Kenneth Lee Woodard Jr., 33, was fatally shot in Kalamazoo in the early morning of Saturday, June 24, 2023. While visiting from Ohio, Woodard was driving near North Burdick Street and Paterson Street around 3 a.m. when multiple bullets struck his vehicle. He managed to drive with a passenger to West Prouty Street, where first responders transported him to a hospital; he died about 20 minutes later. A 29-year-old Kalamazoo man was also wounded but survived with non-life-threatening injuries.

Detectives recovered multiple shell casings and say evidence points to more than one shooter; investigators believe Woodard was the intended target. Anonymous tips submitted through Silent Observer have identified alleged perpetrators, but the case has stalled because no witness has come forward to provide a formal statement or testify. The Kalamazoo County Prosecutor has said charges cannot be filed without admissible evidence such as eyewitness testimony, DNA, a confession, or cellphone records. No arrests or public suspect identifications have been announced.

Woodard, known to family as King Kenny, was remembered as a protective father of two who was trying to turn his life around after his mother’s recent death; he is buried beside her. Anyone with direct knowledge of the shooting is asked to contact detectives with information.