Gwinnett County Transit bus hijacking: Daughter of victim remembers her father
Hijacked bus: Daughter remembers father killed
The family of the man killed during the hijacked bus chase is speaking out about the loss of a beloved family man. Police say 58-year-old Ernest Byrd, Jr. was shot and killed, Tuesday. His daughter sat down for an exclusive interview remembering his life.
ATLANTA - The family of the man killed during Tuesday's hijacked bus chase, 58-year-old Ernest Byrd Jr., is speaking out about the loss of a beloved family man.
He was a father of seven and a grandfather to another seven.
Ernest Byrd, Jr. remembered by daughter
His daughter, Jazzmyn Byrd, told FOX 5 that her father was always supporting his kids, from paying for their education to helping them with their major life milestones, buying their first vehicles or helping them move into their first apartment. Byrd says she wants everyone to remember him for his innate goodness.
"He always stressed the importance of kindness to others, and love and peace, and that’s what I want everyone to know," said Byrd.
Investigators say he was shot and killed with his own gun after confronting 39-year-old Joseph Grier on a bus which police say Grier then hijacked.
Byrd says her dad was in constant contact with his children, daily.
"He would reach out to me every single morning with a positive message." She
shared the last tweet that her dad sent her.
She shared that her father was also a Freemason who actively gave back to his community.
"He was very educated, he loved to read, and he loved to share things with me that he learned," Byrd explained.
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Bus hijacking victim’s mental health work
That includes his advocacy work for mental illness, which is the same disease suspect Joseph Grier's family revealed was a struggle for Grier.
"He worked at a mental health facility for years, for people like that," Byrd states.
She believes her father, like herself, would want this to raise awareness and evoke change—however small-- around the topic of mental illness.
"Just remember to be kind to people, because you never know what they are going through. You don’t know what could trigger a person. It’s just important to be positive and have compassion," Byrd said.
The Byrd family is now working on funeral arrangements, including trying to get their father back to New York, where he is from. They set up a GoFundMe.