Diagram in Cheney's accident report wrong

[Andre II]

There is something wrong with this picture.

In the only publicly available, official report on last weekend's accidental shooting by Vice President Dick Cheney, a diagram of a body shows where Austin lawyer Harry Whittington was hit by pellets fired from Cheney's Italian-made shotgun.
That diagram has been picked up and faithfully replicated by television and newspapers across the country, including the New York Times this week and by Newsday Thursday.

The only problem is that the diagram is wrong, by all accounts. It shows Whittington hit on the left side of his face, neck and chest when Cheney, the Kenedy County Sheriff's office and the report itself say the wounds were on the right side.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usdiag0217,0,7292010.story

[npincus]

1. I thought about that... do police diagrams show entry side or exit side?

it could be that the image was reversed somehow, or maybe police diagrams show the pellet exit side.

Hmmmmm...

[Caoimhe]

2. I wondered the same thing

if the little fill in guy was reversed, the rest of the report would be reversed as well. I've seen these filled out before and they were filled out from the point of view of someone looking at the victim. Just another discrepancy to add to the list.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. The pellets didn't exit. There would be no exit wounds, if that's

what you're thinking.

[npincus]

10. yes

I know they didn't exit. I don't know police procedure for diagraming bodily wounds, so a question was do they document wounds on entry side or the other side (exit, in this case none did). Of course, if there are wonds on both sides, it would get confusing!

[librechik]

3. why did the sheriff fill out the report without seeing the vic?

Or did he see the vic and just painted what he saw, as it were, meaning Cheney lied?

Oh I forgot, this story is over. Closed C'est Fini. Done. History. Toast. Hasta La Vista. No legs. etc.

[Tin Man]

4. The backwards diagram is consistent with a non-existant investigation

...they got the drawing reversed because they did a shitty job investigating the accident.

[TomInTib]

5. I have been trying to figure this out since yesterday and...

the only thing I can think of is that it went something like this:

"Ms Armstrong, there is someone from the Sheriffs Department here to see Mr Cheney"

"Well you just tell him to sit at the help's table in the kitchen and make a list of questions for Mr Cheney to answer. And if he has any forms we need to fill out have him give you those, as well.
Tell him to wait there until you bring them back to him. Now, be quick about it- it is almost lunch time."

[whatelseisnew]

6. I think the written report is wrong, cheney said he swung to his right

shot into the setting sun, the vic. came from behind him so vic's left side would be shot

[Igel]

9. FWIW, that's how I took it.

The drawing made more sense than the text.

[bigtree]

11. the police report says he swung 'counter-clockwise' That's left.

'followed the bird by line of sight in a 'counter-clockwise' direction

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0216061cheney1.html

The wildlife report also says the topography was level although Cheney took pains to speculate that Whittington was lower than him when he shot, as recorded in the police report.

[txindy]

12. Which, to me, begs the question of how Dick shot Harry on the right side

He was behind Dick who swung counterclockwise. That means that his gun tracked all the way across Harry's body, from the left to the right side, before shooting primarily his right side.

It's.... interesting. Dick has no reflexes, apparently. And no ability to see that what he's just tracked across is not a six inch bird.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

8. Ya, Armstrong lady must've got it wrong on her faxed report of the info

that she sent to the Sheriff... right, left, schmeft...

What's a poor investigator to do when faxed inaccurate info about a shooting? Go investigate?

Besides, her info on everything else about this has proved SO accurate...