In the early morning hours of May 7, 2023, a shooting at an apartment building on Urbandale Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa, resulted in the death of 23-year-old Dakota Toepfer. A resident of Des Moines, Toepfer was a White male who was born on July 8, 1999, in Carroll, Iowa. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. His death was later ruled the ninth homicide of the year in the city.
An investigation into the shooting led Des Moines Police to identify a
suspect. Less than two weeks after the incident, authorities arrested 20-year-old Joshua Taylor and charged him with first-degree murder. According to police, Taylor intentionally and deliberately shot Toepfer six times. Interestingly, Taylor had been arrested on unrelated drug charges on the day of the shooting and was subsequently released from the Polk County Jail on May 8th, before being arrested again for the murder charge following the police investigation.
Dakota Toepfer had moved to Des Moines in January 2023 to live with his brother and was employed by Iowa Demolition. His family described him as a sweet and caring person with the ability to make people smile. They acknowledged that he had faced difficult times, including struggles with addiction and homelessness, but emphasized that he was turning his life around. He enjoyed fishing, hiking, and collecting knives.
