On the night of September 12, 2026, a chaotic scene unfolded in a south Phoenix neighborhood near Broadway Road and 19th Street, culminating in the tragic death of 20-year-old Damarion Goins. The evening began around 10 p.m. when Phoenix police responded to a call of shots fired in the area. Upon arrival, they discovered a vehicle in the road, surrounded by several shell casings. Shortly thereafter, two women approached the officers, reporting that they had been the victims of an armed robbery by several unknown men. They explained that a man who was with them, later identified as Damarion Goins, had left before the police arrived. The officers impounded the car and took a robbery report.
Hours later, at approximately 2 a.m., the investigation took a grim turn when police received another call directing them back to the same area. One of the women who had earlier reported the robbery had found her boyfriend, Damarion Goins, deceased in a backyard. He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. The discovery transformed the initial robbery investigation into a homicide case, with detectives from the Phoenix Police Department's Homicide and Gang Units taking the lead.
The investigation quickly progressed, and within days, authorities identified three suspects in connection with the robbery and murder. On September 15, 2026, police located and arrested 18-year-old Joshua Jones and a 17-year-old male at separate locations in Chandler and Phoenix. The following day, a third suspect, 19-year-old Terell Barnes, was also taken into custody. Investigators recovered multiple pieces of evidence believed to have been used during the commission of the crimes. All three suspects were booked into jail. Joshua Jones and the 17-year-old face charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery, while Terell Barnes is accused of first-degree murder and aggravated armed robbery. The case against the three individuals marks a significant development in the investigation into the violent death of Damarion Goins, which began with a report of an armed robbery and ended with the discovery of his body.
