Alabama father ‘shoots dead his wife and four children under the age of 10’ at pastor’s home after kid’s birthday party – as family reveal heartbreaking final hours
A father allegedly shot dead his wife, their two children, and his niece and nephew, minutes after one of the children’s birthday parties.
Brandon Allan Kendrick, 32, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the mass shooting at the estate of his grandfather, the Reverend Allan, in rural Alabama.
His wife Kelse Kendrick, 24, was found dead Thursday night, along with their sons Kaleb, 6, and Kynli, 2, and their nephews Colton, 8, and Haley Daniels, 6.
Kelse and her side of the family celebrated Colton’s ninth birthday, but she returned around 7 p.m. after Kendrick demanded she come home.
Kynli Kendrick, 2, Kaleb Kendrick, 6, Colton Daniels, 8, and Haley Daniels, 6, were found shot to death Thursday night in rural Alabama
Brandon Allan Kendrick, 32, allegedly shot and killed his wife Kelse Kendrick, 24, (left), along with their daughter Kynli and son Kaleb, and the children’s two cousins
All five were found shot in the head and dead. Only Haley was still breathing and was rushed to the hospital, but did not survive.
Kendrick is said to have shot his family dead in the garage apartment where they lived on Allan Kendrick’s estate in West Blocton, about 40 miles south of Birmingham.
Allan, the pastor of Oasis of Praise Church in nearby Bessemer, called 911 around 8:18 p.m. Thursday after finding the bodies.
Kelse’s uncle Eli Morrow and his wife Brittany said the party was held at the home of family patriarch Bill Morrow, ahead of Colton’s birthday on Tuesday.
Kendrick was unable to attend the party because his schizophrenia had worsened over the past two weeks.
‘All children had to spend the night at [Bill’s] “Home,” Brittany told DailyMail.com.
‘Brandon begged her repeatedly to come home and she gave in… within an hour they had all been shot in the head.’
Kendrick faces five counts of first-degree murder following mass shooting
Haley and Kynli together at a family gathering on July 4, two weeks before they were murdered
Brittany explained that Colton and Haley’s mother, Jessica Morrow, 35, was having major surgery the next morning and there was no other option but to send them with Kelse.
“We live 45 minutes away. I wish they would have asked us to take them for the night,” she said.
“The thing we’re struggling with the most is that it was a last-minute decision to take them there. It wasn’t in the planning because they knew he was acting crazy.”
Kelse’s car broke down, so Jessica took all five of them to Green Tree Drive around 7 p.m.
Kelse is Eli’s cousin and his older sister, who is now deceased, and Bill’s grandfather. The Morrow and Kendrick families have been intertwined for generations.
Eli had custody of Colton and Haley from January 2021 until November of last year, when a judge granted them permission to return to Jessica.
“Jessica finally got her kids back and then this happens,” Brittany said.
“I’m devastated… Eli and I had full custody of them for almost three years and they were my babies.”
Kendrick allegedly shot Kelse and the children less than an hour after they arrived home from Colton’s birthday party around 7 p.m. after demanding she come home
The shooting took place on his grandfather, a pastor,’s estate in rural Alabama (Kaleb pictured with his sister and family dog on his first day of kindergarten)
Police rushed to the scene and arrested Kendrick after finding the bodies, Bibb County Sheriff Jody Wade said.
“It’s absolutely horrific. It’s unimaginable what the family is going through, what the friends of the family are going through, what the community is feeling right now,” he said.
“It was a horrific scene. Even seasoned officers said it was the worst thing they had ever seen.
“As officers were on their way, they said more children had been shot.”
According to Wade, Kendrick hasn’t told police why he did it, but “I don’t know what motive he could give us anyway that would justify what he did.”
Kendrick was booked into the Bibb County Jail around 3:30 a.m. but was denied bail.
He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder of a child under the age of 14, and one count of first-degree murder of two or more persons in one count.
Kelse’s uncle Eli Morrow (top right) had custody of Colton and Haley (front left and right) from January 2021 through November of last year, with the help of his wife Brittany (top right).
Kendrick and Kelse lived with their children in a garage apartment on Kendrick’s grandfather Allan’s estate. Allan is a pastor at Oasis of Praise Church (pictured here preaching there)
Friday night, Oasis of Praise Church held a prayer meeting with over 300 members. The proceeds from the collection plate were to go to the families.
“The pastor wanted us to tell anyone who asks if they can do something, ‘Tell anyone who asks if they can do something to be in church on Sunday at 10:00 a.m.,’” the church wrote on its Facebook page.
Eli Morrow instead started a GoFundMe page to help pay for the funerals. His wife explained that the Allan family didn’t want any of the money.
“No one in the family likes him paying for anything. He offered to have them cremated and have a memorial service at his church, but the family declined,” Brittany said.
“But we started the fundraiser because we were trying to figure out how to pay for five funerals.”