FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – During a news conference on Tuesday, in Fort Lauderdale, Sgt. Don Geiger said he held the hand of 3-year-old Rylo Yancy at the hospital before he died.
It’s a memory that has haunted him since Rylo was shot in a playground near balloons during a boy’s first birthday party in July at Riverland Park.
“Rylo was on a slide at the party,” Geiger said. “He was there as a guest of the party. It was a family member’s party.”
Geiger told reporters that the recent re-arrest of Tyler Tyrone Hollins, a suspect in the July 21 fatal shooting, is the first of more to come.
“It’s absolutely horrific and they should turn themselves in,” Geiger said.
Detectives believe Rylo, who died at the Broward Health Medical Center, was the victim of a stray bullet, and Hollins, 20, was part of a group in two cars.
“There seemed to be a beef between Hollins and his crew and individuals at the party,” Geiger said.
A grand jury indicted Hollins on first-degree murder last week when he was already in jail for unrelated weapons charges. Geiger said the detectives were still investigating the case.
“The work is not done until they are all in jail,” Geiger said adding he had a message for the suspects: “We are coming for you; we are going to hunt you down.”
Geiger hopes the arrests will help Rylo’s family with some closure. Jerrold Pough, Rylo’s grandfather, was grateful and held up a doll with Rylo’s picture saying he remembers every day how much his little boy wanted to be a superhero like Spiderman.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction.
Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 to remain anonymous.