A Kentucky State University parent has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting one student fatally and wounding another on Tuesday.
Jacob Lee Bard, 48, from Evansville, Indiana, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and assault charges and remains in custody on a $1 million bond following his arraignment Thursday morning in Franklin County’s Kentucky Court of Justice.
According to an arrest citation, Bard fired a handgun at two students around 3:10 p.m. EST near a residence hall on the south side of the university campus following a “physical confrontation.” One student, 19-year-old De’Jon Fox of Indianapolis, was killed. The second student remains hospitalized in critical condition, though their identity has not been released.
Frankfort Police described the incident as “isolated” but provided no additional information on a motive beyond the initial confrontation.
Bard’s attorney, Mark Hall, stated there is “much more to the story than what has been brought before, even in the citation issued by authorities.” Hall described Bard as a “family man” with three children, including the two KSU students, and requested a bond under $50,000. The judge instead set a $1 million cash bond.
A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Tuesday.
Kentucky State University, a historically Black land-grant institution established in 1886, enrolls roughly 2,200 students. Frankfort, the state capital, is located about 25 miles northwest of Lexington.