1 Dead, 1 Critically Injured in Shooting at Kentucky State University, Suspect In Custody

A shooting left one person dead on Tuesday at Kentucky State University in the capital city of Frankfort, Kentucky. One other person is in critical condition, and law enforcement has a suspect in custody, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wrote in a post on X.

“The shooting that took place today at Kentucky State University appears to be an isolated incident—not a mass shooting,” he said. “Two individuals were critically injured, and I am sad to share that one has now passed away.”

Aerial footage from local media outlets, including WLKY-TV, showed a significant presence of emergency vehicles around residential halls, with yellow tape surrounding the scene in a courtyard.

Officials said that the scene was secured, though information on the nature of the shooting—including possible motives or the identities of those involved—has yet to be made public.

“Violence has no place in our commonwealth or country,” Beshear wrote in a post on social media. “Let’s please pray for the families affected and for our KSU students. Let’s also pray for a world where these things don’t happen. Thank you to our brave law enforcement who acted quickly to protect our people.”

Several high-profile shootings have taken place in Kentucky. In July, two women were killed in a shooting incident at a Baptist church after a man shot a trooper, carjacked a vehicle, fled to the church, and began shooting at people there. The suspect also died in that incident. 

An August 2024 shooting in broad daylight outside the Hardin County Justice Center in Elizabethtown left a mother and daughter dead. A man was also wounded, while the suspect, Christopher Elder, 46, shot himself after a police standoff on a highway.

In September 2024, a road rage incident near London wounded five people and damaged 12 vehicles on Interstate 75, leading to an almost two-week search for a suspect that interrupted schools and churches across southeastern Kentucky. Authorities ultimately found the body of 32-year-old suspect Joseph A. Couch in a remote area.

Another shooting in downtown Louisville in April 2023 left four people dead, plus the shooter.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated how many people had been critically injured. The Epoch Times regrets the error.