Exact Wound Location on JFK's Head
The entry wound was located on the right rear of the skull, just above the right ear, consistent with a shot fired from a elevated position behind and to the right of the presidential limousine. The exit wound was large and destructive, located at the front of the skull near the right temple, with massive bone fragmentation and tissue damage documented in the Bethesda autopsy and the original autopsy photographs and X-rays held by the National Archives. The trajectory entered at a relatively upward angle, consistent with the sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository building in Dallas, Texas, where the Warren Commission concluded the shots originated. The wound path and fragmentation patterns were analyzed by forensic pathologists and ballistic experts, with the final autopsy report and supporting materials available through the National Archives JFK Collection.
The head wound remains one of the most studied traumatic injuries in forensic history, with the original autopsy images and the Warren Commission Report providing the primary factual record. The National Archives JFK Collection contains the complete autopsy files, including the original X-rays and photographs, which show the precise entry and exit points and the extent of the ballistic damage to the skull.
Immediate Medical Response and Timeline
After the shooting, JFK was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas, arriving at approximately 12:35 p.m. Central Time. The trauma team, led by Dr. Malcolm Perry and other surgeons, performed an emergency thoracotomy and attempted to control the catastrophic head injury, but the wounds were unsurvivable. The timeline from the gunshots to the pronouncement of death at Parkland was approximately 30 minutes, with the events broadcast live on television and radio, creating an immediate and lasting impact on the nation. The FBI and Dallas Police Department coordinated the initial investigation, securing the scene and preserving evidence from the Texas School Book Depository.
The Parkland Hospital emergency room and the subsequent autopsy at Bethesda Naval Medical Center generated extensive medical records, photographs, and testimony that form the core of the official record. The Warren Commission, established by President Lyndon B. Johnson and chaired by Chief Justice Earl Warren, reviewed the medical evidence, ballistics, and witness statements, concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in firing three shots from the sixth floor of the depository. The Commission's final report, along with the National Archives JFK Collection, remains the primary public record of the medical and investigative findings.
Ballistics, Weapon, and Forensic Conclusions
The Warren Commission identified the murder weapon as a 6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano bolt-action rifle, found on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository shortly after the assassination. The rifle was traced to Lee Harvey Oswald, who had purchased it under a false name and was seen carrying a similar package into the building that morning. The Commission's ballistic analysis, including test firings and comparison of the recovered bullet fragments and the president's and governor's wounds, concluded that three shots were fired, with one shot missing entirely, one shot causing both the president's and governor's wounds, and the fatal head shot striking JFK as his vehicle passed in front of the depository. The National Archives JFK Collection holds the original forensic reports, photographs, and evidence logs that support these conclusions.
Subsequent investigations, including the House Select Committee on Assassinations in the 1970s and the Assassination Records Review Board in the 1990s, re-examined the forensic evidence