by Nicholas J. Pinto-Wong, Contributing Editor

The death of Ryan Sullivan, a 16-year-old Somerville High School student, has left his family, friends, and community in a state of grief and disbelief.

“We are all understandably in a state of shock as we come to grips with a senseless act of violence that injured two, and took our beloved Ryan from us,”said Brian Sullivan, who made a short statement on behalf of the Sullivan family in front of the Somerville District Courthouse July 2, after the arraignment of the two men accused of stabbing his nephew to death.

“Words cannot properly express what a beautiful boy Ryan was, and how much he was loved by his entire extended family. We know he is in heaven right now, urging us to be strong, be united and carry on,” he said.

“Above all, we know Ryan would not want us to be consumed by hate and despair, and not fall victim to an insidious cycle of violence that is continuing to plague our community,” he said.

Joseph Williams, 16, who attended Somerville High School with Sullivan, said he heard the commotion Thursday night from his home on Cedar Street, and saw fire trucks and ambulances flying by.

“Ryan Sullivan didn’t ever cause any trouble,” Williams said. “He got good grades.”

Stephanie Almeida, owner of Mongo’s Tattoo Madness in Union Square, played a major role in creating Somerville Cares About Prevention, the city’s response to the drug epidemic and spate of suicides that have rocked Somerville’s youth in the past year. She said the youths she has spoken with since the killing are still emotionally numb.

“This is the eighth one of their own that has died recently,” Almeida said. “These kids have been through a lot.”

Almeida said she was encouraged to see that teens she’d spoken with were talking about the incident with each other and sharing their feelings.

“This is how kids process a tragedy and get through it,” she said. “You have to talk it through and shape it into something your mind can deal with.”

Friday evening, Sullivan’s friends and classmates came together at the scene of the fight. They milled about, standing in small groups, speaking in low voices and adding their own contributions to an improvised memorial dedicated to Sullivan.

A small bouquet of flowers taped to a hockey stick, a gesture to Sullivan’s favorite sport, stood against a fence. Attached was a single note.

“Ryan, we will miss you.”