On the night of January 10, 2015, Andrew Smith, a 28-year-old man, was fatally shot outside a bar in Wichita, Kansas. Smith was an unintended victim in a dispute that escalated to gunfire in the parking lot of The Place, a bar located at 4859 E. Harry. He was attempting to leave the establishment when he was struck by three bullets. Another man, 32-year-old Quentin Brown, was also killed in the shooting, and two other men were wounded but survived.
Both Smith and Brown were transported to Wesley Medical Center, where they succumbed to their injuries.
The investigation into the double homicide led to the arrest of Ishmael J. Bryant. Authorities stated that the shooting stemmed from an argument that began inside the bar and spilled out into the parking lot. While Quentin Brown was reportedly involved in the initial altercation, Andrew Smith had no connection to the dispute or to the shooter. A tip from Crime Stoppers aided law enforcement in identifying and apprehending Bryant.
In February 2017, Ishmael J. Bryant, then 31, was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for his role in the deaths of Andrew Smith and Quentin Brown. He pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of aggravated battery. During the sentencing, Smith's mother described her son as a family man who had never been in trouble. Bryant offered an apology in court, claiming he was trying to defend himself when he fired the weapon. In addition to his prison sentence, Bryant was ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution to the Kansas Crime Victims Compensation Board. Andrew Smith was survived by his wife, Melissa, and their four children: sons Andrew Jr. and Jaden, and daughters Adriana and Serena.
