Kendric Sumler, a 7-year-old Black male from El Dorado, Arkansas, died on June 25, 2017, after being struck by a small-caliber handgun round inside a family home. His identity, age, and date of death are recorded in his obituary, which notes he “transitioned from this earthly life” on that Sunday in El Dorado.
Investigators determined the shooting was accidental.
According to contemporary reporting, the El Dorado Police Department said the child was shot with a small-caliber handgun and that the person who fired the weapon was also a minor. Adult relatives were in the residence but did not hear a gunshot, and family members said they did not know a gun was in the house; the firearm belonged to a relative who stayed there intermittently. The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory concluded the death was accidental.
No arrests were made, and police indicated that no charges were anticipated in the case. Public records that track fatal shootings list the incident as occurring on June 25, 2017, in El Dorado, mirroring the details reported at the time and the memorial postings that followed.
