If confirmed, the tape could solve the mystery of the National Guard shootings 37 years ago that killed four students.

Kent, Ohio - An audio recording of the shootings 37 years ago at Kent State University includes the voices of Ohio National Guard leaders ordering troops to fire into a crowd of students, according to a man wounded in the shootings, who obtained a copy of the recording.

If confirmed as authentic, the recording could solve the mystery of the shootings on May 4, 1970, which became a defining moment in the protests against the Vietnam War.

Alan Canfora, who was shot in the right wrist, played a copy of the recording at a news conference Tuesday.

Through grainy static and the high-pitched calls of protesters, it was possible to faintly hear someone shout "Point!"

Canfora said the full command is recorded on the tape, with multiple voices shouting "Right here!" "Get Set!" "Point!" and "Fire!"

Those words, however, were difficult to discern when he played the recording. A 13-second volley of gunfire follows, during which four students were killed and nine were wounded.

"The evidence speaks for itself," Canfora said. "The voices are right there, very clear. There was an order to fire."

Based on the newly available recording, Canfora said he would call on Congress, the Justice Department and Ohio's attorney general to open new investigations.

The audiotape of the shooting was recorded by Terry Strubbe, a student whose dorm overlooked the demonstrations, said Joe Bendo, Strubbe's friend and spokesman.

James Barger, the scientist who analyzed the tape more than 30 years ago, said through a spokeswoman that no National Guard voices were audible on the tape.

The original tape has been locked in a safe-deposit box near Kent for more than 30 years, Bendo said.

The copy obtained by Can fora came from the Yale University Library.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5796517