PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — A Florida teenager is being hailed a hero after protecting his sister from a home invasion.
Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said 15-year-old Khyler Edman was inside his home Thursday afternoon when a man, identified as Ryan Clayton Cole, broke in.
“The suspect broke into this residence, a violent encounter ensued where we believe that teenager was trying to protect the home and protect their younger sibling,” Prummell said.
Prummell said Cole broke into another home in the area and was identified by a victim in that crime.
Around the same time of the break-ins, the sheriff says they started receiving 911 calls about an injured man walking the streets near Starlite Lane and Clean Boulevard.
When deputies approached Cole, he took off. After a short chase, they were able to take Cole into custody. He went to the hospital for medical treatment. The sheriff says he had “several stab wounds on his hands and side.”
Deputies canvassing the area later found the door forced open to Khyler’s home. When they went inside, they found the teen dead inside and his 5-year-old sister, unharmed.
Khyler’s family is asking for privacy during this difficult time. They posted on an update on their GoFundMe page to help with burial costs.
"On September 26, Khyler lost his life being a hero protecting his five-year-old sister, when a man broke in our home in Port Charlotte," the GoFundMe description reads. "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."
This story was originally published by Michael Paluska on WFTS.
