The quiet early hours in Des Moines were shattered Friday when a woman was found dead inside an apartment on the city’s northwest side. Police say the victim, 36-year-old Ashley Marie Hall, lost her life in what investigators now believe was a fatal shooting carried out by someone she was sharing space with just hours before.
Officers with the Des Moines Police Department were called out around 3 a.m. to the 3200 block of 30th Street after reports of gunfire. When first responders arrived, they entered the apartment and found Hall unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving behind a trail of questions and a shaken community.
At first, there were no immediate arrests. Detectives spent the morning speaking with witnesses and piecing together what had happened inside the apartment. The focus was clear: understand how a gathering between guests turned into a deadly encounter.
By Friday afternoon, investigators announced a major development. Forty-six-year-old Sharneeka Evans was taken into custody and charged with First Degree Murder. Authorities say the evidence points to Evans using a pistol to shoot Hall during the incident.
Police confirmed that both women were guests inside the apartment at the time of the shooting. That detail has raised even more concern, as it suggests the violence unfolded in what should have been a familiar and safe environment.
For now, officials have not released specifics about what led up to the confrontation. What is known is that the case is still active, and detectives are continuing to gather details to fully understand the moments before the trigger was pulled.
As the investigation moves forward, the loss of Ashley Marie Hall remains at the center of it all. A life ended suddenly, in the middle of the night, under circumstances that are still being carefully unraveled by authorities.
