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Larry Shafer, 67, Guardsman at Kent State charged with civil rights violations
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Matthew Kruk
May 5, 2013, 3:15:17 AM5/5/13
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http://www.suntimes.com/news/obituaries/19902539-418/larry-shafer-67-guardsman-at-kent-state-charged-with-civil-rights-violations.html
Larry Shafer, 67, Guardsman at Kent State charged with civil rights violations
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS May 4, 2013 7:52PM
Updated: May 4, 2013 8:08PM
RAVENNA, Ohio - Larry Shafer, a longtime public servant for the city of Ravenna
who was a guardsman at Kent State University during the 1970 deadly shootings,
died Friday, his family said. He was 67.
Mr. Shafer's death came a day before the 43rd anniversary of the gunfire at the
northeast Ohio college. His cause of death wasn't immediately known. Mayor Joe
Bica told the Kent-Ravenna Record-Courier newspaper that Mr. Shafer died during
surgery.
Kent State was the scene of Vietnam War protests May 4, 1970, when the Ohio
National Guard opened fire on students. Four students died and nine were injured
in the shootings, which contributed to the change in the public's attitude
toward the war.
Mr. Shafer and other Guardsmen were charged with federal civil rights violations
but were acquitted by a judge in 1974.
The events of that chaotic day at the campus in Kent are still not fully
understood, and interest in the case had reignited after a 2010 analysis of an
enhanced audio recording. The analysis concluded that someone may have ordered
National Guard troops to prepare to fire on students during the campus protest.
The U.S. Justice Department said last year it wouldn't reopen its investigation
into the shooting, citing "insurmountable legal and evidentiary barriers."
Mr. Shafer told the Record-Courier in 2007 that he fired on students but never
heard an order.
"That's all I can say on that," Mr. Shafer told the newspaper. "That's not to
say there may not have been, but with all the racket and noise, I don't know how
anyone could have heard anything that day."
In a 1980 interview, Mr. Shafer said he had "remorse" over the shooting. "I'm
not proud of what I did, but I did feel my life was in jeopardy at that point,"
he said.
Mr. Shafer was a former fire chief and city councilman in Ravenna. He worked as
the city's safety training compliance officer.
Kelly Engelhart, the city's director of public service, said Friday in an
interview that Mr. Shafer "took pride in wanting to do what was right for his
community."
"He was the epitome of a public steward," said Engelhart, to whom Mr. Shafer
reported.
AP
Larry Shafer, 67, Guardsman at Kent State charged with civil rights violations
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS May 4, 2013 7:52PM
Updated: May 4, 2013 8:08PM
RAVENNA, Ohio - Larry Shafer, a longtime public servant for the city of Ravenna
who was a guardsman at Kent State University during the 1970 deadly shootings,
died Friday, his family said. He was 67.
Mr. Shafer's death came a day before the 43rd anniversary of the gunfire at the
northeast Ohio college. His cause of death wasn't immediately known. Mayor Joe
Bica told the Kent-Ravenna Record-Courier newspaper that Mr. Shafer died during
surgery.
Kent State was the scene of Vietnam War protests May 4, 1970, when the Ohio
National Guard opened fire on students. Four students died and nine were injured
in the shootings, which contributed to the change in the public's attitude
toward the war.
Mr. Shafer and other Guardsmen were charged with federal civil rights violations
but were acquitted by a judge in 1974.
The events of that chaotic day at the campus in Kent are still not fully
understood, and interest in the case had reignited after a 2010 analysis of an
enhanced audio recording. The analysis concluded that someone may have ordered
National Guard troops to prepare to fire on students during the campus protest.
The U.S. Justice Department said last year it wouldn't reopen its investigation
into the shooting, citing "insurmountable legal and evidentiary barriers."
Mr. Shafer told the Record-Courier in 2007 that he fired on students but never
heard an order.
"That's all I can say on that," Mr. Shafer told the newspaper. "That's not to
say there may not have been, but with all the racket and noise, I don't know how
anyone could have heard anything that day."
In a 1980 interview, Mr. Shafer said he had "remorse" over the shooting. "I'm
not proud of what I did, but I did feel my life was in jeopardy at that point,"
he said.
Mr. Shafer was a former fire chief and city councilman in Ravenna. He worked as
the city's safety training compliance officer.
Kelly Engelhart, the city's director of public service, said Friday in an
interview that Mr. Shafer "took pride in wanting to do what was right for his
community."
"He was the epitome of a public steward," said Engelhart, to whom Mr. Shafer
reported.
AP
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