Preparedness
Pastor’s Unforgettable Sermon Recounts Grappling Gun from Grandson Post Family Tragedy
In a riveting sermon delivered at the Oasis of Praise church in McCalla, Alabama, Reverend Allan Kendrick shared the harrowing tale of a violent struggle with his grandson. The tragic altercation occurred in the aftermath of the heartbreaking murder of a woman and four children, allegedly perpetrated by Kendrick’s own grandson.
Brandon Allan Kendrick II, 32, was arrested following the tragic incident, facing charges that include four counts of capital murder of a child under 14 and one count of capital murder in the deaths of two or more people in one act. The victims included Brandon’s wife, Kelse Kendrick, their two children, Kaleb and Kynli Kendrick, and the couple’s niece and nephew, Haley and Colton Daniels.
Rev. Kendrick recounted a chilling recollection of the event, recounting that his grandson was “laughing, talking” with him and his wife just 10 minutes before the unimaginable occurred. He remembered reminiscing about the time when they took Brandon to a restaurant for his 13th birthday, his first ever visit to such an establishment.
“All he’d ever known for 12 years was abuse — physical, sexual, mental, drug,” Kendrick revealed about his grandson’s troubled past. He further stated that Brandon weighed just 58 pounds at the age of 12 and was on nine different psychotic medicines.
Once Brandon turned 18, the system, according to Kendrick, failed him as his disability and Medicaid were canceled. With the family unable to afford his medication, they watched him struggle.
Kendrick said of his efforts to help his grandson, “We talked to every agency, we talked to everybody, we tried everything. We had him institutionalized in hospitals only to have him discharged with no medication, no follow up, no doctor.”
On the fateful day of the murders, Brandon had called 911 around 1 a.m. but was “turned down.” His wife, Kelse, had come home and was also in the bedroom with the family, seemingly in good spirits.
“[Brandon] got up, 10 minutes later, ‘Pow,’’’ Kendrick narrated the horrific moment to his congregation. A gunshot rang out, and soon after, Brandon entered the room with a gun.
“She grabbed the gun. It went off. I don’t know how it kept from hitting her,” Kendrick said of his wife’s brave act. He believed that their safety that night was due to prayers offered just an hour before the incident by their prayer team.
In a chilling scene, Kendrick recounted how he managed to wrestle his armed grandson to the floor. The grandson was disoriented, asking about his location and why his grandfather was angry with him.
Kendrick used this tragic incident to emphasize to his congregation the importance of faith. “Don’t you think that if you don’t have Jesus, you’re going to walk out of here, and everything’s going to be cool because you ain’t no match for the devil.”
He questioned his congregation’s resilience against evil and urged them to strengthen their faith, “Do you think you’re strong enough to resist the devil if he were to possess you? You better get your heart right with God, because you may be the next one on national news.”
Despite concerns voiced by some that he shouldn’t deliver a sermon so soon after experiencing such a gruesome family tragedy, Kendrick soldiered on. “No, when heard this, ‘I will look into the hills from which cometh my help.’ My help cometh from the Lord.”
A GoFundMe campaign is currently ongoing to assist with the estimated $50,000 in funeral costs for the five members of Kendrick’s family tragically taken away. As of publication time, over $31,000 had been raised.
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