22-year-old fatally shot in Topeka, KS

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Summary: 22-year-old Devin David-Lee Hoadley was fatally shot on April 13, 2026, in Topeka, Kansas. Police responded around 1:15 p.m. and rushed him to a hospital, where he died that afternoon. On April 28, officers arrested 19-year-old Tayvian Smith, who now faces voluntary manslaughter and aggravated battery charges. He remains held on $1 million bond.

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TOPEKA, Kansas — A young Topeka resident lost his life in a daytime shooting. Devin David-Lee Hoadley, 22, became one of the city's early homicide victims of 2026 after gunfire erupted in the 200 block of Southeast 29th Street.

Officers arrived around 1:15 p.m. on April 13 to find Hoadley suffering from a gunshot wound. Paramedics rushed him to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries later that afternoon, just before 6 p.m. The incident unfolded quickly in a residential part of the city, drawing immediate attention from Topeka police who treated it as a homicide from the start.

Investigators worked steadily to identify those responsible. Within two weeks, they took 19-year-old Tayvian Smith of Topeka into custody on April 28. Smith initially faced second-degree murder and aggravated battery accusations. By May 1, Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay's office had filed formal charges: voluntary manslaughter, a level 3 felony, and aggravated battery, a level 7 felony.

Smith remains held at the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on a $1 million bond. Prosecutors emphasize that the charges represent allegations at this stage, and the case will proceed through the courts. Police continue to ask anyone with additional details to contact the Topeka Police Department.

Hoadley's death marked the third homicide in Topeka this year at the time, prompting renewed calls for vigilance and information sharing among residents. Friends and family remember him as a young man with his whole life ahead, now cut short in a moment of conflict.

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Suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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WIBW: Formal charges filed

KSNT: Details on arrest and charges

Topeka Capital-Journal: Initial arrest report