Kendrick English, a star Stranahan High School linebacker in the mid-1990s whose future in the sport was cut short after an injury partially paralyzed him, died after being shot in Sunrise.
Francisco Navarro Sanchez, 26, of Miami, is facing a murder charge, court records show.
About 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Navarro Sanchez was working at Five Stars Banquet Hall in the 6000 block of West Oakland Park Boulevard as an armed, private security guard for a birthday party being held there, according to a probable cause affidavit released by the police department Monday.
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services records show Navarro Sanchez is a licensed security officer who has a statewide firearms license.
English’s name is redacted in the affidavit, though a relative identified him to the South Florida Sun Sentinel as the victim in the shooting.
Navarro Sanchez was required to allow inside only people who were invited to the event, the affidavit said. During the party, English, who permanently required a wheelchair after his injury in 1995, and a friend tried to get into the banquet hall “at the direction of other patrons,” but Navarro Sanchez would not allow him inside. English and Navarro Sanchez began arguing before English briefly moved away from the hall’s entrance.
Francisco Navarro Sanchez was arrested on April 12, 2026. (Broward Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy)
Shortly afterward, English came back to the entrance and tried to enter again, but Navarro Sanchez still did not allow him inside, and the two continued to argue, the affidavit said.
Navarro Sanchez pulled out a Glock 19 handgun and shot toward English at least five times, witnesses told police.
After the shooting, Navarro Sanchez re-holstered the gun and fled, the affidavit said. English was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
While officers were still at the venue investigating, they reached Navarro Sanchez by phone. He agreed to come back to the scene, where he was taken into custody, according to the affidavit.
Navarro Sanchez was being held in the Broward Main Jail as of Monday. Attorney information was not available.
In October 1995, English, then an 18-year-old Florida State University recruit who was the Stranahan Dragons’ defensive captain and leading tackler, was severely injured after he dove helmet-first at Pine Crest’s fullback Ned Hunt during a tackle.
The impact on English’s neck injured his spine, so much so that he could have died at the scene, the Sun Sentinel reported at the time. Less than a month later, doctors told English he would never walk again.
Hunt and English developed a lasting friendship in the following years.
Kendrick English, left, and Ned Hunt, right, are shown together at English’s home in Sunrise in an article published by the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Oct. 14, 2008. (Newspapers.com)
Information from the Sun Sentinel archives was used in this report.
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