Kentucky University shooting: At least one student was killed, and another critically injured in a shooting at a residence hall at Kentucky State University on Tuesday. Police arrested a suspect in connection with the incident, officials said.
“The suspect has been arrested, and there is no ongoing threat. Two individuals were critically injured, and I am sad to share that one has now passed away,” Governor Andy Beshear said in a post on X.
Police in Frankfort, Kentucky's capital, said the campus was on lockdown. Video from WLKY-TV in Louisville showed multiple police vehicles outside a cluster of dormitories, with a crime scene tape in a courtyard, the Associated Press reported.
According to the university, one student who was shot at the residence hall, Whitney M. Young Jr. Hall, is in critical condition but is stable. The school has not yet released the names of the victims.
“We are in close contact with the families and are providing every available support to them,” the school said in a statement, adding that counselling and support services are available.
'Not a mass shooting'
Meanwhile, Governor Andy Beshear released a video statement on X, saying that the shooting that took place on Tuesday at Kentucky State University appeared to be an isolated incident, not a mass shooting.
He said, “Violence has no place in our commonwealth or country. 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.”
'Active aggressor’ involved
The AP quoted Frankfort police as saying that they responded to an incident involving “an active aggressor” and that they had secured the campus.
The New York Times, citing a university spokesperson, reported that the suspect was not a student, but both victims were, and that the shooting had taken place outside of a residential dorm.
Authorities planned to release more information at an evening news conference.
A spokesperson for Kentucky State University, a historically Black school, declined comment, but said the school, which had an enrollment of 1,700 students as of the fall of 2023, would release a statement later on Tuesday.
Kentucky State University is a public historically Black university with about 2,200 students. Lawmakers authorised the school’s creation in 1886.
The school sits about 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) east of the Capitol building.
(With inputs from agencies)
