In the warm spring of 2017, just days after celebrating his graduation from Dothan High School, the promising future of 19-year-old Kendarrius Dewayne Martin was tragically cut short. On the evening of Tuesday, May 23, 2017, police responded to a call of a firearm assault at Wiregrass Park and Recreation Center on Sixth Avenue in Dothan, Alabama. There, they found Kendarrius with multiple gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to the Southeast Alabama Medical Center, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Kendarrius, known to his friends and family as 'K.D.,' was a celebrated athlete who excelled in both football and basketball. His hard work and talent on the football field had earned him a scholarship to Minnesota West Community College, a future brimming with potential that was extinguished in a moment of violence. His death sent shockwaves through the community, with his high school football coach remembering him as a leader who was 'destined for greatness to do good.'
The investigation into Kendarrius's death quickly gained momentum as Dothan police investigators worked through the night, processing the crime scene and conducting interviews. Authorities determined that the shooting stemmed from an altercation between several individuals. Their efforts soon led them to identify three teenage suspects who had fled to Florida.
Within a couple of days, on a Thursday afternoon, law enforcement in Panama City, Florida, located and arrested the three suspects. The alleged triggerman was identified as 15-year-old Andre D. Winn. Also taken into custody were 16-year-old Ashanti T. Williams and 16-year-old Kentarious McNeil. Winn and Williams faced murder warrants and were charged as fugitives from justice, with Williams being charged as an adult. McNeil was charged with accessory after the fact to murder for allegedly providing false information to investigators during the investigation. The arrests were made without incident when officers spotted the suspects in the same vehicle that was used at the time of the killing. The suspects were held in Bay County, Florida, awaiting extradition back to Alabama to face the charges against them.
