Man fatally shoots girlfriend sitting in car beside 1-year-old, AZ officials say

A man was arrested after being accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend in the head, according to Arizona officialsand news reports.

On Aug. 30, Payson officers responded to a parking lot near a Denny’s after getting reports of a shooting, according to a news release by the police department.

When officers arrived, they found 20-year-old Keonna Honanie with a gunshot wound, and she was transported to a hospital where she eventually died, police said.

After investigating, officers learned Honanie was arguing with her 22-year-old boyfriend, later identified as Donald Nash, when he fatally shot her in the head, police told KPNX.

“She was the kind of person to always laugh. She loved to learn,” Serena Honanie, the victim’s mom, told KTVK.

Nash’s 1-year-old nephew was sitting next to Keonna Honanie during the shooting and two others were in the car, officers told KTVK.

“Keonna Po-Vee had a heart of gold, was always laughing, and she cared for all of her people especially her family, for all beings and animals with her whole heart,” loved ones said in a GoFundMe. “She was rooted in her culture and her tradition, she loved to dance for the well being of all people and creatures.”

Keonna Honanie grew up dancing and graduated high school in 2023, according to KTVK.

Nash was arrested and booked into the Gila County Jail on charges of murder, endangerment and resisting arrest, police said.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call police at 928-474-5177, officers said.

Payson is about a 90-mile drive northeast from Phoenix.

This story was originally published September 3, 2025 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Man fatally shoots girlfriend sitting in car beside 1-year-old, AZ officials say."