In the early morning hours of March 20, 2022, a birthday celebration at a sprawling vacation rental in Overland Park, Kansas, turned into a scene of tragedy. Cheryl Sharell Holloman, a 46-year-old Black female from Wichita, was fatally shot at the party, which was attended by several friends and family members. The group had reportedly returned to the rental house in the 9700 block of West 145th Terrace after an evening out.
Around 6 a.m., police responded to a call about a shooting at
the residence. Prior to their arrival, family members had already transported Holloman to a local hospital. She was then airlifted to another medical center where she ultimately succumbed to her injuries during surgery. Witnesses at the scene reported hearing a gunshot and then Holloman's scream that she had been shot.
In the chaotic aftermath, another partygoer, Anthony Duane Smith, 46, of Topeka, was heard by witnesses claiming that he had shot Holloman but insisting it was an accident. This claim was allegedly captured on a Ring video recording where he was heard saying he "didn't mean to do that." When police arrived, they found several people outside the house and detained Smith as he exited the residence.
Anthony Duane Smith was arrested and subsequently charged with second-degree murder. The charge suggests the killing was believed to be unintentional but reckless, manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life. He was booked into the Johnson County jail and held on a $500,000 bond. The tragic event also brought scrutiny upon the use of the 5,000-square-foot house as a short-term rental for parties, as the property's online listing explicitly prohibited such gatherings.
