Was the first bullet a fatal shot? I know three shots were fired, one missed, and one of the shots was a head shot. The first shot that hit him penetrated below his neck I believe. Was this shot enough to kill him without the second one?
Governor John Connally and Dr. Robert Shaw testified in front of the Warren Commission on April 21, 2964. Connally's recollection states that one shot was fired but did not hit, a second shot was fired and exited through Kennedy's throat and the third shot was a fatal and explosive head shot.
Dr. Shaw (who provided medical attention to Connally) testified that, beside the head shot, Kennedy was wounded though the upper back; the bullet penetrated his neck, slightly damaged a spinal vertebra and the top of his right lung, and exited his throat in the center of Kennedy's throat just beneath his larynx. From this trauma, Kennedy's right lung would have filled with blood from his subclavian vein and he would have asphyxiated to death within minutes, had it not been for the third, ultimately fatal shot.
Testimonies: