In the small community of West Blocton, Alabama, a day of celebration turned into a scene of unimaginable tragedy. Eight-year-old William 'Colton' Daniels, a young boy known for his loving and affectionate nature, had just been celebrating his upcoming ninth birthday with a pool party surrounded by family. He was a student at Greenwood Elementary School in Bessemer, where he was well-liked and considered a teacher's pet, always eager to lend a helping hand. Colton had a particular fondness for Transformers and cherished playing with his sister, cousins, and friends.
Hours after the joyous gathering on July 18, 2024, the lives of Colton and his family were cut short in a devastating act of violence. At a home on Greentree Drive, Colton, his six-year-old sister Haley Daniels, his twenty-four-year-old cousin Kelse Kendrick, and her two children, six-year-old Kaleb and two-year-old Kynli, were all fatally shot. Three of the children were pronounced dead at the scene, while Kelse Kendrick and her niece were airlifted to Birmingham hospitals where they later succumbed to their injuries.
The alleged perpetrator of this horrific crime was Brandon Allan Kendrick II, the husband of Kelse Kendrick. He was present at the scene when Bibb County Sheriff's deputies arrived following a 911 call about a child being shot. Kendrick was taken into custody and subsequently charged with five counts of capital murder. The charges include four counts of capital murder of a child under the age of fourteen and one count of capital murder for the killing of two or more people in a single act. The motive for the shooting has not been publicly detailed, but the incident has left the close-knit family and the wider community in a state of shock and profound grief.
