Over 300 people gathered at Oasis of Praise Church in McCalla, Alabama, for a prayer service remembering Lead Pastors Allan and Gay Kendrick following a tragic incident involving their grandson, who allegedly killed his wife and four children.
During the service, which featured an hour of praise music and prayer, Associate Pastor Patrick Cooper addressed the congregation. He said he was not present to provide additional information about the tragic incident, stressing that the church has a distinct role in responding to such tragedies.
“That’s not our position. That’s not our place. We’re in the role of the church. We’re here to love him and sister Gay and the family. Pray for everybody, not want to know everything that’s going on. We don’t have to,” AL.com quoted him as saying.
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Brandon Allan Kendrick II, 32, the couple’s grandson, is being held at the Bibb County Jail, facing five counts of capital murder.
The authorities were alerted to the violence at the Kendricks’ home when deputies responded to a 911 call about a child shot.
The charges against Kendrick state he is accused of shooting his 24-year-old wife, Kelse Kendrick, in the head with a handgun, along with fatally shooting four children. The victims were identified by a family GoFundMe page as Kaleb Kendrick, 6; Kynli Kendrick, 2; Haley Daniels, 6; and Colton Daniels, who was about to turn 9.
All were at a family residence that included a garage apartment behind the Kendricks’ main home.
During the prayer service, Cooper also spoke about the pastor’s faith, which he believes will guide him through his grief. “Your pastor’s the strongest person I’ve ever met in my life,” Cooper said, recalling how Pastor Kendrick remained steadfast in his faith even shortly after the police had left the scene.
The tragedy struck just days after a family gathering at Bill Morrow’s home, Kelse Kendrick’s grandfather, for a pool party celebrating what would have been Colton’s ninth birthday.
On Sunday after the incident, Pastor Allan Kendrick delivered a sermon, sharing the extensive challenges his grandson faced with mental illness and the lack of adequate support from government agencies, including difficulties with Medicaid.
“I watched him all these years try so hard, talk to every agency, talk to everybody. We tried everything, had him instituted in hospitals only to be discharged with no medication, no follow-up, no doctor, nothing,” Pastor Kendrick told his congregation.
The Daily Mail reported that Brandon Kendrick’s was suffering from schizophrenia and had a history of not taking his medication. The untreated mental health struggle likely culminated in the event that not only claimed the lives of his family members but also nearly endangered his grandparents.
Pastor Kendrick described a chilling moment 10 minutes before the shooting, where his grandson appeared normal, sharing laughter and stories in their home.
The pastor recalled a peaceful moment in the bedroom with his wife, Gay, and their grandson, discussing a past dinner outing. The calm was shattered when, just 10 minutes after Kendrick’s wife had left the room, a gunshot sounded.
As Pastor Kendrick was putting on his shoes, Brandon entered the bedroom with a gun. Gay, closest to Brandon, managed to grab the gun, which discharged, miraculously missing her.
Pastor Kendrick also shared that they had been caring for Brandon since he was 12, following years of severe sexual abuse and neglect. Despite being on multiple medications, Brandon’s support was withdrawn at 18, when he lost his Medicaid coverage, leaving him without necessary medical care.
