Image of Dallas Police Lieutenant J.C. "Carl" Day pointing to the rifle location

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Image of Dallas Police Lieutenant J.C. "Carl" Day pointing to the rifle location

Original 35mm black and white negative taken by Dallas Times Herald staff photographer William Allen. This image shows Dallas Police Lieutenant, J.C. "Carl" Day, pointing to the area near the northwest corner of the Texas School Book Depository's sixth floor where Dallas Sheriff's deputies found the rifle used in the Kennedy assassination. The rifle had been hidden between some boxes. Lt. Day was head of the Dallas Police Crime Scene Search Unit responsible for the forensic investigation of physical evidence.

Object Details
Object title:

Image of Dallas Police Lieutenant J.C. "Carl" Day pointing to the rifle location

Date:

11/22/1963

Medium:

Film

Dimensions:

15/16 x 1 7/16 in. (2.4 x 3.6 cm)

Credit line:

William Allen, photographer, Dallas Times Herald Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

Object number:

1989.100.0023.0010

Curatorial Note:

When sharing this photograph with school groups during education programs about assassination evidence, students are often shocked to learn that this image was taken by a newspaper photographer rather than a crime scene investigator. It demonstrates the persistent presence of news media on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository while evidence was still being gathered. In addition to William Allen of the Dallas Times Herald, local WFAA-TV photographer Tom Alyea had unrestricted access on the sixth floor and took 16mm film of investigators climbing on boxes looking for evidence, examining the sniper's perch and even Lt. Carl Day (seen in this photo) dusting the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle for prints. (Eager for WFAA to have exclusive film of the crime scene, Alyea even tossed reels of film out a Depository window or doorway to a waiting employee to race it back to the TV station.) While this film and photography is historically significant, some have questioned why members of the media were allowed to wander around unescorted, photographing an active crime scene. It has contribued to accusations that the crime scene was contaminated, and any evidence recovered that day is subject to criticism. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator

Image of Dallas Police Lieutenant J.C. "Carl" Day pointing to the rifle location

Original 35mm black and white negative taken by Dallas Times Herald staff photographer William Allen. This image shows Dallas Police Lieutenant, J.C. "Carl" Day, pointing to the area near the northwest corner of the Texas School Book Depository's sixth floor where Dallas Sheriff's deputies found the rifle used in the Kennedy assassination. The rifle had been hidden between some boxes. Lt. Day was head of the Dallas Police Crime Scene Search Unit responsible for the forensic investigation of physical evidence.

Object Details
Object title:

Image of Dallas Police Lieutenant J.C. "Carl" Day pointing to the rifle location

Date:

11/22/1963

Terms:

Boxes

Evidence

Rifles

Windows

Mannlicher-Carcano

Investigations

Photographs

Allen, William

Day, Carl

Dallas Times Herald

Dallas Police Crime Scene Search Unit

Texas School Book Depository

Dallas

Medium:

Film

Dimensions:

15/16 x 1 7/16 in. (2.4 x 3.6 cm)

Credit line:

William Allen, photographer, Dallas Times Herald Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

Object number:

1989.100.0023.0010

Curatorial Note:

When sharing this photograph with school groups during education programs about assassination evidence, students are often shocked to learn that this image was taken by a newspaper photographer rather than a crime scene investigator. It demonstrates the persistent presence of news media on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository while evidence was still being gathered. In addition to William Allen of the Dallas Times Herald, local WFAA-TV photographer Tom Alyea had unrestricted access on the sixth floor and took 16mm film of investigators climbing on boxes looking for evidence, examining the sniper's perch and even Lt. Carl Day (seen in this photo) dusting the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle for prints. (Eager for WFAA to have exclusive film of the crime scene, Alyea even tossed reels of film out a Depository window or doorway to a waiting employee to race it back to the TV station.) While this film and photography is historically significant, some have questioned why members of the media were allowed to wander around unescorted, photographing an active crime scene. It has contribued to accusations that the crime scene was contaminated, and any evidence recovered that day is subject to criticism. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator