In light of recent claims by a former Secret Service agent, Landis, new questions are arising about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. The official findings of the Warren Commission, which concluded that Kennedy was killed by a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, are now being challenged.
According to Landis, he believes the bullet he retrieved from the presidential limousine may have been undercharged and dislodged from a shallow wound in Kennedy’s back, falling back onto the limousine seat when the fatal shot struck his head. This theory suggests that the bullet, known as evidence item ‘Q1,’ may not have been responsible for the injuries to Governor Connally and raises doubts about the “magic bullet” theory.
The “magic bullet” theory posits that one bullet struck both Kennedy and Connally, but if Landis’s claims are accurate, this theory may be incorrect. This opens the door to the possibility of multiple shooters, according to James Robenalt, an attorney and historian working with Landis on a forthcoming book.
Robenalt points out that if the “pristine” bullet did not pass through both Kennedy and Connally, it suggests that Connally might have been hit by a separate bullet from a different direction. This challenges the timeline presented by the FBI, which suggested Oswald could not have fired two separate shots quickly enough to hit both men. The Zapruder film, which captured the assassination, shows a short interval between Kennedy and Connally’s reactions to being shot.
Kennedy’s autopsy indicated various bullet wounds, including one in his back, one in the front of his throat, and a massive exit wound in the right front of his skull. The bullet hole in his upper right back was traditionally seen as the entry point for a bullet that exited through his throat. However, if this bullet was undercharged and fell back onto the limousine seat, questions arise about the origin of the throat wound. Robenalt raises the possibility that the throat wound was an entry point and that the bullet might have fragmented on hitting Kennedy’s spine.
This new theory challenges the Warren Commission’s conclusion that Oswald acted alone from the Texas School Book Depository. It suggests the possibility of multiple shooters, including the infamous “grassy knoll” area to the right of the motorcade route and the “Triple Underpass” in front of the motorcade, which offered elevated sniper positions.
Robenalt acknowledges that this article and Landis’s upcoming book do not provide definitive answers but rather raise important questions. Further analysis and forensic expertise will be needed to explore the possibility of a second shooter and reevaluate the events of that fateful day in Dallas in 1963.