◆ SpookStack

| RY | a } Five other witnesses at the trial f€estified that they observed Sirhan engage in rapid fire at the range One witnes:, Henry Carreon, noticed 300-400 empty casings where Sirhan was shooting. Sirhan tcld another witness, Mrs. Ronald Williams, that his mini-mag bullets were superior to the bullets that she was using, and when asked by witness Michael Saccoman if it was against the law to use a pistol for hunting, Sirhan answered "Well, I don't Know about that. It could kill a dog." Earlier in the year, Sirhan had had a conversation with ‘Alvin Clark, a trash collector employed by the City of Pasadena, in which Sirhan had expressed his concern about how the assassinaticn of Martin Luther King would effect "Negro people and how the Negroes would vote in the coming election." Clark testified at trial that he told Sirhan he was going to vote for Senator Kennedy and Sirhan responded by saying, "What do you want to vote for that son-of-a-b for? Because I'm planning on shooting him" Clark then told Sirhan that Senator Kennedy had paid the expenses of bringing Martin Luther King's body back from Tennessee and that "you will be killing one of the best men in the country." Clark remembered that Sirhan stated that Senator Kennedy had done this merely for the publicity involved, and that this conversation had occured in mid- April, 1968. On the evening of the election, June 4, an hour or two prior to Senator Kennedy's speech in the Embassy baliroom, a member of the Senator's staff, Judy Royer, observed Sirhan in the area to the rear of the Embassy ballroom stage. Because Sirhan was not wearing a press badge or staff badge he was asked to leave, and he turned ‘ vr , = 7 oe + hb, Dekh hRatd and walked toward the doors leading out to the Embassy ballroom. Shortly before midnight, as Senator Kennedy tcok the service elevator down to the pantry area in the rear of the Embassy ballroom, Jesus Perez, a kitchen helper at the Ambassador, and Martin Petrusky, a waiter, observed Senator Kennedy as he passed through the pantry on the way to the Embassy ballroom where about 500 pecple awaited his speech. Both kitchen personnel observed defendant Sirhan in the pantry at this time. Sirhan inquired whether Senator Kennedy would be “coming back througn this way." Ret ft Fifiad Both hotel employees replied that they did not know, but testified that Sirhan remained in the area of the pantry close to Perez at the corner of a serving table. Upon concluding his address at approximately 12:15 a.m. (June 5) Senator Kennedy was escorted off the platform toward the Colonial Room where he was to meet the press. Karl Uecker, assistant Maitre d' at the Ambassador Hotel, led the Senator through the pantry area behind the Embassy ballroom. In the pantry area, Senator Kennedy stopped and shook hands with some of the kitchen help, including Perez and Petrusky. At that time Sirhan appeared, "smirking", as testified by Perez and Petrusky, and began to fire his .22 caliber revolver at Senator Kennedy. Several shots were fired in rapid succession. Uecker attempted to grab the weapon from Sirhan, and Senator Kennedy fell to the floor of the pantry. A struggle ensued as those present attempted to immobolize and disarm Sirhan. Roosevelt Grier, Rafer Johnson, George Plimpton, Jess Unruh, and other members of Kennedy's entourage arrived seconds later. Later that night Rafer Johnson turned the weapon over to the L.A.P.D., and it was booked into the property division. ~5-