The suspected gunman arrested in a shooting at Kentucky State University on Tuesday has been identified as Jacob Lee Bard, a 48-year-old man from Evansville, Indiana.
Bard is accused of killing 19-year-old student De’Jon Darrell Fox Jr., who hailed from Indianapolis. Another student remains in critical condition as of Wednesday afternoon.
It remains unclear what led to the shooting, but it’s noteworthy that the gunman and the deceased student were from the same state. Evansville is about 180 miles southwest of Indianapolis.
Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) confirmed the incident was isolated and not random, suggesting the two may have known each other. He assured Kentucky residents that there was no threat to the public.
“Violence has no place in our commonwealth or country. Let’s please pray for the families affected and for our KSU students,” Beshear said. “Let’s also pray for a world where these things don’t happen. Thank you to our brave law enforcement who acted quickly to protect our people.”
Police quickly responded to the shooting around 3:35 p.m. on Tuesday on campus in Frankfort, Kentucky. The suspect was taken into custody about five minutes later.
Bard has been charged with murder and first-degree assault in connection with the shooting. He is the father of at least one KSU student, according to a university spokesperson.
Fox was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital about one hour after sustaining critical gunshot wounds. The coroner’s office performed the autopsy on Wednesday morning, but won’t release the final results until 14 to 16 weeks after the shooting.
At the time of the incident, students described their location on campus.
“We were on the way back. We were in the car, and we hear ‘fire, fire, fire,’ and that’s all we hear; that’s it,” a KSU student told a local news outlet. “Next thing you know, police got here fast. They don’t play.”
Another student said he saw a person lying on the floor before getting taken into an ambulance. He recounted that paramedics were administering CPR to the student who later died.
KSU President Koffi Akakpo called the shooting a “senseless tragedy.”
ONE DEAD IN SHOOTING AT KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY, SUSPECT IN CUSTODY: POLICE
“We’re mourning the loss of one of our students,” he said during a press conference late Tuesday. “As a parent, I cannot imagine receiving the call I placed today to the parents.”
The historically black university canceled all classes, final exams, and campus activities for the rest of the week before students leave for winter break. The school is prioritizing students’ mental health until the end of the fall semester. The Frankfort campus has about 2,200 total students, both undergraduate and graduate.