Boyfriend Who Killed Broadneck High School Student Sentenced

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The boyfriend of slain Broadneck High School student Kymici Brown was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison, with seven years of back-up time and the first five years without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said.

Kymici Brown, 17, was shot June 6 in a home in the 1300 block of Tyler Avenue in Annapolis. She was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center, but later died.

Her boyfriend, Ryan Surgeon, now 20, of Laurel, was inside the home when officers arrived and said the shooting was an accident. He was charged with first- and second-degree murder, as well as lesser charges. Surgeon pleaded guilty to manslaughter and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Authorities say he was on probation for another case in Prince George's County at the time of the shooting.

Annapolis Police say Surgeon told them he was playing with the loaded handgun, dancing with it after smoking marijuana, and had cocked and uncocked it when it went off, shooting Brown in the chest.

"What a tragic loss for this promising Broadneck High School student - a loss that could have been prevented. Instead, Mr. Surgeon recklessly cut her life short," said Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Wes Adams in a statement.

Brown, a junior at Broadneck high school, ran track and was looked up to by younger children in her neighborhood.

"The law states that this man should never have had a gun due to his criminal history, let alone his age," added Adams. "We have to change the mindset of our teens who think that guns are the answer. They are not."

School principal Dr. David Smith released a statement that said, in part, "Kymici was an outgoing student with an engaging personality that made her very popular among students and staff alike. She had worked very hard in school and showed tremendous growth of the last three years, something that drew her even closer to members of our staff."

Surgeon was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with all but eight years suspended and no chance of parole for the first five years and five years of supervised probation.