Kerry Leneal Hadley

On the afternoon of Saturday, February 17, 2024, the life of Kerry Leneal Hadley Jr. was cut short in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The 22-year-old Black man was found with a fatal gunshot wound inside a residence in the northern part of the city. His death marked the third homicide in Pine Bluff that year.

The events that led to the discovery of Hadley's body began just minutes earlier in a startling fashion at the Pine Bluff Police Station. At around 4:09 p.m., a woman walked into the station on East 8th Avenue, seeking to file a report. She approached Sgt. Jasmine Womack and explained that her grandson had just confessed something terrible: he told her that he had shot someone at a home on Saracen Street.

The woman’s grandson, identified as 18-year-old Kyree Kendrick, was with her. Sgt. Womack immediately detained Kendrick, placing him in handcuffs. As this was happening, officers were dispatched to the address the grandmother had provided, 2103 Saracen Street, to investigate a report of an unresponsive male.

Upon entering the residence, police found Kerry Hadley lying on the floor of a bedroom. He had sustained a gunshot wound, and first responders from EASI Ambulance Service, Inc. pronounced him deceased at the scene.

Authorities arrested Kyree Kendrick and transported him to the W.C. “Dub” Brassell Detention Center. He was officially charged with first-degree murder for the shooting death of Kerry Hadley. As of February 2024, the murder charge against Kendrick remained pending in court while detectives continued to follow up on all leads.

The Pine Bluff Police Department has asked for the public's help with the ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is urged to call the detective office tip line at 870-730-2106, the detective office directly at 870-730-2090 to ask for Detective D. Nicholson, or the dispatch center at 870-541-5300.