On May 4, 1970, 29 members of the Ohio National Guard fired 67 rounds into a crowd of student protesters, killing four and wounding nine at Kent State University. For several days students had been protesting recent events (specifically President Richard Nixon's April 30 announcement of the start of the Cambodian Campaign) in the ongoing Vietnam War.

Killed were Jeffrey Duane Miller, age 20, shot from 81 meters; Allison D Krause, age 19, shot from 105 meters; William Knox Schroeder, age 19, shot from 116 meters; Sandra Lee, age 20, shot from 120 meters. All four were students in good standing at Kent State.

No criminal charges resulted from the killings. The State of Ohio settled a civil case including financial retribution to the families of the victims.

None of the victims killed or wounded by the government-issued M1 rifles was armed.