Terrance Lamont Kinard Jr., also known as TK to his family and friends, was 20-years-old when he was fatally shot near a house party Jan. 26, 2019, in Northeast El Paso leaving behind his family, friends and two children. The family of TK says he was on the rise to becoming a rapper and music producer. Kinard’s death is one that rocked the city, especially since his murder eventually went cold and unsolved for years.

According to police, Kinard was seen earlier that night talking to two men who eventually became prime suspects for investigators as they suspected that after an exchange, a gun was pulled and Kinard was fatally shot.  

Crimes against person’s unit was called in at the beginning of the investigation to take over the case. The unit and Kinard’s family asked the community for help and for witnesses to speak up to keep the investigation going as investigators believed there was a high possibility people witnessed the crime due to the proximity of the house party.  With no witnesses or leads, the case went cold for almost five years until Nov. 2023, when court records show that eight suspects had been indicted in connection to the shooting and death of Kinard. 

The suspects include six men and two women, Miguel Aquino Ferrer, Obadiah John President, Deyone Quartaril Bridges, Marcus Kaleb Moore, Juan Manuel Noria, Bryanna Lovett, Savannah Mariyah Smith and Jacob Alexander Willis. According to The El Paso Times, the indictment indicated that six of the eight suspects, Ferrer, President, Bridges, Moore, Noria, and Lovett were part of an unnamed criminal street gang with Bridges and Moore’s activity in this gang being directly connected to Kinard’s shooting.  

Earlier this year, an 11th suspect was arrested and charged with capital murder for retaliation, engaging in organized crime and activity in street gangs.  

KVIA shared that there is limited information on the suspect due to the ongoing investigation. Additionally, KVIA shared that there have been 12 arrests regarding the case, but one suspects charges were dropped due to them being a minor at the time of the shooting.  

In an interview for Crime Stoppers of El Paso, “Crime Files,” Terrance Kinard Sr. talked about his son and his aspirations. 

“Fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, the life of the party, would do anything for anybody,” Kinard Sr. said. “I knew that he used to like to rap but I didn’t know that that was his passion. I didn’t learn that it was his passion until his senior year.” 

Kinard was captain of the Chapin baseball team, earning a scholarship to college, which he turned down to follow his passion for music and kickstart his rap career. Kinard’s mother, Lakeisha Washington also did an interview for Stephanie Valle’s podcast “Borderland Crimes” where she discussed her late son, his life as well as her plea for justice. 

“He gave everybody the benefit of the doubt. It didn’t matter who it was, he always gave them the benefit of the doubt,” Washington said. “He hated to be around people that picked on others or hurt other people, he didn’t like to see people hurt so he was an all-around good guy.” 

Kinard’s case is one of the many gun violence cases the El Paso community has witnessed over the years through news and social media. Angellina Alvarez, who is training to be a part of the Sheriff’s Academy, shared her perspective of gun violence in El Paso.  

“I am aware that these types of cases and circumstance are being acknowledged in law enforcement and I do not doubt regulations have been made and continue to be made because of them,” Alvarez said. “I believe gun violence cases need more attention and action towards them. As long as cases like these continue to happen and rise in numbers, there should be more focus towards them and their magnitude.” 

Ryan Urrutia, a commander with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office shared his thoughts on gun violence in El Paso and how local law enforcement is handling house parties before they turn violent and how the community can help. 

“The El Paso Law Enforcement community is continually monitoring social media posting to make sure we are in front of the problem and working towards stopping parties that have a tendency to turn violent,” Urrutia said. “The community is an important part of prevention, and we encourage our community to reach out to law enforcement if they see or hear of these parties happening in your neighborhood.” 

Urrutia encourages anyone with knowledge of a house party or criminal activity to contact the sheriff’s office or the police department through their website.  

They also work closely with the El Paso Crimes Stoppers where the community can report anonymously at (915)566-8477(TIPS) or through crimestoppersofelpaso.org.  

 As we remember the life of Terrance Lamont Kinard Jr. and await news on the ongoing investigation and justice for his death, it is critical to report any knowledge or evidence that could help investigators solve cases like Kinard’s and bring closure and healing to victims’ loved ones.  

Ximena Cordero is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected]