Multiple reports of assault, harassment filed with KSU police before shooting
During the fall semester, Kentucky State University had a series of crimes — including multiple reports of assault and harassment — at the dorm where a student was fatally shot in December, according to campus crime data.
Additionally, the crime log which is required by federal and state law to be updated regularly with reports of crimes on campus, had not been updated since October until a Herald-Leader reporter requested a copy last week.
On Dec. 9, De’Jon Fox Jr., a 19-year-old KSU student, was killed in a shooting that took place outside Whitney M. Young Hall, a dorm on the south side of campus. A second student was injured in the shooting. Jacob Bard, 48, was arrested and charged with murder and first-degree assault after the shooting.
Bard told investigators he and his wife were on campus to remove their two sons from the school because of safety concerns, and charges against him were later dropped. More than 20 people gathered in the lobby of the dorm before “violently and viciously” attacking Jacob Bard, his wife and two children, who were being escorted by two armed campus police officers, their lawyers said.
There were five reports of assault, five reports of theft and two reports of harassment in Young Hall from August to December 2025, according to KSU’s daily crime log posted online. Specifics of each report are not listed, and it’s not clear if any are directly connected to the Dec. 9 shooting. Reports of assault, harassment and theft were also reported in other on-campus dorms throughout the semester.
Public colleges and universities that receive federal funding are required to disclose campus crime data under the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act. As a result, schools must publish an annual security report, issue timely warnings related to security threats on campus and publish a daily crime log.
Prior to Friday afternoon, KSU’s daily crime log had not been updated online since October 28, 2025. A physical copy of the campus crime log was not available on Friday when a Herald-Leader reporter visited the KSU Police department’s office, though the online crime log was updated following that visit.
It now shows crimes reported through Dec. 27.
In addition to the Clery Act, Kentucky state law requires each postsecondary education institution to “make, keep, and maintain a daily log, written in a form approved by the Council on Postsecondary Education that can be easily understood.” Entries in the crime log must be made available to the public within 24 hours, and “readily accessible and open for public inspection,” according to state law.
Following multiple attempts to reach the university and requests for interviews with the university president and chief of police, KSU declined to comment on its campus crime log, or the investigation surrounding the shooting.
“While I understand your questions are focused on campus crime data, because there is an ongoing criminal investigation regarding the senseless tragedy on December 9, Kentucky State cannot comment publicly on matters that could reasonably be viewed as intersecting with — or even tangentially impacting — that investigation,” said Michael Strysick, KSU spokesperson.
Entries involving ongoing investigations are allowed to be excluded from the crime log, though those entries must be added when the investigation concludes, according to the Clery Center.
“Entries must be made within two business days of the report of the information, unless the disclosure is prohibited by law or would jeopardize the confidentiality of the victim,” according to the Clery Center, a nonprofit that helps universities meet the standards of the Clery Act.
Intentionally violating the Clery Act can result in fines for the university, while intentionally violating Kentucky state law is a misdemeanor.
S. Daniel Carter, president of the Safety Advisors for Educational Campuses, which provides guidance to higher education institutions on safety compliance, said an ongoing investigation does not mean the crime log can be fully stopped from being updated.
“That’s a very narrow circumstance that would jeopardize an investigation. ... It has to be very specific, and it has to be a documented decision and determination that would allow an entry to be withheld,” Carter said.
Updating the crime log is important for keeping students, employees and the community informed, Carter said.
“It’s consumer information,” he said. “It’s so that people can make informed decisions about their own safety and security.”
In a message sent to the KSU community on Tuesday morning, President Koffi Akakpo said the university is “committed to enhancing the systems and safeguards that support our campus,” and will “continue our focused efforts to maintain a safe and stable learning environment while advancing the academic and co-curricular experiences that brought you to Kentucky State.”
“We continue to grieve the loss of De’Jon Fox, Jr. and hold in our hearts the student who remains in recovery from critical injuries,” Akakpo said. “The loss of any student is heartbreaking, and many of you may still be carrying grief, fear, anger, or uncertainty. Please know that you are not alone. Your safety, well-being, and sense of belonging remain our highest priorities.”
Fatal shooting on Dec. 9
On Dec. 9, Fox was killed in a shooting that took place outside Whitney M. Young Hall, a dorm on the south side of campus and a second student was injured in the shooting.
Bard was arrested and charged with murder and first-degree assault after the shooting.
They were given a campus police escort to a dorm to move their children out, but Bard’s lawyers said they were “violently and viciously” attacked with they arrived. Bard’s lawyers said the shooting was in self-defense. Campus security footage and a video on social media showed several people running frantically, including one person who was holding a baseball bat, before police say Bard opened fire just after 3 p.m.
Bard’s lawyers said this took place after months of burglaries and attacks on campus against Bard’s children. A Franklin County grand jury declined to indict Bard, dropping the charges against him.
The same day a jury declined to indict Bard, the parents of Fox — Chardnae Lashaun Cleveland, 37, and De’Jon Darrell Fox, 38 — were arrested and charged with intimidation in Evansville, Indiana.
Herald-Leader reporter Austin Horn contributed to this story.