DC volunteer shot, killed in suspected robbery while walking home in Northeast

A volunteer from upstate New York who was working with at-risk youths in Washington, D.C., was shot and killed while walking home on Thursday night.

Police said 23-year-old Ryan Realbuto, of Pittsford, New York, was killed during a suspected robbery on South Dakota Avenue NE. Authorities were searching for a dark-colored Honda Accord in connection with the killing.

Those who knew Realbuto said he had found a calling that fit perfectly with his personality.

“He was a deeply caring guy who always worked very hard to understand what people were saying,” said Brother Stephen Cantwell of the Catholic volunteer organization Capuchin Corps. 

Realbuto had been volunteering with the organization in D.C. 

“They do different ministries. Ryan was at Don Bosco Crista Reyes High School. He was helping and assisting with the students there,” Cantwell said. 

Thursday night just after 10 p.m., Realbuto was returning from an event at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Shaw. It was a Holy Hour, a period of adoration of the Eucharist, followed by a mixer for young Catholics in the area.

He and two friends were almost home as they walked from the Fort Totten Metro station to the group home they shared. 

According to police, it was as they were walking along South Dakota Avenue that a car pulled up and someone inside asked them for money. 

“We live close by and we heard a shot,” neighbor Sara Almgren said. 

Police said someone in that car shot Realbuto after he told them he had no money. 

“We ran outside and we saw a young man over close to the McDonald's fall over,” Almgren said. 

There were cries for help, and police received multiple 911 reports of the shooting. Almgren tried to aid Realbuto until an ambulance arrived. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Part of the goal of Realbuto's program is for the volunteers to live in the communities they serve.

“We in the friars live in a lot rougher areas than this, so we’re kind of surprised that this is where this happened,” Cantwell said.

Almgren said she has “never felt unsafe” or “scared” in the neighborhood. 

Meanwhile, those who knew Realbuto contemplate the loss. Among the order with which he volunteered, they contemplate their mission.

“Pray for everybody, even those who do these acts, because they still have a shot at repentance like everybody else,” Cantwell said. 

D.C. police said they're looking for Realbuto's killer and a $25,000 reward is available for information leading to an arrest and conviction.