A Valley man faces a murder charge after police say he shot a woman in the head while driving through Payson with a toddler in the car on Saturday.
Police said 22-year-old Donald Nash, of Phoenix, has been booked on second-degree murder, felony endangerment and resisting arrest.
According to Payson police, officers were called to reports of a woman being shot inside a car that had pulled into the Denny’s restaurant along the Beeline Highway, near Bonita Street, just before 10 a.m.
When police arrived, they began helping the woman, identified as 20-year-old Keonna Honanie, also of Phoenix. Paramedics arrived to render aid, but she died after arriving at Banner Payson Medical Center.
Detectives learned that Nash and Honanie were both in the backseat of a white Honda SUV and had been arguing, and that as the car rolled into town, Nash reportedly pulled out a gun and shot Honanie in the head. Three other people were inside the car, including a one-year-old seated next to Honanie, according to police.
Traffic on Beeline Highway (SR 87) was shut down for about three and a half hours while detectives processed the scene. Investigators said nearby surveillance footage showed that pedestrians may have been nearby.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to call the Payson Police Department at 928-474-5177.