By Jordan Ellis | This Is Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. — A suspect previously identified as a person of interest in a fatal southeast Topeka shooting has now been taken into custody and booked into the Shawnee County Jail, according to booking records and scanner traffic.
Topeka Police Department officials had been searching for 19-year-old Tayvian Smith in connection with the April 13 shooting that left 22-year-old Devin David-Lee Hoadley dead.
Jail records show Smith was booked on April 28, 2026, on a charge of second-degree murder (intentional), along with aggravated battery involving a weapon. Bond and court date information were not immediately available.
The development comes hours after local scanner traffic indicated a heavy law enforcement presence near SW 17th and Fairlawn, where multiple units reportedly converged on a residence. According to scanner-based accounts circulating online, detectives believed a homicide suspect was inside the home and transported individuals from the scene to the Law Enforcement Center.
Authorities have not yet publicly confirmed the details of the arrest location or the circumstances leading to Smith’s apprehension.
Hoadley was identified earlier this week as the victim in the city’s third homicide of 2026. He was found with a gunshot wound at a mobile home park in the 200 block of S.E. 29th Street and later died at a local hospital.
Police have not released additional information about the events leading up to the shooting, and the investigation remains active.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
