Kentucky State University’s main campus shut down and evacuated Thursday morning after officials reported a “potential threat to campus safety.”
The university sent an alert shortly after 11 a.m., telling students, faculty and staff to leave the main campus “calmly and immediately.”
A second alert issued just before noon announced that the Benson Research and Demonstration Farm had also closed and was being evacuated.
“Kentucky State University’s main campus is closed immediately due to a potential threat to campus safety,” the campus alert stated. “Leave campus calmly and immediately unless directed otherwise by law enforcement or University officials. Do not come to main campus until further notice.”
The university also said on social media that employees should work remotely if possible.
A university spokesperson shared a similar message sent to the campus Thursday morning, stating the main campus was closed following a recommendation from local law enforcement.
Officials did not release additional information about the threat, leaving it unclear whether it involved a shooting or a possible shooting threat.
The spring semester ended May 2, and residence halls closed May 9. According to online academic calendars, the summer semester started May 11.
Earlier this year, KSU President Koffi Akakpo told lawmakers the university was reviewing its security procedures and hiring more police officers after a deadly shooting on campus in December.
On Dec. 9, De’Jon Fox Jr., a 19-year-old KSU student, was killed in a shooting outside Whitney M. Young Hall, a dormitory on the south side of campus. Another student was injured.
Authorities arrested Jacob Bard, 48, and initially charged him with murder and first-degree assault. Investigators said Bard told them he and his wife went to campus to remove their two sons from the university because of safety concerns. Prosecutors later dropped the charges against him.
According to attorneys representing the family, more than 20 people gathered in the dorm lobby before “violently and viciously” attacking Jacob Bard, his wife and their two children while two armed campus police officers escorted them.
Akakpo previously described the shooting as “an isolated incident.”
Campus crime records from August through December 2025 showed five assault reports, five theft reports and two harassment reports connected to Young Hall. The records do not provide details for each case, and it remains unclear whether any were directly tied to the Dec. 9 shooting.
Bard’s attorney said the family had gone to campus police that day to report that their son had been assaulted on campus.
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