“No one deserves this kind of death, and definitely not someone like him.”
Those were the words whispered by one person to another, leading to the comment spreading like a wave through a crowd of several dozen people who gathered for a candlelight vigil for Omar Ryan.
A former produce delivery man, Ryan, 34, was killed after being hit by an SUV 8 July in what police say was a heated verbal dispute which turned physical. The incident occurred off Robert Foster Drive in the vicinity of George Town Yacht Club shortly after 8:20pm.
“I can’t find the words to describe this pain that I feel and the whole family feels,” a family member told the Cayman Compass on condition of anonymity.
Ryan, originally from Clarendon, Jamaica, migrated to Cayman approximately five years ago, settling in North Side where he quickly made new friends and reconnected with others.
“I’ve known him for decades,” said one friend, who also asked not to be named. “We are from the same community in Mocho and from then until now he has always been the same person who just wanted to see people around him happy, and not fighting.”
Ryan has been described as a loving, caring family man whose easy-going nature led him to seek happiness and avoid conflict.
“This is why it is so hard to understand how this happened,” she added.
Police say in the minutes leading up to Ryan’s death he was engaged in an argument in Bodden Town, which quickly escalated and became physical – ending with him being hit by the car several miles away in George Town after he and his alleged killer both drove off.
“When I heard the news, a part of me died,” said a former co-worker.
“Yeah, my head started hurting me same time,” said another, as he nodded in agreement. “How can mankind be so unkind? Who would kill a man in such a cruel way?”
Bryan Welcome, 41, of Bodden Town, has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with Ryan’s death.
Welcome, who owns People’s Choice Grocery, and Ryan are said to have had a previous work relationship which ended several months ago.
“Well, after COVID things got slow in construction and Omar came to me with this idea about doing this produce business and I jumped on it,” said Mark Bush, owner of MKB Enterprise. “He was a very good salesman, and an even better person. He loved his children, and they are the ones I really feel sorry for in all of this.”
Ryan’s sister, who also requested not to be named, spoke about the pain being felt by her niece and nephew on the loss of their father.
“His children miss him and need him; they haven’t stopped asking about him,” said his sister.
The hours-long vigil was the second such gathering in two nights; the first was in North Side which several dozen people also attended.
“You can see the impact that he had by the turnout, not just here but [Sunday night] too,” said his sister.
She added, “Right now we just want justice for Omar.”
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