unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable

The Scranton commission that explored the shootings at Kent State University in 1970 concluded that the National Guard's actions that May 4, 1970 day were "unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable."

They were. I have done some reading about the event and there are no other words to describe what they did.

Then why did they do it? Why would anyone do something that was unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable? And why were those who fired never punished.

Members of the Guard to this day claim they were provoked, that there were snipers, and/or the students were throwing rocks at them. Not one of the four students who were shot that day could have reached the shooters with a thrown rock. I visited the campus recently and saw the memorials for Miller, Scheuer, Krause, and Schroeder. In the parking lot where they were slain, there are gravelike markers that are lit all night to commemorate the tragedy. I went to the spot where the Guard fired. Willie Mays could not have thrown a rock from where life ended for the closest slain student to where the Guardmembers were standing.

Unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable.

It's going to be hot today in Boston. I read that it will be something near 97 degrees.  I have some cleaning to do in this heat and the basement needs to be picked up. The external air conditioning unit for the upstairs makes a racket that is annoying and I need to contact the fellow who installed it.  We are supposed to get some serious thunderstorms later in the afternoon.  It likely will be a trying day for a Saturday.  And the four students who were murdered at Kent State in 1970 would love to have had a string of forty plus years of such days.