Parents of student killed in shooting at Kentucky State University arrested for intimidation

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The parents of the Kentucky State University student killed in the campus shooting have been arrested in Indiana.

Court records showed Chardnae Cleveland, 37, and De’Jon Darrell Fox Sr., 38, were both charged with felony intimidation for allegedly making online threats against Jacob Bard.

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 grand jury in Franklin County declined to indict Bard in the shooting this week.

Another person was shot during the fight on campus, but that person survived. There has been no update on their condition.

A probable cause affidavit filed in Vanderburgh County showed Fox allegedly made graphic threats against Bard on social media under a screen name of "Capo Fatman Fox." One post that was still online on Friday said in part "YOU DONTKNOW WHAT U TOOK FROM ME BUT YOU WILL FEEL THE SAME HURT I FEEL."

KSU VICTIM PARENTS - THREATENING FACEBOOK POST.jpg — A social media post filed in a Vaderburgh County, Indiana probable cause affidavit for the arrest of De'Jon Darrell Fox Sr. for alleged threats against Jacob Bard. A grand jury did not indict Bard for the shooting of De'Jon Fox Jr. on the Kentucky State University campus in Dec. 2025.

In court records, police quoted a public post from Cleveland that said in part "I want his son dead just like mine."

Another post from Cleveland that police said had been deleted was quoted in the affidavit as saying "Might drive to Evansville today to see some vicelords!" Police noted in the document that the statement was concerning because the Vice Lords are a prominent criminal street gang known for violence and organized crime.

Information from the Vanderburgh County Jail showed Cleveland and Fox were released from custody, but they were expected in court Friday afternoon.

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.

Following the arrest of the victim's parents, Danks and Danks released another statement that read, in part, "Violence and calls for violence will not be tolerated. Threats to the Bard family have been closely monitored by various law enforcement agencies and we have been assured that law enforcement will continue to do so and take all appropriate actions to protect the Bard family."

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