In the summer of 2022, a bright and outgoing 27-year-old man, Rykess Ford, became a victim of gun violence in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Known to his loved ones as 'Ry' or 'Kess,' he was described as a man with a big smile who was full of life and loved fashion, music, and his family. A graduate of Pleasure Ridge Park High School, he was a father to two young daughters with another child on the way.
His life was tragically cut short in an act of violence that unfolded on a Monday afternoon.
On July 11, 2022, in the Jacobs neighborhood of Louisville, police responded to a report of a shooting in the 3600 block of Georgetown Place. Upon arrival, they found Rykess Ford suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to University Hospital in critical condition. Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries two days later, leaving his family and friends to grapple with the devastating loss of a man they remembered as loving and kind, someone who would give you the shirt off his back.
The investigation into the homicide led Louisville Metro Police to identify and arrest two suspects. In January 2023, 23-year-old Davon Johnson was taken into custody and charged with complicity to murder and complicity to robbery in connection with Ford's death. Two months later, in March 2023, a second suspect, 18-year-old Robert Stewart, was arrested and faced charges of murder, robbery, and tampering with physical evidence. Stewart's bond was set at $500,000. The arrests brought a measure of progress in the quest for justice for Rykess Ford and his grieving family.
