Oswald’s arrest came at the Texas Theatre. Johnny Brewer, manager of a nearby shoe store, saw a man duck into his lobby; he notified ticket seller Julia Postal, who called police. At 1:45 p.m., police converged, with Patrolman M. N. McDonald entering and Brewer pointing out Oswald. When told to rise, Oswald struck McDonald with his left fist and drew a revolver with his right; a struggle followed. McDonald grabbed the gun, scratching his cheek; Detective Bob Carroll seized it. Only Deputy Sheriff Eddy Walthers recalled Oswald saying, “It’s all over now.” The hammer never engaged a shell. Oswald was led out cursing and shouting about police brutality.
At headquarters, Oswald was interrogated for about twelve hours, primarily by Captain J. Will Fritz, with Dallas detectives, FBI agents, and Secret Service representatives participating. He consistently denied both killings. His denials contained falsehoods: he dismissed photos as “fakes,” falsely claimed to have bought the revolver in Fort Worth, refused to explain the forged “Alek J. Hidell” selective service card, claimed his “O. H. Lee” roominghouse registration was a landlady’s error, and offered shifting accounts of his Thursday-night visit to Irving. He falsely claimed to have carried only a lunch sack, contradicting Frazier’s testimony. About the assassination, he told Fritz he had eaten lunch on the first floor, gotten a Coke on the second, and talked with foreman Bill Shelley before leaving—Shelley denied seeing him after noon. He later claimed to have eaten with “Junior,” but James Jarman, Jr. denied it.
The Commission examined Oswald’s alleged April 10, 1963 attempt on Major General Edwin A. Walker. Marina testified that her husband returned home late, pale, told her he had shot at Walker, and instructed her not to ask questions. A handwritten Russian note in a book was dated to that evening. Three photographs of Walker’s house and nearby railroad tracks were found among Oswald’s belongings; FBI examination dated one to between March 8 and 12. Frazier could not conclusively identify the Walker bullet as fired from the Mannlicher-Carcano but said it could have been; Nicol concluded there was a “fair probability” the bullet came from that rifle. The Commission concluded Oswald had attempted to kill Walker.
The Commission also examined a claimed threat against former Vice President Richard Nixon. Marina testified that shortly before Oswald’s April 24, 1963 departure for New Orleans, he had dressed in a good suit, taken a pistol, and said “Nixon is coming. I want to go and have a look.” She struggled with him and persuaded him not to go. However, Nixon was not in Dallas between January 1 and May 15, 1963. The Commission concluded that, regardless of what Oswald said, he was not actually planning to shoot Nixon at that time, and the incident had no probative value.
The Commission evaluated Oswald’s marksmanship. The shots were fired from the sixth floor at a slow-moving target on a downgrade, at 177 to 266 feet. Four experts testified: Anderson called the shots “not particularly difficult”; Frazier said no training was needed for a scoped rifle under 100 yards; Simmons said a proficient shooter could achieve three hits; Zahm said a four-power scope was “ideal” for moving targets.
Oswald’s Marine training included standard sighting, aiming, and trigger manipulation, plus live-fire. In December 1956 he scored 212, two points above the sharpshooter minimum; in May 1959, 191, one above marksman. Anderson testified Oswald was “better than the average” Marine. Weapons tests confirmed the Mannlicher-Carcano was capable: master-rated riflemen achieved five of six hits at 265 feet; Frazier’s tests showed consistent accuracy. The Commission concluded Oswald had ample capability.
Based on this evidence, the Commission concluded that Oswald (1) owned and possessed the assassination rifle, (2) brought it into the Depository that morning, (3) was present at the firing window, (4) killed Tippit in an apparent escape attempt, (5) resisted arrest by drawing a loaded pistol and attempting to shoot an officer, (6) lied to police on substantive matters, (7) attempted in April 1963 to kill General Walker, and (8) possessed the rifle capability to commit the assassination. The Commission therefore concluded that Oswald was the assassin of President Kennedy.
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