PHOENIX — A 20-year-old man was arrested in Arizona and charged with the killing of Da'Tara Johnson, an 18-year-old woman who was fatally shot in mid-January in Indianapolis.
Anthony York of Indianapolis is currently being held in Phoenix, where he was arrested Feb. 10 on outstanding warrants out of Indianapolis issued in August 2021, according to a news release from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
He was charged Wednesday with murder and possession of a handgun without a license, online court records show.
York was taken into custody Feb. 10 by a Phoenix Police Department SWAT team after IMPD homicide detectives spend five days in Phoenix working with local police and the U.S. Marshals Service to locate and detain him.
While in Phoenix, IMPD detectives collected possible evidence and conduct interviews related to their investigation.
The warrants for York's arrest initially did not allow for extradition from Arizona, but detectives were able to ensure York could be extradited to Indianapolis if he were taken into custody, according to the release.
Police allege York shot Johnson on Sunday, Jan. 16.
Officers arrived about 1:30 a.m. to find Johnson left for dead inside her apartment. She was rushed to a local hospital, where she died hours later.
Johnson's family said a phone call was placed from her cell phone at 1:30 a.m. and a male's voice was heard. They also said the caller did not give an address and police went from door-to-door trying to find a crime scene before finding her body. Her apartment door had been left open.
Her phone and car were nowhere to be found.
After Johnson's death, an unauthorized GoFundMe account was created and someone began sharing Facebook messages from her account. The GoFundMe account was taken down before any funds were raised, a spokesperson with the company said.
"We're not going to give people a chance to forget about this," said Johnson's mother Amber Freeman. "As the days go on and we bury her and we go on to our regular lives, we're not going to let this die down. We're going to apply the pressure."
IMPD on Wednesday thanked police agencies that assisted in arresting York. Deputy Chief Kendale Adams released the following statement:
The untimely death of Da’Tara Johnson was tragic, and today I’m pleased that IMPD detectives identified and apprehended the suspect believed to be responsible for her unnecessary death. From the onset of this investigation IMPD homicide detectives Steven Gray and Matthew Pankonie demonstrated undeniable sacrifice, meticulous investigative strategy, tireless effort, and incredible commitment to the investigation, family, and memory of Ms. Johnson.
