The quiet of a Des Moines neighborhood was shattered early Friday morning when 36-year-old Ashley Marie Hall was found shot to death inside an apartment. The call came in around 3 a.m., sending police and emergency crews rushing to the 3200 block of 30th Street. By the time they arrived, Hall was already gone.
Officers with the Des Moines Police Department said they located Hall inside the residence after reports of gunfire. She had been shot with a pistol and was pronounced dead at the scene. What should have been an ordinary night quickly turned into a devastating loss that now hangs heavy over the community.
Investigators say Hall was not alone in the apartment. She and another woman were there as guests when the situation turned deadly. Exactly what led up to the shooting is still unclear, and that uncertainty has left many struggling to understand how things escalated so quickly.
Later that same day, police made an arrest. Forty-six-year-old Sharneeka Evans, also from Des Moines, was taken into custody and charged with First Degree Murder, a Class A felony. Authorities say the evidence points to Evans using a pistol to shoot Hall, ending her life in a matter of moments.
Detectives with the Crimes Against Persons Section are continuing their work, carefully piecing together the timeline. They are speaking with witnesses and reviewing all available evidence in an effort to understand what happened inside that apartment before the gunfire.
For those who knew Ashley Marie Hall, the loss is deeply personal. Friends and family are now left holding onto memories of a life that ended far too soon. The pain is fresh, and the questions feel endless.
In the days ahead, loved ones will begin the difficult process of grieving and honoring her life. For now, the focus remains on remembering Ashley for who she was, not just how she died.
