Is Ryan Waller still alive? His unfortunate death
In late December 2006, Don Thomas Waller asked the police to check on his son, Ryan Waller, after the latter failed to make it home for Christmas. The police stumbled upon a grizzly crime scene featuring Ryan’s dead girlfriend, Heather Quan, killed by a gunshot wound to the head. Ryan Waller was injured but alive.
Heather and Ryan were victims of a vicious assault by Ryan’s former roommate, Richie Carver, and Carver’s father, Larry. Richie reportedly attacked Ryan due to a former spat; Heather was collateral damage, murdered because she saw Richie shoot her boyfriend.
Initially, however, the police considered Ryan Waller the main suspect in Heather’s death.
Ryan passed away due to a seizure caused by the shooting
On 23rd December 2006, Ryan responded to a knock on his door. He cracked the door and saw Richie wielding a .22 caliber handgun. Before Waller could shut the door, Richie snuck in his hand and shot him in the eye. Carver forced his way in and shot Ryan again in the head.
Despite the point-blank nature of the gunshots, Ryan survived. Waller had a severe black eye and mumbled incoherently to the police. Ryan needed medical assistance, but the police placed him in a squad car, confident they’d apprehended the main suspect in Heather’s death.
During his interrogation, Ryan told the police he’d been shot in the eye. The investigators opined that if Ryan had been shot in the eye, he’d have died. Waller requested to go home and sleep, but the police informed him he wouldn’t be going home.
Waller clearly needed medical attention, but the police kept pressing him for answers he couldn’t provide in his compromised state. Impressively, Waller mentioned to the police that Richie Carver shot him and Heather.
It wasn’t until Ryan showed unmistakable signs of deterioration that the police took note of his injuries. When an investigator grabbed Ryan’s head, he said it hurt badly. The detective uncuffed Ryan and had a paramedic examine him.
Ryan had survived two gunshot wounds to the head, but he was living on borrowed time. Waller was rushed to the OR, where surgeons removed part of his brain due to an infection. The doctors told Don that the infection could’ve been avoided had Ryan received timely care.
Waller left the hospital after 35 days without a portion of his brain and left eye. Ryan experienced seizures for years due to his injuries. Waller passed away due to a seizure on 20th January 2016.
Don sued the Phoenix police department; the investigator who interviewed Ryan was charged with evidence tampering and fabrication.