Kent State Shooting: A Timeline of Tragedy and Aftermath

The Kent State University shooting on May 4, 1970, remains a pivotal and tragic event in American history. When members of the Ohio National Guard shot 13 students on campus during a demonstration. Four students were killed and nine others were wounded, including one who was permanently paralyzed from his injury. This article presents a detailed timeline of the events leading up to the shooting and the extensive aftermath that followed, drawing upon primary sources and historical records to provide a comprehensive account.

The Events Leading Up to May 4

The atmosphere at Kent State in the days leading up to May 4 was charged with tension, reflecting the broader national unrest over the Vietnam War and related political issues.

Sunday, May 3

Events unfolded rapidly, setting the stage for the confrontation on May 4.

Monday, May 4: The Day of the Shooting

The tragic events of May 4 unfolded with devastating speed, resulting in the loss of life and long-lasting repercussions. Kent State University was placed into the international spotlight on May 4, 1970, after members of the Ohio National Guard shot 13 students on campus during a demonstration.

Immediate Aftermath: Closing the University

In the immediate wake of the shootings, Kent State University took steps to manage the crisis and ensure the safety of its community. University employees were told to remain at home until further notice.

President Robert White had announced on May 4 the University was closed.
White announces that the University will stay closed through the spring quarter, which ends June 13 (Saturday).
White also announced that University regional campuses and the University School (for grades kindergarten through 12) will reopen Monday, May 11.
The last National Guard troops leave campus in the morning.
University trustees meet with White and reaffirm closing the University and cancellation of all University-related activities for the quarter.

Calls for Investigation and Accountability

The shootings prompted immediate calls for a thorough investigation into the events of May 4.

Ohio Gov. James A. Rhodes calls for FBI Director J.
Robert H. Finch adds his voice to those calling for a presidential commission to study campus violence. "President Richard M. Nixon: Respectfully but urgently I renew plea for high level investigating commission to delve into KSU events to clarify evidence, furnish perspective and do so in a way fully credible publicly.
Congressman J. William Stanton of Ohio meets with White and backs his request for a federal investigation.
President Nixon releases the names of those serving on a nine-member commission to examine campus violence and recommend ways of peacefully resolving student grievances and avoid future incidents such as the one at Kent. The panel is headed by former Pennsylvania Gov. William W. Scranton. Erwin D. Dr. James E. Benjamin O. Martha A. Revius O.

Student and Faculty Actions

Students and faculty members at Kent State took various actions in response to the shootings, seeking justice and understanding.

Six Kent students meet with Rep. J. William Stanton whose congressional district includes Kent. The Students then meet with presidential assistant John D. Ehrlichman.
President Richard Nixon meets with six Kent students at the White House. The six students, who claim membership in no group, are: Tom Brubach of Mantua, Dick Cutler of Kent, Don Grant of Ridgewood, N.J., Dean Powell of Cuyahoga Falls, Don Tretnik of Wickliffe and Sam Trago of Northhampton.
A petition signed by 10,380 Kent students and faculty members is presented to President Richard Nixon requesting a federal probe of the killings.
The Kent State University Faculty Senate and White authorize college deans to seek to complete instruction obligations of the quarter by the best possible means.
White announces the formation of a 28-member faculty-staff-student Commission on Kent State University Violence (CKSUV) to explore completely the incidents of May 1-4 and to help prevent any recurrence of violence. The chairman is Dr. Harold M.

Legal and Judicial Proceedings

The aftermath of the Kent State shootings involved numerous legal and judicial proceedings, as various parties sought accountability and justice.

Arthur Krause, father of Allison Krause, one of the four students killed, files a $6 million suit in federal court against Gov. James A. Rhodes and two Ohio National Guard commanders.
A Justice Department report on the Kent shootings in revealed in an article published in the "Akron Beacon Journal." Details in a 10-page Justice Department memo summarize the reports of 100 FBI agents. A Justice Department statement confirms the memo included options for prosecution. Kane responds that the FBI report would be used in a grand jury investigation.
Rhodes orders state Attorney General Paul W. Brown to convene a special Portage County grand jury to investigate the shootings.
Portage County grand jury to investigate the shootings.
District Court Judge William K. Thomas, ruling in Cleveland, upholds the 25 grand jury indictments. In his ruling, Thomas states that the report, if allowed to stand, would "irreparably injure" the defendants' rights to a fair trial. Thomas also rules on two suits brought by faculty members and students (including 10 under indictment). Thomas adds that decisions on whether the 25 could have fair trials could be made when jury selection begins in each trial. According to Thomas then former Gov. James A. Rhodes was in error in calling for a grand jury report. "Gov.
Attorney General John N. Mitchell announces that no federal grand jury will be empaneled to investigate the shootings at Kent. Rep. Moorehead had communicated to other signers of the request that the Justice Department announcement regarding the decision not to pursue the case would be made "sometime during Congressional recess…to minimize Congressional response." Congress recessed Aug.
Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a 1970 order by Portage County Common Please Court Judge Edwin W.
Court of Appeals, which upheld a lower court ruling of Oct.
The Supreme Court rules that parents of three students allegedly killed by National Guardsmen at Kent can sue Ohio officials and officers of the guard. The 8-0 decision of Scheuer vs. Rhodes reverses a lower court decision holding state officials immune from such suits. The decision does not deal with the merits of the suit. justice William O. Chief Justice Warren E.
Civil trials begin in Cleveland before a federal jury in which the wounded students and parents of the dead students had filed civil suits seeking a total of $46 million in damages from Rhodes, former Kent president Robert I. All individual suits are consolidated into one case, Krause vs. Rhodes.
A federal court jury meeting in Cleveland exonerates Ohio Gov. James Rhodes and 28 other defendants from any financial or personal responsibility in connection with the shootings.
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Court orders a retrial. The damage-suit for $46 million had been filed by those wounded and relatives of those killed during the shootings. A new trial is scheduled to begin.
An out-of-court settlement is reached in the civil cases and approved by the State Controlling Board with a vote of 6-to-1.

Grand Jury and Indictments

A special state grand jury was convened to investigate the disturbances at Kent State, leading to indictments and further legal proceedings.

Convening in Ravenna, a special state grand jury indicts 25 people on charges stemming from the disturbances at Kent. The jury finds that the guardsmen were not "subject to criminal prosecution" because they "fired their weapons in the honest and sincere belief…that they would suffer serious bodily injury had they not done so." The jury adds that weapons used by the guardsmen were "not appropriate in quelling campus disorders," but the jury's exoneration of guard action contrasts with the President's Commission on Campus Unrest, which stated Oct.
Names of defendants charged by a special state grand jury are released as arrests begin. Among those charged are Craig Morgan, 21, Kent student body president, with second-degree riot, and Dr. Thomas S. Lough, sociology professor, with inciting to riot. By Oct. 26, one non-student, and 15 current or former students are charged with various crimes including riot, assault, and arson.
Supreme Court refuses to delay trials in Ravenna set to begin Nov. 22. The court votes 6-1 and gives no reason for its action. Justice William O.
A federal grand jury indicts eight former guardsmen. They are technically charged with violating the civil rights of the students. The five are: James D. McGee, William E. Perkins, James E. Pierce, Lawrence A. Shafer and Ralph W. Zoller. The other three, Matthew J. McManus, Barry W. Morris, and Leon H. Smith, are charged with firing of pistols and shotguns that resulted in the injuries. McManus is listed as a present guard member in the indictment. Assistant Attorney General J.

Trials and Convictions

Several trials were held in connection with the events at Kent State, resulting in convictions and further legal challenges.

Rupe is charged with rioting, arson, slashing a fire hose and throwing rocks at firefighters on May 2, 1970, when the ROTC building was set afire. As the trial starts, Common Pleas Court Judge Edwin W. Jones imposes elaborate restrictions on press coverage and demonstrations. Jones prohibits attorneys, witnesses, jurors and county employees from giving interviews to the press. Under Jones' order picketing, parading, and passing leaflets are prohibited.
Jerry Rupe is convicted in Portage County Common Pleas Court of the misdemeanor of interfering with a fireman.
Larry Shub pleads guilty to first-degree riot charges in Portage County Common Pleas Court. Thomas F.
Common Pleas Court Judge Edwin Jones instructs the jury to find the fifth defendant, Helen Nicholas, not guilty of interfering with a fireman. The dismissals were "not intended to vindicate nor criticize the special grand jury, the students" or any other involved party, according to Ohio Attorney General William Brown.
Jerry Rupe, found guilty of interfering with a fireman (misdemeanor) on May 2, 1970, is sentenced to six months in jail by Portage County Common Pleas Court Judge Edwin W. Jones.

Government and University Responses

Government officials and university administrators responded to the Kent State shootings in various ways, including investigations, policy changes, and resignations.

White House Director of Communications Herbert G.
The bill provides strict penalties for outsiders convicted of a variety of changes on campuses. The would require a hearing within five days of their arrest with an attorney appointed by the Ohio Board of Regents serving as a referee. Court conviction would mean a mandatory one-year dismissal.
President White submits his resignation, effective Sept.
James F. Martin C.
President White's resignation is effective.

Investigations and Reports

Several investigations and reports were conducted to examine the events at Kent State and their broader implications.

An Ohio unit of the American Civil Liberties Union issues a report protesting the direction of the FBI inquiry.
The President's Commission on Campus Unrest convenes in Kent. Among those testifying are Dr. Robert I. White, president of Kent State University; Maj. Gen. Sylvester T. Del Corso, Ohio National Guard adjutant general; Brig. Gen. Robert H. Canterbury, who commanded the troops at Kent; James C. White testifies Aug. 19. Kent Mayor Leroy Satrom testifies Aug. 20 and Kent Police Chief Roy Thompson testifies on Aug. 21. They both contend that disturbances were planned and initiated by outside militants. White's testimony of Aug.
The President's Commission on Campus Unrest makes public its general report on the Kent shootings. A great deal of the report provides a detailed chronology of the four days of events leading to the shootings.
A probe of the Jackson State University and Kent State University killings is called when a group of national religious leaders urge that federal grand jury investigations begin. The statement is distributed at a memorial service for the slain students held at a Washington D.C. church. Among those attending are Mr. and Mrs. Dr. Rabbi Maurice N. United Methodist Bishop Charles F. Mrs. Wayne W. Rabbi Solomon J. Rev. A. Rev.
Peter Davies' report is published. The private report is funded by the Department of Law, Justice and Community Relations of the United Methodist Church's Board of Christian Social Concerns. The 227-page analysis is based on testimony already on public record. The report had been submitted to the Justice Department for a month previous.

Further Investigations and Revelations

Additional investigations and revelations continued to emerge, shedding more light on the events and circumstances surrounding the Kent State shootings.

The Justice Department announces it will reopen the May 4, 1970 case. Assistant Attorney General J.
Sen. Birch Bayh of Indiana reveals he had informed Richardson of a letter sent to Bayh by a National Guard company commander suggesting that a police informer, Terrence B. Bayh also said that FBI director Clarence M. Kelley told him on July 9 that Norman had once been an FBI informer in an unrelated matter but had not been questioned on the Kent case. A Justice Department spokesman said Aug.
District Court Judge Frank J.
The Justice Department will present 33 witnesses and 130 exhibits - mostly photographs of the confrontation between guardsmen and students.
District Court Judge Frank J.
Assistant Attorney General J. Stanley Pottinger states that the court ruling ended the federal government's prosecution in the case. "The decision to reopen the case was right. The grand jury's decision to indict was right. The trial of the case was thorough.

Reflections and Regrets

In the years following the Kent State shootings, there have been numerous reflections and expressions of regret regarding the tragic events.

troops "may have believed they were right" in continuing their protests in spite of a university ban on rallies and an order for the students to disperse. "Some of the guardsmen on Blanket Hill (the campus area where the violence occurred), fearful and anxious from prior events, may have believed in their own minds that their lives were danger. Hindsight suggests another method would have resolved the confrontation.
"We devoutly wish that a means had been found to avoid the May 4 events culminating in the Guard shootings and the irreversible deaths and injuries. We deeply regret those events, and are profoundly saddened by the deaths of four students and wounding of nine others which resulted.

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