DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with J. C. "Carl" Day. As head of the Dallas Police Crime Scene Search Unit in 1963, Lieutenant Day was in charge of examining the rifle and fingerprint evidence found at the Texas School Book Depository building following the assassination.
Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on August 15, 1996 by Bob Porter. The interview is forty-five minutes long.
Curatorial Commentary
At the conclusion of this 1996 videotaped oral history, Mr. Day is briefly seen outside the two evidentiary areas that were recreated as part of The Sixth Floor Museum's permanent exhibit. In addition to this session, Mr. Day recorded a follow-up oral history on July 11, 2006. At that time, he donated his original crime scene investigative kit from 1963, which included jars of fingerprint powder, photographs, and the brush he used to dust the rifle for fingerprints at the Texas School Book Depository.
Mr. Day passed away on October 16, 2008, at the age of 94. One of his last public appearances was at The Sixth Floor Museum for the opening of the "Dallas Law Enforcement: Voices from History" exhibit in November 2006. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
Carl Day, as he was known to fellow officers, was asked by Capt. Will Fritz, who was interrogating Lee Harvey Oswald, to bring Oswald's rifle to his office. Day held the rifle with both hands high over his head as he walked through the police hallway so reporters wouldn't touch it. Many still and TV photographers caught the scene on film and, to some, it gave the impression Day was exhibiting the rifle as some sort of prize or trophy; actually, as he explained in his oral history, Day was simply protecting a major piece of evidence. - Gary Mack, Curator
Carl Day's oral history and his original 1963 crime scene investigation kit form the basis for a popular education program at the Museum. As part of the program students examine photographs of Mr. Day in the former Texas School Book Depository and read quotes from his oral history describing how he examined the two evidentiary areas on November 22, 1963. The program concludes with students guessing what items they expect to find in Carl Day's kit. They are often surprised to learn that many of the investigative tools in Day's kit are similar to tools they see on popular television shows today. - Sharron Conrad, Curator of Education
