In the early morning hours of February 11, 2021, a tragic event unfolded at the Mendota Creek Apartments in Parsons, Kansas, resulting in the death of 22-year-old Levi Kendricks, a Black male. Responding to a 911 call about a shooting at approximately 1:06 AM, Parsons Police Officers arrived at the scene to find Kendricks with a fatal gunshot wound to his chest.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses at the apartment complex were quick to identify a suspect, 29-year-old Malcom Odom, also of Parsons, who was seen fleeing the area on foot. Odom, who had a pre-existing felony warrant for his arrest and was on parole, became the subject of an immediate manhunt by the Parsons Police Department and the Labette County Sheriff's Department. Law enforcement considered him to be armed and dangerous.
Less than a day after the shooting, on February 12, 2021, the search for Odom came to an end. Acting on tips from the community, officers focused their search on abandoned houses. With the help of local citizens, police were led to a residence on Partridge Street where they found Odom hiding under a couch. He was taken into custody without a struggle. Odom was subsequently charged with second-degree murder, criminal possession of a firearm by a felon, and other weapons-related offenses.
The confrontation between Kendricks and Odom reportedly stemmed from a prior disagreement. On that cold morning, Kendricks had approached and swung at Odom, who then pulled out a handgun and fired a single shot into Kendricks' chest. In November 2023, a Labette County jury convicted Malcom Odom of voluntary manslaughter, a lesser charge than the original second-degree murder. He was also found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. A judge subsequently sentenced Odom to 20 years in prison for the killing of Levi Kendricks.
