Father Arrested After 10-Year-Old Son Fatally Shot On Thanksgiving

In Omaha, Nebraska, a 10-year-old boy was fatally shot on Thanksgiving night. Now his father has been arrested and faces charges.

Will McDonald, 47, was arrested after his 10-year-old son was shot and killed Thanksgiving night in Omaha, Nebraska, according to People.

Police responded to the shooting just after 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 23, but Kendrick McDonald died from injuries on his way to Nebraska Medicine.

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Will McDonald faces charges of “criminal homicide, use of a weapon-gun, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person,” according to a Friday press release from the Omaha Police Department. Currently, he is being held without bail at the Douglas County Jail.

The investigation into Kendrick’s death is ongoing, People reported.

The exact details remain unclear; investigators speculate that the shooting may have coincided with the sounding of a car alarm near the McDonalds’ residence, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

“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,” Omaha Police Capt. Jeremy Christensen said. “As to exactly what transpired and the why of it, we’re still trying to piece that together through our investigation.”

Questions persist regarding Kendrick’s mother’s presence and whether the father mistakenly perceived the 10-year-old as a car thief. Christensen affirmed that a handgun was recovered at the scene and that other children were in the house. However, specifics regarding the number of times the child was shot were not disclosed.

Don Kleine, an attorney for Douglas County, revealed charges could be filed as early as Dec 2. “It’s obviously very tragic,” he said. “But we have to determine if [Will McDonald] was justified in doing what he did.”

At this point, Kleine noted that it does not appear that the father was justified in the alleged shooting. “You hear this, and you go, ‘Oh no, it’s just horrible,’” he added. “A little boy’s death like this. It’s just senseless.”