Audio expert even more sure of authorization to fire
October 7, 2010
Expert says new evidence is enough to reopen case
Four decades have passed since Guardsmen killed students in the Prentice Hall parking lot.
The reason they fired has never been revealed, clouded by conflicting accounts and the haze of all those years. But the results of an audio analysis released Friday have already inspired some to seek answers, even prompting a congressional inquiry.
Shots were apparently fired prior to the Guard’s shooting, and claims of an order to fire seem more substantiated than ever.
After 40 years, there’s new evidence and the chance of closure for the victims and witnesses of the May 4 shooting.
Congressional Inquiry
U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich has requested the FBI turn over information involving an altercation and four mysterious gunshots. They were discharged 70 seconds before the Ohio National Guard opening fire on student protestors, The Plain Dealer reported.
The congressional inquiry is a result of a new study released by forensic audio expert Stuart Allen.
Allen, president of a forensic evidence analysis firm in Plainfield, N.J., examined a tape recorded by a Kent State student from his dorm window overlooking the protests. The Plain Dealer reported his findings in an article Friday.
“This story about new evidence makes it mandatory that we gather information and ask questions,” Kucinich told The Plain Dealer.
The four shots are from a .38-caliber revolver, Allen said. It remains unknown who fired those four shots and why.
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What is known, however, is that former Kent State student Terry Norman carried a .38-caliber pistol amid the crowd on May 4. Norman was taking pictures for the FBI, and he claimed the gun was for protection against angry student protestors. Fred DeBrine, a former WKYC reporter, and Joe Butano, soundman for WKYC, were documenting the day’s events, and both said they saw Kent State Police Detective Thomas Kelley take Norman’s gun and say, “Oh my God, he fired four times.” Kelley later denied making that statement, and Norman maintained to investigators that he never fired his weapon. He hasn’t been interviewed since May 4, 1970. The gunshots, as well as a mysterious altercation that accompanies them, can be heard on the recording. “They got somebody,” a man says in the tape. “Kill him!” two more yell. Then, seconds later, four shots are fired. Response to new evidenceIt’s not clear whether the scuffle had anything to do with the National Guard’s decision to fire, but Laurel Krause, whose sister, Allison Krause, was one of the four fatally shot by the Guard, said she thinks it’s worth looking into. “We wonder what was it that prompted the Guard’s reaction,” Krause said. “Did they think that it was a sniper firing the four shots that were heard 70 seconds before the volley?” She said she hopes Kucinich will take more into account than just the four mysterious shots. “We encourage Rep. Kucinich to regard that as one of the puzzle pieces, and really all of the puzzle pieces will need to be looked at,” Krause said. “A full new investigation needs to be opened. Alan Canfora, one of the nine wounded that day, said he thinks it’s too soon to speculate on Norman’s involvement.“There’s been no evidence and no eyewitnesses that even saw him shoot,” Canfora said. He said he thinks the shots could be traced to the Guard themselves, as they were also carrying .38-caliber revolvers. Laura Davis, May 4 initiatives coordinator, said it will be helpful to gain greater insight into the role Norman played. “Having more facts about what Terry Norman’s relationship to the FBI or other entities was certainly will be important to having a better understanding of the event,” Davis said. Possible order to fireAllen, the forensic audio expert, said he is now even more confident that the Ohio National Guard was given an order to fire. Allen said he can now hear a clear “Guard, Fi…” when just days earlier he could decipher only a prepare to fire order followed by “Guard, F…” “It can only be reasonable to conclude that the command was ‘Guard, Fire!’” Allen said. “I think that was enough to reopen the case.” |
Listen to the audioMay 4th Audio
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This new report is the result of subsequent enhancement of the recording, he told the Daily Kent Stater on Friday.
Allen explained exactly how he broke down the recording in a livecast on Michael Moore’s website Saturday as part of the Kent State Truth Tribunal’s fourth and final presentation.
Krause, co-founder of the Truth Tribunal, said she was elated with Allen’s demonstration.
“He went beat by beat as we had hoped he would, and he showed us conclusively that there was more than just an order to prepare to fire, but an order to fire,” Krause said.
While these new analyses have spurred a congressional inquiry, Allen said his purpose is to simply examine and report.
“We follow evidence and let the evidence speak,” Allen said. “It’s up to other people to determine if that’s sufficient evidence to reopen a 40-year-old case.”
Davis said she thinks it’s crucial for another audio analyst to study the tape.
“I think that’s something very important that needs to be done in order to confirm whether or not there was an order to fire, determine what the wording was and use that as important primary information about understanding what happened on May 4,” Davis said.
The Kent State Truth Tribunal presentations included testimonials and interviews with witnesses and those closely connected to the May 4 shooting. The final presentation aired from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday on MichaelMoore.com.
Previous coverage:
The possibility of a new federal investigation into the May 4, 1970, shootings looks promising, audio expert Stuart Allen said.
Allen, president of a forensic evidence analysis firm in Plainfield, N.J., has repeatedly studied a recording left on a dorm windowsill by student Terry Strubbe as the Ohio National Guard opened fire on student protestors, killing four and wounding nine.
Allen’s prior examinations of the recording had revealed the prepare to fire order was followed by what sounded like “Guard, F…”
His most recent and unreported enhancements exposed that sound a bit clearer, he told the Daily Kent Stater on Friday. Allen said he can now decipher the words “Guard, Fi…”
This broken word could be the beginning of a command by the Ohio National Guard to fire at students.
“It can only be reasonable to conclude that the command was ‘Guard, Fire!’” Allen said. “I think that was enough to reopen the case.”
Although he said he believes this evidence is enough for the government to reexamine the May 4 shooting, it’s not for him to decide.
“We follow evidence and let the evidence speak,” Allen said. “It’s up to other people to determine if that’s sufficient evidence to reopen a 40-year-old case.”
Mysterious gunshots
Perhaps one more mystery revealed through Allen’s study is that four shots from a .38-caliber revolver were fired just 70 seconds before the guardsmen began shooting into the crowd.
Who fired those shots and why remains unknown.
The Plain Dealer featured an article on the recording Friday, which reveals the pistol shots as well as the altercation that surrounds them.
“They got somebody,” a man says in the tape.
“Kill him!” two more yell.
Then, seconds later, four shots can be heard.
Several witnesses from that day said they saw an altercation involving student Terry Norman — one which matches the scuffle that can be heard in the recording. But the details remain clouded.
Norman was taking photos of student protestors for the Akron FBI office, according to the Plain Dealer report. He carried a .38-caliber revolver that day, which he said was for protection against angry protestors.
Allen says his analysis of the audio matched the sound of the gun Norman carried to the gunfire in the recording. Norman maintained to investigators that he never fired his weapon.
He hasn’t been interviewed since May 4, 1970.
The Daily Kent Stater and TV2 will continue to report on this story. Check back to KentWired.com and follow @KentWired for updates.
