Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

Figure 6. The four students killed by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University (Kent May 4
Center, 1970).
The shooting traumatized students and the nation. They could not believe that governmental authority
figures could commit such heinous acts. It was surprising to them that the Guard, who had guns, would use
them on students. The students attempted to fight the National Guard, but Kent State faculty prevented it
by talking to the students and calming them down.
The shooting probably traumatized a lot of the National Guardsmen as well. They claimed that they
shot the students because they felt that their lives were in peril (Hensley & Lewis, 2010). Basically, they
claimed it was self defense, but most of the evidence suggests that was not the case (Hensley & Lewis,
2010). An injunction was sought by Prosecutor Ronald Kane to close down Kent State University, which
closed on May 4, 1970, and remained closed for the remainder of the quarter (U.S. President’s
Commission on Campus Unrest, 1970). Professors attempted to help students finish the quarter. They did
that by meeting off campus for lessons. Kent State reopened for the summer quarter.
The students who were killed were obviously the most damaged. The students who suffered injuries
from the shootings were deeply affected, especially Dean Kahler, who is still paralyzed and is confined to a
wheelchair to this day. The families of the dead and injured students were also deeply affected. Jerry Lewis
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