an accident, because the slightest jar can knock a scope 2 or 3 foot out of balance, and there is no way that you could ship a gun and carry a gun around a little bit and make sure it being accurate. That is why your deer hunters practice and shoot their guns in every year before they go deer hunting. And I have saw them waste almost five boxes of shells trying to get them accurate down there after having sighted them in the year before.
Mr. LIEBELER. Are you familiar with the technique of boresighting?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. If a rifle is boresighted is that enough to make it accurate?
Mr. DAVIS. By the average individual, no. And by the shops around Dallas here, no. Because they have brought us several guns out there that have been boresighted in various shops around Dallas and we have had to resight them, because another thing, the scope will have to be adjusted to the individual eyes, too.
Mr. LIEBELER. And that can only be done through firing a rifle?
Mr. DAVIS. That is right, that can only be done from firing a rifle and sighting it in. You can get it close, but you couldn't get it right on target, especially at a hundred yards.
Every gun I sight in, I boresight them myself at a 25-yard target to get them into the 25-yard target, and once I get it within an inch of the "bullseye," then I go to the long range, which is easy to bring it in.
Mr. LIEBELER. Are you familiar with the Irving Sports Shop in Irving, Tex.?
Mr. DAVIS. Nothing; only I have dropped a poster off, advertising, when I first opened the gun range, and I am not familiar with the owner of it.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you know a gentleman by the name of Dial Ryder?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; not the name. I may know the face, but I don't know the name.
Mr. LIEBELER. He works in the Irving Sports Shop.
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir.
Mr. LIEBELER. Sights rifles and mounts scopes and things like that.
Mr. DAVIS. No; I am not familiar with him.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you know whether you have ever sighted in a rifle that has been boresighted at the Irving Sports Shop?
Mr. DAVIS. No, sir; not offhand. We usually don't ask them where they sighted the guns in because it is not a good idea to run down any gunshop.
Mr. LIEBELER. Are you familiar with the area around Love Field?
Mr. DAVIS. Fairly familiar with it; yes, sir.
 

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Mr. LIEBELER. Do you think it would be possible to practice with a high-powered rifle around Love Field?
Mr. DAVIS. It would be right about Bachman Lake, around the lake itself, as long as the police didn't catch you. There is the river bottom right in there.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you think it would be possible to fire out there, to sight a rifle in without having a police notice it or someone in the neighborhood notice it and calling it to the police?
Mr. DAVIS. As long as you stayed 400 yards off the highway, there is places down there you could get that it would be possible.
Mr. LIEBELER. There are areas surrounding the field that are not built up to such an extent so that you could actually practice with a rifle in that area, is that correct?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Have you ever heard of anybody firing a rifle in that vicinity?
Mr. DAVIS. I have people all the time that have been practicing in the Trinity River bottoms around Dallas come out to the range and have been glad we opened that range so they could quit it because it is not a safe practice.
Mr. LIEBELER. Is that near Love Field?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes. The Trinity River bottom is not far from there. It is actually between Irving and Love Field.
Mr. LIEBELER. How far is it from Love Field itself if you wanted to go to the Trinity River bottom and didn't have an automobile? Could you take a bus to Love Field or near Love Field and then walk that readily to the Trinity River bottom?
Mr. DAVIS. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. One could do that very easily?
Mr. DAVIS. It is a mile and a half.
Mr. LIEBELER. I don't have any other questions at this point. I do want to ask you if you can give me, Mr. Davis, Mr. Slack's address?
Mr. DAVIS. I don't have it here, but I have some clippings at home out of a newspaper that has it there. He lives on Urbandale. If you have a Dallas phone book, I can probably get it out of the phone book.
Mr. LIEBELER. What about Price?
Mr. DAVIS. Mr. Price lives on Rice Street in Grand Prairie.
Mr. LIEBELER. If you can think of anything that you would like to add to the record, I would appreciate it if you would indicate that.
Mr. DAVIS. The only thing that I would like to say is that there were several other people mentioned that they saw Oswald on the 17th, but they said they didn't want to get involved in it. I don't know whether they were just talking or what it was.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you know their names?
Mr. DAVIS. Not no particular persons. My wife, I'm sure, can tell you some of them. She more or less runs the gun range through the week, and I am only there through the weekend.
Mr. LIEBELER. Thank you very much for coming in, Mr. Davis. I appreciate your cooperation. The Commission wants you to know that it appreciates the fact that you have cooperated with us in the way you have. Thank you very much.