Kentucky State University Shooting Suspect Is Parent of Student: ‘Senseless Act’

The man accused of killing one student and injuring another in a shooting at Kentucky State University this week is the parent of a student at the school, authorities said.

In a press release, the Franklin Police Department alleged that Jacob Lee Bard fatally shot 19-year-old student De’Jon Darrell Fox Jr. inside a residence hall on the south side of campus on Tuesday, Dec. 9. A second student — whose name has not been released — was critically wounded and remains in intensive care at a local hospital, police said.

Investigators described the shooting as an “isolated incident” involving the three individuals and said there were no broader safety concerns for the campus or surrounding community at the time. Bard, of Evansville, Ind., was taken into custody by campus police later that afternoon and was identified in the release as a “parent of a student.” Authorities have not publicly shared what may have led up to the violence.

Bard is currently being held at the Franklin County Regional Jail on charges of first-degree murder and assault, according to police. It is not clear whether he has entered a plea or obtained an attorney to represent him. Online records list his age as 48.

Fox’s family and friends remembered him as playful, devoted to school and full of life, according to WLEX-TV. His grandmother spoke out against gun violence, while his aunt said the loss feels deeply unfair to those who loved him.

“I hope this is a lesson for a lot of people,” his grandmother told the outlet. “It’s like, put the guns down. Let’s stop the violence. It’s a senseless act. Where are we gonna get with it? Besides more heartache.”

Loved ones have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Fox’s family cover funeral expenses.

Kentucky State University, a historically Black institution founded in 1886, has more than 2,200 students and 450 faculty and staff members, according to the university’s website.