Allison Krause | |
---|---|
Born |
Allison Beth Krause April 23, 1951 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
Died | May 4, 1970 Kent, Ohio, U.S. |
(aged 19)
Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
Occupation | Student |
Allison Beth Krause (April 23, 1951 – May 4, 1970) was an American honor student at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, when she was killed by the Ohio Army National Guard in the Kent State shootings, while protesting against the invasion of Cambodia and the presence of the National Guard on the Kent State campus. National Guardsmen opened fire on a group of unarmed students, killing four of them, at an average distance of about 345 ft (106 m). Krause was shot in the left side of her chest at about 330 ft (105 m), from which she received a fatal wound. A subsequent autopsy found that a single rifle bullet entered and exited her upper left arm, and then entered the left side of her chest, fragmenting on impact and causing massive internal injuries. She died from her injuries later that same day.
Krause was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Doris Lillian (Levine) and Arthur Selwyn Krause. She had a younger sister, Laurel. Krause's family was Jewish. She was an alumna of John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, MD.
Just days before Krause was killed, she said "flowers are better than bullets".
Altogether, 67 shots were fired by the Guardsmen in 13 seconds. The other students killed in the shootings were Jeffrey Glenn Miller, Sandra Lee Scheuer and William Knox Schroeder. In addition, nine other students were wounded in the gunfire.
The shootings led to protests and a national student strike, causing hundreds of campuses to close because of both violent and non-violent demonstrations. The Kent State campus remained closed for six weeks. Five days after the shootings, 100,000 people demonstrated in Washington, D.C. against the war. Krause's father became an outspoken advocate of the press for truth and justice about what occurred that day and fought it in the courts for nearly 10 years following the death of his daughter. In the end, the family of Allison Krause received a 'Statement of Regret' and $15,000 for the loss of Allison.