Student killed in Kentucky campus shooting as father came to protect son

Jacob Bard arrived at Kentucky State University worried about his son’s safety, but was met with a chaotic confrontation outside a dormitory. He now stands accused of killing a student.

The father travelled to the university on December 9 after his son was assaulted on campus days earlier.

Fearing for his safety, Bard and his wife went straight to the university’s office of student affairs to report the incident, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

Campus police then took the parents to their son’s dormitory so they could help him move out. However, the visit soon spiralled into violence.

During a court hearing on December 16, Bard’s lawyer Mark Hall said the family was ‘essentially attacked’ outside the residence hall. Security footage appear to show several people running toward the family, with one individual holding a baseball bat.

Prosecutors say Bard opened fire during the confrontation, striking two students. De’Jon Fox, 19, suffered severe injuries and later died. A second student was rushed to hospital in critical condition and was reported stable as of December 16.

Frankfort police confirmed Bard was arrested following the shooting and taken to jail. His bond was initially set at $1 million before a judge reduced it to $100,000.

Investigators have yet to explain what led to the earlier attack on Bard’s son or why tensions grew so high that night. 

However, Frankfort police detective Laura Marco said there was ‘bad blood’ between Bard’s son and a group of students involved in the incident.