1 dead, 1 critical after shooting at Kentucky State University; suspect identified
EMPLOYMENT, BUT HAVE NOT HEARD BACK. WE PROMISED YOU THAT NEWS CONFERENCE IN FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY. IT LOOKS LIKE THEY’RE GETTING STARTED. WE WANT TO GET TO THAT RIGHT NOW. HAND IT OVER TO DOCTOR AKAPO FOR A STATEMENT FROM THE UNIVERSITY THIS AFTERNOON AT APPROXIMATELY 3:10 P.M., OUR FRANKFORT DISPATCH RECEIVED A CALL REPORTING A SHOOTING ON THE CAMPUS OF KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY. WITHIN MINUTES, BY 3:14 P.M., FRANKFORT POLICE OFFICERS ARRIVED ON SCENE. BY THAT TIME, KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS POLICE HAD ALREADY TAKEN SWIFT ACTION ACTION BRINGING A SUSPECT INTO CUSTODY. THREE INDIVIDUALS WERE INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT. ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO IS NOT A KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT IS IN CUSTODY. FRANKFORT POLICE BELIEVE THIS TO BE AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, AND THERE ARE NO ACTIVE SAFETY CONCERNS ON CAMPUS AT THIS TIME. THE OTHER TWO INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED WERE CURRENT KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. BOTH SUFFERED GUNSHOT WOUNDS. THEY WERE QUICKLY TRANSPORTED TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT BY FRANKFORT FIRE AND EMS. TRAGICALLY, ONE HAS PASSED AWAY FROM INJURIES, THE OTHER REMAINS IN CRITICAL CONDITION. OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH THEM, THEIR FAMILIES AND THE ENTIRE KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS THE FRANKFORT COMMUNITY. AS THEY NAVIGATE THIS DIFFICULT MOMENT. I WANT TO EXPRESS MY DEEPEST APPRECIATION FOR THE QUICK, COORDINATED RESPONSE BETWEEN OUR OFFICERS AND THE KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS POLICE. THE DEPARTMENT WAS ALSO ASSISTED BY LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL AGENCIES. FRANKLIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, THE KENTUCKY STATE POLICE, FRANKFORT AND FRANKFORT, FRANKLIN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, KENTUCKY OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY, THE ATF, FRANKFORT FIRE AND EMS, THE RAPID ACTIONS ENSURED THAT THE SITUATION WAS CONTAINED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, PREVENTING FURTHER HARM. WE UNDERSTAND HOW UNSETTLING INCIDENTS LIKE THIS CAN BE FOR STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND OUR COMMUNITY, BUT PLEASE KNOW THAT THE SAFETY OF OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR CAMPUS PARTNERS REMAINS OUR TOP PRIORITY, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY AS THIS INVESTIGATION MOVES FORWARD. FORWARD, WE WILL SHARE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE AND AS THIS INVESTIGATION ALLOWS. AT THIS TIME, I’LL INTRODUCE DOCTOR AKAPO, PRESIDENT OF KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY. THANK YOU AND GOOD EVENING. TODAY INDEED WAS A SENSELESS TRAGEDY. WE’RE MOURNING THE LOSS OF ONE OF OUR STUDENTS. AS A PARENT, I CANNOT IMAGINE RECEIVING THE CALL. I PLEDGE TODAY TO THE PARENTS. OUR STUDENTS NEED PRAYERS. KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY NEED PRAYERS. I CANNOT THANK OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT ENOUGH. OUR COMMUNITY ENOUGH, AND OUR LEADERS RIGHT HERE WITH ME NOW. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE. ALL RIGHT. SO WE HAVE BEEN LISTENING IN TO THAT VERY SHORT NEWS CONFERENCE THERE ABOUT THE DEADLY SHOOTING. UNFORTUNATELY, ON KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY’S CAMPUS THERE IN FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY. WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THAT IS THAT KSP BROUGHT THE SUSPECT INTO CUSTODY. AND ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY IS NOT A KSU STUDENT. SO THIS ALL HAPPENED AROUND 310 IN THE AFTERNOON. THAT’S WHEN THE INITIAL CALL CAME IN. WE KNOW THREE PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED IN THE SHOOTING. THE SUSPECT, AS WELL AS THE TWO VICTIMS WHO WERE KSU STUDENTS. ONE OF THEM, WE HAVE LEARNED, HAS DIED. ANOTHER ONE IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY, YOU SAW HIM SPEAK AT THE VERY END OF THAT PRESS CONFERENCE THERE, SAYS HE HAS MADE THE CALL TO THE VICTIMS FAMILIES. AND HE IS ALSO CALLING THIS A SENSELESS TRAGEDY. BUT WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON ANY DEVELOPMENTS THROUGHOUT THE EVENING. OUR SEAN MACKINNON IS DOWN THERE GETTING DETAILS AND WE’LL HAV
1 dead, 1 critical after shooting at Kentucky State University; suspect identified
Updated: 10:17 PM EST Dec 9, 2025
One person has died and another person is in critical condition after a shooting Tuesday afternoon at Kentucky State University in Frankfort.The Frankfort Police Department said it responded to KSU around 3:35 p.m., regarding an “active aggressor.”Frankfort police said a suspect was taken into custody around 3:40 p.m.In an update Tuesday afternoon, police said one student died from the shooting and another student was hospitalized in critical condition, but is stable. The suspect who was taken into custody is not a student at the university, according to police. Frankfort police have identified the suspect as Jacob Lee Bard of Evansville, Indiana. Bard has been charged with murder and assault.Frankfort police said the shooting happened in the Young Hall area, which is on the south side of campus.Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the shooting was an isolated incident and that there is not an ongoing threat to the community. Beshear said the shooting was not random.”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. Thank you to our brave law enforcement who acted quickly to protect our people,” Beshear said. Investigators have not said what led to the shooting.Around 1,700 students attend KSU, with about 450 faculty and staff members. It’s located in Kentucky’s capital city.”We come to school to be safe,” Aveona Bingham, a freshman from Westwood said. “A lot of people come to get away from stuff like this. So, it’s pretty heartbreaking that someone died right in front of where we lay our heads.”The university has canceled classes, final exams and activities on campus for the rest of the week.
FRANKFORT, Ky. —
One person has died and another person is in critical condition after a shooting Tuesday afternoon at Kentucky State University in Frankfort.
The Frankfort Police Department said it responded to KSU around 3:35 p.m., regarding an “active aggressor.”
Frankfort police said a suspect was taken into custody around 3:40 p.m.
In an update Tuesday afternoon, police said one student died from the shooting and another student was hospitalized in critical condition, but is stable.
The suspect who was taken into custody is not a student at the university, according to police. Frankfort police have identified the suspect as Jacob Lee Bard of Evansville, Indiana. Bard has been charged with murder and assault.
Frankfort police said the shooting happened in the Young Hall area, which is on the south side of campus.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the shooting was an isolated incident and that there is not an ongoing threat to the community. Beshear said the shooting was not random.
“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. Thank you to our brave law enforcement who acted quickly to protect our people,” Beshear said.
Investigators have not said what led to the shooting.
Around 1,700 students attend KSU, with about 450 faculty and staff members. It’s located in Kentucky’s capital city.
“We come to school to be safe,” Aveona Bingham, a freshman from Westwood said. “A lot of people come to get away from stuff like this. So, it’s pretty heartbreaking that someone died right in front of where we lay our heads.”
The university has canceled classes, final exams and activities on campus for the rest of the week.