Ryan Ginyard was 24 and days away from graduating as a certified dental assistant when he was shot at Mount Hope Playground on Walton Avenue on the evening of June 29, 2016. He had gone to meet a friend and intended to give the friend a graduation ticket. At about 9:15 p.m. a single shot struck him in the torso. He was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital in critical condition and later died of his injuries.

The NYPD described a person of interest as a Black male, about 25 to 35 years old, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and 180 to 190 pounds, wearing a gray shirt with the number 72, light-colored jeans, a light-colored baseball cap, and brown sneakers. No arrests have been publicly announced in connection with Ryan’s murder. The family and neighborhood lost a young man poised to begin a new chapter in his life.

If anyone has information about that evening at Mount Hope Playground or recognizes the description, please come forward.