Previously unseen footage of John F. Kennedy’s assassination is raising new questions as investigators put forward new theories about the incident. The 26-second celluloid clip was auctioned off in September for $137,500 after academics and curious members of the public showed interest.
The initial investigation into the murder was left to a commission headed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, who stated that Lee Harvey fired thrice from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. Oswald was arrested and shot three days later.
New speculations from the new JFK assassination footage
The late JFK was riding in an open motorcade across Dallas when Oswald shot in his direction three times, hitting the president and Texas Governor John Connally. A man named Abraham Zapruder was in the crowd with an 8 mm home movie camera, which he swiftly pulled out to capture the short clip worth thousands of dollars today.
Speculations have been raised since Zapruder’s footage got out, stating that Connally, who survived with wounds, was hit with separate bullets about 30 frames apart. The FBI refuted the claims that Oswald fired all the shots, as it would have taken him an impossible 2.25 seconds to follow with the next.
Was Oswald Lee the only shooter?
The latest theory is that Oswald was not the only gunman on that day, although the Warren-led 1964 commission concluded otherwise. A recent survey by Gallup showed that 50 percent of Americans agree with the initial report, while 44 percent feel it was a group effort and Oswald could not have pulled off such a crime alone.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht stood by his four-decade-old claim that Oswald did not shoot alone in his 2022 release, The JFK Assassination Dissected. Although the case remains generally inconclusive, curator Stephen Fagin of Dealey Plaza’s Sixth Floor museum believes there is still footage yet to be discovered with more insight into the historical event.