One student is dead and another critically injured in a shooting Tuesday at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, according to school officials and police.
A suspect is in custody, according to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and local police.
Preliminary information indicates the shooting was caused by a personal dispute and was not a random active shooter situation, an official briefed on the situation told ABC News.
“This was not a mass shooting or a random incident based on what I’ve been told, and the suspected shooter is already in custody,” Beshear said in a video message. “That means that while this was scary, there is no ongoing threat and I believe our families are safe.”
Authorities respond following a shooting at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky, Dec. 9, 2025.
WTVQ
The Frankfort Police Department said it responded to an incident on the school’s campus Tuesday afternoon “regarding an active aggressor.”
The shooting occurred near Whitney M. Young Jr. Hall, a residence hall on the south side of the campus, according to the school.
Two students were shot in the incident, the school said. One has since died while the other was transported to a hospital in stable but critical condition, Frankfort police said.
“At this time, there is no ongoing threat to the campus community,” the school said in a statement to students.
The investigation is ongoing. The university said it is working closely with local and state law enforcement.
The campus is on lockdown until further notice, police said.
Authorities respond following a shooting at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky, Dec. 9, 2025.
WTVQ
Beshear urged people to pray for those affected and “for a world where these things don’t happen.”
“I’ll keep trying to build a Kentucky that we don’t see arguments ended in violence,” he said.
The university is located approximately 25 miles northwest of Lexington.
