The smoke was not from the parking lot. I think smoke was reported from the front of the bushes.
I think in order to see the report they would have had to be looking there sooner. They would have most likely been looking at the president's car until they heard a shot.
I don't remember anyone saying they were running up the knoll to see the car. Was the cop leaving his vehicle to run up the knoll and look at the limo? If I had a citation, I would read it.
The motorcycle officer ran his cycle toward the overpass and was waved off by the officers on the top. He then placed his the cycle to the base of the stairs leading to the picket fence and ran the rest of the way up. His sworn testimony says there was no one there. The railroad switchman in the tower testified he spotted the officer coming up the stairs to the fenceline. He also testified no one was there. The crowds followed a few minutes later.
The first person to mention someone on the knoll was the guy laying down on the grass with his wife and child. They lived in the same town as I did. He said he thought the shot came from the knoll solely based on Kennedy’s head movement. Not the sound. We now know the initial bullet impact drove Kennedy’s head forward 2.3 inches