One student is dead and another was in critical condition after a shooting at Kentucky State University, officials said Tuesday.
A 48-year-old suspect, Jacob Lee Bard, described as a Black male, was arrested on charges of murder and first-degree assault. He is being held with no bond, according to Franklin County Jail records.
On Tuesday, Frankfort Police Department Assistant Chief Scott Tracy described it as an "isolated incident."
Tracy said in a briefing that there were no "active safety concerns." He did not identify the person in custody or the victim, nor did he provide a possible motive.
Tracy said that officers were dispatched to the campus at 3:10 p.m. after a report of a shooting. They arrived minutes later and quickly took the person believed to be the shooter into custody, he said.
The students were taken to a hospital, where one died and the other remained in critical condition Tuesday night, Tracy said.
The school was placed on lockdown, and the local sheriff’s office and university police secured the campus, according to an earlier police statement.
Speaking at the news conference, Kentucky State University President Koffi Akakpo called the shooting a "senseless tragedy" and said the campus is mourning the loss of one of its students.
"Our students need prayers," he said. "Kentucky State University needs prayers."
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also asked the public for prayers.
"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 in a video on social media.
Kentucky State University is a historically Black college in Frankfort, the state capital, and has a student body of roughly 2,200, according to the school.
