FRANKFORT, KY– The father of a Kentucky State University student has been charged with murder in a campus shooting that left one student dead and another seriously injured.
Jacob Lee Bard was on the school’s campus in Frankfort on Tuesday and shot the victims in a residence hall, police said in a statement.
Investigators said the shooting was isolated, but have not publicly released details of the circumstances or a possible motive. The shooting killed 19-year-old Dejon Fox of Indianapolis. Police said the second student who was shot remains in critical condition, but his name has not been revealed.
Bard, 48, was jailed on charges of first-degree murder and assault. Police said Bard is from Evansville, Indiana, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) west of Frankfort.
Bard is represented by a public defender with the Franklin County Department of Public Advocacy, who declined to talk about his case Wednesday.
University police officers were near the scene of the altercation that ended in gunfire and immediately arrested Bard, police said.
Investigators watched videos taken by others at the scene and surveillance footage.
Asked by reporters about alleged videos showing Bard’s sons fighting before the shooting or whether Bard had come to campus to talk to officials about his sons’ safety, Frankfort Assistant Police Chief Scott Tracy declined to say what might have led to the shooting.
“It’s too early in the investigation right now to provide any details leading up to it. A lot of it will just be speculation,” Tracy said on Wednesday.
The shooting happened at the Whitney M. Young Jr. Auditorium. This is the second shooting in four months near student housing.
Someone fired several shots from a car on August 17, wounding two people who the university said were not students. Frankfurt police said one of the victims was treated for minor injuries, while the second suffered serious injuries. The residence and at least one vehicle were damaged as a result of the shooting.
University President Kofi C. said: Akakpo said the school brought in more police officers after the first shooting and will evaluate whether more needs to be done to keep students safe once the investigation into the latest shooting is complete.
“The campus is a safe place,” Akakpo said at the press conference.
Kentucky State is a historically black public university with about 2,200 students. Legislators allowed the school to be established in 1886.
The school is located about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) east of the Capitol in Frankfurt.