Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Nathaniel Deweese Kendrick, Jr, 25, has been booked into the Alachua County Jail and charged with homicide in the shooting death of Zhané Sanders at Palms of Archer in June 2022 and attempted homicide with two other potential victims.

On June 5, 2022, at 2:17 a.m., Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to Palms of Archer, 7117 SW Archer Road, regarding a reported drive-by shooting with one victim. The victim was identified as 16-year-old Zhané Sanders. Sanders was transported to an area hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.

Sanders was from out of state and was in the area visiting family for a high school graduation celebration; she appears to have been an innocent bystander.

Detectives were able to identify two suspects for the homicide of Zhané Sanders and secured warrants for the arrest of Kendrick and Navarro; Kendrick was in the Marion County Jail at the time, and Navarro is serving a life sentence in state prison for a different homicide.

Kendrick has been charged with second-degree homicide with a gang enhancement for the murder of Zhané Sanders and attempted first-degree homicide with a gang enhancement for two other potential victims. The sworn complaint is fully redacted, so further information is not available.

Kendrick has two felony convictions (none violent) and four misdemeanor convictions (none violent) and is currently on probation for fraud. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.