SPRINGVILLE, Utah — While the person who pulled the trigger has not yet been identified, newly obtained search warrants indicate that a 23-year-old who was shot and killed last month in Springville was being robbed at gunpoint prior to his death.
Early in the morning on Nov. 18, police responded to a shooting at an apartment complex near 200 South and 100 West. One man was found shot and was taken to the hospital, where he later died. He was identified as 23-year-old Michael "Mikey" Mayer.
Police detained three people for questioning later that day. Two were released, while 43-year-old Amanda Bird was arrested for obstruction of justice in connection with the case. As of the latest update from Springville City Police, investigators were still following up on leads to determine who actually shot and killed Mayer.
Bird's arrest report states that she initially said Valdo Kwadwo Dapaa committed the murder. However, she later said this wasn't the case; she said she felt like she was "backed into a corner" and had to say that so she wouldn't go to jail.
Police said Bird was walking near the crime scene when they arrived and it looked like she was trying to hide from them. They ordered her to stop, but she ran away and went into a nearby apartment. After multiple hours of her refusing to exit the residence, officers obtained a search warrant and took her into custody for questioning.
Valdo Kwadwo Dapaa and Arianna Dapaa (relationship unknown) were also taken into custody but later released after questioning.
Search warrants from the day of the fatal shooting were obtained by FOX 13 News on Monday.
The search warrants gave an account of a "witness" to the incident. The witness said they were on the phone with Mayer as he was driving home from work. When he arrived, the witness said they heard a man demanding Mayer's money. Mayer told the man his money was in the driver's side door. At that point, Mayer told the person on the phone to hang up and call 911, which they did.
A second witness was Mayer's brother, who received a phone call saying Mayer was being mugged (documents did not specify who made that phone call). Mayer's brother went outside his apartment, which was in the same area as the shooting, and found Mayer lying on the ground with a gunshot wound.
The documents also gave some additional details on what happened as police requested warrants to enter the apartment where Amanda Bird was allegedly hiding. They also requested warrants for blood and urine samples from her, as well as Amber Bird (it was not specified if they are related), Valdo Kwadwo Dapaa, and Trenton Dante Noble.
While Amanda Bird was inside the apartment and refusing to come out, she was on the phone with dispatch. Dispatchers said they "could hear two males in the background, [and] it appeared that one male was crying and the other was consoling him."
Police said they determined Valdo Dapaa was one of the men inside the apartment; the other one was likely Trenton Dante Noble, Dapaa's son. Noble, age 22, was named in the search warrant but did not appear to be among those held for questioning.
As of Tuesday, Dec. 12, Amanda Bird was the only one of the people named in the search warrants who has been charged in connection with Mayer's murder.
