Be a True Witness

NATHAN A. TALBOT

A side door to the Student Union lounge swung open. A grimfaced young man hurried toward a table where a group of students was engaged in quiet conversation. A confrontation erupted. Two young men scuffled over a handgun. Several shots were fired. One of the young men slumped to the floor. Students rushed wildly to find safety from ricocheting bullets. Within moments a deputy sheriff appeared. Suddenly the episode was all over—except what the witnesses remembered seeing.

There were many witnesses to this shooting. However, it later became obvious during a trial that no two witnesses saw exactly the same "facts." The witnesses differed over how many shots were fired. They couldn't agree on which individual had shouted threatening comments during the confrontation—or even the wording of the comments. There was conflict of opinion over nearly every piece of crucial evidence.

A few witnesses had seen an entirely different set of circumstances. They were law students who observed this incident from the standpoint of having participated in staging this fake shooting scene.

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