The suspect wanted in the death of a 7-year-old girl near Phipps Plaza mall in Atlanta was previously arrested for a gang-related shooting at another mall.
Kennedy Maxie was shot in the head while riding in a car with her mom and aunt near Phipps Plaza on Dec. 21. She died from her injuries on Saturday.
Police named Daquan Reed, 24, as a suspect in her murder. He is wanted for felony murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and other charges.
Reed was among several men fighting in the parking lot outside Saks Fifth Avenue, police say.
Reed got into a car and fired three shots out the window as he drove off. Police believed a stray bullet struck Kennedy.
“He is not a stranger to law enforcement,” said embattled Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms at a press conference on Tuesday. She said Reed has had previous run-ins with law enforcement.
Reed (right) was arrested in Norfolk, Virginia following a shooting at MacArthur Center on Oct. 14, 2019. A 56-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were injured in the shooting.
The shooting happened after Reed and Molek Alcantara (left) were walking through the mall and bumped into a 23-year-old man. The three “exchanged words” and Molek pulled out a gun and opened fire.
The mall was locked down for an hour while police investigated the shooting. Both men were arrested by U.S. Marshals in Atlanta days after the incident.
In January, Reed was convicted of being an accessory after the fact. A liberal judge sentenced him to a year in jail with 9 months suspended and two years of unsupervised probation.
Reed is still at large. City leaders are urging anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477).
