Shooting at Kentucky State University leaves 1 dead, 1 hurt and a suspect in custody, officials say
Dec 9, 2025, 3:24 PM | Updated: 5:04 pm
Law enforcement responds to a shooting at Whitney Moore Young Jr. Hall on Kentucky State University's campus in Frankfort, Ky., Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Hannah Brown, The State Journal via Associated Press)
(Hannah Brown, The State Journal via Associated Press)
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — At least one student was killed and another was critically wounded in a shooting at a residence hall at Kentucky State University on Tuesday, and a suspect was in custody, officials said.
Police in Frankfort, the state’s capital city, said the campus was on lockdown. Video from WLKY-TV in Louisville showed multiple police vehicles outside a cluster of dormitories and crime scene tape in a courtyard.
One student who was shot at the residence hall, Whitney M. Young Jr. Hall, is in critical condition but is stable, according to the university. The school is not immediately releasing the names of the students.
“We are in close contact with the families and are providing every available support to them,” the school said in a statement, adding that counseling and support services are available.
Frankfort police said it responded to an incident involving “an active aggressor” and that the campus was secured. Authorities planned to release more information at an evening news conference.
Gov. Andy Beshear said in a video message posted on the social media site X that the shooting “appears to be an isolated incident” and that “there is no ongoing threat.”
“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,” he said.
The shooting was the second in four months in the same area of the university.
Someone fired multiple shots from a vehicle near Young Hall 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.
The school sits about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) east of the Capitol building.
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