A GOP official is under fire for sending out a tweet, referencing the shootings at Kent State on May 4, 1970.

Dan Adamini — the former chair and current secretary of the Marquette County Republican Party in Michigan — sent out the tweet Friday night in response to the protests at the University of California-Berkeley.

The tweet stated, “Time for another Kent State perhaps. One bullet stops a lot of thuggery.”

Adamani followed this up with a Facebook post that said, “I’m thinking another Kent State might be the only solution protest stopped after only one death. They do it because there are no consequences yet.”

Michigan’s GOP Dan Adamini’s Tweet from KentWired.com on Vimeo.

“I think (using that) in a tweet is super offensive,” Katelyn Rossello, a freshman studio art major, said. “That changed people’s lives, and obviously good change came out (of the protests), but there’s no way that people should die to prove a point.”

Kent State President Beverly Warren initially responded on Twitter by quote tweeting a screenshot of Adamani’s caption and wrote, “This is an abhorrent and painful use of our tragedy and has no place in healing the divide in America. We will respond.”

The university released an official response Saturday afternoon, saying that they “invite the person who wrote this statement to tour our campus and our May 4 Visitors Center, which opened four years ago, to gain perspective on what happened 47 years ago and apply its meaning to the future.”

“I think that (inviting Adamini) to the May 4 Memorial was the best course of action,” Brandon Calalesina, a junior computer science major, said. “The university didn’t jump the gun and started attacking them. They welcomed him to understand rather than do anything else.”

Four were killed and nine were wounded on May 4 when the National Guard fired upon a group of protestors in front of Taylor Hall. The students were protesting U.S. involvement in Cambodia.

“(The University) probably realized the effect that the May 4 Memorial has on people,” Kristen Flask, a freshman American Sign Language major, said. “I went there last semester and was close to crying.”

Adamani has since deleted his personal Facebook account, as well as the tweet.

He tweeted out an apology for inciting such a strong reaction to his initial tweet.

“Taking a lot of heat for a very poorly worded tweet yesterday. Sorry folks, the intent was to try to stop the violence, not encourage more,” said Adamini via his Twitter account.

Henry Palatella is the sports editor, contact him at [email protected].