Pontiac Man Charged with Open Murder, Other Felonies, in Death of 16 Year Old
(OCSO, Nov. 8, 2023)
Pontiac, MI – A Pontiac man was arraigned on multiple felony charges including open murder in the Oct. 28 shooting death of a Pontiac teenager.
K’Nique Djon Lawrence, 32, is also charged with firearm possession by a felon and two counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. 50th District Judge Jeremy Bowie ordered Lawrence held without bond in the Oakland County Jail. A conviction on the open murder charge carries up to life in prison.
“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,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. “Holding the perpetrators accountable is a step in that direction.” Lawrence is accused of fatally wounding 16-year-old Desiree Childs as she was walking near the intersection of South Johnson and Menominee in Pontiac.
Desiree was struck in the chest by gunfire and her body was found in the street. She was taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries.
During the investigation, Sheriff’s Office detectives received information that Lawrence may be staying in a local motel. Sheriff’s detectives, agents from the U.S Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and members of the Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Team set up surveillance and took Lawrence into custody without incident. Lawrence has prior felony convictions in 2010 for two counts of armed robbery and in 2017 for receiving and concealing stolen property. He is to appear before Judge Bowie on Nov. 16 for a probable cause conference.
Detectives are actively working on the case to determine and identify whether there are additional suspects responsible for Desiree’s slaying. Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case. Tipsters remain anonymous.
NOTE: Police and Fire Reports come directly from the agency involved and are written by the person or agency listed below the title. We generally run these “as is” or with minimal editing for punctuation, spelling, etc. Suspects should not be presumed guilty. Those needing more information about a case are encouraged to follow up with the reporting agency or court system for the most current information.
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