FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The father of two Kentucky State University students charged with murder in an on-campus shooting that killed one student and critically injured another was ordered held on $1 million cash bond Thursday.
Jacob Lee Bard appeared by video from jail during the brief hearing. His attorney, Mark Hall, entered a not guilty plea in court on Bard’s behalf to charges of murder and first-degree assault.
Police said Bard fired shots at the victims at a residence hall at the college, which is about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) east of the Capitol building in Frankfort,
“There is so much more to this story that what has been brought before, even in the citation that was issued by the authorities,” Hall said.
Hall had sought a significantly lower bond. The attorney said that while he understands the serious nature of the charges, “I think that there are significant defenses that Mr. Bard has that would negate and mitigate the bond that the commonwealth is asking for.”
Investigators said the shooting was isolated, but they have not publicly shared details of the circumstances or a possible motive. The shooting killed 19-year-old De’Jon Fox of Indianapolis. A second student who was shot remains in critical condition, but his name has not been released, police said.
University police officers were near the scene of the altercation that ended with the shooting and immediately arrested Bard, police said. Investigators have watched video taken by others at the scene and surveillance footage.
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Bard faces a preliminary hearing on Dec. 16. Police said Bard, 48, is from Evansville, Indiana, which is about 150 miles (241 kilometers) west of Frankfort.
The shooting was the second in four months near the residence hall. Someone fired multiple shots from a vehicle on Aug. 17, striking two people that the university said weren’t students. Frankfort police said one victim was treated for minor injuries and a second sustained serious injuries. The dorm and at least one vehicle were damaged by gunfire.
Kentucky State is a public historically Black university with about 2,200 students. Lawmakers authorized the school’s creation in 1886.
