LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A grand jury in Frankfort returned a verdict of No True Bill for Jacob Bard, the man accused of fatally shooting a Kentucky State University shooting on campus earlier this month.
The ruling means Bard won't be indicted for the murder, and his attorneys said Tuesday the grand jury found Bard acted in self-defense.
"This matter is now closed," his attorneys said in a written statement.
Bard, 48, of Evansville, Indiana, was arrested Dec. 9 on the KSU campus after he allegedly shot and killed a student and critically injured another near the M. Young Jr. Hall. Student De’Jon Fox, 19, of Indianapolis, was killed. A second student who was shot was initially reported in critical condition, but no updates have been given about his condition or injuries.
Bard was taken into custody at the scene and booked into jail on murder and first degree assault charges. A judge at his arraignment Dec. 11 set a $1 million bond.
Before Tuesday's grandy jury hearing, Bard posted a $100,000 bond and was released from jail.
Statement from Bard's attorneys
In a lengthy statement released Monday by Bard's attorneys from Danks and Danks, they maintained that he was "completely justified" in using deadly force.
Bard and his wife were at KSU to move their two sons back home over safety concerns.
Frankfort Police said security was escorting the family into the dorm when another group attacked them, and it moved outside, which is where the shooting happened.
The statement from Bard's lawyers claims there were 20 to 30 people in the group and a majority were not students at the school and wore ski masks, hoods and other clothing to hide their faces.
Bard reportedly noticed the mob forming and armed himself with his wife's gun, but once his family reached the entrance of the dorm, the mob attacked, the statement from his lawyers said.
Danks and Danks said Bard's son had his dorm room burglarized on Oct. 11 by a group that pulled a fire alarm and used fire extinguishers to disable security cameras. When he reported the incident to the resident assistant, the attorneys said Bard's son began receiving threats.
Bard's lawyers said that three days before the shooting at KSU, the same son and his three friends were assaulted by 15 to 20 people. They also claim the son was attacked with baseball bats and weapons in his dorm room by 20-30 people the day before the shooting.
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