A 15-year-old boy lost his life while protecting his little sister during a home invasion.
On Sept 25, during a burglary spree, a suspect broke into a Port Charlotte, Florida home. He also burgled a few of the surrounding houses.
In a press conference, the Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummel says that between the 15-year-old Khyler Edman and the suspect occurred a “violent encounter“.
Before the police discovered the teenager’s body, they charged Ryan Cole, a 27-year-old man, only for burglary.
Prummel mentions that multiple calls were detailing a suspicious person “acting very oddly“. There were also additional phone calls stating the person “appeared to have been stabbed.”
“We were able to locate the subject and he began to flee from us. Perimeters were quickly set up and they were able to apprehend him within 15 minutes.”
The sheriff also shares that during the operation the deputies were led to another residence. As they approached it, they found that there was made a forced entry through the doorway. Inside the residence, they found a dead teenager and a little petrified girl.
“It appeared that the suspect had broken into this residence [and] a violent encounter ensued where we believe the teenager was trying to protect the home and protect their younger sibling and the teenager had succumbed to their injuries.”
What happened was, the burglar broke into the house, and Khyler’s 5-year-old sister was terrified.
The boy was trying to protect her, as well as their home. In a violent encounter between him and the criminal, the teenager lost his life. What caused this horrible outcome were the serious stabbing injuries he got in the fight. The young hero sacrificed his life to save his sister.
When the police found the burglar, he also had injuries and they believe he got them in the very same fight.
The sheriff believes Ryan Cole was working alone, and the neighborhood is now safe, without him being a threat. He reassures that the police will provide the best case they can, so this criminal does not see the light of day ever again. The suspect is in custody, and police are still investigating.
The sheriff’s office posted a statement on their website, saying they’re “continuing to work closely with the State Attorney’s Office on this investigation.“
