This article, originally published at 5:28 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2024, was updated at 9:38 a.m. on Jan. 24, 2024 to correct that one of Ryan Realbuto’s brother’s names is Christian.
Ryan Realbuto, 23, of Pittsford, New York, a volunteer at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park, was fatally shot in a robbery in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
“The first time he saw a gun was [one] pointed at him that took his life,” his mother, Janet Realbuto, told MoCo360.
On the night he was killed, Ryan Realbuto “was walking home from a youth gathering at church with two of his friends,” his aunt, Lynn Fenicchia, wrote on a GoFundMe page she created. “While they were walking, a car pulled up, the men asked for money, one person got out of the car, and when no one produced any cash, the person shot Ryan. His roommate pressed on his wound and called 911, however Ryan died shortly after at a local hospital.”
Metropolitan Police said that around 10:04 p.m., officers responded to the 5000 block of South Dakota Avenue in Northeast, D.C. for the shooting.
There is a reward of up to $25,000 for anyone who “provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible” for the homicide, police said.
Police urge anyone with information to call police at 202-727-9099 or submit an anonymous tip to the department by sending a text message to 50411.
Janet Realbuto said that she just wants “this person off the street so no other family has to go through this.”
Realbuto emphasized that her son was “an amazing young man,” and that this loss devastated her, along with Ryan Realbuto’s father, Pippo Realbuto, and two older brothers, Evan and Christian Realbuto.
“I am just so shattered. This family will never ever be the same,” Janet Realbuto said.
Ryan Realbuto was a member of Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps, a year-long Catholic Volunteer Program for “young adults to live in intentional community while serving those in need,” according to the program’s website.
For his volunteer placement, he was assigned to the Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School and Corporate Work Study Program, a Catholic college-preparatory school for students in the Washington, D.C. area.
The Volunteer Corps dedicated a tab on its website to him, explaining how much he contributed to the program and the community around him.
“Over the last six months Ryan found community with his roommates and the friars and was really enjoying his placement at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School,” the program wrote. “His family was so proud of him and delighted that he was so happy. They are grateful for the support, guidance, and growth that was embodied during his time in Cap Corps.”
Don Bosco Cristo High School also posted a statement on social media last week, saying how truly committed Ryan Realbuto was to the community.
“He worked with our 9th grade students at our Leadership Academy to help prepare them to enter the workforce and was also responsible for overseeing all students who worked virtual or hybrid jobs from our Silver Spring office,” the school wrote. “Ryan was known by many of our 9th grade students as someone who was willing to help with any challenges. He will be deeply missed.”
Ryan Realbuto graduated cum laude from St. Bonaventure University in New York in 2023 with a degree in sociology and criminology, according to the university.
“Ryan embodied what it means to be a Bonaventure student, always embracing our values of compassion and integrity,” Tom Missel, chief communication officer, said in a statement on the university’s Facebook page.
Fenicchia said that she created a GoFundMe to pay for medical expenses from the hospital, transporting Ryan Realbuto’s body back to his hometown in New York, legal fees they will incur during the investigation and funeral costs.
As of Tuesday, $118,986 has been raised so far, nearing the page’s goal of $125,000.
“Ryan had a gentle soul and was a kind human being filled with nothing but innocence. Our hearts are completely broken by this devastating loss,” Fenicchia wrote. “All that Ryan was trying to do was help people and his precious life was taken by senseless violence.”
His funeral will be on Friday from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Richard H. Keenan Funeral Home at 7501 Pittsford-Palmyra Road in Fairport, New York. His Memorial Mass will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Church of the Transfiguration in Pittsford with Interment following at White Haven Memorial Park.
“If this can happen to my son, it could happen to anybody’s son or daughter, and no one should have to go through this trauma,” Janet Realbuto said.
