The student killed in a Tuesday evening shooting at Kentucky State University has been identified as 19-year-old De’Jon Darrell Fox Jr., authorities said.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office said in a statement that Fox Jr. was the sole person killed in the shooting that took place on campus. The office said that Fox was a student at the university.
Fox appeared to have succumbed to the injuries he sustained during the shooting, the coroner’s office said, and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The coroner’s office added that full autopsy results will be available in 14 to 16 weeks.
One other student was left in critical condition from the shooting that occurred around 3:00 p.m., according to authorities. It was unclear what condition the second student was in as of Wednesday afternoon.
Jacob Lee Bard, a 48-year-old Black man, was arrested at the scene on Tuesday and charged with murder and first-degree assault in connection with the shooting. He is being held without bail, according to Franklin County Jail records.
KSU did not immediately return a request for comment about the second student’s condition or about Fox.
“Our students need prayers,” the university president, Koffi Akakpo, said on Tuesday, calling the shooting a “senseless tragedy.”
The university also said in a statement that it was suspending all classes, final exams and campus activities for the remainder of the week.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear addressed the shooting in a video he posted on X on Tuesday.
“Please, pray. Pray for those that have been injured. Please, pray for these Kentucky State University students that, again, might be rightfully scared. Pray for a world where these things don’t happen,” he said.
KSU is located in the state’s capital, Frankfort, and has a student body of roughly 2,200, according to its website.
Karen Cortes and Tim Stelloh contributed.
