On a late summer evening in Pontiac, Michigan, a long-simmering dispute between neighbors erupted into deadly violence, claiming the life of 39-year-old Kenrick Keon Lanehart and two others. The incident, which also left a fourth man seriously injured, unfolded on August 26, 2020, at the Carriage Circle Apartment complex. Authorities reported that multiple 911 calls came in around 9:10 p.m. reporting a shooting with multiple victims.
Upon their arrival, deputies from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office discovered a grim scene. Four men were found shot on the front porch, inside the home, and on the front lawn of a residence. Kenrick Keon Lanehart, along with Dominque Latrell Williams, 28, and Montray Jamarr Morris, 29, all residents of Pontiac, succumbed to their injuries. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene, while Lanehart and another victim died shortly after arriving at a local hospital. A 25-year-old man was the sole survivor of the shooting, though he was left in serious condition.
The investigation into the triple homicide quickly pointed to a neighbor, 32-year-old Kenneth Durell Clay. The shooting was reportedly the culmination of an ongoing dispute that had its roots in a previous assault in 2014 involving Clay and the victims. On the night of the shooting, the four men were on the front porch of Clay's home. Clay allegedly went outside armed with a handgun and opened fire on all four men before fleeing.
In a surprising turn of events, while deputies were still processing the crime scene, Kenneth Durell Clay turned himself in at the Sheriff's Office Pontiac Substation. He was taken into custody and the handgun believed to have been used in the shooting was later recovered. Clay was subsequently charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, one count of assault with intent to murder, and one count of felony firearm. He was arraigned on August 28, 2020, and was denied bond.
