Waco, TX – A Waco teenager, Lorenzo Kennedy, was sentenced Thursday to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with a 2023 gang-related shooting. Kennedy, 18, was arrested alongside his mother, Jerriod Carpenter, 39, in the aftermath of the incident, which occurred outside a Waco convenience store on July 30, 2023.
In accordance with a plea agreement with the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office, Kennedy will serve a minimum of seven years in prison before he becomes eligible for parole. His attorney, Phil Martinez, stated that Kennedy agreed to the plea deal in hopes that the DA’s office would show leniency toward his mother, who faces charges in the case and is scheduled for trial on February 10, 2025.
The shooting took place late on the night of July 30, 2023, when Kennedy and Carpenter arrived at the convenience store in a Chrysler 300. According to arrest records, the pair encountered another mother and her son, who had also arrived at the store in a separate vehicle. Surveillance footage from the store showed Carpenter walking into the store, with the male victim following shortly behind her.
Kennedy, who had remained in the vehicle, then exited the Chrysler and allegedly fired a weapon at the male victim. Though it is unclear whether the victim was struck, the affidavit states that the victim quickly ran back to his car, jumping into the backseat. The female victim, who had remained in the driver’s seat, started the vehicle and attempted to drive away, but Kennedy reportedly fired multiple shots at the vehicle as it sped off.
The victims were unharmed, but their vehicle was found to be riddled with bullet holes. Police later identified Kennedy as a “documented gang member” and began an investigation into the shooting. Carpenter, who was also arrested in connection to the incident, faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault, felon in possession of a firearm, endangering a child, and evading arrest in a vehicle.
Kennedy’s sentencing marks a conclusion to the case for him, but his mother’s trial is still to come. Authorities continue to investigate the incident, which was described by police as part of gang-related activity.
