OMAHA, NE – An Omaha man stands accused of fatally shooting his 10-year-old son on Thanksgiving night, according to information from the local police department. Omaha Police Department (OPD) responded to the scene of the shooting shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Thursday. Responding officers discovered young Kendrick McDonald with life-threatening gunshot injuries. Despite swift transportation to Nebraska Medicine by the Omaha Fire Department, Kendrick succumbed to his injuries.
As per the latest press release from OPD, the boy’s father, 47-year-old Will McDonald, was apprehended for “criminal homicide, use of a weapon-gun, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.” McDonald is currently being held at the Douglas County Jail without bail.
Expressing their condolences, OPD emphasized their dedication to investigating Kendrick’s unfortunate demise. The police are presently unraveling the circumstances leading up to the tragic incident, centering around a car alarm that went off near the McDonald home.
Omaha Police Capt. Jeremy Christensen gave insights about the lead, stating, “We do know that there was allegedly a car alarm going off, and for whatever reason the suspect/father went outside to maybe investigate that.” Clarity regarding the exact sequence of events is expected as the investigation proceeds.
With doubts regarding the mother’s presence during the incident and the father’s possible misapprehension of his son as a car thief, police are painstakingly piecing together the information available. Christensen refrained from revealing specific details about the crime scene but confirmed that a handgun was recovered and other children were in the house at the time of the incident.
According to Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine, possible charges could be levied against the father as early as Sunday. Despite expressing his sorrow at the senseless loss of a young life, Kleine suggested that the father’s act of allegedly firing does not seem to be justified.