On 5th birthday, tears are shed for boy taken by a bullet
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Zykee Ryans almost made it to 5 years old, but a bullet cut his brief life even shorter.
Still, friends and family wanted to mark the occasion, so they held a balloon release on his birthday Tuesday.
They ed him as a boy who loved superheroes – especially Spider-Man – and who was a shining light in their lives.
“He was a loving child. His personality was everything. He smiled. He’s just the world, that’s my baby. And I loved him,” said Quantinesha Ryans, Zykee’s aunt.
His elementary school also threw a birthday party for him Tuesday, with all the kids dressed as superheroes. They enjoyed Spider-Man cupcakes and held their own balloon release.
At Tuesday evening’s gathering, the balloons were red and blue, with the participants decked out in like Spider-Man colors, too.
Family said the plan was to have a Spider-Man party for Zykee’s 5th birthday party.
Phillip White, Zykee’s dad, said: “He loves spider man. Last time I saw him he said he liked Batman so he probably switched it up. But I’m with it. He like Spider-Man, I like Spider-Man.”
Family and friends released red and blue balloons in the air to Zykee on Tuesday in honor of his birthday.
“Thats my baby boy and I love him,” said White. “Every day I’m gonna speak to him, like he’s still here.”
Zykee died Saturday, two weeks after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a gun that hadn’t been secured at the Ryans home in the 1900 block of Murphy Road, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
“This was just an accident, it wasn’t supposed to happen,” said White.
Two family – Brittany Ryans, 35, and Ladarian Ryans, 19 – are in Richmond County jail on charges of cruelty to children in the second degree and second-degree murder.
Brittany Ryans, had been arrested soon after the Nov. 12 shooting, but Ladarian Ryans had been at-large until authorities announced Monday that he was in custody.
The case bears some similarities to another recent one in the CSRA that left a 4-year-old dead.
Phoenix Daniels picked up an unsecured gun and shot herself in the head on May 29 in Grovetown and was hospitalized for 33 days before dying.
Her father, Daveon Malik Daniels, 24, is charged with murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, second-degree cruelty to children and a charge related to the type of gun it was. Police said the gun had been converted to fully automatic.
In Zykee’s case, Brittany Ryans has a criminal history, according to court records. She was charged in 2018 with one count of deprivation of a minor and six counts of contributing to the deprivation of a minor and sentenced to a combination of confinement and probation.
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