The story of spent casings found in Pence's pocket began circulating almost immediately after the incident in 1970. When I was researching for my article on it, which appeared in the July/August 1988 issue of American Handgunner, CHP sources I spoke to were split on the matter. Those who said the casings were in the pocket were insistent that it was not mentioned in official accounts for fear it would embarass the agency. What I wrote was, "Though official sources deny it, some C.H.P. officers insist that Pence was found with spent casings in his trouser pocket, the legacy of range training." And to this day, some still insist that.

One of my graduates, Mike Wood, was able to access the LASD homicide investigation file, and tells me it contains a photograph showing Pence's spent brass on the ground. Though I have not seen this photo, I have no reason to doubt him. The photo will, I believe, appear in Mike's book on the shooting, and when it is published may put the debate to rest.