In the early morning hours of March 20, 2017, the life of 34-year-old Kendell L. Coward, a male resident of Richmond, Virginia, was cut short by gun violence. Police were called to the 1900 block of Raven Street in the city's Mosby Court neighborhood shortly before 2:30 a.m. for a report of a person down. Inside an apartment, they discovered Coward suffering from a gunshot wound.
Despite the efforts of first responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators with the Major Crimes Unit believe that Coward was shot as he was entering the residence where his body was ultimately found. His death was investigated as a homicide, marking another grim statistic in a year that had already seen a significant number of killings in the city. The incident was particularly unsettling for the community as it was the second fatal shooting on that same block of Raven Street within a six-week period.
The story of Kendell Coward's death is further complicated by his own past legal troubles. Almost a year prior to his murder, in April 2016, Coward himself had been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. This charge was in connection with a homicide that occurred on the very same block of Raven Street. This history added a layer of complexity to the investigation into his own violent demise.
Despite the circumstances surrounding his death and his known associations, publicly available information and news reports have not identified any suspects in the killing of Kendell Coward. The investigation into his death was initiated, but there have been no subsequent announcements regarding arrests or the filing of charges against any individual or individuals. As a result, the case of who killed Kendell Coward remains without a public resolution.
