At approximately 11:13 p.m., on Sunday, May 4, officers with the Holbrook Police Department (HPD) and a Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper responded to a report at the McDonald’s located at 1617 Navajo Blvd., regarding a Black man in the lobby acting strangely.
According to a press release issued by HPD, while officers were enroute to McDonald’s, the individual left the restaurant and was seen going to the nearby Super 8 Motel, located at 1989 Navajo Blvd. After officers arrived at the hotel and began searching for the man, a hotel patron approached them and stated that there was a man in the stairwell with a gun. A second 911 call was then received from a hotel clerk, who said a man was wandering the hallways with a gun.
The press release stated that officers reported hearing a gunshot, moved toward the lobby and saw a clerk with his hands raised. Upon seeing the officers, the clerk ran outside, followed by a Black man later identified as Georgio Taylor, 40, of San Diego. It was at that time that an officer involved shooting occurred and Taylor was declared deceased at the scene. The release does not say whether Taylor was found with a firearm.
The press release was provided four days after the incident when a reporter with the Painted Desert Tribune was informed by a civilian regarding the shooting and confirmation was sought from HPD. Each week the HPD dispatch logs are provided to The Tribune in order to provide public information on incidents that involve the agency. In the log during which this incident occurred, there was no reference to a shooting, a deceased individual or even misconduct involving a weapon. When asked about the omission, Holbrook Police Chief Nathan Christensen said the initial call was categorized as a welfare check, so it appeared in the log under that heading.
Dispatcher logs generally include every 911 call, including misdials, and each call is assigned a sequential code. The last entry for Sunday, May 4, is the welfare check call at 11:13 p.m.; the next entry with the next sequential code, at 4:23 a.m. on Monday, is unrelated. The dispatch log provided to the Tribune contains no record of the second 911 call described in the press release. When Chief Christensen was informed of this he responded, “Dispatch creates the log. We have no control or access to it.” HPD utilizes the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) dispatchers for their calls.
Christensen said DPS took over the investigation immediately after the shooting and instructed him not to release information. He said he told DPS “people are going to want more information,” but was directed to withhold details until further notice. No law enforcement agency publicly disclosed the shooting until after The Tribune sought confirmation with HPD. It was at that time that Christensen said he consulted DPS again and was authorized to issue the press release on Thursday afternoon.
On the night of the incident, NCSO posted on its Facebook page that a “law enforcement incident” was underway, advised the public to avoid the area and stated there was no danger to the community. The post did not describe the nature or exact location of the incident. HPD shared the post the next morning. The press release that was later provided to The Tribune has not been posted by any agency.
Additional questions submitted to HPD and DPS had not been answered as of press time. Chief Christensen said he will not be releasing the names of the officers involved. Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact reporter Shawn White at ShawnWhite@yourtrib.com.
