On May 29, 2017, Memorial Day, 21-year-old David Michael Amado was found in a small neighborhood park near Estrella Parkway and Lower Buckeye Road in Goodyear, Arizona, with a fatal gunshot wound. Officers arrived about noon after multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire; witnesses heard one or a small number of shots and saw people running from the park. The scene included cordoned grass, walkways, and adjacent parking areas in the Estrella/Lower Buckeye corridor.

Investigators recovered a 9 mm handgun later believed to be the murder weapon and located Amado’s vehicle nearby. Searches of the vehicle turned up about $600 in cash and two cell phones. Forensic review of one phone showed texts discussing the sale of marijuana, shifting attention toward a possible robbery tied to a drug transaction. Phone records and witness identifications highlighted 20-year-old Jeffrey Takeynon Taylor of Memphis, Tennessee, as a possible suspect; witnesses later identified Taylor as the man seen with Amado and as the person who fired the shot.

Taylor left Arizona but was found back in Goodyear in February 2019 and arrested on February 25, booked into the Maricopa County jail on charges that included first-degree murder, armed robbery, and related counts. If anyone knew David, was at the park that day, or has information about the transaction or people involved, please share what can help the investigation.