On a summer night in Las Vegas, the life of Anthony Richards, a 28-year-old Black man, was cut short by gunfire. On August 15, 2020, Richards, an aspiring local rapper known by his stage name "Outtatown Boog," was at a party at a short-term rental property in the 8800 block of Hickam Avenue. The gathering of approximately 35 people turned chaotic when shots were fired.
In the aftermath, Richards was driven to Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center and left on the sidewalk in front of the emergency room. He was suffering from a gunshot wound to the left buttock and, despite medical efforts, succumbed to his injury. His death was officially ruled a homicide.
Responding to multiple 911 calls reporting over a dozen gunshots, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrived at the scene of the party to find numerous shell casings littering the area outside the house. The shooting was noted as part of a concerning trend of violence occurring at parties held in illegal short-term rentals in the city. Investigators were faced with a challenging case despite the large number of potential witnesses. Although videos from the party circulated, showing dozens of attendees, no one has come forward with information that has led to an arrest.
In the years since the fatal shooting, the case has grown cold, and no arrests have been made, nor have any suspects been publicly identified or described by law enforcement. The investigation remains open, with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department continuing to appeal to the public for any information that might bring a resolution to the case.
Anthony Richards was a father to a young daughter and was remembered by his mother, Heather Richards, as a man who, despite having had some trouble with the law, had a compassionate heart. She traveled from Portland, Oregon, to Las Vegas immediately after the shooting in a desperate search for answers. She confronted the individual who dropped her son at the hospital, but he claimed to have no information about what transpired. Left with the pain of her son's unsolved murder, Heather Richards has continued to be a vocal advocate for justice, pleading for anyone with knowledge of the events of that night to break their silence.
