The three young men being charged are 18-year-old Aaron McDowell, 17-year-old Bernard Nix, and 25-year-old Stalandus Slaughter. The incident occurred in Eclectic County, just 30 miles from Montgomery. Kenyatta was a first grader at Eclectic Elementary School.
"She was asleep in her bed when she was struck by a bullet in her side," Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin told the Associated Press. "Any homicide is bad, but you're dealing with a 6-year-old here."
Kenyatta's 19-year old uncle, Darren Kendrick, was sleeping in a chair and was hit in his hip and left ankle. Police said that they found 18 rounds of ammunition at the scene of the crime. The rounds came from an AK-47 or SKS assault rifle. The suspects have been charged with one count of capital murder and another count of assault. They are being held without bond.
"I ran into the house and saw my nephew laying in the chair with half his foot blown off," said Darren Kendrick's uncle, George Kendrick. "He told me that his leg hurt. I looked over in the bed beside him and saw the baby. I went over to touch her and wake her up and said 'Boo, Boo,' and saw blood on the bed. I pulled the covers back and saw that she had been hit in the side."
My daughter's middle name is Kenyatta, so I couldn't help but cry on the inside as I was asked to write about this incident. The violence that kills our youth is unforgivable, inexplicable with pain that is simply insurmountable. While one is quick to feel the impact of these tragedies when they occur, very few of us stop to wonder where in the heck a group of teenagers were able to obtain access to AK-47 assault rifles.
Childhood should involve playing, fights in the park, random inconsequential mischief and slowly learning about the world. It should not involve being shot in your sleep, having half your foot blown off or going to prison for the rest of your life. If we want to solve the problem of violence in our communities, we must dig to the root of those who earn billions each year by supplying guns and drugs to teens who are convinced to murder one another. The manufacturer of these guns should be held accountable regarding exactly how the weapons got into the hands of teenagers in the first place.
Without committing ourselves to truly ascertaining the depth, nature and functionality of the youth violence problem, we are going to keep on missing the point. The point right now, to me, is that Kenyatta should still be alive and it was our society's apathy that killed her. Someone should have hell to pay, and I'm not just talking about the shooters.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.