On Thanksgiving, a 10-year-old kid was shot and murdered in Omaha, Nebraska, and his father has been arrested.
According to a Friday press release from the Omaha Police Department (OPD), officers arrived at the scene of the incident shortly after 11:30 p.m. and discovered the child, Kendrick McDonald, suffering from a gunshot wound.
The Omaha Fire Department rushed Kendrick to Nebraska Medicine, a neighbouring hospital. He passed away in the hospital.
Will McDonald, Kendrick’s father, has been arrested for “criminal homicide, use of a weapon-gun, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person,” according to the release. He is being held in the Douglas County Jail without bond.
“The Omaha Police Department offers its deepest condolences to Kendrick’s family for their loss,” the police agency said in a statement.
The OPD is still investigating Kendrick’s death.
According to the Omaha World-Herald, authorities are still trying to figure out what happened, but the shooting could have happened while a car alarm went off near the McDonalds’ house.
“We do know that there was allegedly a car alarm going off, and for whatever reason the suspect/father went outside to maybe investigate that,” Omaha Police Capt. Jeremy Christensen said, according to the Omaha station.
“We’re not 100 percent on that, but we are receiving information that a car alarm was going off,” he said. “As to exactly what transpired and the why of it, we’re still trying to piece that together through our investigation.”
According to Christensen, police were unsure whether Kendrick’s mother was present and whether Will mistook the 10-year-old for a car thief as of Friday.
“We’re still trying to figure out the ins and outs of that through the investigation,” he stated, as reported by the Omaha World-Herald.
Christensen did, however, indicate that a weapon was seized at the scene of the incident and that additional children were present in the residence.
According to the publication, he refused to reveal how many times the child was shot.
According to Don Kleine, a Douglas County attorney, prosecutors could file charges as early as Sunday, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
“It’s obviously tragic.” “However, we must determine whether [Will] was justified in doing what he did,” Kleine told the newspaper.
However, “at this point in time, it doesn’t appear that he was justified in firing,” Kleine said.
“You hear this and go, ‘Oh no, it’s just horrible,'” the attorney continued. “This is the death of a young boy.” It’s plain absurd.”
