On the evening of November 1, 2024, Ruth Sue Ann Robison, 52, was fatally shot in a Des Moines neighborhood on Northwest 51st Place while helping her daughter move out of the daughter’s ex-boyfriend’s home. Deputies found Ruth and her husband, Tony Ray Robison, with gunshot wounds to the head; both were taken to a local hospital, and Ruth later died while her husband remained in critical condition.

Authorities allege 24-year-old Hamza Smajlovic used a 9mm pistol to shoot the couple and to fire at their daughter, Jasymyne, but missed her. Smajlovic was arrested at the scene and charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and intimidation with a dangerous weapon; he is being held in the Polk County Jail on $750,000 bond. Law enforcement has described the episode as stemming from a domestic situation related to the daughter’s recent breakup, and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the Division of Criminal Investigation are involved in the inquiry. A GoFundMe was started to assist with Ruth’s funeral costs and the couple’s medical bills.

If anyone witnessed the shooting on Northwest 51st Place that evening or has information about the events leading up to it, please come forward.