Expert: Hirko moved fast during shooting  Testimony backs part
of Bethlehem officer's version of events.  By Elliot Grossman
Of The Morning Call  December 19, 2003   A crime scene expert
offered various theories Thursday about how John Hirko Jr. was
shot, theories that might support either side in the federal
trial.  Timothy Palmbach, a specialist in crime scene
reconstruction, told the jury that he could not determine with
any certainty Hirko's positions when he was shot. But Palmbach,
a defense witness, said the most likely scenario is one that
could support at least part of the version given by Bethlehem
police officer Joseph Riedy, who shot Hirko at least 10 times.
That scenario has Hirko shot while standing near the front
window of his living room, then again while standing on the
bottom steps leading to the second floor.  But even before
Palmbach entered the Allentown courtroom, he acknowledged that
Hirko may have been shot while lying on the floor, crawling or
bending over. Palmbach said so in a writ