Man Arrested May Be Involved In Shooting Death Of Pontiac Teen: Report

PONTIAC, MI — A man who was arrested on gun charges may be connected to the shooting death of a 16-year-old Pontiac girl, according to multiple reports, citing police.

Desiree Childs, 16, was walking with a friend near the intersection of Johnson and Menominee in Pontiac at 11:22 p.m. when she was shot in the chest, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

Childs was taken to a nearby hospital where she died, officials said. Her friend was not injured in the shooting, officials said.

Jameel Tanzil, 27, was charged with felon in possession of a firearm. Tanzil could face additional charges in connection to the shooting, according to reports.

Tanzil told officers that he was in a nearby house on the night of the shooting, but said he wasn’t involved in the shooting, officials said.

Officials believe at least one other person is involved in the shooting.

Officials do not believe Childs or her friend were the intended targets, but rather, were mistaken by the shooter as someone else or someone else they were aiming for.

"She's everything to me. She's my best friend," Childs' mother Nicole Todd told WXYZ. "She lit up the room every time she walked in the room with her smile."

"I truly believe they thought she was somebody else and she was just walking home at the wrong time," she added.