A Phoenix resident, Donald Nash, 22, is facing a second-degree murder charge following an incident in Payson where he allegedly shot a woman in the head while driving, with a toddler also present in the vehicle. The incident occurred on Saturday and Nash has also been charged with felony endangerment and resisting arrest.
The Payson police were alerted to the incident when they received reports of a woman being shot inside a car that had stopped at a Denny’s restaurant along the Beeline Highway, near Bonita Street, shortly before 10 a.m. Upon their arrival, the police found 20-year-old Keonna Honanie, also from Phoenix, critically injured.
Emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the scene to provide immediate aid to Honanie. Despite their efforts, she succumbed to her injuries after being transported to Banner Payson Medical Center.
Investigations revealed that Nash and Honanie were both seated in the back of a white Honda SUV and had been engaged in an argument. As the vehicle entered the town, Nash allegedly produced a firearm and shot Honanie in the head. There were three other individuals in the car at the time of the incident, including a one-year-old child seated next to Honanie.
The incident led to the closure of traffic on Beeline Highway (SR 87) for approximately three and a half hours as detectives processed the crime scene. Surveillance footage from the vicinity indicated that there may have been pedestrians in the area at the time of the shooting.
The authorities are urging anyone with information related to the incident to contact the Payson Police Department at 928-474-5177.