PLUM, Pa. — Family and friends gathered at Boyce Park in Plum on what they said would have been Ritchie Benjamin’s 35th birthday, releasing balloons and remembering a man they described as loving, energetic and someone who could light up a room.
“Ritchie was one of the shining lights in our family,” his aunt, Regina Calloway, said. “He was always so happy, so energetic. Always told everybody, ‘I love you,’ smiled, give you a hug.”
Some family members traveled from out of state to take part in Sunday’s gathering.
“He will be greatly missed,” Benjamin’s older sister, Joscee Wingfield, said. “He was a great person, a great person to be around and lit up a room with his smile.”
The gathering came just more than a week after someone shot and killed Benjamin near the Oak Hills Apartments in North Versailles.
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Allegheny County Police said first responders were called to the area of 506 Irishtown Road around 1:41 a.m. on July 29 for a report of a man down in the street.
When first responders arrived, they found Benjamin suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
For Benjamin’s mother, Antoinette Zander, the grief of losing her son has been compounded by questions surrounding his death.
“When people say, ‘How do you feel?’ that’s a question I say I don’t know how to answer,” Zander said.
“You never expect your child to leave before you do, but just the way he was taken and to be told nothing, absolutely nothing, is crazy,” she added. “We would like to know what’s going on with this investigation.”
Allegheny County Police continue to investigate Benjamin’s killing.
No arrests have been announced.
As his family waits for answers, they said they want Benjamin to be remembered for the love and kindness he showed the people around him.
“Ritchie was special,” Calloway said. “We hope that some justice can be done and they find who did it, and that’ll help.”
Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
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