13 seconds, 33 years ago: 4 dead, 9 wounded

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It only took 13 seconds. Four dead. Nine wounded. 39 years ago today, a group of National Guardsmen stood near the Pagoda in front of Taylor Hall and fired dozens of shots into a crowd in the Prentice Hall parking lot.

Dr. Jerry M. Lewis had worked at KSU for about four years when the unforgettable moments of May 4, 1970 unfolded at 12:24 p.m. "Having been in the Army, I knew immediately that they were real bullets because you don't see smoke when they're firing blanks," he says. "I dove behind some bushes and took cover, which took me out of the line of fire."

After the gunfire settled, he says many students believed the Guard had fired blanks. That's when he moved up and pointed to Sandra Scheuer's body and said, "No, those are real bullets."

LISTEN to Lewis detail his memories of May 4

Lewis said that the gunfire came from less than half of the 70 Guardsmen who stood at the top of the hill. "Of those who did fire, half fired into the ground or into the air."

WATCH a 47-minute documentary on May 4 via FactualTV.com.

Lewis has one memory from that day that has really stuck in his mind. "I saw a gurney coming down with a body on it -- I think it was Allison Krause, one of the slain. I grabbed two female students and pulled them to my chest and said, 'You don't want to see this.' The gurney went by." Six months later one of the students thanked him for doing that.

Lewis and a colleague have written a book that highlights the events of May 4. "Kent State and May 4: A Social Science Perspective" will be printed in its third ediition in 2010. A chapter of that title is available online and provides a detailed timeline of May 4 and the days leading to the shooting.

LISTEN to Lewis describe the book

Allison Krause, William Schroeder, Jeffrey Miller and Sandra Scheuer were all killed that day. The incident sparked national attention and even a hit song.

WATCH a CNN video via YouTube that highlights the 30th anniversary back in 2000: