Kentucky State University shooting suspect nabbed after killing one student and injuring another

FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY: Tragedy struck Tuesday afternoon at Kentucky State University when gunfire tore through a residence hall, leaving one student dead and another clinging to life.

The violence erupted around 3 pm inside Whitney M Young Jr Hall in what officials called an “isolated incident.”

Scott Tracy, assistant chief of police for Frankfort, told reporters during a Tuesday evening news conference that officers moved fast once the shots rang out. "There are no active safety concerns on campus at this time," he stressed.

Authorities are still establishing a motive at the time of writing, leaving the shaken campus community grasping for answers.

Kentucky State suspect tracked down and booked

Frankfort police identified their suspect as Jacob Lee Bard, a man from Evansville, Indiana, roughly 150 miles west of the state capital.

Cops say Bard was booked on charges of murder and first-degree assault tied to the deadly residence-hall shooting.

But Bard’s paper trail is rather thin. He wasn’t listed in online county court records, and jail logs didn’t list any attorney representing him. The public defender’s office and the local prosecutor’s office didn’t immediately respond when asked who might speak on his behalf.

An X user posted a supposed mugshot of the shooting suspect, but we were unable to verify the photo independently.

WLKY-TV cameras captured a swarm of patrol cars swaddling the dorm cluster in yellow tape as the courtyard was sealed off.

Victims, campus response, and governor’s message

One of the two students shot at the dorm is fighting for their life in critical but stable condition. The university declined to release the victims’ names but assured the community, "We are in close contact with the families and are providing every available support to them," adding that counseling and support services are ready for anyone who needs them.

Governor Andy Beshear posted a video message on X, noting that the attack "appears to be an isolated incident" and emphasizing "there is no ongoing threat."

“This was not a mass shooting or a random incident, based on what I’ve been told,” Beshear said. "Violence has no place in our commonwealth or country. Let's please pray for the families affected and for our KSU students. Let's also pray for a world where these things don’t happen, and I’ll keep trying to build the Kentucky that we don’t see arguments ended in violence."

Classes, final exams, and all campus activities slammed to a halt for the rest of the week, just days before the fall term was scheduled to wrap up on Friday.

“Students may return home if they choose," the school said. "Additional guidance will be communicated as soon as possible."

University leaders lament ‘senseless tragedy’

KSU President Koffi C. Akakpo called the shooting a "senseless tragedy."

"We're mourning the loss of one of our students," he said at the news conference. "As a parent, I cannot imagine receiving the call I placed today to the parents."

Akakpo vowed that the school would work hand-in-hand with investigators. “Please hear me when I say this: your well-being — your physical safety, your emotional health, and your sense of belonging — is the heart of everything we do at Kentucky State University. You are valued. You are cared for. And you are not facing this moment alone," he said.

It’s a chilling deja vu for the campus. This was the second shooting near the same residence hall in just four months. 

Back on August 17, someone unleashed multiple rounds from a vehicle near Whitney M Young Jr Hall, striking two non-students. One victim walked away with minor injuries; the other suffered serious wounds. Bullets also smashed into the dorm and at least one parked vehicle.

Kentucky State, founded in 1886 and home to about 2,200 students, is a public historically Black university sitting just two miles east of the Capitol.