In the late afternoon hours of a Friday in Jeanerette, Louisiana, the life of 17-year-old Kendall Thompson Jr., a male, was tragically cut short. On January 17, 2020, Thompson was fatally shot near the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Guiberteau Street. The incident, which was initially reported as a possible drive-by shooting, was later believed to have stemmed from an altercation that had occurred earlier in the day.
Thompson was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led to the identification of four suspects. Within hours of the incident, Jeanerette police arrested 21-year-old Rondrick Grant and 20-year-old Travlon Dauphine. A few days later, the U.S. Marshals Violent Offender Task Force apprehended 19-year-old George Bobb IV and 19-year-old McClellan Molo in Rapides Parish. All four men were initially charged with second-degree murder in connection with Thompson's death. The Jeanerette City Marshal, Fernest 'Pac-Man' Martin, stated that an ongoing dispute between the individuals was the likely motive behind the fatal shooting.
Following the arrests, the legal process began to unfold. In July 2020, an Iberia Parish grand jury handed down indictments against three of the four suspects. George Bobb IV was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder. Travlon Dauphine was indicted for accessory after the fact to second-degree murder and obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence. McClellan Molo was indicted on a charge of attempted second-degree murder. The grand jury's decision regarding Rondrick Grant was not publicly detailed in the available reports.
The community mourned the loss of the young man, holding a vigil at the site of the shooting in the days following his death. The case then moved through the court system, though further public updates on the trials, potential plea agreements, or ultimate convictions and sentences for the four men charged in connection with Kendall Thompson Jr.'s death have not been widely publicized.
