KALAMAZOO, Mich — The family of a man shot and killed as he laid in his bed are speaking up and asking for the community's help in identifying his killers. Police say 33-year-old Gerryon Kye was shot in his leg and chest by two masked men who entered his home in an apparent robbery on Saturday, June 26.
Kye's father, Jeffrey William, spoke to FOX 17 Tuesday afternoon in front of his son's former home at 1346 North Rose St in Kalamazoo.
“Gerryon was a great son, he was a beautiful father. He loved all his family... that’s why we’re all here today,” William said. "That man took care of his children, he took care of a lot of people. He was a kind hearted person. My son didn’t deserve this."
Kye left behind 3 young children.
Police investigators say he was in his second-floor bedroom, sleeping next to a woman he knew, when the men entered their home.
“Two gentlemen were demanding money, over and over again, to the point where they did, I believe, locate some money," explained Captain Craig Habel of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. “They walked out of the room, then walked back in the room, and at one point shot Mr Kye in the leg and continued to ask for money.”
They believe the men may have been looking for something specific, possibly a large amount of cash.
“I don't know if they made it down the stairs or not, but they came back into the room, and shot him again, in the chest,” Capt. Habel said.
Police say the suspects are described as two black men wearing masks. The woman who witnessed the shooting death told police that one of the men was significantly taller than the other.
Investigators do not yet know how the men left the scene. Telling FOX 17 Tuesday, "We really need the community to help us out."
They say the woman who was in Kye's room was not injured in the shooting, and is cooperating with investigators.
Just 2 months before Kye was murdered, on April 29, his youngest brother was shot multiple times in front of the same house on North Rose.
Police do not believe the shootings are related.
“We’re struggling, I’m struggling real hard... the holidays are real rough," Jefferson said Tuesday.
“I don't want no family to go through what i'm going through right now, because I promise you, it's heartbreaking."
Anyone with information about Gerryon Kye's murder is asked to contact Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345. You can always remain completely anonymous when submitting tips to Silent Observer.
You can also submit a tip to Silent Observer via their website HERE.
