15-year-old girl shot, killed ‘a tragedy that could have been avoided,’ police say

Farler was being held in the Montgomery County Jail as of Wednesday morning.

Dayton officers responded around 12:20 p.m. Sunday to a reported shooting in the 400 block of Bowen Street, just south of U.S. 35, near Xenia Avenue and Steve Whalen Boulevard.

When they arrived they found 15-year-old Kendra Mae Farler dead in an upstairs room.

“To say it was a tragedy is an understatement,” said Dayton police Maj. Brian Johns.

When investigators spoke to Kenneth Farler and the teen’s stepmother, they initially told police the teen was shot by her 15-year-old stepsibling, who is autistic and nonverbal.

“Upon further investigation and interviews, that was later proved to be false and that the young lady was shot and killed by her father inside the Bowen Street address,” Johns said.

At this time the stepmother is not charged and she is cooperating with the investigation, he said.

Johns said investigators questioned the initial statements provided to police because some of the comments didn’t match.

“We have great investigators here at Dayton Police Department and they knew right away that those stories weren’t consistent and upon further questioning got admission to the crime,” Johns said.

While police are still reviewing evidence, Johns said he does not think the shooting was unintentional.

“I would say it’s not an accident,” he said. “Our victim was asking him to not point the shotgun at her prior to her death. That’s not an accident.”

Johns noted Kenneth Farler is not legally allowed to own a firearm due to a previous felony conviction related to drug trafficking. He added investigators are working to determine who provided him with the shotgun and other firearms he had in the boarding room.

“(This is) definitely a tragedy that could have been avoided,” Johns said.