Coroner releases identity of Kentucky State University student killed in shooting
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Coroner identified 19-year-old KSU student De’Jon Fox Jr. as the fatality.
- Evansville resident Jacob Bard arrested on murder and first-degree assault charges.
- KSU suspended classes; police say no ongoing threat and investigation continues.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office has identified the Kentucky State University student who died in an on-campus shooting Tuesday as a 19-year-old from Indiana.
Coroner Will Harrod said Wednesday morning De’Jon Fox Jr., 19, of Indianapolis, was killed in the shooting police have called an “isolated incident.”
Fox and another student were shot on KSU’s campus around 3:10 p.m. Tuesday.
Harrod said Fox was pronounced dead at Frankfort Regional Medical Center at 4:33 p.m. A post-mortem exam was performed Wednesday morning.
Fox was a student Victory College Prep High School in Indianapolis and played basketball there for at least one year, according to MaxPreps. He was a junior on the 2022-23 team, meaning he would have been a sophomore at KSU this year.
The other student was flown to University of Kentucky Hospital in critical condition, according to court documents. KSU President Koffi Akakpo said at a news conference Wednesday the student remains in critical condition and is scheduled to undergo another surgery.
Jacob Bard, 48, of Evansville, Indiana, was arrested and charged with murder and first-degree assault immediately following the incident. Frankfort Police Department Assistant Chief Scott Tracy said he is a parent of a KSU student, but did not elaborate on why Bard was on campus or what led up to the shooting.
“It’s really too early in the investigation right now to give any details on what led up to it,” Tracy said. “At this point, a lot of that would be speculation.”
Bard’s arrest citation says he was allegedly in a fight and shot the two victims. The university said the incident happened “in Whitney M. Young Hall, a residence hall on the south side of campus.”
Investigators have obtained witness video and surveillance footage from campus that has been circulating social media. Tracy said KSU police officers were present when the incident occurred.
Bard is being held at the Franklin County Regional Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned in Franklin District Court Thursday, according to court records.
KSU suspended all classes, final exams and other campus activities for the rest of the week and said students could go home if they wished.
“Today indeed was a senseless tragedy. We are mourning the loss of one of our students,” Akakpo said at the news conference Tuesday night. “As a parent, I cannot imagine receiving the call I placed today to the parents.
Frankfort police said they are continuing to investigate and asked anyone with information to contact them.
“Anyone that witnessed it, we want to talk to them,” Tracy said. “We need to get as much detail as we can from anybody that was on scene.”
This is the second time a shooting was reported on the campus in recent months. Two people were injured in August, when individuals in a car opened fire on a group near Young Hall. Neither of the victims was a student or employee of the university, officials said.
This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 11:07 AM.
