The Fatal Assault on Woody
Once police entered the church the fatal assault on Woody rapidly followed. The assault was initiated by officer Parker, who stood near the center of the room between Woody and the witnesses. He stood about eight feet away from Woody, according to eyewitness Tommy Thomas. The other two officers stood further away, to the left of the podium.
Officer Parker shot one shot that appeared to miss Woody, according to Thomas. He noticed that the second shot had a 'visible effect' on Woody, and conjectured that it hit him. The final volley of shots was fired so rapidly that to many witnesses it sounded like a single shot. Witness Polly Wilson said that, alltogether, it sounded like there were only three shots. Another witness said she turned away and heard "one gunshot, then there is a pause, then there is a barrage of gunshots." Whether it was Parker or Holbrook who fired the second shot, both participated in the delivery of that final fussilade of gunfire, which included a shot to Woody's lower back. According to Thomas, most of these shots were fired at Woody from above while he lay on the floor, curled up in the foetal position. Thomas estimated that five shots were fired into Woody's body while he lay on the floor. Thomas said that Woody was laying on his left side and he thought most of the bullet wounds would be found to have entered his right side from the direction of his right side. Although what is publicly known of the autopsy tends to corroborate Thomas's account, since it shows 4 bullets entering Woody's right arm and a bullet entering his lower back from his right side and lodging near the spinal chord, the more thorough corroboration that could be obtained by examining the autopsy report has been impossible because the Attorney General's office first ordered that all such information be withheld for the duration of it's 'investigation'. Then, even after the conclusion of that flawed process his office continued to hold that information from the public and from the Woodwards' attorneys who have sought to obtain it through subpoenas.
As brutal as the assault on Woody was, it is not clear that he would have died had it not taken so long for him to receive appropriate medical care.