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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. VII - Page 261« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of James R. Leavelle)

Mr. Ball.
On November 22, 1963, were you on duty?
Mr. Leavelle.
Yes; I was.
Mr. Ball.
What time did you go to work?
Mr. Leavelle.
I was working 8 to 4 I believe that month and I had--when I heard of the assassination, I had just come into the homicide office with a Negro boy I had arrested for robbery.
Mr. Ball.
Whereabouts did you go then after that?
Mr. Leavelle.
We, along with Charlie Brown, went to the building, the Texas Book Depository, and talked with the inspector there. I asked him if the building had been secured and he said it was and Captain Fritz was in the building.
Mr. Ball.
Was that Inspector Sawyer?
Mr. Leavelle.
Yes; he said they were sending all witnesses to the sheriff's office and I might go over and check and see what was needed, so I went to the sheriff's office and found them in a general uproar more or less. They had several witnesses around and they wanted to take affidavits from them; however, none of them had started. So, when I walked in, they knew I was a homicide man and would be indirectly responsible for some of the investigation, so I talked with Allen Sweatt, chief deputy, and started to set up the procedure for the taking of the affidavits from the witnesses when several of the four, five or six of the burglary and theft detectives walked in and told me that they were sent down there to do whatever was needed to be done and asked me what was needed, so I told them to work with Mr. Sweatt and take those affidavits and they could do that as well as I and I would go back to the Depository and see what might further be needed over there. I went to the Depository and had been there just a short time talking to some of the officers on duty there. I don't remember who they were at this time and at that time I heard a radio broadcast of the shooting in Oak Cliff which involved Officer Tippit and I called my office and found that there was no one to answer the call in Oak Cliff and since everything was under control there, I felt like some of us should be in Oak Cliff, so I borrowed a car from Detective Red Edwards of burglary----
(At this point, Mr. Robert T. Davis enters.)
Mr. Ball.
Go ahead, Mr. Leavelle.
Mr. Leavelle.
I borrowed an automobile from Detective Red Edwards, A. L. Edwards, and proceeded to the Oak Cliff area. I went to the scene of the shooting. They had removed Tippit's body at that time and I talked with the sergeant and the officer.
Mr. Ball.
What were their names?
Mr. Leavelle.
I believe Sergeant Bud Owens was the sergeant there and one of the uniformed officers was--I may be in error on this, but I believe it was Poe.
Mr. Ball.
J. M. Poe?
Mr. Leavelle.
Yes; P-o-e [spelling].
Mr. Ball.
At that time someone told you some empty .38 caliber hulls had been picked up. Did Poe tell you that?
Mr. Leavelle.
Yes; I believe he did.
Mr. Ball.
Did he give you the hulls?
Mr. Leavelle.
No; he did not give them to me. I think my instructions to him were to turn them over to the crime lab.
Mr. Ball.
Did he show them to you?
Mr. Leavelle.
I don't think so; he may have but I do not recall. He may have. He did say that there was an eyewitness to it but he didn't know her name at the time. So, while I was talking to him was when the call came out they seen the suspect go into the Texas Theatre, so I proceeded to the Texas Theatre, but due to the heavy traffic, I didn't get there until after the arrest was made and they had left, so I returned to the scene and talked with the officer some more and I believe that he also told me that a man in a carlot down there had seen Oswald running from the scene.
Mr. Ball.
Who told you?
Mr. Leavelle.
Poe, I believe. Now, I could be in error on that but someone told me anyway, so----
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