Kentucky State University Shooting Leaves One Dead, Several Injured as Governor Urges Calm

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky State University, a historically Black public university in the state capital, is reeling after a campus shooting on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, that left one student dead and another in critical condition, with officials initially reporting multiple injuries. Local police say a suspect is in custody and there is no ongoing threat to the campus, while Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has described the violence as an isolated confrontation rather than a mass shooting.

Timeline of the Attack

Frankfort police were dispatched to Kentucky State University’s south campus at approximately 3:10–3:35 p.m. Tuesday following reports of an “active aggressor” near Whitney M. Young Jr. Hall, a residence hall on the south side of campus. Authorities later confirmed that two KSU students had been shot outside the dorm, one of whom died at a local hospital while the second was transported in stable but critical condition.

Campus police had detained a suspect before city officers arrived on scene, according to a statement from the Frankfort Police Department. The suspect, identified as 48‑year‑old Jacob Lee Bard of Evansville, Indiana, is not affiliated with the university and has been charged with murder and first‑degree assault, police said.

Governor: ‘Not a Mass Shooting or a Random Incident’

In a video address posted to X, Gov. Andy Beshear urged Kentuckians to remain calm, emphasizing that early information suggested the shooting stemmed from a personal dispute rather than a random attack on the campus community. “This was not a mass shooting or a random incident based on what I’ve been told, and the suspected shooter is already in custody,” Beshear said, adding that there was no ongoing threat to students or staff.

Beshear first confirmed that multiple people had been injured and a suspect arrested in a post shortly after the incident, asking the public to “pray for all those affected.”

Campus on Lockdown, Classes Canceled

As law enforcement secured the scene, Kentucky State University placed its campus on lockdown, instructing students and staff to shelter in place. The university later announced that all classes and activities would be canceled for the remainder of the week as investigators continued their work and the community sought to process the trauma. School officials confirmed that two students were shot and said the institution was working closely with local and state law enforcement agencies.

University President Koffi C. Akakpo called the shooting a “senseless tragedy” and said the institution was providing counseling and support services for students, faculty and staff. “Your well‑being — your physical safety, your emotional health, and your sense of belonging — is the heart of everything we do at Kentucky State University,” Akakpo said in a message to the campus community.

A Historically Black University at the Center of Tragedy

Kentucky State University, founded in 1886, is one of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The school enrolls more than 2,200 students and employs roughly 450 faculty and staff, according to university data. HBCUs have become increasingly vocal about campus security in recent years amid a rise in bomb threats, racially motivated incidents and broader concerns about gun violence in the United States.

Campus Shootings in a Broader National Context

The Kentucky State incident comes against the backdrop of persistent gun violence on U.S. college campuses. In 2023 alone, at least 188 shooting incidents occurred on or near college or university grounds nationwide, resulting in 60 deaths and 128 injuries, according to an analysis by the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, which tracks gunfire on school and college campuses.

More broadly, firearm‑related injuries have become the leading cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents, including older teens who make up a large portion of the college population. A 2022 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that firearm injuries surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the top cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 19 in 2020.

Security, Mental Health and the Student Experience

Tuesday’s shooting also highlights the pressure on universities to simultaneously address campus security and the mental health effects of recurring violence. Many institutions have expanded emergency alert systems, active shooter drills and coordination with local law enforcement in recent years. The U.S. Department of Education has urged colleges to pair threat‑assessment protocols with robust counseling and trauma‑informed support for students and staff affected by violence or its constant threat.

At Kentucky State, officials said counseling and crisis services were being made available immediately following the shooting. “The emotional impact of an event like this does not end when the scene is secured,” President Akakpo noted, promising continued outreach in the days ahead.

Ongoing Investigation and Calls for Change

Investigators are still working to determine the precise motive behind the Kentucky State University shooting and to reconstruct the events that led up to the confrontation outside Whitney M. Young Jr. Hall. Police have said preliminary evidence points to a personal dispute, but they have urged witnesses and anyone with video or other information to come forward as the inquiry continues.

Gov. Beshear said he would continue pushing to reduce violence across the state, framing the shooting as part of a broader struggle against the normalization of guns in personal disputes. “I’ll keep trying to build a Kentucky that we don’t see arguments ended in violence,” he said, calling for both policy responses and cultural change.

A Campus in Mourning

As Kentucky State University students prepare to leave campus at the end of the fall semester, many are doing so under the shadow of sudden loss and lingering fear. Vigils and memorial events are expected in the days ahead as the community grieves the student killed and hopes for the recovery of the student who remains hospitalized.

For now, the small HBCU that has long prided itself on close‑knit ties between students, faculty and the surrounding Frankfort community is confronting the same devastating questions that follow campus shootings across the country: how to keep students safe, how to heal and how to prevent the next tragedy.