Father Of Oxford HS Student Shot, Killed; Shooter Arrested: Police

OXFORD, MI — An Oxford Man was charged with murder Friday after police said he fatally shot a father who he thought sent him a threatening text message, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said.

Marcus Anthony Nathan, 36, was charged with murder possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was placed in the Oakland County Jail without bail. A probable cause hearing was scheduled for May 5.

Police said Nathan was walking around the parking lot of the Abby Ridge Apartment Homes on East Market Street in Oxford at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday morning looking for who sent him the threatening text.

That's when police said Nathan approached Dennis Kendrick, who was sitting in his car preparing to drive to work. After confronting Kendrick, Nathan determined he was responsible for the text and shot Kendrick numerous times at close range with a 9mm handgun, officials said.

Nathan then called police and told them he shot the man to death because he threatened in a text message, officials said. The two lived in the same apartment complex, but had no connection to each other, police said.

"This completely unnecessary and very tragic death should have never happened," Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "The suspect randomly concluded a completely innocent man had threatened him and then murdered him. It is unjustifiable in any terms."

Kendrick was a 54-year-old veteran, who worked as a machinist, and was raising his 15-year-old son himself. His son, Kamari Kendrick, is a student-athlete at Oxford High School, police said. A GoFundMe was created for Kendrick, which raised $47,135 of its $55,000 goal as of Friday afternoon.

"The tragedy of the situation is magnified by the fact that the victim leaves a young son, a student of Oxford High School, who has already gone through enough trauma for a lifetime," Bouchard said. "It is appropriate the shooter should be held fully accountable."