Allison Krause

Allison Beth Krause (; April 23, 1951 – May 4, 1970) was one of four unarmed Kent State University students shot and killed by soldiers of the Ohio Army National Guard in the May 4, 1970 Kent State shootings in Kent, Ohio. The shootings occurred as students protested against both the invasion of Cambodia and the National Guard presence on campus. Krause—an ardent anti-war activist—was shot in the left side of her chest from a distance of approximately 330 feet (101 m). A subsequent autopsy found that a single bullet entered and exited her upper left arm before entering her left lateral chest, fragmenting on impact and causing extensive internal injuries to her chest and stomach. She died from her wounds before reaching the hospital. The day prior to her death, Krause observed a single lilac within the barrel of the gun of a guardsman on the campus of Kent State University; upon hearing an officer order the guardsman to remove the flower, she caught the flower as it fell to the ground, stating, "Flowers are better than bullets." This quote—inscribed upon Krause's gravestone—has become synonymous with Krause's legacy of peace activism.