A 15-year-old boy tragically died after saving the life of his younger sister during a home invasion.
A 10th grade honors student, Khyler Edman, confronted a man who broke into his home in Port Charlotte, Florida. The intruder stabbed Edman, who was defending his sister against the attacker.
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Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell confirmed the violent incident to People, sharing that police have identified the intruder as Ryan Cole, 37.
Police arrived at Edman’s home to find he was already dead. His little sister was unharmed.
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The police tracked down Cole who was arrested in the neighborhood. When they found him, he had “stab wounds on his hands and side,” according to police. He had allegedly broken into a nearby home before breaking into Edman’s house.
The community hosted a memorial event in honor of Khyler on Saturday, October 5. Proceeds from the event will go his family. A GoFundMe campaign has also been set up raise money for Kyler’s funeral. As of this writing, more than $84,000 in donations have been made. Khyler’s mother writes on the GoFundMe page:
“On September 26th Khyler lost his life being a hero protecting his 5 year old sister, when a man broke in our home in Port Charlotte. Please help my family at this time give Khyler a proper burial he deserves, he was only 15 years old and lost his life due to a senseless act of a stranger. My son had a long life ahead of him, that was taken too soon. I have given Crystal Stone and Chad Ackermann permission to help my family at this time.”
– GoFundMe
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A neighbor told WINK, “Khyler was a hero. He was a gentle soul. His life was taken away too early.”
Our thoughts are with Khyler Edman’s family during this difficult time.