KSU Case: Instant Outrage & Its Risks | Frankfort, KY

Because we humans are a forgetful bunch, it is worth remembering that jumping to conclusions is both reckless and incomplete. As for Jacob Bard, a 48-year-old father who shot two individuals on Kentucky State University’s campus, he quickly became an out-of-town boogieman before all the facts were public. His situation encapsulated a trial by public opinion—an insurmountable hole for most to climb out of.

The fact that he was African American on a Historically Black University (HBCU) campus was not a side note, but fodder for those who initially chalked it up to black-on-black violence. Kentucky State University, which has long fought to shed negative connotations, now holds a deep stain from this tragic situation that left one person dead and another arrested for murder.

I was reminded of the 2019 incident in which a group of students from Covington Catholic High School became entangled in a viral controversy while visiting Washington, D.C. A visceral video clip showed a young white male, wearing a red MAGA hat, appearing to smirk at a Native American man as they stood face to face. Almost instantly, mass opinion formed from a single video, and public condemnation rained down before the full context was understood. It later emerged that several contributing factors created a powder-keg situation that day at the Lincoln Memorial.

The charges against Bard have since been dropped, and his actions were deemed self-defense on behalf of himself and his family. He is now free to return home to Evansville, Indiana, and leave behind the horrendous experience that unfolded in Frankfort. The grand jury reviewed evidence that clearly warranted dismissal of the case. Still, Bard leaves having endured a level of public scorn most cannot fathom.

Bard’s representatives released a five-page statement detailing the events leading up to that tragic December day. The initial public outcry failed to consider the threats his two sons were facing while living in the dormitory. It left out the communication Bard had with university officials and the dean, voicing growing concerns and fear in the days prior.

The outcry also failed to acknowledge that Bard’s sons were beaten by a mob of 20 to 30 masked individuals the day before the shooting. It certainly did not account for the fact that an armed KSU police officer lost control of the scene and began retreating from the mob before the trigger was pulled.

In a striking turnabout, the parents of the student killed in the shooting have now been charged with a felony count of intimidation. According to authorities, they made several threatening social media posts directed at Bard, invoking a local Evansville gang known for violence and organized crime.

Their grief and anger are both human and understandable. But this development underscores the same cautionary lesson that emerged from the Covington Catholic incident: when emotion gives way to public accusation and calls for retribution, the line between justice and vigilantism erodes quickly. Social media accelerates that collapse, rewarding outrage over restraint and certainty over facts.

Jumping to conclusions has consequences, and unfairly, Bard was initially portrayed as an outside agitator. The lesson here should reinforce the often-forgotten principle of “innocent until proven guilty.” Our current climate, dense with distrust and hostility, allows mass opinion to favor convenient, lazy narratives rather than waiting for facts to emerge.

No father should have to witness his family in imminent, violent danger, with only drastic action left to de-escalate the situation. The roughly 1,700 students at Kentucky State University deserve better as well. Sending a son or daughter to school in Kentucky’s capital city should not come with preconceived notions of financial mismanagement or unavoidable violence. Further investigations should examine the handling of this incident, the lack of administrative follow-through, and the embarrassing incompetence that allowed repeated failures on campus.

This case is a reminder that truth rarely moves as fast as outrage, but its absence carries real consequences. When speculation is treated as fact, lives are damaged long before evidence is examined. Jacob Bard was cleared by a grand jury, but no legal ruling can fully undo the damage caused by public condemnation built on assumption rather than truth. If we continue to prioritize immediacy over accuracy, we will keep mistaking outrage for justice—and innocent people will continue to pay the price.

Jim Jackson resides in Franklin County. He can be reached by email at jackson.m.jim@gmail.com.

This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 11:21 AM.