As far as "maybe 5 or 6," I can see an author making this choice. If the story is told in the first person, then the author is indicating that the narrator had a less than comprehensive view of the scene, maybe a quick look. The narrator is fallible in his/her observations.
If the story is told in the 3rd person, well, some 3rd person narrators are more omniscient than others. See the discussion here of third person subjective, third person objective, and third person omniscient. Adding that kind of ambiguity would be fitting for the first type, third person objective or limited.
Oops here is the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-p....2C_subjective
eP