A shooting in the early morning hours of May 7, 2023, at an apartment building on Urbandale Avenue in Des Moines resulted in the death of 23-year-old Dakota Toepfer. Toepfer, born July 8, 1999, in Carroll, Iowa, was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries; his death was recorded as the city’s ninth homicide that year.

Police investigators identified a suspect and less than two weeks later arrested 20-year-old Joshua Taylor, charging him with first-degree murder. Authorities say Taylor intentionally and deliberately shot Toepfer six times. Taylor had been arrested on unrelated drug charges the day of the shooting and was released from the Polk County Jail on May 8 before the murder charge was brought after the investigation.

Toepfer had moved to Des Moines in January 2023 to live with his brother and worked for Iowa Demolition. His family remembered him as sweet and caring, noted he had struggled with addiction and homelessness, and said he was trying to turn his life around; he enjoyed fishing, hiking, and collecting knives. Does anyone have information about that May 7 shooting or knew Dakota and can share what happened that night?