Alabama father shoots his wife and four children under 10 in pastor’s home after child’s birthday party – as family recounts heartbreaking final hours

A mentally disturbed father is said to have shot his wife, their two children, and his little niece and nephew just a few minutes after one of his children’s birthday parties.

Brandon Allan Kendrick, 32, is charged with five counts of capital crimes following the mass shooting on the property of his grandfather, Pastor Allan, in rural Alabama.

His wife, Kelse Kendrick, 24, was found dead Thursday night alongside their sons Kaleb, 6, and Kynli, 2, and their cousins ​​Colton, 8, and Haley Daniels, 6.

Kelse and her side of the family celebrated Colton’s ninth birthday, but she returned around 7 p.m. after Kendrick demanded that she come home.

All five were found dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head, except for Haley, who was still breathing and taken to the hospital but did not survive.

Kendrick is said to have gunned down his family in the garage apartment they lived in on Allan Kendrick’s property in West Blocton, about 40 miles south of Birmingham.

Allan is pastor of the Oasis of Praise Church in nearby Bessemer and called 911 around 8:18 p.m. Thursday after finding the bodies.

Kelse’s uncle Eli Morrow and his wife Brittany said the party took place before Colton’s birthday on Tuesday at the home of family patriarch Bill Morrow.

Kendrick was not at the party because his schizophrenic episodes had worsened over the past two weeks.

“All children should spend the night at (Bill’s) house,” Brittany told DailyMail.com.

“Brandon repeatedly begged and pleaded with her to come home and she complied… within an hour they were all shot in the head.”

Brittany explained that Colton and Haley’s mother, Jessica Morrow, 35, had to undergo major surgery the next morning, so she had no choice but to send her with Kelse.

“We live 45 minutes away. I wish to God they had asked us to take them in for the night,” she said.

“What bothers us most is the fact that the decision to take her there was made at the last minute. It was never planned because they knew he was acting crazy.”

Kelse’s car broke down, so Jessica dropped all five of them off at their home on Green Tree Drive around 7 p.m.

Kelse is the niece of Eli and his now deceased older sister, as well as Bill’s grandfather. The Morrow and Kendrick families have been closely connected for generations.

Eli had custody of Colton and Haley from January 2021 until last November, when a judge allowed them to return to Jessica.

“Jessica finally has her kids back and then this happens,” Brittany said.

“I am devastated and devastated… Eli and I had sole custody of them for almost three years and they were my babies.”

Police rushed to the scene and arrested Kendrick after discovering the bodies, Bibb County Sheriff Jody Wade said.

“It’s absolutely horrific. It’s unimaginable what the family is going through, what the friends of the family are experiencing, what the community is feeling right now,” he said.

“It was just a horrific scene and even experienced police officers told me it was the worst thing they had ever seen.”

“Officials believe more children were shot.”

Wade said Kendrick has not yet told police why he did it, but, “I don’t know what motive he could give us that would justify his actions.”

Kendrick was booked into the Bibb County Jail around 3:30 a.m. and was denied bail.

He is charged with four counts of capital crimes against a child under the age of 14 and one count of capital crimes involving the killing of two or more people in one act.

The Oasis of Praise church held a vigil with over 300 members on Friday evening and said the proceeds from the collection would go to the families.

“The pastor wanted us to say to anyone who asks if there is anything they can do, ‘Tell anyone who asks if there is anything they can do that they can come to church on Sunday at 10 a.m.,'” the church wrote on its Facebook page.

Instead, Eli Morrow set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for the funeral. His wife said the family did not want Allan’s money.

“No one in the family wants him to pay for anything. He offered to have her cremated and have a memorial service at his church, but the family declined,” Brittany said.

“But we started the fundraiser because we’re trying to figure out how to pay for five funerals.”