(FRANKFORT, Ky.) — The parent of two Kentucky State University students who is accused of opening fire on campus during an altercation, killing a student and critically injuring another, has been ordered held on $1 million bond.
Jacob Lee Bard, 48, of Evansville, Indiana, was charged with murder and assault in the first degree in the shooting on Tuesday.
A not guilty plea was entered during his initial court appearance on Thursday.
According to the arrest citation for Bard, the father was involved in a “physical altercation” on the Frankfort campus before allegedly shooting two people with a handgun. Police called the shooting an “isolated” incident but have not discussed the circumstances around it or an alleged motive.
An attorney for Bard told the court on Thursday that there’s “so much more to the story than what has been brought before, even in the citation that was issued by the authorities.”
“I would argue that Mr. Bard is actually a family man,” the attorney, Mark Hall, said, noting Bard has three children, including two who attend Kentucky State University.
“I understand the serious nature of the allegations. However, I think that there’s significant defenses that Mr. Bard has that would negate and mitigate the bond,” Hall said, asking the court for a bond lower than $50,000.
Hall did not elaborate in court on the mitigating factors.
The state requested a $500,000 bond, citing the nature of the charges.
The judge ultimately set Bard’s bond for $1 million full cash. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 16.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday identified the deceased victim as 19-year-old De’Jon Darrell Fox Jr., of Indianapolis. Fox’s family told ABC Indianapolis affiliate WRTV that he was a sophomore at the university and loved being a student there.
The other victim was transported to a hospital in stable but critical condition, Frankfort police said Tuesday. The student remains in intensive care, police said Wednesday.
Police said Wednesday that authorities are investigating a video circulating online of an altercation on the campus, though he noted it is too early in the investigation to label that as the cause of the incident.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
