American Idol 's Caleb Kennedy Charged After Allegedly Crashing into Building and Killing Man While Drunk
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
spartanburg sheriff’s department
Caleb Kennedy, the 17-year-old former American Idol contestant who competed on the show in 2021, has been arrested after allegedly crashing his truck into a building and killing a man in South Carolina, PEOPLE confirms.
The teen has been charged with felony driving under the influence resulting in death following the crash in Spartanburg at 12.42 p.m. Tuesday, Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the South Carolina Highway Patrol confirms to PEOPLE.
"A 2011 Ford pickup was traveling north on W. Murph Road when the vehicle traveled onto a private drive at 269 W. Murph Road and struck a building," Trooper Ridgeway tells PEOPLE. "A person inside the building sustained fatal injury as a result of the collision."
"The driver is identified as Caleb Andrew Kennedy, 17-year-old male from Roebuck, South Carolina," Trooper Ridgeway continues. "This crash remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. There will be no further updates at this time."
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
The man inside the building, Larry Duane Parris, 54, was pronounced dead at the hospital three hours after the crash, the Spartanburg County Coroners Office confirmed to local station WYFF4.
Kennedy's manager and mom, Anita Guy, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
The teenage country musician remains behind bars, PEOPLE confirms.
Kennedy advanced to the Top 5 on American Idol last season; however, he was booted from the show after a controversial video of him hanging out with a friend who was wearing a hood similar to the ones worn by the Klu Klux Klan surfaced online.
RELATED VIDEO: American Idol Judges Break Silence on Caleb Kennedy's Departure Days After Controversial Video Surfaced
"American Idol contestant Caleb Kennedy will no longer be moving forward in the competition. Sunday's episode will feature the Top 4 with one contestant elimination," a source close to the show told PEOPLE at the time.
After the video surfaced, Kennedy apologized via Instagram, saying that "it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way."
"On Idol, that wasn't me. That world is so different," the teen singer said. "Now that I'm home, I try to be me, but I'm also scared of someone videoing me when I go to Academy or Wal-Mart. You have to worry about things like that now."
