Kendrick McDonald

Kendrick McDonald was a playful, loving 10-year-old boy with a heart of gold. His family described him as a fighter who was born premature and survived multiple difficult surgeries as a newborn. Kendrick, a White/Caucasian male, loved playing basketball and football with his brothers, listening to music, and going for rides with his dad. Every day before school, he would tell his family to “have a great day and do great things.”

A day of family gratitude turned into one of profound loss on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2023, in Omaha, Nebraska. Around 11:30 p.m., police responded to a report of a shooting at the McDonald family home near North 31st and Nicholas Street. Officers arrived to find Kendrick suffering from a gunshot wound. Emergency personnel rushed him to Nebraska Medicine, but his injuries proved fatal.

The investigation into the devastating shooting quickly centered on Kendrick’s father, 47-year-old Will McDonald. Investigators learned that a car alarm may have gone off, prompting Will to go outside with a handgun. Believing someone was trying to steal his car, he fired a shot. The bullet struck Kendrick in his left armpit and lungs. Prosecutors said that after realizing who he had shot, Will McDonald performed CPR on his son. He was arrested and initially charged with criminal homicide, use of a weapon to commit a felony, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Despite the tragedy, Kendrick’s family expressed their intention to support Will McDonald, with his grandfather stating, “Family supports family.” The case moved through the legal system over the following months.

In June 2024, Will McDonald entered a no contest plea to the charges of manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The case concluded on a Monday in September 2024, when a judge sentenced him to serve 10 to 16 years in prison for his son’s death.