Jackson State killings

The '''Jackson State killings''' occurred on Thursday/Friday May 14–15, 1970, at Jackson State College (now [[Jackson State University]]) in [[Jackson, Mississippi]]. A group of somewhat violent [[student protest]]ers were confronted by [[Jackson Police Department (Mississippi)|city]] and state police. The police opened fire, killing two students and injuring twelve. This happened only 10 days after National Guardsmen killed four students in [[Kent State shootings|similar protests at Kent State University]] in Ohio, which first captured national attention. ==Timeline== A group of around a hundred [[African-American]] students had gathered on [[John R. Lynch|Lynch]] Street (which at the time bisected the campus) on the evening of Thursday, May 14. By around 9:30 p.m. the students had started fires, thrown rocks at white motorists and overturned vehicles, including a large truck. Firefighters dispatched to the scene quickly requested police support. The police responded in force. At least 75 Jackson Police units from the city of Jackson and the Mississippi Highway Patrol attempted to control the crowd while the firemen extinguished the fires. After the firefighters had left the scene, shortly before midnight, the police moved to disperse the crowd now gathered in front of Alexander Hall, a women's on-campus [[dormitory]]. Advancing to within 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 m) of the crowd, at roughly 12:05 a.m., officers opened fire on the dormitory. The exact cause of the shooting and the moments leading up to it are unclear. Authorities claim they saw a sniper on one of the building's upper floors, and were also being sniped in all directions, though only two city policemen and one state patrolman reported minor injuries from flying glass and an FBI search for evidence of sniper fire was negative. The students say that the officers were not provoked by them. The gunfire lasted for 30 seconds and at least 140 shots were fired by a reported 40 state highway patrolmen using shotguns from 30 to 50 feet. Every window on the narrow side of the building facing Lynch Street was blown out. The crowd scattered and a number of people were trampled or cut by falling glass. Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, 21, a junior, and James Earl Green, 17, a senior and miler at nearby Jim Hill High School, were killed and twelve others were wounded. Gibbs was killed near Alexander Hall by buckshot, while Green was killed behind the police line in front of B. F. Roberts Hall, also with a shotgun. ==Aftermath== The [[President's Commission on Campus Unrest]] investigated this event and also held public hearings at [[Kent State]], in Los Angeles, and Washington. There were no arrests in connection with the deaths at Jackson State, although the Commission did conclude "that the 28-second fusillade from police officers was an unreasonable, unjustified overreaction...A broad barrage of gunfire in response to reported and unconfirmed sniper fire is never warranted." The University has memorialized the tragic occurrence by naming the area of the shootings Gibbs-Green Plaza. The Plaza is a large, multi-level brick and concrete patio and mall on the eastern side of the JSU campus that blocks off J. R. Lynch Street and links Alexander Hall to the University Green. A large stone monument in front of Alexander Hall near the plaza also pays tribute to the two victims. Damage to the façade of Alexander Hall caused by rounds fired by the police is still visible. ==See also== *[[Orangeburg massacre]] *[[Kent State shootings]] *[[List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States]] ==External links== * [http://web.archive.org/web/20050411094258/http://ccaix.jsums.edu/~www/gg06.htm Chronology with photos by Jackson University] * [http://btobsearch.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&btob=Y&endeca=1&isbn=0873383710&itm=1 "Lynch Street: The May 1970 Slayings at Jackson State College" by Tim Spofford] * [http://web.archive.org/web/19980429020456/http://ccaix.jsums.edu/~www/gg02a.htm The Jackson State tragedy (Internet Archive; originally hosted at JSU.edu)] *[http://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/14/40_years_ago_police_kill_two 40 Years Ago: Police Kill Two Students at Jackson State in Mississippi] - video report by ''[[Democracy Now!]]'' {{coord missing|Mississippi}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson State Killings}}