Kendall Lamar Ancrum Jr

Kendall Lamar Ancrum Jr., known to his loved ones as KJ, was a 17-year-old with a big smile and a laugh that could brighten anyone's day. Remembered for his fun-loving, sweet, and charismatic personality, Kendall was an outgoing young man who never met a stranger. His family recalled his "enviable swagger, picky appetite, and athletic abilities." A rising senior at Givhans Alternative School in North Charleston, South Carolina, Kendall was a beloved son, brother to two sisters, and a cherished member of his extended family. For nearly eight years, he had been a participant in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry program, where he had a dedicated mentor. His death was described as an extraordinary loss to his community, family, and friends who knew him as someone who loved and was loved.

The final hours of Kendall's life were spent at a party in his North Charleston neighborhood in the early morning of Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Just after 1 a.m., a barrage of gunfire erupted near the corner of McKnight and Lowell drives, in the Vesta Creeks Run townhomes and apartments area. One resident described the sound as being "like a war." When North Charleston Police Department officers arrived, they found a chaotic scene with multiple vehicles and homes struck by bullets. Kendall was discovered lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound at 2:04 a.m. An 18-year-old man was also shot in the leg but survived his injuries.

The police investigation that followed was extensive. Investigators recovered 73 shell casings from the scene, including rounds from high-powered rifles. The North Charleston Police Department learned that the shooting was an act of retaliation. About an hour before Kendall was killed, a woman had been shot and injured at the Latitude at Wescott Apartments a few miles away. Her brother, Trey-Von Drayton-Fabor, along with two other men, allegedly sought revenge by targeting the party on McKnight Drive.

By August 2022, the investigation led to the arrests of three suspects. On August 3, police arrested 21-year-old Trey-Von Drayton-Fabor and 24-year-old Antonio Odom. A day later, the third suspect, 23-year-old Derwin Lucas Jr., was also taken into custody. All three men were charged with murder, attempted murder, and a firearm offense. A search of Drayton-Fabor's home revealed a pistol and a semi-automatic rifle that ballistics testing later matched to the shell casings found at the scene of Kendall's murder.

Following the arrests, the community held funeral services for Kendall on June 30, 2022, at the Royal Baptist Family Life and Banquet Center. A GoFundMe campaign was organized to support his mother with funeral arrangements and family expenses, raising over $11,000. Messages left in his online guestbook by former teachers and friends spoke of his "great big beautiful smile" and how deeply he would be missed.

The legal process for the three accused men moved through the court system over the next several years. In February 2025, while Odom remained in jail, his co-defendants, Lucas and Drayton-Fabor, were out on bond. The case saw a significant development in the fall of 2026. After more than four years, two of the men reached plea agreements. Trey-Von Drayton-Fabor and Antonio Odom pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter on September 17 and October 5, 2026, respectively. As of October 2026, both men were awaiting sentencing and were expected to serve time in prison for their roles in the shooting. The third co-defendant, Derwin Lucas Jr., was also expected to enter a plea agreement in the near future.