Police arrest 16-year-old suspect in CSU grad’s Phenix City killing. A 13-year-old sought
Police have arrested a teenage suspect in the fatal shooting Tuesday of a 23-year-old Columbus State University graduate, and are looking for a 13-year-old accomplice.
The suspect is 16 years old, and committed another robbery minutes before Ryan Boles was shot dead in the parking lot of the Synovus bank branch at 1000 13th St., said Russell County District Attorney Rick Chancey.
Chancey said authorities are not yet releasing the juvenile’s name. He was arrested Thursday, and is charged with capital murder during a robbery and with robbery first degree.
Phenix City police got a special court order allowing them to disclose the 13-year-old’s name, because he is considered a threat to the public. They identified him as Kumasie Ahmad, who’s wanted for capital murder.
Ahmad is known to travel between Phenix City and Columbus, investigators said. They asked that anyone who sees him or otherwise knows his location not try to detain him, but call 911 immediately.
Police Capt. Darrell Lassiter said a person leaving the bank seven minutes before Boles’ shooting was robbed nearby, in the middle of 10th Avenue, so investigators believe the suspects were watching the bank to find others to rob.
Boles, 23, of Eatonton, GA, was pronounced dead at 9:24 p.m. at the shooting scene, said Russell County Coroner Arthur Sumbry Jr.
According to the CSU Department of Communication, he was a student from the fall of 2019 through this past spring, earning a bachelor’s degree in communication with a concentration in film production.
Besides joining in multiple film festivals, he had these accomplishments:
- In the summer of 2022, he was an intern on “Cash Out,” the John Travolta movie filmed in Columbus.
- He was involved in CSU’s “The Society” film club and the “For The Record” video gaming club.
- He served as a camera operator in CSU’s WCUG-Athletics live-streaming team.
The communication department posted this statement to its Facebook page:
“We are heartbroken to share the news that Ryan Boles has passed away. Ryan is a recent communication graduate and was an exemplary student and filmmaker who was adored by faculty, staff, and his classmates. He was the most friendly presence in the department and spread his positivity and kindness everywhere he went. We are so deeply saddened by this news. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2023 at 1:26 PM.