Felon charged with murder of Pontiac teen killed in crossfire shooting near her home, second suspect linked

PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - A man with previous felony convictions has been charged with murdering a 16-year-old girl as she was walking near her home in late October.

K'Nique Lawrence, 32, was charged on Tuesday with the murder of 16-year-old Desiree Childs, who police believe was caught in the crossfire while walking near her home in Pontiac.

Lawrence was arrested on Monday after police identified him as the suspect in the murder of Childs, who was killed while walking near South Johnson and Menominee in Pontiac on Saturday, Oct. 28.  

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Authorities said the girl was hit in the chest by the gunfire, and she was found in the street when police arrived. She later died at the hospital.

"A teenage girl, murdered, absolutely having nothing to do with these individuals," said Oakland County Sherif Michael Bouchard.

A vigil in Childs' honor was held Tuesday night. Her mother, Nicole Todd, says their lives will never be the same.

As deputies investigated and Lawrence was identified as their suspect, they said they learned he was staying at a local motel. Local and federal authorities watched the motel and took him into custody without incident.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, Lawrence has a previous conviction for two counts of armed robbery in 2010 and receiving/concealing stolen property in 2017. He's due in court on Nov. 16.

"I continue to be proud of the great work our whole team is doing to bring a sliver of closure to the family and community in this horrific case," Bouchard said. "Holding the perpetrators accountable is a step in that direction."

While Lawrence has been charged with her murder, another suspect has been connected to the shootout, which authorities have said was where Childs was caught in the middle. 

That man has been identified in court records as Jameel Tanzil, who has not yet been charged in the teen's murder.

Court documents obtained by FOX 2 show that shell casings at the scene match guns found in Tanzil's possession at his home, just a few feet away from where Childs was killed. Tanzil has four felony convictions on his record, including drug possession and concealed weapon charges.

The court documents show witnesses reported muzzle flashes coming from Tanzil's home on Johnson Ave.

When police searched the home several hours after the shooting, they found three children between the ages of 6 and 14 plus two guns - a loaded 9MM and a .40 caliber with an empty magazine - indicating to police that the gun had been shot several times recently.

During the investigation, authorities said they learned of four stolen guns in Auburn Hills that Tanzil had been linked to. The victim said he worked with Tanzil and that he had considered taking selling Tanzil the guns but changed his mind when he learned of Tanzil's probation. The guns were stolen from his car that same day.

Authorities also searched Tanzil's listed probation address, his mom's home in Pontiac. There, investigators found a loaded tactical rifle in a cabinet inside his bedroom there. 

"Potentially, there could be more people involved than two or three," Bouchard said. "That's where we're asking for the public's help."

Officials stress that they are still investigating the murder of Childs and urge anyone with information about the shooting to come forward by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

A $2,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.