(NewsNation) — A Kentucky grand jury has decided not to indict a man accused of fatally shooting a Kentucky State University student and injuring another during an on-campus altercation earlier this month.
Jacob Lee Bard, a parent of two students at the university, was arrested in connection with the December 9 shooting, but grand jurors declined to push forward the murder and first-degree assault charges on Tuesday.
“After hearing all the evidence, the Grand Jury found Jacob Bard acted in self-defense and refused to indict him on any charges. We are thrilled that Jacob is now with his family and his name is cleared,” Jonathan A. Danks, an attorney representing Bard, told NewsNation in a statement.
Defense attorneys submitted statements earlier this week arguing Bard was “completely justified under the law” in using deadly force.
They said Bard’s two sons had faced multiple alleged attacks and armed threats in the days leading up to the incident. They claimed that Bard had repeatedly sought help from campus police and university officials but that they did not do enough to protect his children.
On the day of the shooting, Bard was trying to remove his children from the school but was attacked in the process, which led him to open fire in defense of his kids, according to the attorneys.
“Many of these individuals were not students of the university and wore ski masks, hoods, and otherwise concealed their faces. Watching the mob gather, Jacob Bard armed himself with his wife’s firearm,” the attorneys said in their statement. “The mob immediately rushed out of the dormitory, past an armed KSU police officer, and began violently assaulting Jacob’s family and others present.”
“In the chaos, Jacob tried to physically pull the individuals off his son, was struck, and when he was unable to do so, and seeing his son in imminent danger of death and serious physical injury, Jacob then drew his firearm and shot two individuals who were actively and viciously beating his son,” defense attorneys said.
All of these factors led to a justified use of force, they said.
The shooting killed 19-year-old De’Jon Fox and injured another.