Brielle Elizabeth Kennedy, a 2-year-old girl from Lexington, North Carolina, tragically lost her life on March 31, 2020. Brielle, born on January 11, 2018, was the daughter of Michelle Leigh Rush Atkins and Brian Eugene Kennedy Sr. On the day of the incident, authorities were called to a home in the 500 block of Greensboro St. Ext. in Lexington around 4:10 p.m. for reports of gunshots. A female caller informed dispatch that Brian Eugene Kennedy, Sr., 46, had told her he had been shot.
Deputies attempted to contact Kennedy, but no one responded, and the door was locked. Upon forcing their way into the home, deputies heard two gunshots. Inside, they found Brian Eugene Kennedy Sr. with a gunshot wound to his head, and Brielle Kennedy also had a gunshot wound to her head. Kennedy died at the scene, while Brielle was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Health, where she later died.
The investigation revealed that the incident was a murder-suicide. Brian Eugene Kennedy Sr. had shot his daughter, Brielle, before taking his own life. The Davidson County Sheriff's Office conducted the investigation, and the case remains a tragic example of domestic violence. Brielle's death was a devastating loss for her family and the community. The private service for Brielle was held on April 11, 2020, at Davidson Funeral Home Chapel, conducted by Rev. Misty Polston York. The service was streamed live for those who could not attend in person.
Brielle was survived by her mother, Michelle Leigh Rush Atkins, and her siblings, Katie Atkins, Brieanna Kennedy, Tashaleah McNeair, Brian Kennedy Jr., Ty-Quaris Kennedy, Malik Kennedy, and Aaron Kennedy, all of Lexington. Her grandparents, David Rush , Burna Edwards , J.D. Hepler, and Donald and Peggy Bates, also mourned her loss. Memorials were made to Family Services for Children in Lexington, NC, in her honor. The community continues to remember Brielle and the tragic circumstances surrounding her untimely death.
