‘Random and unprovoked’ shooting leaves single father dead in Michigan, police say
A Michigan man was sitting in his car at his apartment complex when he was shot and killed in what police called a “senseless” incident, according to media reports.
Dennis Kendrick, 54, was a single father raising a 15-year-old son, Click on Detroit reported. Investigators told the outlet that Hendrick was getting ready to leave for work at the time of the incident.
The suspect, a 36-year-old man, said that he received a threatening text message and was looking for whoever threatened him, according to The Detroit News. He saw Kendrick sitting in his car, shot him multiple times, and called 911, saying he was threatened, the outlet reported.
The incident happened around 3:30 a.m. on April 20, Fox 2 reported. Neighbors said they heard at least five gunshots, and police said they recovered six shell casings from the scene, the outlet reported.
The apartment complex is near Oxford High School, where Kendrick’s son is a student, Click on Detroit reported. The high school was the site of a Nov. 30 shooting committed by a student that claimed the lives of four students and left seven others injured, according to the Detroit Free Press.
“They’re still reeling from the terrible thing that happened at Oxford High School, so anything that reminds them of any kind of violence is still painful,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told Click on Detroit.
The 36-year-old suspect said he didn’t know Kendrick, The Detroit News reported. He was taken into police custody after the shooting, the outlet reported.
“The random and unprovoked violence we are seeing across the county is unacceptable and those who commit these violent acts must be held to account,” Bouchard told The Detroit News.
In addition to his son, Kendrick had 10 nieces and nephews, his sisters told Click on Detroit. A GoFundMe page established after his death says that he served in the Army before working for the Detroit-based manufacturing company American Axle for 11 years.
He left for work so early in the morning so he could be off in time to watch his son’s games, his sister, Lori Hamilton, told Click on Detroit. She added that Kendrick’s son was in the hallway at the time of the Oxford High School shooting.
“To turn around a couple of months later to deal with this, I can’t even deal with it,” she told the outlet.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on April 21.
Oxford is about 42 miles north of Detroit.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 4:06 PM with the headline "‘Random and unprovoked’ shooting leaves single father dead in Michigan, police say."