On a June evening in 2018, just two weeks before he was set to graduate from Franklin High School, 17-year-old Ryan Dela Cruz, a male of Filipino descent, told his parents he was heading out for a night with friends. It was the last time they would hear him speak. Early the next morning, on June 2, 2018, his family received the devastating news that Ryan was in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center after being shot multiple times.
He did not survive his injuries.
Ryan and a group of friends had gone to Martha Washington Park, a place by the shores of Lake Washington sometimes described as haunted, for a late-night adventure of telling ghost stories. Their innocent fun took a tragic turn when another group arrived in a car. Suddenly, gunfire erupted, and Ryan was struck three times. The Seattle Police Department quickly responded to 911 calls just after midnight and found the wounded teenager in a wooded area of the park.
Investigators have stated that they do not believe the shooting was gang-related or that Ryan was specifically targeted, describing the tragic event as an isolated incident. Despite their investigation, no suspects have ever been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in connection to the homicide. The assailant who fired the fatal shots remains unknown.
The loss of Ryan, a sweet and inquisitive young man who had aspirations of joining the U.S. Marine Corps after graduation, deeply affected his community. In the wake of his death, students from Franklin High School organized protests, wearing orange t-shirts with hashtags calling for safety and honoring their slain classmate's memory by speaking out against gun violence. Ryan's father, Henry Tacazon, while mourning the loss of his youngest son, publicly expressed that he forgave the person responsible and prayed for their soul.
