ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- School continued as normal Monday at Pedro Menendez High School, but for the students inside, it will never be the same after losing a classmate and friend. "It was devastating. He was a really good guy and a great friend to hang around," says friend Grant Henderson. "It was really hard. I just talked to him a couple days ago. He was a partier and all but he was a really good person. He would do anything for anybody," says friend Shayna Stanford.
19-year-old Ryan Ford died Friday night at a bonfire party in a wooded area off Old. St. Augustine Road in Jacksonville. Police say he was beaten to death in a fist fight at that party.
Principal Clay Carmichael says losing a student is a tragedy. He prepares for his students the best way he can. "Just make sure we have grief counselors on hand. Also, making sure we're a resource for those students who knew and called Ryan a friend," says Carmichael.
And those who did call Ryan a friend say the fun-loving hunter and fisherman will be greatly missed. "It's a terrible thing to happen. I knew him like a brother," says friend Dalton Nelson. "He would make anybody laugh, smile. He was just a fun guy to be around," says Henderson.
Two men have been arrested in connection to Ford's death. Police arrested 25-year-old Christopher Hoffman on manslaughter charges. He was booked into the Duval County Jail without bond. Police say 22-year-old Robert Cline admitted to punching Ford. He has been arrested and faces a lesser charge of battery.
Ryan Ford's funeral is Thursday at 11a.m. at Anastasia Baptist Church.
