ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla.-- Nearly all out of words and tears, Brianna Bland speaks out about the shock of losing her beloved cousin Ryan Ford.
"Such a short life but such a good one," she said. "He shouldn't have gone like this and I can only imagine the man he would have gone on to be."
Ford, 19, was a young man who had a passion for tinkering with his truck.
"I remember him coming to my aunt and uncle's house and just tearing up in the driveway," she said.
He was a man who family say would give you the shirt off his back.
"Ryan was a friend to anyone that knew him. If you met him, you had a friend for life," said Bland. "There's nothing bad anyone could say about him."
Police say 22-year-old Robert Cline and 25-year-old Christopher Hoffman beat Ford at a bonfire Friday night. He later died from his injuries. Family says they can't imagine why someone could do something so horrible to someone so good.
"He didn't deserve it, but we love him and we know we have another angel watching over us," said Bland. "We have to be OK with that right now."
The funeral for Ford will be Thursday at Anastasia Baptist Church at 11 a.m.
Ford's family has set up a memorial fund to pay for his extensive medical expenses. You can contribute by visiting any Vystar Credit Union and donating to the Ryan Scott Ford fund.
