Ariana Nicole Estrada was 20 and from Amarillo, Texas. Family described her as outgoing, strong-willed, and brave; she was an aspiring tattoo artist and the mother of a four-year-old son, Kai. She was a cherished daughter and friend.

In the early hours of May 4, 2025, Ariana was a passenger in a Dodge Durango when her ex-boyfriend, David Allen Crowder, began chasing the vehicle. Court records say the chase ended when Crowder crashed into a pole. After the Durango’s driver stopped on the 2000 block of S. Mirror Street, Crowder arrived in a pickup and fired numerous rounds from an AR-style rifle into the passenger side where Ariana was sitting. She was taken to a hospital in a private vehicle but was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds; the other occupants were not injured.

Investigators identified 21-year-old Crowder as the suspect. He was located at his father’s house; officers say the rifle was recovered there after his father hid it in the front-yard grass and told police Crowder had called to confess and ask to be picked up. Crowder was arrested and charged with murder and four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; a grand jury indicted him in June 2025 and the case remained pending litigation as of May 2026. Anyone who knew Ariana or has information about the shooting is asked to come forward.