Earlier in the month, we reported on an on-campus shooting at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky. At that time, two people were shot, and one suspect was taken into custody, as my colleague Katie Jerkovitch wrote at the time.
BREAKING: 2 injured in shooting by “active aggressor” at Kentucky State University; suspect in custody – Police pic.twitter.com/aYOyP9psOL
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 9, 2025
The shooter, Jacob Lee Bard, claimed it was a defensive shooting. He reported that his family members attending the university had been the target of bullying and abuse, and that a mob of 20-30 gathered when he attempted to remove his son from a dormitory where he had been staying. One of the students he shot was killed, the other wounded.
Read More: Shooting at Kentucky State University, One Suspect in Custody
On Tuesday, a grand jury declined to return an indictment against Jacob Lee Bard for the shooting. He is now a free man.
A Franklin County grand jury declined to indict an Indiana father on Tuesday accused of shooting two people at Kentucky State University earlier this month, killing one person outside a dormitory.
Jacob Bard will not face murder charges after the grand jury determined there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case.
“Our position has consistently been that he was innocent, that he acted in lawful self-defense of himself, his son, and his wife,” Jonathan Danks, Jacob Bard’s attorney, said.
According to Danks, a crowd of as many as 30 people, some armed with weapons, threatened Bard’s family as he was trying to move his son out of his dorm room. The attorney maintains Bard acted in self-defense when the group attacked.
“I know he is feeling tremendous relief. And so we are very glad now that he’s going to be able to be with his family for the holidays without this hanging over his head,” Danks said.
The grand jury would seem to have agreed with the defendant’s claim that this was a defensive shooting, or at least, that there was not sufficient evidence to charge him. However, if new evidence should surface, there’s always the possibility that another grand jury could vote to indict.
Following the announcement, Kentucky State University released a statement, which reads in part:
The University is enhancing security measures and continuing internal reviews, while taking steps to help ensure our campus environment remains one where all can pursue their education safely. In accordance with University policies, when conduct within the University’s jurisdiction is found to violate our standards, appropriate action will be taken through established processes.
This seems a little like closing the barn door when the horse is already over the horizon.
Read More: Updated: Kentucky State Trooper Shot, Several Injured in Church Shooting
We should also note that Mr. Bard’s family is apparently having to hide at an undisclosed location due to fears of reprisal.
The family continues to face safety concerns following the incident.
“The death threats that have been made (to the Bard family), to our knowledge, have not been dealt with. And so the entire family will be staying in an undisclosed location at this time,” Danks said.
While the matter of this shooting is, for the moment, closed, there’s a larger issue at stake here. If the appearance of one young man prompts a mob of 20-30 to gather, and for a member of that mob to reportedly knock the young man down and start beating his head against the pavement, which could very easily result in fatal injury, then Kentucky State University has some serious problems. This isn’t a matter of “ensuring (their) campus environment remains one where all can pursue their education safely.” That ship has sailed; if this incident has demonstrated anything at all, it is that KSU’s campus is not one where one can pursue an education or anything else safely.
For now, Jacob Lee Bard is going home. But his son, according to this report, is still having to hide from the angry mob that attacked him. The University’s security measures have already failed. That’s the real story.
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