Mom Delivers Newborn, Then Learns 18-Year-Old Son Died in a Shooting

Shortly after a Missouri mother delivered her newborn son, she received the heartbreaking news that her oldest son had died in a shooting.

Felicia Kennell told local TV station KDSK that she learned of her 18-year-old son Martinez Ursery’s shooting death on Sept. 1. She was at Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis, Mo., at the time, having given birth to her son prematurely on Aug. 28, according to the outlet.

“Martinez was in the comfort of his home, where he thought he was safe,” when he was killed, loved ones wrote on a GoFundMe campaign created to help offset Ursery’s funeral costs.

“This is a difficult time for [Kennell] because not only is she having to bury her son, she is also dealing with not being able to stay in her home because of this tragedy,” the fundraiser added.

Since the Sept. 1 shooting, authorities have charged Ursery’s cousin, Christopher J. Webb, with involuntary manslaughter and failure to report a shooting in connection with the teenager’s death, according to a criminal complaint filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court on Sept. 30 and reviewed by PEOPLE.

Authorities allege in the complaint that Webb — whose birth date is only listed as 2002 — shot Ursery in the head with a rifle that afternoon after Ursery told Webb that the weapon was loaded, with a round in the chamber. The complaint states Ursery “died as a result of the shooting.” Further details surrounding the incident and how the rifle was obtained were not shared in the complaint.

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According to online court records, Webb is being held on $225,000 cash-only bond. He is expected in court on Oct. 8 for a bond hearing, per the records. It’s unclear if he has entered a plea and an attorney was not listed for him in court records.

As for Kennell, she’s not a stranger to tragedy. She told KDSK that Ursery’s father also died in a shooting four years ago.

“I found myself in a hard place with his dad, but now, it’s like with my son, he wouldn’t want to see me down,” Kennell said, per KDSK. “I just want justice for him.”