On a Sunday morning, March 5, 2023, law enforcement officers in Laclede County, Missouri, were dispatched to a residence in the 23000 block of Park Drive in Lebanon following a 911 call reporting a shooting. Upon arrival, deputies discovered the body of a 25-year-old male, Ryan Michael Holloway, in the yard outside his home. The initial investigation revealed that he had sustained a fatal gunshot wound during an altercation that had occurred just moments before authorities were contacted.
According to witness accounts provided to investigators and local media by his fiancée, who was present at the scene, the incident began when an acquaintance named Jimmy Ray Bruce Sanders pulled into the driveway. Sanders allegedly exited his vehicle armed with a gun, leading to a verbal exchange between the two men. The confrontation escalated into a physical struggle, during which Holloway reportedly picked up a chain. It was during this altercation that Sanders fired his weapon, striking Holloway. His fiancée attempted to render aid, holding him until help arrived, but he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Shortly after the shooting, law enforcement located and arrested Jimmy Ray Bruce Sanders, a 26-year-old resident of Lebanon, at a separate location on Pleasant Drive. While he was taken into custody, the initial charges filed against him were for third-degree domestic assault stemming from an unrelated incident involving a different victim, identified as his girlfriend. The Sheriff of Laclede County indicated that while the two cases were separate, they were relevant to one another, noting that the domestic assault victim was related to Holloway. Sanders was held without bond in the Laclede County Jail as investigators continued to review the evidence regarding the shooting.
As the investigation into the homicide proceeded, authorities worked with prosecutors to determine if additional charges would be filed specifically for Holloway’s death. The Sheriff noted the complexity of the case, mentioning that the circumstances, including the physical fight and the presence of weapons on both sides, required careful legal review to distinguish between criminal homicide and potential self-defense claims. At the time of the initial reports, no murder charges had yet been formally filed against Sanders for the shooting itself, though he remained incarcerated on the assault charge.
Ryan Holloway was remembered by his family as a devoted father and fiancé who enjoyed spending time outdoors. Born in Osage Beach, he had attended school in Macks Creek and had a passion for hunting arrowheads, listening to old country music, and working on cars with his father. He left behind his fiancée, their children, and his parents, Adam and Janice Holloway. His family expressed their grief publicly, calling for justice and imprisonment for the man responsible for his death.
