FRANKFORT, Ky. — A student was killed and another was critically wounded Tuesday afternoon in a shooting at a residence hall on the Kentucky State University campus, officials said. The campus shooting happened around 3 p.m. at Whitney M. Young Jr. Hall; authorities said a nonstudent suspect was arrested.
Frankfort Assistant Chief of Police Scott Tracy called the incident “isolated” and said officers responded quickly, adding there are no active safety concerns on campus. Officials have not released a motive.
Police identified the person taken into custody as Jacob Lee Bard of Evansville, Indiana. Bard was booked on charges of murder and first-degree assault. He did not initially appear in online county court records, jail records did not list an attorney, and the public defender’s office and the prosecutor’s office had not immediately provided information about legal representation.
Video from WLKY-TV showed multiple police vehicles and crime-scene tape around a cluster of dormitories. Kentucky State said one student remains in critical but stable condition; the university is not releasing the students’ names. Officials said they are in close contact with the families and are providing support, including counseling and other services.
Gov. Andy Beshear posted a video on X calling the shooting “appears to be an isolated incident” and saying there is “no ongoing threat.” He urged people to pray for the students and families and spoke more broadly about the need to prevent such violence.
Kentucky State canceled classes, final exams and campus activities for the remainder of the week; the fall term was scheduled to end Friday. The university said students may return home if they choose and that additional guidance will be shared as soon as possible.
University President Koffi C. Akakpo called the event a “senseless tragedy,” saying the campus is mourning and noting the difficulty of informing families.
This is the second shooting in roughly four months near the same residence hall. On Aug. 17, someone fired multiple shots from a vehicle near Whitney M. Young Jr. Hall, striking two people who were not students; one suffered minor injuries and another sustained serious injuries. That earlier gunfire also damaged the dormitory and at least one vehicle.
Kentucky State is a public historically Black university with about 2,200 students. Authorized by lawmakers in 1886, the campus sits about 2 miles east of the state Capitol in Frankfort.