Kent State What Happened and Why
Tension filled the air as Ohio National Guardsmen made the climb toward Blanket Hill on the campus of Kent State University, and students surged toward them. The National Guard had been called to the campus following the torching of the ROTC building on Saturday night, and now, on Monday, May 4, 1970, a few thousand students filled the commons area of the campus for a planned protest.
The Guardsmen half-turned, keeping a wary eye on the students drawing ever nearer — some of whom had been mixing verbal assaults with rocks and other projectiles for the past several minutes. Then, at 12:24 pm., several Guardsmen turned and began firing M-1 rifles.
Within a few seconds, Guardsmen had fired 67 shots, killing four students and leaving nine wounded. One student was permanently paralyzed.
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